Us Transmission Failures?

[scathing]

they have left hand drive cars too

Maybe he likes changing gears using the window winder?

[Iron Chef]

old fashioned

they have left hand drive cars too

har har - I don't live in the US

[dan_the_man]

Maybe he likes changing gears using the window winder?

lulz

this kinda sucks if u cant do the 3.2 second launches.

[R32 Driver]

LOL @ all the GTR Fan Boys, it doesnt matter how hard it was driven & launch was people are forgetting the fact that the R35 GTR was practically brand new car with less than 5000kms !! and then it breaks ?!?!? It just shows why it is half of price of Porsche's GT3 cause Nissan would of appiled cheaper parts on the car hence why we are begining to see weak transmission problems.

Im sure if you had a porche GT3 and repeatedly launched it off the limiter

something will break be it clutch, gearbox or axles

i doubt porche would cover it even if i only did 5000kms

[LSX-438]

So this is a new gearbox; the clutch (usually a non-warranty "consumable") is more integrated within a normally warrantable driveline component (the gearbox).

Hence the ambiguity on this.

I have no problem replacing a clutch outside of warranty, most people don't. Clutches CAN and DO wear out (at least with "NORMAL" gearboxes). It's part and parcel of owning a manual car (moreso high performance ones). Jeez the number of clutches i have been through..

Anyway what prospective R35 buyers should be asking, and potentially worried about, should we expect an R35 clutch to wear out eventually? (or any other box component really) AND WTF SHOULD WE DO IF IT DOES??

At this moment, it looks like the only fix is to slot in an entire new gearbox. A very expensive gearbox, somewhere in the order of $20k to $40k. Has ANYONE experience with these new style SMG gearboxes, has anyone pulled one apart? Probably not (yet).

I expect the aftermarket would eventually figure this out, right? Or maybe Nissan will develop a compromise solution. I have a GTR on order, and if i dont get some clarity on this issue, i don't think i can go through with the purchase. At this stage, nobody really knows how much a replacement box will cost (well, Nissan AU can't tell me anyway, not yet).

Edited October 14, 2008 by LSX-438

[Beer Baron]

I can assure you makers like ORC and exedey etc will be releasing clutch replacement and upgrade options sooner rather than later. so no, if your clutch wears out you wont have to buy a whole new box. that would be crazy. the odd use of the launch control wont be a problem. but if you want to drive off every set of lights with a 1.2g launch then yeah you can expect something to give eventually. think of how many 35s are our there already. and many of them tuned for more power and many of them driven on the track or raced. Out of all of those cars I only know of this one failure.

[Marlin]

Exactly right Baron, I don't reckon the sky is falling just yet.

[LSX-438]

Yes a new box (for a worn clutch) does sound crazy. This is a new type of box, maybe a clutch replacement is a lot more involved? Maybe a stuffed clutch breaks other components in this type of box? Does anyone actually know? I don't think the sky is falling in but I need to know (appropximately) what major consumables cost to replace. I'm not going to drive this car to pick up a latte on Saturday morning whilst onlookers masterbate over it. This thing is going to be thrashed within an inch of its life (at the track) i expect consumables to wear out.

[Birnie]

I suppose we should mention the 'hand made' part too, so if someone had too much sake and made a few bad minor adjustments, plus dropped his Snickers Bar in there, that could have been the end for Mr gearbox..

[Marlin]

The factory clutches should last over 100,000 klm with the car in factory spec. As they're wet clutches (bathed in oil) I see no reason to doubt it. Similar wet clutch technology has been used with virtually no issues on various machinery for tens of thousands of hours for many years. It sure wouldn't stop me from purchasing one, and regardless, by the time something needs replacing the aftermarket will have caught well up.

[Iron Chef]

Yes a new box (for a worn clutch) does sound crazy. This is a new type of box, maybe a clutch replacement is a lot more involved? Maybe a stuffed clutch breaks other components in this type of box? Does anyone actually know? I don't think the sky is falling in but I need to know (appropximately) what major consumables cost to replace. I'm not going to drive this car to pick up a latte on Saturday morning whilst onlookers masterbate over it. This thing is going to be thrashed within an inch of its life (at the track) i expect consumables to wear out.

You have my eternal respect...

[Snowman]

It also seems that maybe some of these so called failures are just internet trollers out to cause panic. So many haters out there....

[Beer Baron]

The factory clutches should last over 100,000 klm with the car in factory spec. As they're wet clutches (bathed in oil) I see no reason to doubt it. Similar wet clutch technology has been used with virtually no issues on various machinery for tens of thousands of hours for many years. It sure wouldn't stop me from purchasing one, and regardless, by the time something needs replacing the aftermarket will have caught well up.

exactly.

look at 32-34 GTR transfer cases. they use a wet clutch pack type system to send drive to the front wheels in the transfer case. that system was designed in the 80s and was pretty much unchanged from 1989-2002 and I have seen plenty of R32 GTRs with over 100,000kms nearly 19 years after they were built still with perfectly functioning transfer cases. and some of them putting out about the same power as an R35 (300awkw). yes I know the transfer case clutches are under much less load than an R35 dual clutch system as it's being used all the time but these cars cop plenty of launches etc too which puts it under big load. my point is they certainly can and will live a long happy life. considering the 35 set-up was desgined 20 years on surely there have been improvements in design and materials so it should be even more durable than the 32-34 transfer cases.

apart from all that I know of at least 3 companies looking at the 35 gearboxes and trying to assess what will wear or break in order to develop aftermarket clutches etc for them.

and even if the DSG does cost $20,000. it's a pretty fancy piece of kit. and hey a basic hollinger sequential costs you $20,000 for openers and you still need a few bits to make it work, and I know which one gives better performance and the hollinger still needs regular tear downs and rebuilds too.

