Auto box Vs Manual.

[big_kev]

I have a mk1 Galaxy auto (AG-4 transmission) and want to know if it is possible to convert from Automatic to manual transmission. Physically it is niot a big problem as all parts are readily avaible....But the real question is ho do you eliminate the Autobox ECU and it's interaction with the main ECU.? has anyone performed this conversion?

 

I am certain you would need a new main ECU however as the only economical way to do an Auto to Manual changeover would be to buy a complete manual galaxy it would have a main ECU in it which you could use.

 

Got to ask the Question why would you want to do this ?

 

The only benefit the manual has over the Auto is reliability which with the age of the vehicle would not really be an issue. The Auto are much better than the manuals in all other aspects. Would it not be better to just get another Auto box, or are you going to race it ?

[tiny]

"The only benefit the manual has over the Auto is reliability which with the age of the vehicle would not really be an issue"

 

Just wondering why reliability is not an issue just because one vehicle is older than another? Surely reliability is important regardless of vehicle age.

 

And also

 

 

"The Auto are much better than the manuals in all other aspects"

 

How do you come to that conclusion? Apart from the horrendous reliability of the auto boxes (do a search on the forum if you want evidence of this-also have a look at the amount of Gal's with faulty auto boxes on ebay) there is the issue of economy which is typically worse across the range for auto's, and CO2 emmisions which are higher on the auto's (figures backed up by the parkers website) .Then there is the fact that in a manual you have precise control of the gearing at all times unlike the auto which gives you the gear the ECU thinks you should have.

 

So ive got to disagree with you-

 

The manual is better than the auto in all respects.

Edited November 24, 2007 by tiny

[big_kev]

"The Auto are much better than the manuals in all other aspects"

 

How do you come to that conclusion? Apart from the horrendous reliability of the auto boxes (do a search on the forum if you want evidence of this-also have a look at the amount of Gal's with faulty auto boxes on ebay) there is the issue of economy which is typically worse accross the range for auto's (figures backed up by the parkers website) Then there is the fact that in a manual you have precise control of the gearing at all times unlike the auto which gives you the gear the ECU thinks you should have.

 

Economy is an issue, but in reality not that much of one.

The figures quoted do not correspond to real life, one of the biggest impacts on economy is driving style, autos tend to be driven more sedately and the actual mpg is typicially only around 2 or 3 mpg different from a manual.

Also if economy is such a strong issue why do many people drive petrols ?

Any Auto tdi will get much, much better mpg than any of the manual petrol versions.

 

Precise control of the gearing !

 

On an auto box as well as D there is 1 2 & 3 ( & 4 on some ) you can put it in these if you wish to.

The newer Auto's come with a tiptronic gearbox which gives even better manual control.

 

Unless you are on a racing circuit or rallying both of which are unlikely in a galaxy then there is no benefit having a manual over an auto ( apart from as mentioned reliability and a teeny bit of mpg ).

 

Please note that most high-end sports cars are very popular with auto boxes, porsche 911 etc.

 

Is there any drivers out there ( who have driven an auto for any length of time ) who actually prefer a manual in a galaxy ?.........I doubt it.

[tiny]

Are you turning this into another petrol vs diesel argument?

 

Auto's tend to be driven more sedately? That is surely your assumption rather than an argument based on fact, why else would you get an auto Porshe? For it to be driven sedately? I doubt it.

 

The facts are, in the large part Auto's cost more to run. You shouldn't try and bring driving styles into the equation because for the sake of a controlled comparison you must look at the same driver in both vehicles, or do you want to compare a 17 year old boy racer in a manual against an old age flat capper in an auto?

 

Teeny bit of mpg? Readily available information puts this difference at upto 7mpg (15.91%) But your about to say thats wrong aren't you?

 

1.9 TDi Ghia (110ps) 5d (7 Seat) 43 mpg 176 g/km

1.9 TDi Ghia (110ps) 5d Auto (7 Seat) 36 mpg 211 g/km

 

At todays fuel prices thats hardly teeny is it?

