What does go wrong with Selespeed
Discussion
rushdriver said:
I am looking at buying an Alfa and I drove a 156 selespeed and loved it, but I am aware of some issues with it.
Does anyone have any specifics and also are they easy to repair (software issue etc?)?
Thanks for you help.
John
There are two basic problems with selespeed, these are listed below:
Italians;
Electronics.
Regards, Neil
Please note that in isolation neither of these two elements constitute a potential problem. Combined however the results can be bemusing
mightydquinn said:
I have a speedgear which is the fiat version I have had it 3 1/2 years and no probs .
I hope this helps you!!!
This is what I mean. Is this the same as avoiding the speed six engine because of some problems or is it a genuine problem?.
OK, let's put it another way, what's it like to drive a car with selespeed?
Cheers
John
The Clutch on mine is having a few personality problems at the moment, the clutch plunger seems to want to go from 2nd to 5th, only when well warmed up and not all the time.
Had it adjusted by Alfa at a cost to the dealer i bought it from and now the problem has returned, Its going in for warranty work on the 9th of June to have the clutch replaced at a cost of about a grand, hopefully to be met by the Warranty company.
2 Questions.
1) Why do i have to authorise the Alfa dealer to take the clutch apart to see if it is actually the clutch that is causing the problem
2) What if the warranty company say that the clutch is worn and not covered''Do you think a clutch should last more that 36k ??
Had it adjusted by Alfa at a cost to the dealer i bought it from and now the problem has returned, Its going in for warranty work on the 9th of June to have the clutch replaced at a cost of about a grand, hopefully to be met by the Warranty company.
2 Questions.
1) Why do i have to authorise the Alfa dealer to take the clutch apart to see if it is actually the clutch that is causing the problem
2) What if the warranty company say that the clutch is worn and not covered''Do you think a clutch should last more that 36k ??
Mmmm. I've had a 147 2.0 selespeed for 2 years now and put nearly 40,000 on the clock with no major problems. The "selespeed system failure" light appears regularly, but disappears when the car is restarted. Alf have checked it over and found no problems on a couple of occassions.
Don't know if it makes a difference but this warning regulalrly appears for my wife (who tends to shift gear at low revs) rather than me (who dosen't).
I have found that if you change gear as the revs near 4000 in all gears, the gears change more smoothly especially if you ever so slightly lift your foot off the accelerator as the gearchange completes.
I think the system is great and whilst I have every sympathy for Rob, I don't think you can tar all cars with the same brush. I know people who have spent far more on a car, had worse reliability and even worse service.
I wouldn't be put off the car at all, but you should test drive a couple and make sure it is what you want.
If my wife hadn't wanted an auto, I would have got the manual but simply because I prefer it.
Incidentally a mate of mine has a Fiat which shares the same system (can't remember which one) and he twisted his dealer's arm into downloading the latest software into his car. The result? Smoother gear changes at normal revs and quicker changes above 5000 revs. My dealer maintains that no such thing exists, but I know my mate is no liar.
Don't know if it makes a difference but this warning regulalrly appears for my wife (who tends to shift gear at low revs) rather than me (who dosen't).
I have found that if you change gear as the revs near 4000 in all gears, the gears change more smoothly especially if you ever so slightly lift your foot off the accelerator as the gearchange completes.
I think the system is great and whilst I have every sympathy for Rob, I don't think you can tar all cars with the same brush. I know people who have spent far more on a car, had worse reliability and even worse service.
I wouldn't be put off the car at all, but you should test drive a couple and make sure it is what you want.
If my wife hadn't wanted an auto, I would have got the manual but simply because I prefer it.
Incidentally a mate of mine has a Fiat which shares the same system (can't remember which one) and he twisted his dealer's arm into downloading the latest software into his car. The result? Smoother gear changes at normal revs and quicker changes above 5000 revs. My dealer maintains that no such thing exists, but I know my mate is no liar.
I had heard about some grief with the Selespeed before I went out and bought my new shape 156 Selespeed last October, but got the impression that in the past few years the problems have been sorted.