[Asymmetry]

Americans need to learn mechanical sympathy (well any sort of sympathy ).

I drive a Suby with a "glass gearbox" just need to learn how to drive it without blowing the box, LC isnt a good idea in AWD cars. If I owned the car Id disable it permanently, Nissan should probally alter the LC behavoiur, program it to get it off then line then nail it once the slack is taken up, like you do in a suby, a few tenths a second slower but preserves the box

my 2c

[BUFFBOY]

Hi all, been reading some info about this gearbox problem with the new GTR and notice some people is going thru alot of trouble trying to claim this as warranty.

i had plans to to trade my E46 M3 for one of these but looking at it now it kinder made me think twice about it.

question is is there any way to claim this and what if the lauch control was off and the gearbox still f**ks up ?  is the gearbox reliable in this model GTR ?

[scathing]

Americans need to learn mechanical sympathy (well any sort of sympathy ).

Don't forget, this is a country where a lot of the Japanese manufacturers wouldn't sell their top-spec cars (i.e. turbos) because they were to worried about the warranty claims from a culture that seems to be allergic to servicing cars according to the schedule.

Unless they're hardcore racing enthusiasts, mechanical sympathy doesn't seem to be in their lexicon. Agricultural gearboxes and understressed big-displacement NA engines in floppy chassis' have let them get away with a lot over the years.

I drive a Suby with a "glass gearbox" just need to learn how to drive it without blowing the box, LC isnt a good idea in AWD cars.

Exactly. The Evo IX had a 5000RPM rev limiter if the car was stationary, to stop full-bore launches. Apparently the fastest way to launch an Evo IX was to get the clutch to friction point so the car would roll, engage the clutch fully again to let the revs hit the limiter, and then dump it.

question is is there any way to claim this and what if the lauch control was off and the gearbox still f**ks up ?  is the gearbox reliable in this model GTR ?

I don't know how true this is since I found it on a forum, without even a third party news source let alone from a Nissan web site, but this is what I've been told is Nissan's official response to the saga:

"The singular thing people need to remember is that using launch control does not void the warranty - The warranty clause regarding the operation of the vehicle with VDC turned off states that Nissan will not cover damage or failures of otherwise covered components, IF it can be determined that the use of launch control led or contributed to the failure. The act of using launch control (which requires turning off the VDC) will not automatically void the vehicle warranty. Simply put, the warranty outlines that failures or damage resulting from things such as misuse, accidents, non-factory modifications, etc. are not covered under the factory warranty.

Further, the warranty states that VDC should only be turned off to help when rocking the vehicle when stuck in mud or snow.

Nissan will not void the entire warranty on any of our cars based on one specific issue of one specific component or system, however, a part or system won’t be covered under warranty if Nissan determines that the failure was as a result of misuse, modifications, etc. (as mentioned above)."

Call the GT-R dealership nearest you to confirm, and see if you can get it in writing.

[BIGS]

Did anyone stop to think that out of all the GTR's that have been sold thus far that there are going to be incompetent drivers and drivers who are not used to using a paddle shifter? Probably a lot of over excited over revved down changes and accidental downshifts in to first (does it allow you to?). I'd say considering its been used already to some degree in motor sport with out any or many issues thus far proves something. Until with out a shadow of doubt theres no glitches with the gearbox than I don't see why they should recall them or honour warranty's. Would probably work out cheaper to give new owners a track day to learn to drive them first lol

[LSX-438]

Did anyone stop to think that out of all the GTR's that have been sold thus far that there are going to be incompetent drivers and drivers who are not used to using a paddle shifter? Probably a lot of over excited over revved down changes and accidental downshifts in to first (does it allow you to?). I'd say considering its been used already to some degree in motor sport with out any or many issues thus far proves something. Until with out a shadow of doubt theres no glitches with the gearbox than I don't see why they should recall them or honour warranty's. Would probably work out cheaper to give new owners a track day to learn to drive them first lol

I believe the new GTR will not change down a gear if revs are too high.

It sure looks like this gearbox issue has been overhyped; the one or two cars (which have required a new box) O/S were probably abused. It's a fair assumption. However there will be those who WILL seriously molest their cars (especially track oriented cars) so i hope the aftermarket will come to the party within a decent timeframe.

[260DET]

The pictures around show stripped gears as causing the failures, or one failure anyway. I think the point is that Nissan should have designed in a weak transmission link that is external to the gearbox, or, otherwise limited stress that would likely cause internal gearbox failure.

Having gears as the weak point is not very clever, keeping in mind that the car itself is 'clever' with a host of advanced features and outstanding performance. I think that its reasonable that expectations are high for this particualar car, bet Nissan come up with a fix very shortly.

[Asymmetry]

Unless they're hardcore racing enthusiasts, mechanical sympathy doesn't seem to be in their lexicon. Agricultural gearboxes and understressed big-displacement NA engines in floppy chassis' have let them get away with a lot over the years.

Yeah first thing rather than understand how to take care of it, class actionlaw suit. Morons.... ton of youetube clips flogging (breaking) the crap out the R35.....pisses me off

Exactly. The Evo IX had a 5000RPM rev limiter if the car was stationary, to stop full-bore launches. Apparently the fastest way to launch an Evo IX was to get the clutch to friction point so the car would roll, engage the clutch fully again to let the revs hit the limiter, and then dump it.

any AWD car, I do that with my suby, dial 4K slip, roll then nail it, works fine doesn't shock load the tranny near as much.

Wondering how would you go about getting a good start in a R35 without shockloading the tranny? Wonder if the LC can be reprogrammed to include slip to get it off the lime? rather toast the clutch than strip off teeth.