Autobox changing down 3-2

[Jimbo]

Hmmm......not sure if this means anything or not, but I realised something the other day that I can't ever remember noticing before.

The gearbox quite happily changes up and down through all the gears depending on speed, but it NEVER changes down from 3rd to 2nd, it just waits in 3rd until I all but come to a halt and then goes to 1st.

Is this normal? :inquisiti

[pezza]

Yuppers Jimbo..

I noticed that with my car too... ( 1997 car ) the only time it seems to drop into second is under kickdown circumstances..

When I test drove a post facelift legnum last week this behaved in the same way too

I am guessing this standard behaviour ? :inquisiti

[Wodjno]

Hmmm......not sure if this means anything or not, but I realised something the other day that I can't ever remember noticing before.

The gearbox quite happily changes up and down through all the gears depending on speed, but it NEVER changes down from 3rd to 2nd, it just waits in 3rd until I all but come to a halt and then goes to 1st.

Is this normal? :inquisiti

My missus said she noticed this in her GDi the other day. I have never noticed it, but i don't drive in Auto much..

[ritch_w]

i noticed this too on my 2001 vr4

[Wodjno]

I think maybe the only time it would change down to 2nd in Auto Mode, would be if you coasting down a rather steep hill and the ECU for the gearbox then changes down help slow the car ..

[BraindG]

How, very... odd... :inquisiti

[Nick Mann]

Normal.

[Wodjno]

How, very... odd... :inquisiti

It would be Very Very Very Odd if your car did this Barry :inquisiti /yes /yes /pan

[Wodjno]

But then knowing the Probs you had. !!

I wouldn't rule it out :rolleyes4

[avander_be]

My GLS does this too... stays in 3rd for ages, for instance driving slightly uphill where you woud expect it to downgrade to speed things up... two solutions:
1) switch to tip mode and down shift
2) stay in auto and floor the accellerator

[Jimbo]

Thanks everyone.....I wasn't certain, but it seems like it's normal. :thumbsup:

Oh yeah, it does occassionaly drop to 2nd with a firm foot, I'd forgotten that bit. :evil2:

[Physician]

Yes Jimbo ......... mine also does this.

From the responses so far I guess this is completely normal.

[Wodjno]

Just been out to pick Missus up from work and thought experiment with this..
Found a nice long piece of road so i could slow down as slowly as possible..
I slowed at the rate of about 1mph every 3 or 4 seconds from 25mph in 4th.. My car changed down to 3rd at 17mph but never changed into 2nd but dropped straight to first at around 3mph.. /yes

[Jimbo]

I've been playing a bit too - I'm finding that under gentle acceleration and normal deceleration, the car won't budge out of 3rd between 3-20mph.

When my old car was stuck in safe mode I was concerned I was causing it some grief driving everywhere in 3rd - clearly it doesn't give a monkeys!

Anyway, thats quite enough talk about slow speeds and gentle acceleration for one day /lol