I've had no problems whatsoever with mine.
I think some people buy it thinking it is a proper automatic transmission, which it is not. It has a dry clutch (ie, it will roll down hills unless braked or being held in place with a bit of throttle). Consequently, it is not as simple as just putting the foot on the throttle and ignoring RPMs like you would with a full automatic with torque converter. The ECU is programmed to modulate throttle (so you sound like a pro with a nice automatic throttle blip on the downshift), but to get it really smooth you need to ease off the throttle a touch when you upshift and otherwise behave a bit like you would driving a manual. I never use the City mode and do all the shifting myself. The city mode stays in 1st too long off the start (even when accelerating slowly or moderately), which I think is much of the reason people say the selespeed is too lurchy. Shifting yourself at a lower RPM (unless you are gunning it) will solve this problem.
The quibble I have with the Selespeed is that even in "manual" mode it downshifts automatically unless you do it first, meaning that you might go to downshift from 3rd in the approach to a roundabout and find yourself suddenly in 1st because you gave an instruction to drop the gear an instant after the computer decided to drop a gear. You never have to worry about blowing the engine because of this though - the ECU will never put you into a gear that puts you over the redline, but it is annoying. The only answer to this is to get a feel for the evil gremlin inside and pre-empt him, meaning I annoy my fiancee with high-revving engine braking more than I should. It is sequential so you need to downshift all the way through the gears..... sometimes too much trouble and you might as well just slow down and let the transmission downshift you through the gears.
Paddle shifting is a bit unnatural but I find it is great for safely taking on twisty B-roads at speed. Your hands never leave the wheel and you don't have to think about waiting until after you finish a turn to reach down and shift, you can upshift in the middle of a turn and just keep steering.
This is all touch wood - we'll see how it goes. But I'm now almost a year with my 156 and no problems at all.
I've had no problems whatsoever with mine.
I think some people buy it thinking it is a proper automatic transmission, which it is not. It has a dry clutch (ie, it will roll down hills unless braked or being held in place with a bit of throttle). Consequently, it is not as simple as just putting the foot on the throttle and ignoring RPMs like you would with a full automatic with torque converter. The ECU is programmed to modulate throttle (so you sound like a pro with a nice automatic throttle blip on the downshift), but to get it really smooth you need to ease off the throttle a touch when you upshift and otherwise behave a bit like you would driving a manual. I never use the City mode and do all the shifting myself. The city mode stays in 1st too long off the start (even when accelerating slowly or moderately), which I think is much of the reason people say the selespeed is too lurchy. Shifting yourself at a lower RPM (unless you are gunning it) will solve this problem.
The quibble I have with the Selespeed is that even in "manual" mode it downshifts automatically unless you do it first, meaning that you might go to downshift from 3rd in the approach to a roundabout and find yourself suddenly in 1st because you gave an instruction to drop the gear an instant after the computer decided to drop a gear. You never have to worry about blowing the engine because of this though - the ECU will never put you into a gear that puts you over the redline, but it is annoying. The only answer to this is to get a feel for the evil gremlin inside and pre-empt him, meaning I annoy my fiancee with high-revving engine braking more than I should. It is sequential so you need to downshift all the way through the gears..... sometimes too much trouble and you might as well just slow down and let the transmission downshift you through the gears.
Paddle shifting is a bit unnatural but I find it is great for safely taking on twisty B-roads at speed. Your hands never leave the wheel and you don't have to think about waiting until after you finish a turn to reach down and shift, you can upshift in the middle of a turn and just keep steering.