Then theres the ecological aspect of the increased CO2 emmisions

 

Also noteworthy is the fact that the manual and auto derivatives have vastly differing acceleration times, the manual is over 2 seconds quicker 0-60 than the equivalent auto, try telling anyone that drives alot on A or B roads that quicker accelaration during overtaking isn't important.

 

1.9 TDi Ghia (110ps) 5d (7 Seat) 13.7 s 107 mph

1.9 TDi Ghia (110ps) 5d Auto (7 Seat) 15.9 s 105 mph

 

 

So lets review this,

 

The auto galaxy costs significantly more to buy new.

The auto galaxy is much less reliable than the equivalent manual variant.

The automatic galaxy transmission cost significantly more to repair the equivalent manual variant.

The automatic galaxy is slower to accelerate than the equivalent manual (in some models much slower)

The auto galaxy costs more to run than the equivalent manual variant.

The auto galaxy has higher CO2 emissions than the equivalent manual variant equalling more ecological damage.

Oh and I forgot, have you ever tried to bump start an auto??

 

Hmm, I would say that the above detracts somewhat from you suggestion that the auto is "much better" than the manual.

 

In fact i would say the complete opposite is true!

Edited November 24, 2007 by tiny

[zeplin43]

I agree with big kev i had a manual changed to an auto and i love to drive the auto (tiptronic).I think most people have some issue with auto because they have never had a chance to realy drive an auto tranny.Just take a look at all the best Mercedes or Bmw they are currently only have auto tranny as a option,and look at North America most cars are auto.

So i would realy apreciate someone giving a negative opinion of auto trannys if you really have had the chance to drive a car with one,dont just judge a book by its cover!!!!!

[mk2vr6]

,and look at North America most cars are auto.

 

 

thats because

1. the majority of DAY's are to stupid to manage doing more than three things at a time, steering and being on the phone......changeing gear.... forget about it

2. they only have two hands, one for holding the phone and one for holding their coffee

3. the avarage SHY is to stupid to count to three yet alone five or six so they would be stuck in third gear all the while

[Bigjeeze]

If , for a moment, we ignore the reliability thing - I for one much prefer an auto - Try sitting on the M25 for 4 hours with your foot on the clutch. Auto is more relaxing, and lets face it - you don't buy a Galaxy for the performance - it is a practical vehicle bought for largely practical reasons.

 

I had an auto Gal for 2 years and did 86,000 miles with no faults at all (99 Model) and the ONLY reason I chose my current one was that the auto was into the next Tax bracket and cost more to run.

 

I would always prefer an auto.

[mk2vr6]

- Try sitting on the M25 for 4 hours with your foot on the clutch.

 

if your stupid enough to take the M25 and then sit there for 4 hours your obviously to stupid to manage a manual gearbox :lol:

[big_kev]

Are you turning this into another petrol vs diesel argument?

 

No a manual versus Auto one..I

 

Auto's tend to be driven more sedately? That is surely your assumption rather than an argument based on fact, why else would you get an auto Porshe? For it to be driven sedately? I doubt it.

 

More sedately than the manual Porsche..

 

 

Teeny bit of mpg? Readily available information puts this difference at upto 7mpg (15.91%) But your about to say thats wrong aren't you?

 

In a word yes, the real difference is minimal and any reference to economy or CO2 would indicate your preference fof an Auto Diesel over any Petrol version.

 

Also noteworthy is the fact that the manual and auto derivatives have vastly differing acceleration times, the manual is over 2 seconds quicker 0-60 than the equivalent auto, try telling anyone that drives alot on A or B roads that quicker accelaration during overtaking isn't important.

 

We both know the stats say 1.4s difference ?

And anyhow this is all at the low end, the difference between 40-60 is only 0.2s.

