Hi Everyone

I purchased a semi-automatic 2006 Fiat Panda Eleganza 4 weeks ago. Spent the first week being checked by my usual mechanic and a mechanic who tried fixing it during a weekend call out, before the car spent the last 3 weeks in a diagnostic garage.

It had broken down on my father, the mechanic and myself at least three times within the two days I actually had it at home.

So, the original issue I had was it slipping out of Auto mode and getting stuck in 1st gear, or 2nd gear, or Neutral. Managed to start it by pushing it, but it seemed that when the car got stuck in 1st or 2nd gear, it refused to start because it wasn't in Neutral.

All three mechanics had run the car through a diagnostic machine, cleared the faults, and the car continued with the same fault within half an hour.

The car is mechanically sound and only has 70k miles on the clock, I'm told I did everything correctly when it came to checking its MOT history, under the bonnet, checked for rust spots, etc. The car is otherwise mechanically sound.

Initially, the diagnostic garage believed I may have to change the entire gearbox - turns out there's absolutely no problem with the clutch and it's all working.

They found an oil leak directly above or onto the gear changing mechanism, I'm sure they said they'd patched it up but from what they said today they didn't - apparently, replacing the component is not worth the cost, even though they've offered not to charge any labour fees on top of charging for parts.

They managed to source a good quality second-hand selector, which only took them an hour to fit. They said they took the car on numerous test drives, including hills, and found it ran perfectly.

I was driving it home from the garage and the car was a dream to drive, when all of a sudden, at the top of a steep hill, it slipped into Neutral, out of Auto mode, and I was stranded. After a minute or so I managed to get it moving but it refused to work in Auto mode so I had to drive it manually home - at one point it got stuck in 3rd gear and I thought it was going to break down, though luckily it changed down as I was driving over a speed bump.

I've just driven it again, and whilst the gear changes are slightly more clunky than they were earlier, it was in Auto mode the entire five minutes (I'm taking my car back to the garage on Monday) - the garage advised not to drive it too far from home, so as not to get stranded in case it starts getting up to it's old tricks and jamming in 1st again.

Have any of you experienced anything like this?

The diagnostic garage that had the car for the last 3 weeks said they've never encountered this issue with the Fiat version of this dualogic semi-auto gearbox before. However, they've found with French cars that have similar systems, they're relatively straightforward to fix - whilst the Audi version costs extortionate amounts to mend.

I would really appreciate hearing any positive stories about similar - if not the same - issues please! I'm not a confident driver and need an automatic due to a hand injury (I find autos easier to drive when my hand is painful), so having the car slip out of Auto mode and get stuck in gears, as well as leaving me stranded, isn't my idea of fun... I have fallen in love with the car though. I used to help my Dad fix our old Fiat Panda 4x4 when I was very young; I am hoping this new car will end up being reliable so I can cherish it for at least a couple of years.

Any responses would be gratefully appreciated

Many thanks!

I think you might have an underlying electrical problem, and the current Dualogic actuator might actually be fine.
Check:
Brake light switch (passenger footwell)
Main earth cabling on engine and gearbox
Rear light clusters (especially driver's side brake light connector)
ALL other connections in the engine bay.

The first actuator probably had a leak, causing it to drop out of gear. If the actuator has been changed, and it doesn't drop out of gear now, you need to ignore this symptom.

All of the other symptoms are usually electrical, and result from the gearbox ECU getting bad inputs from something, usually brake switch or a fault in the brake light cabling.

Could be as simple as a corroded connector on one of the rear light clusters.

It could be something more serious, but my bet is on electrical issue.

Thought I'd better get a reply in before someone starts up with the doom and gloom "one and only Dualogic failure" thread, as then you'll probably want to set fire to it.

In my opinion, a very clever and efficient gearbox. Use the guide to help you diagnose the fault but you can't work on modern cars without the correct diagnostic tool.

irc said:

I think you might have an underlying electrical problem, and the current Dualogic actuator might actually be fine.
Check:
Brake light switch (passenger footwell)
Main earth cabling on engine and gearbox
Rear light clusters (especially driver's side brake light connector)
ALL other connections in the engine bay.

The first actuator probably had a leak, causing it to drop out of gear. If the actuator has been changed, and it doesn't drop out of gear now, you need to ignore this symptom.

All of the other symptoms are usually electrical, and result from the gearbox ECU getting bad inputs from something, usually brake switch or a fault in the brake light cabling.

Could be as simple as a corroded connector on one of the rear light clusters.

It could be something more serious, but my bet is on electrical issue.

Thought I'd better get a reply in before someone starts up with the doom and gloom "one and only Dualogic failure" thread, as then you'll probably want to set fire to it.

Click to expand...