This is all touch wood - we'll see how it goes. But I'm now almost a year with my 156 and no problems at all.
nothing so bad in the selaspeed
as the alfa dealers who service/repair them
they are a customer unfriendly load of
###########.###########s
I have heard it from alfa selaspeed owners
q. how can the clutch fail in a selaspeed,after
24000 miles
its an auto change?...claim reject
q. leaky actuator after 23000 miles
claim reject
etc. etc.
q. new alfa selaspeed gearbox supplied by D....
fitted to car failed after 80 miles
labour claim reject
selaspeed with a good dealership/teck.
backup could be A1.but Alfa GB do not give
a fig. (meditarainain fruit).nor do the
dealership network in the UK or in ITALY
eddythealfaman
as the alfa dealers who service/repair them
they are a customer unfriendly load of
###########.###########s
I have heard it from alfa selaspeed owners
q. how can the clutch fail in a selaspeed,after
24000 miles
its an auto change?...claim reject
q. leaky actuator after 23000 miles
claim reject
etc. etc.
q. new alfa selaspeed gearbox supplied by D....
fitted to car failed after 80 miles
labour claim reject
selaspeed with a good dealership/teck.
backup could be A1.but Alfa GB do not give
a fig. (meditarainain fruit).nor do the
dealership network in the UK or in ITALY
eddythealfaman
nothing so bad in the selaspeed
as the alfa dealers who service/repair them
they are a customer unfriendly load of
###########.###########s
I have heard it from alfa selaspeed owners
q. how can the clutch fail in a selaspeed,after
24000 miles
its an auto change?...claim reject
q. leaky actuator after 23000 miles
claim reject
etc. etc.
q. new alfa selaspeed gearbox supplied by D....
fitted to car failed after 80 miles
labour claim reject
selaspeed with a good dealership/teck.
backup could be A1.but Alfa GB do not give
a fig. (meditarainain fruit).nor do the
dealership network in the UK or in ITALY
eddythealfaman
as the alfa dealers who service/repair them
they are a customer unfriendly load of
###########.###########s
I have heard it from alfa selaspeed owners
q. how can the clutch fail in a selaspeed,after
24000 miles
its an auto change?...claim reject
q. leaky actuator after 23000 miles
claim reject
etc. etc.
q. new alfa selaspeed gearbox supplied by D....
fitted to car failed after 80 miles
labour claim reject
selaspeed with a good dealership/teck.
backup could be A1.but Alfa GB do not give
a fig. (meditarainain fruit).nor do the
dealership network in the UK or in ITALY
eddythealfaman
The honest truth regards Selespeed and interestingly this also in my experience applies to BMW paddle shift boxes too! Is that statisicaly they are a fair bit less reliable than conventional manuals and autos.
They're is simply put a much bigger risk of a problem occuring like the unexpected inability to select any gear rearing its ugly head.
They're is simply put a much bigger risk of a problem occuring like the unexpected inability to select any gear rearing its ugly head.
eddymann said:
nothing so bad in the selaspeed
as the alfa dealers who service/repair them
they are a customer unfriendly load of
###########.###########s
I have heard it from alfa selaspeed owners
q. how can the clutch fail in a selaspeed,after
24000 miles
its an auto change?...claim reject
q. leaky actuator after 23000 miles
claim reject
etc. etc.
q. new alfa selaspeed gearbox supplied by D....
fitted to car failed after 80 miles
labour claim reject
selaspeed with a good dealership/teck.
backup could be A1.but Alfa GB do not give
a fig. (meditarainain fruit).nor do the
dealership network in the UK or in ITALY
eddythealfaman
Sorry, the dealership network do the best they can, its Alfa/Fiat that are the problem.
We have no support from them what so ever.
mustard said:
Everything.
Buy a manual.
then nearly everything goes wrong
BLOODY SELESPEED
.. i've had my 147 Selespeed for just over 13 months(15K miles) from new. This morning i had another Selespeed system failure incident FOR THE 5th TIME, this time on the Dartford Bridge in the Rush-Hour
... NOT HAPPY
. I know what they'll say (again).. Hmmmm looks like a solenoid/sensor failure sir.... AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH.......
TdF said:
pwig said:
Everything.
Buy a manual.
then nearly everything goes wrong
BLOODY SELESPEED
AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH.......
Wait till it throws its conrods out the bottom of the engine like mine did on monday !!
Gassing Station | Alfa Romeo, Fiat & Lancia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff