Reliability of the MTA/ Selespeed gearbox

[Sony]

then CVT vs conventional reliability?

 

is clutchless manual trans such a big headache? thought it would improve by now, it isn't that new.......

 

There's improvement and slightly smoother but don't expect CVT type of smoothness.

[Nightowl]

My selespeed acutator died at 70k while my selespeed pump die at 58K (damm heng, just within warranty)

 

Is the Selespeed reliable?? Absolutely. Till the point they die, they perform as they should have. However, just like any other component, they have a life span. Depending on your driving style, it should be anything between 60k to 100k.

 

Replacement cost is rather high. A actuator and pump combo should set you back roughly 4k. So if you think the life span of the actuators is too short, then you probably don't want to consider a clutchless manual.

 

If you are intersted in Alfas, just go and test drive one. Don't talk, read or listen to hearsay. Just go drive one. If you want an Alfa but don't want a selespeed, ask the agent and they will bring in a manual for you.

Cheers.

Edited January 10, 2006 by Nightowl

[Fluffy]

sheesh! that bad eh? i cover about 40K km a year, that means gotta change gearbox actuator every 2 years at $4,000? not to mention the danger of a gearbox packing up while you're driving or you're left strandard on the NSHW in malaysia, not to mention the hassle of not having a car....... which means if i keep for 10 years, i'd spent abt $20,000 just for the gearbox.......

 

except for my ATF fluid and filter (and the atf cooler), my VW auto gearbox is running fine with nearly 130,000km on the clock in 3+ years

 

i guess if i wanna an alfa, gotta get a manual then!

[Fluffy]

Get either CVT or conventional 5 spd auto lah.Safest bet.CVT got good FC.Hmm....Didin't realize DSG had problems as well.Anyone care to share where they read this from?

 

gktody,

 

didn't know the DSG had problems too. As for CVT, i guess the chain driven Audi Multitronic is more realible than the belt driven Japanese deriviatives. I haven't heard of any of the Audi multitronic gearboxes packing up....

[Fluffy]

[/reply]

 

Bro,

 

As I have stated in the SOOG forum, it depends on luck. Not all Astra have to be tow back. It only happen to a few. Which car or their gear box don't have their own problem.[/reply]

 

not picking on the astra, just was shocked that the MTA wasn't as reliable as thought

 

from the website, got these Singapore Opels had to be towed back

 

1 astra 11,000km mileage

1 astra 23,000km mileage

1 astra 2,800 km mileage

1 astra 2,300 km mileage

1 astra 14,000km mileage, 9 mth old

1 tigra 1,100 km mileage, not run in

 

a few Corsas and Merivas also mentioned....... quite a number considering Opel doesn't sell many cars in Singapore and on top of that, only a fraction are involved in the Opel Club forum......

[Soya]

it's always advisable to stay clear of 1st gen technology in conti cars. too cutting edge...

 

that's why jap cars are more 'reliable'; let the europeans come up wif the tech, sit back and watch the bugs, move in the copy the tech - minus the bugs. voila....!

[Felipe]

being an alfa owner, not a selespeed though, i'll just share what info i know. but basically, its all anecdotal. is the selespeed reliable? think we have to look at it two ways- reliability, wear & tear. from what i hear, it is a reliable system other than the quirks that can come out of nowhere like drive halfway suddenly gear change to neutral for e.g. but there are also others who've lost it in 1st year, few months, few weeks etc. so it all depends on yr luck. but a mechanic i frequent tells me he has alot more selespeed customers than manual owners...go figure.

 

i disagree with a previous view that testing an alfa is enough. a test only gives u an indication of the car's performance and doesnt help at all in assessing reliability. after all, its only for a few minutes. its good to hear different accounts (in this case selespeed/ MTA) and making the decision for yrself after weighing the risks. so in the end, it really all depends. some ss owners have own for number of years and generally, nothing went wrong, unlike others.