Hi,

That's brilliant, thank you ever so much! I will pass that information along to the diagnostic garage, and will keep you updated on what the issue turns out to be

Thanks again!

MrMagoo said:

In my opinion, a very clever and efficient gearbox. Use the guide to help you diagnose the fault but you can't work on modern cars without the correct diagnostic tool.

Click to expand...

Hi,

I'm glad someone has faith in the gearbox - although, I'm pretty sure the garage have fallen in love with it too!

Thank you, I'll update this thread when I know what the problem is

The reversing light switch and light cluster is another area to check as it's used to tell the gearbox when reverse is selected.

My mother has an Auto Dynamic. It really was excellent. The issues are that people drive them like an old slush box auto, which hammers the clutch. Fiat's often get a heavy pedal action before the clutch starts to slip. The extra load trips the auto gear shifters.

Hi Everyone,

So, turns out the actuator component was cracked which was the reason it was leaking actuator oil onto the electrical workings of the gearbox (my apologies if I've used incorrect terminology here!). The diagnostic garage discovered the entire part needed replacing and would cost at least £600. By that point I'd driven the car a handful of times and fallen out of love with it - I'd had enough of spending money on a car that wasn't reliable. Therefore, I made the (not so difficult) decision to part exchange it to the garage who have been working on it.

I am collecting an automatic 2007 Vauxhall Corsa next week, after the garage have put a fresh MOT on it and given it a full service, as well as cleaning it entirely inside and out. I have everything crossed I'll have better luck with this new car!

Whilst the fault was intermittent and I could have been dishonest by selling the car for a decent amount of money, I would never dream of risking anyone else's safety in case it breaks down at speed on the motorway or something. So I've been reliably informed by the garage that they're going to sell the car to trade, to a knowledgeable mechanic who knows exactly how to fix it prior to selling it on.

I really hope whoever ends up with the Fiat Panda enjoys it as I was hoping to.

I'd like to thank you all again for your fantastic advice and I hope you continue to enjoy your Fiat cars!

Best wishes,
Danni

That's a shame.
Strange that they didn't notice a leak when they swapped the actuator for a "good" second hand one though - would have saved a lot of trouble.
Good luck with the new car.

Thanks for coming back and telling us the outcome. It's much appreciated; not everone does this.

In truth, I had a bad feeling about this from your very first post. The good news is that you've now left the problem behind and can move on.

Good luck with the Corsa.

Danni23 said:

I am collecting an automatic 2007 Vauxhall Corsa next week, after the garage have put a fresh MOT on it and given it a full service, as well as cleaning it entirely inside and out. I have everything crossed I'll have better luck with this new car!

Click to expand...

The Corsa can be a 'conventional' automatic, usually with the 1.4 engine and is very reliable, although sometimes teh engines can use a little oil, so be sure to check it regularly.
There was also a 1.2 with a similar automated manual to the Panda. No idea about their reliability, but a firend has one, and has just had to have a clutch actuator replaced for around £400. So it seems individual parts are available for the Corsa.

You should enjoy the Corsa, they are nice to drive, ride well, and generally very reliable.

Danni23 said:

they're going to sell the car to trade, to a knowledgeable mechanic who knows exactly how to fix it prior to selling it on.

Click to expand...

What a shame they didn't put you in touch with him instead of attempting to repair it themselves. If the Corsa is the 1.2 with automated manual (can't remember Vauxhall's name for it), then try to find out who this guy is in case you need him sometime.

irc said:

That's a shame.
Strange that they didn't notice a leak when they swapped the actuator for a "good" second hand one though - would have saved a lot of trouble.
Good luck with the new car.

Click to expand...

Thank you!

jrkitching said:

Thanks for coming back and telling us the outcome. It's much appreciated; not everone does this.

In truth, I had a bad feeling about this from your very first post. The good news is that you've now left the problem behind and can move on.

Good luck with the Corsa.

Click to expand...

You're welcome. I know that when I was searching for information on the fault I could never find a complete recollection, including subsequent outcome. So at least if my experiences help others, they will have been worth going through

Thank you!

portland_bill said:

The Corsa can be a 'conventional' automatic, usually with the 1.4 engine and is very reliable, although sometimes teh engines can use a little oil, so be sure to check it regularly.
There was also a 1.2 with a similar automated manual to the Panda. No idea about their reliability, but a firend has one, and has just had to have a clutch actuator replaced for around £400. So it seems individual parts are available for the Corsa.

You should enjoy the Corsa, they are nice to drive, ride well, and generally very reliable.


What a shame they didn't put you in touch with him instead of attempting to repair it themselves. If the Corsa is the 1.2 with automated manual (can't remember Vauxhall's name for it), then try to find out who this guy is in case you need him sometime.

Click to expand...

Thank you ever so much!

Yes, definitely - thank you again