 

1.9 TDi Ghia (110ps) 5d (7 Seat) 13.7 s 107 mph

1.9 TDi Ghia (110ps) 5d Auto (7 Seat) 15.9 s 105 mph

 

I tend to keep it below 105mph and therefore the extra 2mph wouldn't be any advantage.

 

 

The auto galaxy costs significantly more to buy new.

 

You get what you pay for the Ghia costs more than the LX.

Oh and I forgot, have you ever tried to bump start an auto??

 

No I use Jump Leads, its too heavy for me to push on my own.

 

In fact i would say the complete opposite is true!

 

I think I stated in my original post "any drivers out there ( who have driven an auto for any length of time ) "

[tiny]

Are you turning this into another petrol vs diesel argument?

 

No a manual versus Auto one..I

 

And yet you seem hung up on petrol/diesel arguments,you have made constant references to fuel type throughout you posts

 

Auto's tend to be driven more sedately? That is surely your assumption rather than an argument based on fact, why else would you get an auto Porshe? For it to be driven sedately? I doubt it.

 

More sedately than the manual Porsche..

 

A personal experience or an opinion?

 

Teeny bit of mpg? Readily available information puts this difference at upto 7mpg (15.91%) But your about to say thats wrong aren't you?

 

In a word yes, the real difference is minimal and any reference to economy or CO2 would indicate your preference fof an Auto Diesel over any Petrol version.

 

I knew you couldn't resist saying you know best

Points to consider when choosing a fuel type for enviromental reasons would have to include diesels having typically over 20 times the nitrogen oxide (NOx) group of gases emission levels and the fact that diesels produce PM (Particulate matter- often carcinogenic) emissions which petrols do not.

I made no reference to these as this is not a petrol diesel argument.

Truely speaking it is not a manual/auto argument either, i think we are both guilty of hijacking the original posters thread!

 

Also noteworthy is the fact that the manual and auto derivatives have vastly differing acceleration times, the manual is over 2 seconds quicker 0-60 than the equivalent auto, try telling anyone that drives alot on A or B roads that quicker accelaration during overtaking isn't important.

 

We both know the stats say 1.4s difference ?

And anyhow this is all at the low end, the difference between 40-60 is only 0.2s.

No, the stats show the figure to be 2.2 seconds. And a difference this great is significant in most general driving situations apart from motorway cruising

 

1.9 TDi Ghia (110ps) 5d (7 Seat) 13.7 s 107 mph

1.9 TDi Ghia (110ps) 5d Auto (7 Seat) 15.9 s 105 mph

 

I tend to keep it below 105mph and therefore the extra 2mph wouldn't be any advantage.

 

The quote above is there to show the 0-60 times, why do you bring top speed into it? Anyone can see it is TOTALLY IRRELLEVANT

 

 

The auto galaxy costs significantly more to buy new.

 

You get what you pay for the Ghia costs more than the LX.

 

A futile argument as it is based on paying more for a host of additional features (ghia v lx)where my post makes reference to paying extra for an alternative part of the vehicle without which it would not function.

Oh and I forgot, have you ever tried to bump start an auto??

 

No I use Jump Leads, its too heavy for me to push on my own.

 

But you'd be stuck if you had too

 

In fact i would say the complete opposite is true!

 

I think I stated in my original post "any drivers out there ( who have driven an auto for any length of time ) "

 

No. it was your second post. In your first post you simply gave the misleading statement that "The Auto are much better than the manuals in all other aspects". A point that i have tried to redress.

 

But the overidding fact and indeed the main reason that autos are not "much better" than manuals on the galaxy and its variants is the reliability issue. Look on this forum and on the internet in general and you will see the mount of horror stories where people have had to pay

Edited November 25, 2007 by tiny

[big_kev]

Why dont we both say that you made valid points and I am wrong and let this thread return to helping the original poster solve his problem? ;)

 

OK

[big_kev]

Just joking.... ;)

[mumof4]

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