 

my conclusion is if u have to take the ss route, get a new one as u noe uve saved yrself 4grand for about 60k mileage. i know warranty can be a grey area but the ss is one that the agent cannot avoid. from the info i heard, it seems a pretty good gauge is probably about 100k for selespeed. as for myself, im pretty fortunate i hate driving w/o using my left foot. added to that, its a simple, effective and reliable system other than wear and tear. and also fyi, its not always true the alfa agent will order a manual. it all depends on whether they are getting rid of their current ss stock. if u really want manual, can...be prepared to pay more and wait 3 months. lastly, my SE told me the 159 will come in a 1.9JTS for the manual version in addition to the 2.2. cant wait for that.

Edited January 10, 2006 by Felipe

[Mach]

Good analysis.

 

Sad to say that current clutchless manual technology may not be entirely reliable. And the cost of fixing problems on these are not as low as manufacturers would like us to believe.

Even cars with "problematic" torque convertor autos (eg, Renaults), at least owners could get maybe 50,000km on the transmission before it requires work. Towing new cars back for transmission failure is

[Sony]

Like I have stated, it's only a few compared to the overall and you will be surprised at how many Astra or cars with MTA technology that are present in Singapore.

 

But as it's new technology, there's bound to be problems. It happen to other make as well. Sometimes, luck does play a part.

 

Anyway, thanks for digging out the infor.

 

 

Cheers

[Sony]

Ya, that's the marvel of Asian. and if I remember correctly, Honda is coming out with their version of clutchless manual in Accord.. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Cheers

[Fluffy]

actually, to me surprising that cars with such little mileage had to be towed back. That is surprising, as this doesn't even go into reliability but the robustness of the gearbox in the first place.

 

as for "new" technology:

 

the MTA was introduced in July 2000 in the Opel Corsa as "Easytronic". It is now at least 5 years in the market.

 

the Selespeed was introduced in 2000 in the Alfa 156. Also at least 5 years in the market.

 

 

"new" technology should not be an excuse for breakdown. It should be tried and tested for robustness before placement in the market. As you can see, this technology isn't "new".

 

 

They should do better, my thots.

 

cheers!

Edited January 11, 2006 by Fluffy

[Soya]

"new" technology should not be an excuse for breakdown. It should be tried and tested for robustness before placement in the market..."

gotta understand that in europe, carmakers pride themselves to be the 1st to come up any new car technology or be at the cutting edge. european consumers appreciate this first world approach and are probably aghast at the thot of copying the third world (aka asian) tech. but we shld be happy that someone over there is taking the lead otherwise we'll still be driving ard wif cars wif 20yr old tech macam those toyota clown taxi.

[Soya]

noticed how even a tech savvy, engineering driven co like honda is a 'step behind' on clutchless manual?

[Seansene]

Very balanced

[Sony]

I think that's the price and inconvenience buyer have to pay for getting something that is still being tried but still remain testing.

 

If not, they might want to stick to the traditional manual or auto gearbox. Ever with auto gear box, it also comes with a lot of teething problems during the time it was starting to get common and it's only recently that it is sort of problem free but then, there's also cases of premature failure of the auto gearbox but it's getting quite rare. I'm sure you remember the days of a 3-speed auto gear box?

 

Anyway, I'm not trying to defend MTA or Selespeed but just looking at things from another perspective. And I do agree with you that they should do better.

 

Cheers

[Sony]

Apparently, this technology is not easy and it need a lot of long term testing to test its robustness.

 

Just like the days where auto gearbox take over from the manual. If my memory didn't fail me, Auto become popular in the early/mid 90s. Prior to that, manual was the mainstream and a lot of people shun Auto coz it have a lot of problem and is jerky.

 

I can see the thrend for these clutchless or DSG/SMG technology.

[Normal_aspirated]

If you are intersted in Alfas, just go and test drive one. Don't talk, read or listen to hearsay. Just go drive one. If you want an Alfa but don't want a selespeed, ask the agent and they will bring in a manual for you. Cheers.

Yup, they hv the alfa 147 TS c/w manual tranny.

[Felipe]

yea, they have but its only 105bhp and virtually absent of every other feature the old one has. i dont really mind that but less bhp is quite a nono for the money. indent a 2.0litre? i asked and its a straight no. maybe can get a yes, but gotta pay quite abit more.