Discussion
pwig said:
Buy a manual like all proper drivers should 
If it _Has_ To be an auto go for one, but get a good warranty.
If it _Has_ To be an auto go for one, but get a good warranty.
Hey, easy tiger, I said I'm looking at 156s I don't know anything about selespeed, is it a preselect, paddle, boggo auto? I don't particularly want an auto but they outnumber the available manuals that's all
Selespeed is a "robotised manual", i.e. flappy paddles tell the computer what to do, which then operates a 'manual' gearbox and clutch arrangement on your behalf. Dead clever but not very well implemented in Alfa's case.
The reason there's more available is because nobody in their right mind wants them... supply and demand working at its best I'm afraid.
The reason there's more available is because nobody in their right mind wants them... supply and demand working at its best I'm afraid.
We bought one for my wife/family car. TBH I think it is fine, you have to learn how to use it a bit in order to get a smooth change, especially 1st to 2nd - early days I did wonder if we had done the right thing as was a bit jerky. However wife does a fair bit in traffic and had got used to an auto in our other car so it was kind of a requirement, she slips it into full auto and leaves it, I tend to favour the lever.
Read all the horror stories about reliability but have put 6k on ours with nothing untoward. Not saying they don't have their problems but ours so far has been fine. What I guess I am saying is that if the right car comes up at the right price and it is a Selespeed then I would not rule it out.
Read all the horror stories about reliability but have put 6k on ours with nothing untoward. Not saying they don't have their problems but ours so far has been fine. What I guess I am saying is that if the right car comes up at the right price and it is a Selespeed then I would not rule it out.
I wonder how many people slating the Selespeed system have actually tried one ?
I have had a 156 Selespeed for 2 years now and its been a wonderful car to drive, very fast gearchanges, you can double tap the paddles to change 2 or more gears if needed and it wont let you make a wrong gearchange and if you dont change at the red line, it does it for you, If your feeling lazy you can just press the city button and it turns into a full auto gearbox, and the big advantage that the selespeed system has over a conventional auto box is that there is no pwer loss through a torque convertor, and there is no economy reduction associated with a conventional automatic gearbox either
When i change my car, i will definitly be getting another Selespeed, I suppose the good thing about people slating them is that there will be more choice for me when i do upgrade !!
I have had a 156 Selespeed for 2 years now and its been a wonderful car to drive, very fast gearchanges, you can double tap the paddles to change 2 or more gears if needed and it wont let you make a wrong gearchange and if you dont change at the red line, it does it for you, If your feeling lazy you can just press the city button and it turns into a full auto gearbox, and the big advantage that the selespeed system has over a conventional auto box is that there is no pwer loss through a torque convertor, and there is no economy reduction associated with a conventional automatic gearbox either
When i change my car, i will definitly be getting another Selespeed, I suppose the good thing about people slating them is that there will be more choice for me when i do upgrade !!
I echo that and it's like what I said earlier, I do think it is fine once you get used to it but on first impression it can seem a bit jerky. You basically need to learn to lift off just the right amount when doing the change. Perception of it being bad to use is probably only from short term exposure.
Have you had any probs with yours in 2 years out of interest?
Have you had any probs with yours in 2 years out of interest?
I bought the car cheap with a knackered engine, and i put a replacememnt one in myself, the gearbox has been fault free in all the time i have been driving it, but the selespeed CS fluid seems to go spongy quite quickly resulting in slow and jerky gearchanges so i change it every 6 months now as part of my servicing schedule and the gearchange has a small but noticeable improvement when i do it,
I do all my own servicing too and changed all cambelts and tensioners and balance belt and tensioner 2 weeks ago for the princley sum of £70 all in myself, it isnt a difficult job at all and although i took all day to do it, that was because i cleaned everything and stopped for tea quite a lot!, i expect it would take me about 3-4 hours next time, maybe 2 if i worked quickly
Alfas can be cheap reliable cars to run providing you keep on top of the servicing, topping up the oil is particularly important and where alfa get most of their reputation for unreliability from i recon
I do all my own servicing too and changed all cambelts and tensioners and balance belt and tensioner 2 weeks ago for the princley sum of £70 all in myself, it isnt a difficult job at all and although i took all day to do it, that was because i cleaned everything and stopped for tea quite a lot!, i expect it would take me about 3-4 hours next time, maybe 2 if i worked quickly
Alfas can be cheap reliable cars to run providing you keep on top of the servicing, topping up the oil is particularly important and where alfa get most of their reputation for unreliability from i recon
Mosser said:
I wonder how many people slating the Selespeed system have actually tried one ?
I have, my brother had one for nearly 6 years. I think he had to replace the pump twice in that time, but never the clutch. I dont like the way it always seemed to clonk from gear to gear. Oh and the fact it wouldnt change into 1st for you until you were stopped still. Gassing Station | Alfa Romeo, Fiat & Lancia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff