So daughter's month old Colt is proving a little difficult to get into first from rest, and the 1st to 2nd gear change can be a struggle. It's just the same after a month and 1000 miles as when new.
I remember that the gearchange in the (brand-new, 4 miles) car we test drove wasn't quite as slick as our Jazz, but it was more 'clunky' than 'baulky'.
What do other Colt drivers / owners think of their gearchange?
Otherwise she's very happy with the car - I can really feel the quality difference between it and the Jazz, but then it did cost £4000 less, so something has to give.
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Aha, the 'notchy' Mitsubishi gearshift...
If you do a search you'll find I've posted a few times on this. I have had LOADS of notchy Mitsi's to deal with. Mitsi's and notchy gears go together I'm afraid. Its the design of their boxes - they've never managed to master synchro design....and they can be a pig on a cold morning doing the frist 1-2 shift. Normally it frees up a lot after the first few miles as the oil warms up a little and thins out.
The solution is (and it does work quite well) a change to a lighter friction-modified oil. Something with a viscosity of 10cSt @ 100deg.C. improves matters no end. My personal favourite is an oil to GM 'Synchromesh' spec. - Amsoil 'Synchromesh' MTF works quite well. Alternatives are Redine MTL and possibly Castrol SMS-X (although that is at the thicker end of the spectrum). You MUST use a GL-4 oil. Some garages have been know to fill with ATF, but although it improves the shift it does not have the necessary EP and AW additives needed by the transmission.
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I once borrowed a newish Mitsubishi Galant for a few weeks. It was an absolutely lovely car but did have a dreadfully notchy gearbox. First thing on a cold morning you had to almost come to a stop before it would change from 1st into second. Once you had done a few gear changes it was much better, but you could not call it 'smooth'.
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Thanks for the replies.
One thing I've found that all the 3 girly drivers in my house do, is to try to put their cars into 1st gear anytime they slow below about 10MPH - this is awkward in many cars and involves needed to give the gear lever a hefty shove (even in the Jazz). I'm gradually training them that if the cars still moving at all then 2nd is fine.
The Colt gear change doesn't vary at all with temperature - it's just the same when everything is hot. I'll see how it goes and perhaps get it looked at if the car needs to go in for some other reason.
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Mitsubishi boxes are very difficult to get into first gear if the car is moving at all. I have yet to drive a Mitsubishi with a good synchro action. Its all down to the synchro design. The synchro's are small diameter and they use (IIRC) double-cone synchro's on first and second on most of their boxes. Another common fault on Mitsi gearboxes is progressive difficulty in getting reverse as the car ages, this is due to damage to the reverse synchro dogs (they use a reverse synchro, which is not that common). It will need quite a few miles on it before you experience that though.
In my experience gearshift can be improved by changing to a different gear oil. A syncho unit is effectively a small wet clutch, so gear oil frictional properties are critical and many modern lubricants are actually too 'slippery' to give good synchro action. I have a lot of experience with Mitsi gearboxes, in fact I have a Galant box in my workshop awaiting a reverse gear repair at the moment....
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