[Speed Pujari]

Extremely thankful to guys here for bringing this issue. I was almost sold for an ecosport AT and was planning to visit the showroom tomorrow.

Unfortunately this leaves us with absolutely no option at all except city and sunny with CVT which is again wait and watch scenario.

[roy_libran]

Don't jump to conclusions Speed Pujari, on the basis of only a few reports. My 2 year old Ecosport has no trace of this problem, perhaps because, I religiously shift to 'N' when stopping. A slight modification of driving habits may protect the transmission, and it is not irksome either. The Ecosport AT is one of the safest and most well built cars in this category and this report shoudn't be the sole reason to strike this off your list.

[Kamen_rider]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

My 2 year old Ecosport has no trace of this problem, perhaps because, I religiously shift to 'N' when stopping.

Likewise.

My 2012 Ford Fiesta DCT now has a mileage of 50,000 kms, and runs better than when it was new. I always shift to N at traffic stops, and even to P when picking up someone. Some might disagree with frequent shifting, but I prefer it this way.

No parts changed except for tyres at 40k and regular consumables during scheduled servicing. No TSB updates done either, simply because I faced absolutely no issues at all.

[vikram_d]

Originally Posted by Kamen_rider

Likewise.

I always shift to N at traffic stops, and even to P when picking up someone. Some might disagree with frequent shifting, but I prefer it this way.

Ditto.

I picked up a 2012 pre-owned car which had done just 9000 kms thanks to one of our moderators over here and I have had no issues with it at all. The car has done close to 45000 kms now.

A few things that I have noticed in my history with this car.

1. Always shift to N when at a signal or even to P if it is a long signal.

2. In bumper to bumper traffic also shift to N when stationary. When the traffic starts moving I do not give it any throttle input unless I am on a slope. The anti-stall ensures that the car starts rolling forwards. Only after this do I start to use the throttle and even then very gently.

3. Even if you don't want to shift to N then press down on the brake pedal really hard. if you press the brake pedal gently the car may be the stationary but the clutch is engaged. You can see this happening by observing the real time FE readout.

4. After I started driving this car I realized that my right foot could never apply the kind of pressure on the brake pedal that my left foot could. All these years of driving a manual in our heavy traffic seems to be at play over here. So I started practicing left foot braking and now I only use left foot braking. By doing so I can apply maximum pressure on the brake pedal when needed. This also helps in stop-go traffic when you need to press down hard on the brake pedal to disengage the clutch.

[pgsagar]

It is the best practice to shift to N at signals. Whether DSG or CVT or DCT or TC. Two years ago I was riding in this NRI's Scorpio AT in HYd. and he would just keep the brake pedal pressed in D waiting for minutes for the light to change. When I told him why not shift to N, he was like, "Aw.. I do it all the time man. Never shifted to N even in US even through long waits." Turns out, he owns a CRV AT in US and does this all the time. Now CRV is a TC which should be more forgiving than DSG / DCT. But still, I'm not sure how much of a damage he might have caused to his Scorpio AT box (also a TC) in our hot climate. Is it really too much of an effort to shift to N at lights? I mean how lazy can one get? Isn't clutch-free and shift-free driving enough?

[itwasntme]

Wholly agree, sheer laziness not to shift to N. I used to religiously follow it in the UK on my rental A Class, Honda Accord etc. You can feel the engine and transmission 'relax' as soon as you do it.

[Peejay]

Hello All,

Due to an unscheduled travel my visit to the dealer was delayed, i did visit Metro Ford and they are sending one of the engineer today to do a preliminary check before calling in the engineer from Ford India (this is the same protocol i have had the last 2 times i had this issue). The customer service person at Metro Ford was very cooperative and said he will help as much as possible but final call on what to do with the problem rests with Ford India, in any case i will update the group on what transpires.

I did read some of the posts from other owners with many more miles on their cars with no issues, i am very encouraged to know that, i am hoping that the issue is with this particular piece and can be addressed hopefully by replacement. I however disagree with many other people who said the problem could be because of unhealthy driving habits because

• We have two other automatic cars at home (Elantra 27K Kms, i10 45K Kms) and had a Santro with 17K Kms and me and my dad drove/drive all of these cars with the exact same way we drive the Ford
• We do shift the gear to N when at signals or long waits, but we do this more with the perception that this will be more fuel efficient (though i am not sure how true it is). If the gear box is designed in such a way that the shift to N is mandatory,then i think that's a problem! Though i don't think that's the design. Shifting it to N may be a best practice for longevity but in no way should impact the normal functioning at 17K Kms!
• At no point during the last issues (where ford spent their money to replace clutch assembly) did anyone ask me if we shift to N regularly, if shifting to N was such an important aspect for the health of the gear box i would imagine they would at least ask or recommend
• Finally like one of our friends had posted links and news, this issue is quite common even in models sold in US, so all people at the cross roads of decisions will be wise in doing some research before making the decision. I am not saying take my case as the norm but do your research.

Alright guys, thanks for all the posts again, will continue the updates.



Peejay

[chaudh2s]

Originally Posted by vikram_d

4. After I started driving this car I realized that my right foot could never apply the kind of pressure on the brake pedal that my left foot could. All these years of driving a manual in our heavy traffic seems to be at play over here. So I started practicing left foot braking and now I only use left foot braking. By doing so I can apply maximum pressure on the brake pedal when needed. This also helps in stop-go traffic when you need to press down hard on the brake pedal to disengage the clutch.

Slightly off topic, but from what I know and what is a also a good driving practice, left foot is used for only clutch and right foot for accelerator and brakes (this is to make sure that your foot is off the accelerator when you press the brakes). Am not sure how your left foot could apply more pressure than your right foot (maybe something to do with you being a right or left hander). Normally for right handers right foot can exert more pressure.

[printh]

First the VW dsg,then ford dct now getting attention for the problems sprouting up.
Just curious ,is it the same with the Mercedes dual clutch tranny too?
I am skeptical about how the Renault's dual clutch soon to be premiered in duster facelift gonna fare in this regard?
How about the international hyundai and Chevy dual clutch boxes?? Do they also line up behind the dsg or trouble free atleast in western markets??

[pradkumar]

I drive a TC and I do shift to N most of the time in traffic situations. On an incline after stopping, even if it has a good amount of initial surge built in to prevent roll back, I still pull the hand gear lightly to prevent any roll back that might cause damage to the transmission.

Pradeep

Originally Posted by pgsagar

It is the best practice to shift to N at signals. Whether DSG or CVT or DCT or TC. Two years ago I was riding in this NRI's Scorpio AT in HYd. and he would just keep the brake pedal pressed in D waiting for minutes for the light to change. When I told him why not shift to N, he was like, "Aw.. I do it all the time man. Never shifted to N even in US even through long waits." Turns out, he owns a CRV AT in US and does this all the time. Now CRV is a TC which should be more forgiving than DSG / DCT. But still, I'm not sure how much of a damage he might have caused to his Scorpio AT box (also a TC) in our hot climate. Is it really too much of an effort to shift to N at lights? I mean how lazy can one get? Isn't clutch-free and shift-free driving enough?

[BUXX]

^^ Thats not needed when the vehicle has HHC , I assume?

Also, on a side note, how helpful is an Auto Box in bumper to bumper traffic.. You still gotta use the Right Leg and keep shifting from D to N and vice versa

[BUXX]

Originally Posted by printh

I am skeptical about how the Renault's dual clutch soon to be premiered in duster facelift gonna fare in this regard?

Renault will likely launch an AMT in the facelift. If at all they do it for India.

http://indianautosblog.com/2015/09/2...ankfurt-191413

[vikram_d]

Originally Posted by chaudh2s

Slightly off topic, but from what I know and what is a also a good driving practice, left foot is used for only clutch and right foot for accelerator and brakes (this is to make sure that your foot is off the accelerator when you press the brakes). Am not sure how your left foot could apply more pressure than your right foot (maybe something to do with you being a right or left hander). Normally for right handers right foot can exert more pressure.

I lift my right foot completely away from the accelerator pedal while braking. As far as left foot pressure goes it is all thanks to around 22 years of driving manual transmission cars and our traffic jams/crawling traffic where the left leg gets a thorough work out. In my case at least I find that my left leg is stronger than my right even though I am right handed.

[sharninder]

Originally Posted by BUXX

^^ Thats not needed when the vehicle has HHC , I assume?

Also, on a side note, how helpful is an Auto Box in bumper to bumper traffic.. You still gotta use the Right Leg and keep shifting from D to N and vice versa

This is OT but not having to depress and release the clutch every few minutes is a boon. Your knees and thigh/calf muscles will thank you.

[anandpadhye]

~Peejay,

It's almost 2 months since your last post. Any updates?