(PSA) If you're considering a BRZ I personally don't recommend it

[radroach]

@Tcoat please don't post reaction gifs like its a worldstar forum. especially those .3 second reaction gifs that loop and cause epileptic hemorrhaging

[carsebuco]

2nd transmission here, coming up on 10k miles on it... Sorry to hear you had such an issue with it. Hopefully I won't lol

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by radroach

@Tcoat please don't post reaction gifs like its a worldstar forum. especially those .3 second reaction gifs that loop and cause epileptic hemorrhaging

[radroach]

[ermax]

I guess I got lucky and got the one off tranny that never grinds and isn't overly notchy even in the cold. I'm in Florida so cold to me isn't cold to everyone. The only time mine grinds is if a make an obvious mistake. I've got 93k or so on mine now. Origional clutch. Only the TOB has been replaced.

TBH, I'd put this tranny just behind the AP2 S2000 which says a whole lot. The tranny was one of the things that sold me on the car. If all you have driven is cable boxes I could see how this one may feel odd.

Notchy or a clunk into a gear is not the same thing as grinding.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by ermax

I guess I got lucky and got the one off tranny that never grinds and isn't overly notchy even in the cold. I'm in Florida so cold to me isn't cold to everyone. The only time mine grinds is if a make an obvius mistake. I've got 93k or so on mine now. Origional clutch. Only the TOB has been replaced.

TBH, I'd put this tranny just behind the AP2 S2000 which says a whole lot. The tranny was one of the things that sold me on the car. If all you have driven is cable boxes I could see how this one may feel odd.

Notchy or a clunk into a gear is not the same thing as grinding.

We hit minus 20 here and mine has never had a grind either. Maybe you got a Canadian transmission?

[Tristor]

I'm sorry to hear about your problems. I'm going to echo everyone else and say you should get rid of the car and find something you'll be happy with. Sounds like the dealership you went to was terrible, and unfortunately that's not that unusual. FWIW, My 2017 BRZ has been fantastic and I hoon on it hard. In fact, it seems people with the most issues are those that daily drive, highway miles, and baby it. You might try a little "Italian tuning" and see if it improves the transmission function?

[HKz]

meh, must suck being a dealer/manufacturer...you will never be able to fully accommodate for every single bad driving habit out there and as a business ya can't place blame on the consumer when in reality they are the biggest variable factor in the operation of the car...cars are built by precise measurements typically with very small deviations, can't say the same for humans who are like slot machines...

my '16 has been my first DD with a MT...I'm at 50 K miles and I have no shifting or clutch complaints. The best piece of advice I got was from this forum...think Tcoat mentioned it but I changed my shifting grip and now nearly every single throw for me is smooth as butter...

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by HKz

meh, must suck being a dealer/manufacturer...you will never be able to fully accommodate for every single bad driving habit out there and as a business ya can't place blame on the consumer when in reality they are the biggest variable factor in the operation of the car...cars are built by precise measurements typically with very small deviations, can't say the same for humans who are like slot machines...

my '16 has been my first DD with a MT...I'm at 50 K miles and I have no shifting or clutch complaints. The best piece of advice I got was from this forum...think Tcoat mentioned it but I changed my shifting grip and now nearly every single throw for me is smooth as butter...

Somebody actually listens?

[ermax]

Originally Posted by HKz

meh, must suck being a dealer/manufacturer...you will never be able to fully accommodate for every single bad driving habit out there and as a business ya can't place blame on the consumer when in reality they are the biggest variable factor in the operation of the car...cars are built by precise measurements typically with very small deviations, can't say the same for humans who are like slot machines...

my '16 has been my first DD with a MT...I'm at 50 K miles and I have no shifting or clutch complaints. The best piece of advice I got was from this forum...think Tcoat mentioned it but I changed my shifting grip and now nearly every single throw for me is smooth as butter...

This probably has a lot to do with the death of the MT too. It's very easy to abuse a MT (flat shifts, misshifts, mechanical overrevs, excessive shocking of the driveline from frequent clutch drops, ect) and then hold the dealer accountable for your own mistakes/abuse. I'm not referring to the OP, just speaking in general.

[runfrodorun]

Originally Posted by ermax

I guess I got lucky and got the one off tranny that never grinds and isn't overly notchy even in the cold. I'm in Florida so cold to me isn't cold to everyone. The only time mine grinds is if a make an obvious mistake. I've got 93k or so on mine now. Origional clutch. Only the TOB has been replaced.

TBH, I'd put this tranny just behind the AP2 S2000 which says a whole lot. The tranny was one of the things that sold me on the car. If all you have driven is cable boxes I could see how this one may feel odd.

Notchy or a clunk into a gear is not the same thing as grinding.

Well the Honda definitely was a cable box, and it also was the best shifting trans I ever had. Wicked fast and accurate, never clunked or ground. Of course the car was slower than a piss and uncomfortable to be in too long, but it drove nicely.

The kenworth was mechanical linkage, and my valiant and a few of the bmws I had we’re mehanical too. TBH I never felt much difference.

The problem I’m having with the brz is both clunking and grinding, and the grinding is spectacular...

[Swabodda]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Somebody actually listens?

I'd like to know more about this shifting grip.

[FRSBRZGT86FAN]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

My transmission is 100% fine. So are the many tens of thousands of other people that just don't say so on the internet. It is always the vocal minority that makes an issue seem worse than it may actually be.

I will reserve all judgement on the dealer since we have only heard one side of the story. Their version of events could be radically different but we will never know.

Exactly, this sounds like a dealer issue, plus people are literally clicking into a issues part of the forum are ONLY going to see issues....

[runfrodorun]

Originally Posted by ermax

This probably has a lot to do with the death of the MT too. It's very easy to abuse a MT (flat shifts, misshifts, mechanical overrevs, excessive shocking of the driveline from frequent clutch drops, ect) and then hold the dealer accountable for your own mistakes/abuse. I'm not referring to the OP, just speaking in general.

In fact this has been exactly the trouble... any time I go into the dealer with transmission issues you know inside their head they’re thinking “does this jackass bang shift it, have a lead wrist, or not use the clutch at all?” And who can blame them... I’ve seen the way some people shift. But that just means the bar gets lower, and for those of us who do know how to execute a shift without grinding the gearbox or wearing it excessively are met with resistance when legitimate problems come up.

Every car I’ve had has wanted something different too... the kenworth obviously you can only really use the clutch once without overheating it so you’re carefully floating the gears after that. The BRZ i seem to get the best results with a loose upper arm and a heavy forearm, a rubbery grip and let gravity do the work. The amount of force it wants is very precise (and that’s ridiculous) The m5 will take a pretty lazy shift, but it seems to slightly prefer double clutching, and it slips in beautifully. But even if I don’t Since I’m never in much of a hurry, I indulge it most of the time. Most of the cars I’ve driven will take it any way you serve it to them as long as you aren’t a wet noodle and don’t force it, or run your forearm too stiff.

But at a certain point if you make a decisive move but don’t force it, you should be in the margin of error. And that’s what’s infuriating about the brz. I’ve revised my shifting technique so many times, and the results are more or less the same... just grinds uncontrollably like the clutch is dragging but I’m positive it isn’t...