Are manual cars still a thing? Is there even a future for the old gear stick?

[Jet-Fighter7700]

so when do we get EV's and something like fully autonomous cars driving around?

that would actually be a revolution, not adding massaging seats and engine stop start.

car makers are starved of good ideas it seems.

 

[SauRoNZA]

2. After a bank breaking experience of a cambelt snapping, I would never have a cam belt driven vehicle. Especially if the water pump and tensioner also has to be replaced. Not just because of the costs of repair but also it is such an expensive maintenance item.

Was the fault per chance your own for not servicing it when it was required? Be honest now.

Cam chains also need replacement and do also fail and usually cost about ten times as much to do.

Sure as a whole they do last longer and fail less (outside of recommended service intervals) but it does still happen and the damage is usually even more than a cam belt dying.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Weird, I always thought manufacturers would naturally gravitate towards chains. Almost zero maintenance, and they last forever because they're made of metal. You generally never have to replace them... oh, right. There in lies the problem when your primary reason for existence as an organisation is to make money.

They don’t last forever and they do need replacement just at a further distance than belts.

Also in recent years plenty of cars have had major issues with chains going wonky across entire engine generations so it’s not the sure fire thing it used to be.

Cambelts are quite reliable and not really all that expensive to maintain in the bigger picture...provided you don’t take shortcuts and skip their replacement.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Honestly, I think the other "newer" technology is going to be far better for fuel efficiency, namely cylinder on demand.

But we already have cylinder on demand in a few cars that can cut out cylinders as required.

What I want to see is Koenigsegg’s freevalve system going into “normal” cars, making engines much smaller and more powerful while also more efficient.

Would also solve the above mentioned cam chain/belt issues too.

Will be way too much technology for some people.

 

[The Voice]

But we already have cylinder on demand in a few cars that can cut out cylinders as required.

What I want to see is Koenigsegg’s freevalve system going into “normal” cars, making engines much smaller and more powerful while also more efficient.

Would also solve the above mentioned cam chain/belt issues too.

Will be way too much technology for some people.

And will ramp up the costs as well.

 

[SauRoNZA]

And will ramp up the costs as well.

It shouldn’t as there are less parts to the entire things.

Once it settles down past the R&D phase and goes onto common use of course.

 

[Claymore]

Those the same manufacturers that claimed their diesel engines were well within the pollution limits, too?

No, as per the article, it was a real world test, not manufacturer claims.

 

[Claymore]

Cambelts are quite reliable and not really all that expensive to maintain in the bigger picture...provided you don’t take shortcuts and skip their replacement.

My car's cambelt replacement replacement schedule is every 200000km... *gulp*

 

[Sinbad]

My car's cambelt replacement replacement schedule is every 200000km... *gulp*

My SEAT was 180k. It broke at about 80k - but mainly because the serpentine belt broke and got tangled up in it.

 

[SauRoNZA]

My car's cambelt replacement replacement schedule is every 200000km... *gulp*

Yeah my GTI was 180,000km but no mechanic ever wanted to follow the book and wanted to change it at 120,000km.

Think it was actually done at 165,000 after many an argument.

 

[6spdmanual]

Curious here: what is the largest repair bill anyone of you has seen for an automatic gearbox?

 

[ToxicBunny]

Curious here: what is the largest repair bill anyone of you has seen for an automatic gearbox?

Somewhere around 200k. Though it wasn't technically for an automatic box but for a fancy dsg style box... Truly automatic was around 130k.

 

[Rhein]

Was the fault per chance your own for not servicing it when it was required? Be honest now.

Cam chains also need replacement and do also fail and usually cost about ten times as much to do.

Sure as a whole they do last longer and fail less (outside of recommended service intervals) but it does still happen and the damage is usually even more than a cam belt dying.

Belt snapped 20,000km after being replaced by the dealer
Quite frankly I've never seen a scheduled replacement for a chain.
I'm aware of certain Mercedes's chains snapping but other than that, I'm not aware of other brands breaking chains. Having said that, I know of chains making a noise and then having to be replaced.
Just as a matter of interest in the latest Car Mag there is an article of a comparison of a used buy of two vehicles less than R100,000 - Figo and Celerio - It is mentioned that the Figo has a belt and it'll cost R7500 to replace. Now when your car is 10 years old, and not worth much, that expense is high.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Belt snapped 20,000km after being replaced by the dealer
Quite frankly I've never seen a scheduled replacement for a chain.
I'm aware of certain Mercedes's chains snapping but other than that, I'm not aware of other brands breaking chains. Having said that, I know of chains making a noise and then having to be replaced.
Just as a matter of interest in the latest Car Mag there is an article of a comparison of a used buy of two vehicles less than R100,000 - Figo and Celerio - It is mentioned that the Figo has a belt and it'll cost R7500 to replace. Now when your car is 10 years old, and not worth much, that expense is high.

That is terrible luck and sounds more like a botch job than being the belts own fault.

But yeah when buying second hand you definitely want to buy away from the belt replacement or just after it as it is quite an expense as you say.

Mercedes was one of them but also a whole series of BMW engines had a range of problems and then the usual culprits like Land Rovers etc as well.

My father in law had to have his chain replaced on C-Class at 180,000ish and it was a R30k job although it did include the service and brakes but still.

 

[supersunbird]

Belt snapped 20,000km after being replaced by the dealer
Quite frankly I've never seen a scheduled replacement for a chain.
I'm aware of certain Mercedes's chains snapping but other than that, I'm not aware of other brands breaking chains. Having said that, I know of chains making a noise and then having to be replaced.
Just as a matter of interest in the latest Car Mag there is an article of a comparison of a used buy of two vehicles less than R100,000 - Figo and Celerio - It is mentioned that the Figo has a belt and it'll cost R7500 to replace. Now when your car is 10 years old, and not worth much, that expense is high.

Yes, but it's still like only 2 months of new car payments (cheapest new fkn Polo Vivo can easily cost R4000pm ), so really a bargain still.

 

[Claymore]

Curious here: what is the largest repair bill anyone of you has seen for an automatic gearbox?

My Jag's gearbox cost R3100 to rebuild... That was 20 years ago though.

 

[Neuk_]

Never heard of a lock-up torque converter?

Or twin clutch setups that use clutches.

 

[Neuk_]

Weird, I always thought manufacturers would naturally gravitate towards chains. Almost zero maintenance, and they last forever because they're made of metal. You generally never have to replace them... oh, right. There in lies the problem when your primary reason for existence as an organisation is to make money.

Timing chains stretch over time and are a replacement item just like timing belts.

 

[Rhein]

Timing chains stretch over time and are a replacement item just like timing belts.

Really, care to show which cars with chains have the task shown in the service schedules?
Perhaps there are but I've never seen any.
I know of cars that have done >500,000 km with the original timing chain. Do you know of any timing belts that have done that?

 

[Sinbad]

Really, care to show which cars with chains have the task shown in the service schedules?
Perhaps there are but I've never seen any.
I know of cars that have done >500,000 km with the original timing chain. Do you know of any timing belts that have done that?

It's generally not scheduled, it's done on a symptomatic basis. Tensioners do wear out, chains do stretch. Mercedes 4 cylinder motors are a case in point.