Well, I thought my car was doing much better after I got it back yesterday. Besides everything feeling really tight and new, it was shifting better, although not as perfect as it used to. Well, I drove about 20 miles this morning to and from the post office. It was acting up initially, I assumed because the car was still cold. After the car warmed up it kept doing it. It's not as bad as it was but it is still hard to get into 2nd compared to all the other gears. The dealership says it's fine and within specs, so I doubt they will do anything about it unless something major happens to it right now. I was doing some searching and reading about people and all their transmission problems and hoping I didn't have something like that, especially since the "new" service advisor I have had to deal with for this issue is a complete ***. He's abrupt, unfriendly, and kept interrupting me when I was trying to explain what it was that was wrong with it. When I went in to pick it up he says "Your transmission is perfect" and when I tried to to explain exactly when I noticed the symptoms (again) in case they didn't test it under the same kinds of conditions, he kept interrupting and saying "it's perfect" over and over, basically treating me like I was an idiot that didn't know anything. I'm a little disgusted with this particular service person. If he would have at least had a different attitude about how he talked to me, I might feel differently about it. He could have said "We didn't see a real problem when we tested it" or anything like that, not "it's perfect." The only thing remotely useful he told me was that since I complained about it now they documented that I "thought" I was having a problem. Of course, this is the same person I had to deal with when I got my oil changed and all my issues then showed up that I had to take my car in for. I was also asked if I was sure I knew how to shift!!! Allegedly they didn't adjust anything either, but everything feels really stiff now, and it wasn't when I brought it in last week. So, they had to have adjusted something. My "problem" is not as bad as it was, but it is still there!!!

Anyone near me available to take it for a little drive to check it out and give me an opinion?

 

looks like a job for zoom44

 

Pay for my bus ticket. I always get what I want, which in this case translates into getting what you want. :-D Just a thought..

 

Hey! You play nice..

Edit: 'kay, I lied. I don't *always* get what I want...because the one time I tried to get something out of Honda, they wouldn't give in. Cheap bastards.

 

Well, after more phone calls and finally talking to the person that actually worked on my car, he said something was "loose" having to do with the clutch and 2nd gear engagement so that it wasn't "connecting" properly (whatever) and that basically, I was re-breaking in my transmission now, and that if it was still acting up after 500-750 miles to bring it back in. I left early for work so I could drive around a lot in stop and go traffic and have put on about 150 miles from the time I picked it up and it is feeling a little bit better. The tech guy said things needed to "set" again. I don't know what exactly he "adjusted" or anything but it is feeling a little better. I am hoping this fixes it and it will be "better." It's still not great like it was, though.

 

Does it seem like you problems appeared as the weather has gotten cooler? You might want to change the gear oil to an all synthetic type like "Royal Purple" or something along those lines. I have read numerous posts on how the synthetic gear oil quiets the trans and takes away some of that "notchy" feeling when shifting.

I think its worth a try, shouldn't cost a huge amount of money, and in the long run the synthetic gear oil is better for you transmission. (I'm surprised someone hasn't already suggested this, seem like alot of them swear by it)

Chuck

 

It's been getting colder, which coincides with taking my car in last, when I noticed the problems starting (other stuff besides just this, if you were following). I'll spend the money and change it out to synthetic. I just need a lot of help to do it.

 

Ja, someone from Texas pleas drive bunny's car. The 8 is very notchy and bad in the old days we would call that rifle bolt sure-lock.

It's not like a Civic or Eclispe, it's a true sports cat shifter. Maybe just maybe it's normal and she has to get use to it.

Good thing is the mechanic acknowledge it and said bring it back after 750 miles.

Now that's cool! I wish they would let more people talk to mechanics instead of a mediator with a name tag of service writer that still thinks the RX-8 has pistons.

A little informative talk does wonders.

Well here's my story: I thought I had a nightmare like everyone else. Really hard to get into 2nd gear and almost impossible to get into reverse. At this time there were loose bolts on the fly wheel and bad syncro reports on the internet. Damn I thought I was a canidate.

Well I continued to drive. After a X number of miles it disapeared and nothing like that has ever happened again. Maybe that shifter fork got bent or misaligned and the went back into place. What ever it cured it's self and I hope that Bunny's does too!

It would be nice to have someone give here confidence by driving it and telling here it's a normal feel.

Looks like a job for ZOOM MAN. Zoom44 where are you?

 

have you tried selling your car and buying a toyota?

 

?...I swear you're drunk every time you post

I hope it gets better Bunny! Is the gas mileage back up or...?

 

I don't know for sure yet how much it is up but it is definitely doing better, closer to what normal is for me.

I've basically been watching it from the time I picked it up to see how much the gas gauge has moved compared to how many miles I have driven since then. I have to get gas in a few hours when I get off work since my light came on when I was pulling into the parking lot. I only had a partial tank when I picked it up yesterday afternoon, so part of that tank was from when I had the loose plug and whatever else it was that also got fixed. I should have a better idea in a few days.

 

And this would help my car, how exactly? I'm annoyed at the "issues" I was having but this is their first repair attempt at it. Now, if I keep repeatedly having the same thing happen over and over after multiple "repairs" I'd be more than a little pissed, but I still wouldn't buy a Toyota!

So far the rapidly dropping gas gauge seems to be improved, as it seems to be dropping at it's "normal" rate now. No more black smoke out the exhaust. Nothing smells like it is burning anymore. There aren't oily puddles running out from under my car or oily spatters under my hood. The car is running more smoothly and feels like it has a lot more power. The transmission is feeling better, although not entirely like it had been. So, as I was advised, I am going to wait out the 500-750 miles and see if it stays feeling better or improves more as it "breaks in" again after the adjustment. It is feeling a little better the more I have driven it, although still feels a little more clunky than usual when cold. Hopefully, it was just a matter of that something being a bit "off" so that it wasn't "catching" just right.