just to report a tranny problem.....lost of reverse, 2nd, and 6th gears....

i have an '11 panamara (dpk tranny)
and an '09 sl63 (mct).
both vehicles have around 12K miles, and were never "tracked".
the porsche tranny has been flawless.
the mercedes, however has issues.
the sl63 jerks when going into 1st gear.
the problem began after 8K miles.
two different dealers have looked at the vehicle and said this is normal for the car.
i understand, from mb forums, this is true.
curiously, when the engine is warm, the car no longer jerks!

 

Sounds like software. Not sure if this can be upgraded on your SL63. We have a 2007 CLK63, don't drive it because I bought it for my fiance'. I know there have been changes, newer versions will blip the throttle and rev match on downshifts.

The older 360's are jerky when downshifting into first. Usually, I just wait until I come to a complete stop before engaging first anyway, so problem solved. 360 F1's are much smoother when warm, seems to apply to other makes too.

 

I think this guy knows

Lee

 

Sent you another pm, the car is for me.

 

i had two software upgrades.
no improvement whatsoever.

 

Are you talking about starting in 1st, or downshifting to first? You have tons of torque with the 6.2 engine, first is not necessary anyway. Give it to your wife if you hate it?

 

As you now know the problems are not software.

There must be some sensor or electrical connection problems inside the boxes which are causing the failures.

The mechanical parts seem to be working fine.

Unfortunately, Getrag has chosen not discuss the current problems which affect all 458s and Cali's.

 

I am speculating that Ferrari now knows that the 458 has been tracked. With that said, the 458 challange cars, they also have been having problems as you mentioned with the DCT. Other posters here on Ferrari Chat, since the 458 has been introduced ------also have had problems with the DCT. The common denominator within all the threads I have read that have had DCT problems is that they have been driven at the cars extremes or capabilities. It seems that not all DCT's are equal and that engineering beyond that of the hard parts of the DCT may have not been taking into consideration, at least not enough or what ifs were asked. The DCT has been used as everybody knows by many manufactures. The parts that are added to the DCT such as high horsepower engines and wires and fluid and inside /outside diameters of tubing and fluid ways need to be taking into consideration. I just read,from another thread in the 458 section, about the 458 giving a whooosing sound before changing gears at extremes. I understand that new models and new transmissions will have problems at least to blaze the way into making a perfect gear change which is called progress. However, it seems the 458 is still having problems comming about with the fix for the DCT and in Davids case Ferrari is keeping thier mouths shut. Hopefully the DCT gets overhauled and or understood more before the 2012 599 and or new enzo is introduced. You may not read a lot of problems with the FF DCT mostly due to the car being a family car and not a sports car that is driven at extremes (I know some will). I still believe Ferrari is headed in the right direction with the DCT, but we are in very early stages. The Single disc that my scuderia has is thrilling and mostly understood after years of use by Ferrari. The 599 / GTO gearbox is probably the best of the sequential boxes out mostly because it is the last of its kind.

It is to bad that David feels the way he does and may be contimplating a move to the McClaren. I still believe that Ferrari will do the right thing and be responsible with any item made that has Ferrari's name attached to it. Extremes is what Ferrari was built around so taking your 458 to the extremes should be allowed and sought after by Ferrari to help sell thier cars.

greyhair

 

you are one smart cookie!
the problem with jerking occurs when moving the car from a standstill into gear.
that gear can be first, or second, depending upon which mode the transmission is set (manual vs automatic).
regardless of the mode, the car jerks when the engine is cold.
if the engine is warmed up for five minutes or so, there is no jerking.
i rarely downshift into first when the engine is cold.
i have noticed no problems with downshifting at all.
i just ordered a 911s cab and in may, i hope to either swap my summer driver with my wife, or sell the sl63.

 

That's why I replaced my 06 SL65 with an 09 SL65, to avoid that transmission.

 

Have they changed something on the 65's? Thought they were still all 5 speeds because Of the high torque in the 12 cylinder turbos?

 

My problem is not the mechanical issue. Pretty much all car manufacturers have issues with new cars these days. My problem is with Ferrari not taking responsibility for it as they should. Everyone working closely on 458s and Challenge cars (eg. Ferrari dealers and techs) knows that the Getrag system has had issues, probably from a wire.

 

was just told my gearbox needs to be replaced. 2012, under warranty.

 

If your car is 2012, then we know that getrag has still not solved the problem.
I think it safe to say that if your car has DCT you need some kind of coverage ie warranty or extended warranty.

The 458 challenge cars have mandatory DCT swaps so lack of failures is not an accurate reflection of the reliability of DCT

 

I did not have a failure, there is a range if VIN #s that ferrari is replacing the gearbox as a service campaign, so maybe they did find a fix for it, I don't know. I've got 1,000 or so miles on my gearbox and its been flawless. However the problem does sound very similar to what was described in this thread. ferrari's description is pretty vague, but they do mention about a sound.

 

Thanks for the clarification.

Yes Getrag found a fix. You might let us know what is your new gearbox number (different from you vin or build assembly number)

Ask your service person to write it down. Each DCT box has a unique number.

 

Are you sure they are replacing the entire box? Mine was in last week and got the latest software update.

Still it's good to know you did not have a failure.

 

Yep its the whole box. They have done several already. Have your dealer check your VIN.

Can't imagine what a new one would cost outside warranty, yikes

 

Maybe around 28K.
I'm on my third box

 

Wow...sorry to hear that! Has it been the same problem each time?

-Gil

 

You think that's all? I would guess twice that (my 911 was 22k and that was pre-PDK). I'll ask the dealer when I pick mine up.

In light of all this I'm glad for the 7 year warranty. 2010s should be running out this year and I'd hate to get hit with that expense. Especially 3 times.

edit: I just read where someone said 21k which seems pretty cheap, considering

 

Yes The same problem Fortunately covered under warranty

 

Are you sure the warranty is now 7 years? I think it is 3 years.

The annual routine service is 7 years. But that covers things like oil change and brake fluid and possibly belts, and not DCT

 

Yeah I think you're right. Mine should be replaced by a spider before the 3 years is up so its not so much an issue for me anyway.

 

XTRAC - This is where the future lies. Lighter, smaller, simpler and faster than DCT. Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 uses this. Slick software that has the next gear on the same cog for a split second.