Well, after initial interest at Ferrari board here we go... DCT... State-of-the-art gearboxes.... Best men/machine interface etc. That is description that we often see latest when someone starts a conversation about DCT. Just... Is it really a true
Hmm...
After initial positive impression with DCTs(S Tronic, M-DKG, PDK etc) I do NOT think they are ready for prime time yet! Personal opinion or objective view? Both!
WHY
This thread should provide at least more answers and some view from both sides(DCT currect sceptics and DCT fans).
Let's start...
From other forum-about BMW DKG(DCT):
"This story was on the news last night.The guy buys a brand new 335 DCT conv & from day 1 he is plagued with electrical & mechanical problems.The roof won’t open & every time it rains water comes into the car via the rear section of the roof.On the rare occasion that the roof does open,it won’t close.His brand new car has broken down on several occasions & left him stranded.2 make matters worse,the dealership won’t repair the car.
Even thought the floor mats r purchased from the dealership,I do agree that the accident has nothing 2 do w/ the dealership & this is just a money grab.
I was given a manual 335 as a loaner 4 my Lemmon M3 & it never broke down,it was faultless.However,the M DCT gearbox in the M3 & the DCT gearbox in the 3 series is a world renowned disaster.
As 4 my experience...Where shall I begin?
When I picked up my M3 she was covered in orange peel. Dealer repaired this.
I had 2 leave the stereo on at all times 2 muffle the squeaks & rattles emanating from the interior,specifically the dash.Dealer could not repair this regardless of how many times I took it back.
Now we come 2 M DCT. Provided the car would actually start in the mornings,I had to deal w/ the following:
In Auto mode it would refuse 2 change gears.It would jump from auto mode 2 manual mode & back 2 auto mode (on its own) than the engine would shut down.(In the middle of traffic) The gear box was always confused as 2 which gear it should select, especially in lower rpm’s
In manual mode,pull the paddle back once 2 go up a gear & the car refuses 2 go up a gear.Not the sort of thing u want 2 happen when u r merging in2 traffic.Then there r times when u pull the paddle back 2 drop 1 gear & the car drops several gears then the engine shuts down & won’t start again.
The clunking noises emanating from the M DCT box itself were frightening.The 1st time I heard it I thought something broke.
Go through the never ending process 2 activate LC, take my foot of the break & the car won’t go anywhere.It just sits there revving or the engine will just shut down.
In the Cayman S all u r required 2 do is slam ur foot on the break, press 1 button,floor the accelerator,take ur foot of the break & she’ll do a 7,000rpm launch that will reach 100km in 4.5 sec. Yeah that’s right,I said 4.5sec.There r the occasional clunking noises from the PDK gearbox when taking off from a standstill but PDK is nowhere near as bad as M DCT.
I took my M3 back 2 the dealership on several occasions & every time the mechanic told me he couldn’t find a problem.I would go 2 the dealership,drive the car with the imbecile seated next to me & much to his suprise,I could re enact the problem w/ very little effort or time.
My mate is the sales manager of the BMW dealership,his father is the owner & they both told me (of the record) that a problem exists w/ MDCT & BMW r trying 2 find a solution.Software upgrades were released 2 rectify the problems associated w/ M DCT but they didn’t help.At the end,the dealership bought the car back of me & I will never by a BMW again. "
Remark: far too many M3s with M-DKG experienced mechanical failure on its gearboxes. Only on my small market two M3s ended with M-DKG replaced. I am not talking about software problems(known thing for BMW DKG and M-DKG) but, mechanical issues(M-DKG overheating after one hour of track drive for example).
My response to post by guy above:
"
Just to add one thing-ALL current DCT boxes are start clunking prone... Friend bought new S4 with S Tronic-same problem. In fact his S Tronic failed once in first 2500km. I am not defending BMW here. PDK Porsches are also not without gearbox problems...
BIG fact is that despite all development DCTs are not ready for prime time yet. "
To add ALL DCT are clunking prone on cold start. They are not smooth at all in comparison to SOTA autobox like the one in new Jaguar XKR on slow city driving. So, are they failure?
NO. In fast driving most DCT works very good to excellent. BUT, not all of them and most importantly not all the time.
Problem is IMHO the fact that DCT needs to mimic three gearboxes at once: manual, sequential manual and automatic. Even the best one(PDK and Cali's DCT) are from my personal experience far from ideal. Shifting strategy in both is very strange IMO at about 60% of time.
So, what to do? Nothing... Buy the car(sportscar, of course) that you like. If you want my advice test drive DCT car on very long test drive. Two-three days is a must IMO. Not 30min session!
DCT is not for some cars. Period! Q5 for example-S Tronic is way to nervous for that SUV. Buy manual version. Automatic is far, far better choice for SUV. Again, that is my personal opinion.
M3? We have here on rennteam one moderator and RC with M-DKG. They probably like it. I would not buy it. Never.
997.2 or Cayman/Boxster? Even here not the most reliable gearbox in the world, but very good indeed. I was also very tempted...
Various GTIs/GTDs/Cupras etc? Here DSG is pretty good. Reliable? Mostly.... Just, I know few people with dead DSG in less then 20000kms... Test drive one and decide...
What about DCT only cars like GT-R or California? Only time will tell... In GT-R case DCT failure rate is above average. California is too new to tell...
To repeat are DCTs ready for prime time?
In MY opinion not yet. Let's open discussion here!
Re: DCTs-ready for prime time?
