I've switched from being a loyal VW owner to a Toyota owner. My car is a 2019 Corolla Hatchback XSE with 10,000km, made in Japan. My hope, is that I will find better reliability in this car than with the VWs I owned in the past.
Sadly, I've been experiencing some less-than-refined shifting characteristics.
- Shifting from 1st to 2nd in cold weather is rough (on the verge of grinding). I've had a couple rough shifts even into 3rd.
- Shifting into 1st is generally impossible unless moving no faster than a walking pace.
- Occasionally, shifting into 1st even from a stop isn't possible unless I roll the car in neutral a couple inches or engage 2nd before trying for 1st again.
I took it in a couple times and they were unable to replicate the concern. However, they changed the transmission fluid in an attempt to improve the shift feel for me.
Here's where I think they may have gone wrong.
The manual calls for: "TOYOTA Genuine Manual Transmission Gear Oil LV GL-4 75W" or equivalent"
They stated that they "drained the Toyota 75W85 and put in Mobil1 75W90". First of all, I confirmed that Mobil doesn't have a GL-4 75W90 and Mobil states they don't have a gear oil recommended for my car. They even went so far as to say that they do not recommend using their 75W90 in my vehicle. Secondly, why are they saying they drained a 75W85? Other Toyota transmissions (such as the 2019 Tacoma manual) specifically call for a 75W85 GL-4), but not mine.
However, curiously, I've noticed absolutely zero difference since they changed the fluid.
I'm taking the car back in on Thursday and will be driving a new Corolla Hatchback 6MT to compare the shift behaviour. I find it hard to believe what I'm experiencing is normal. In all other manuals I've driven, they were very smooth. This one is ultra notchy, rough, and crude.
Sadly, I've been experiencing some less-than-refined shifting characteristics.
- Shifting from 1st to 2nd in cold weather is rough (on the verge of grinding). I've had a couple rough shifts even into 3rd.
- Shifting into 1st is generally impossible unless moving no faster than a walking pace.
- Occasionally, shifting into 1st even from a stop isn't possible unless I roll the car in neutral a couple inches or engage 2nd before trying for 1st again.
I took it in a couple times and they were unable to replicate the concern. However, they changed the transmission fluid in an attempt to improve the shift feel for me.
Here's where I think they may have gone wrong.
The manual calls for: "TOYOTA Genuine Manual Transmission Gear Oil LV GL-4 75W" or equivalent"
They stated that they "drained the Toyota 75W85 and put in Mobil1 75W90". First of all, I confirmed that Mobil doesn't have a GL-4 75W90 and Mobil states they don't have a gear oil recommended for my car. They even went so far as to say that they do not recommend using their 75W90 in my vehicle. Secondly, why are they saying they drained a 75W85? Other Toyota transmissions (such as the 2019 Tacoma manual) specifically call for a 75W85 GL-4), but not mine.
However, curiously, I've noticed absolutely zero difference since they changed the fluid.
I'm taking the car back in on Thursday and will be driving a new Corolla Hatchback 6MT to compare the shift behaviour. I find it hard to believe what I'm experiencing is normal. In all other manuals I've driven, they were very smooth. This one is ultra notchy, rough, and crude.
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