Using Tiptronic Option

[uridor]

Hello,

 

I've recenlty purchased a 2003 1.4 aut. C3.

As I've noticed, using the tiptronic manual transmission is much more economic than letting the AL4 decide when to do it (especially in the city).

 

I'd like to know if there are any faults incurring as a result of heavy use of this option. Is it designed for a constant use or just for an ocassional gear switch?

 

Thank you.

[pork_pie]

Using the manual override will usually produce better fuel economy.

 

In fully automatic mode the unit usually leaves it late to change gear especially with 4 ratios that your car has.

 

The facility wont add any strain on the system.

 

French automatics aren't particularly reliable anyway.

[uridor]

Thanks for the quick answer.

 

By the way, how unreliable are they?

 

Shouldn't the AL 4 be the new generation of the french gears?

[pork_pie]

Just that a lot of the French units suffer from electronic glitches, leaks and occasions where the transmission misses gears and slips into safe mode.

 

Sometimes the technicians are unable to rectify the gremlins.

 

All you can do is drive sensibly and ensure the transmission fluid is monitored regularly as all the other lubricants.

[Guest CE05LDB]

My Brother C3 1.4i SX Auto had to have a new Gear Box at 2 years old. It kept going into snow mode all the time. Which was dangerous. When I drove it when he had it I pulled out of a junction and it went into snow mode. which I was stuck in the middle of the road doing 5mph.

 

It had so many faults. It nearly killed me and my brother aswell. Its in previous posts under my old user name SAXOAUTO.

[uridor]

Well, I hope anything like this won't happen to me.

 

The car is exactly 3 years old and it had no faults, I got the whole history book from the service network.

 

By the way, could the weather affect such things? I keep reading about all the faults that citroen has and I never heard of such things in here.

 

Maybe Citroens like Mideastern sun better than the British cloudy weather? :P

[Guest CE05LDB]

Now you mention it. Most of faults seemed to be in the winter

[iannez]

a little bit of usless trivia while on the subject of gearboxes but did you know the first gearbox citroen produced had odd shaped teeth on the gearing. they were the same shape as the chevrons on the citroen badge so now you know why you have that funny sign on the front of you cars. am i sad or what.