General Duologic - should I buy or avoid?

[Iggy64]

My Ukrainian guest is looking for a small automatic car to buy at a low price. I've seen a couple of Puntos that might fit the bill. On the plus side, I'm used to looking after Fiats old and new and could do all the routine maintenance with no fear. However I'm a bit worried about possible problems with the duologic transmission, especially on an older and high mileage car.
I would welcome advice from anyone with first hand knowledge of the car. Thanks.

 

[bugsymike]

No first hand knowledge but judging by the amount of different make vehicles with electronic issues in modern auto box systems personally I would avoid all of them.
I even watched a demo at a Mechanics Show on a double clutch paddle shift gearbox VW Golf, providing you were prepared to spend a fair bit of money on the specialist tools to do the job which unless you were going to repair everyone in a hundred mile radias hard to get a return.
Maybe others on Forum have a more "enlightened " impression but to me it's a case of "great when it's going well, but not when it's going wrong"

 

[varesecrazy]

If they can drive a manual.. AVOID

I like them..but have potential for large bills

 

[Iggy64]

If they can drive a manual.. AVOID

I like them..but have potential for large bills

That's what I feared! Unfortunately the Ukrainian driving licence only qualifies them to drive an automatic car here.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I have read enough on here to say avoid. Im sure a properly maintained car would be fine, but anything second hand and you are tempting fete, mainly because there are almost no competent repairers.

 

[varesecrazy]

I was seriously looking at a similar car 2 years ago

I am on my 3rd Grande multijet.. all manuals

All the dualogics I found were the 1400 petrol..

Slow and thirsty...

Price is everything with older cars..

Do you have the confidence to appraise it in a 20 minute test drive..??

 

[Iggy64]

Thank you to everyone for the advice which is clearly to avoid! I wonder if there are any small automatics that would be reliable, given most have some form of CVT transmission.

 

[varesecrazy]

Thank you to everyone for the advice which is clearly to avoid! I wonder if there are any small automatics that would be reliable, given most have some form of CVT transmission.

OLD now..
But I had a clio that was ok.. again a thirsty 1.4

Merc A class are cheap too

 

[AndyRKett]

Thank you to everyone for the advice which is clearly to avoid! I wonder if there are any small automatics that would be reliable, given most have some form of CVT transmission.

A CVT would likely be more reliable than a fiat duologic

To be fair to them there are plenty of these autos that don’t have problems but if they do they tend to be very big problems and difficult to fix so for that reason I’d add to the voices above saying to avoid.

Something Korean might be best? I think the 10+ year old cars tend to use more conventional auto boxes as do Toyota

Any old Yaris is indestructible

 

[bugsymike]

Not a fan of CVT really either, sister had a Fiesta from new DMain Dealer serviced used regularly developed a fault in CVT at 50K and was told £2000 + to fix, she has now run Honda Jazz autos probably still CVT but more reliable.
Had a customer with a Daihatso Domino 4x4 who ended up scrapping due to CVT.

 

[varesecrazy]

Off-topic really..

But 'modern' CVT was a Joint Venture between Fiat and Ford

Late 80's . So tipo and Orion era

1.6 ate gearboxes the little 1.1 fire was 'o.k.'

These were Vacuum controlled

Early 90's cars were Electronically controlled.. when the Japanese started using them

Whether the g.box was still built in France..I dont know

 

[Iggy64]

Not a fan of CVT really either, sister had a Fiesta from new DMain Dealer serviced used regularly developed a fault in CVT at 50K and was told £2000 + to fix, she has now run Honda Jazz autos probably still CVT but more reliable.
Had a customer with a Daihatso Domino 4x4 who ended up scrapping due to CVT.

Thanks. I was thinking something like a Honda Jazz might be a safer bet. I would like to stick with Fiat but probably just too risky!

 

[porta]

Thank you to everyone for the advice which is clearly to avoid! I wonder if there are any small automatics that would be reliable, given most have some form of CVT transmission.

The micra CVT is probably the most reliable of the bunch, but still has its issues and they are exactly the same as all the CVT derived motors out there…about the best one I’ve ever driven in the Panda Selecta, a lot of fun but they are like hens teeth and no parts availability

 

[bugsymike]

Didn't the Micra's have a problem with their electronic power steering, basically nearly every make of vehicle has some issue, it's a bit like working for a dealership, you only see the cars with problems, whilst many people drive the same model with no faults.
I used to have a mechanic working with me who had worked on the "line" at British Leyland, he owned a black Marina estate he bought new under one of their deals. His choice of colour reasoning was due to their known paintwork issues at the time the black had extra attention and paint to get the quality right, who knows ?
His other claim to fame was he used to spar with Pat Roach.

 

[porta]

Yes, electric power steering faults, CVT faults which were just like all the manufacturers that put a CBT in them.
Various issues with rust…what is it with car manufacturers, all of them, that make **** traps to the rear of front wheel arches and to the front of rear wheel arches!
My aunt had a Punto CVT, till it went south, then a Micra CVT, till it went south.
Now she has a Honda.
The DAF/CVT was a great idea and, wehn it worked, it worked well…does anyone still have a CVT in their lineup?

 

[bugsymike]

I liked the simplicity of the Daf belt system and even if one belt snapped it was still driveable, changed a few in the 70s and the centrifugal clutch shoes were easy to change also, economy and higher engine noise a downside, but given the cost of a modern auto box failure I could certainly live with it.

 

[porta]

It was great fun in the Panda Selecta, not too detrimental on fuel in that light body and certainly made it a flyer

 

[AndyRKett]

I liked the simplicity of the Daf belt system and even if one belt snapped it was still driveable, changed a few in the 70s and the centrifugal clutch shoes were easy to change also, economy and higher engine noise a downside, but given the cost of a modern auto box failure I could certainly live with it.

Was that the thing they fitted to some Volvos with the twin belts exposed on the Sides of the diff?

 

[bugsymike]

Yes, the later ones were called Volvo when they took over Daf , but I think the larger engined ones with the 2 litre OHC 460? Volvo engine had a conventional autobox, I had one customer with it and a pleasure to drive. @ Puggit Auld Jock is the man about them.
The early ones were a flat twin Daf 33 that I worked on first.
I bought an engine for one many years ago cheap at auction as they had listed it as a Leyland Daf engine, auction mistakes were often where a bargain could be had in the old days, especially when on site as opposed to all online now, I bought a Hdrovane Compressor on a trailer that is used for road drills etc. for £60 as it was outside and when the lot came up it just said compressor, so buyers thought it was a little diy air compressor, luckily I had a towbar to hook it up to take home, the Perkins 4.108 engine had had little use and I put it in one of my boats , sold the compressor part for £60 and the trailer someone else bought so not a bad deal. Sorry wondered off gearboxes.

 

[Iggy64]

A CVT would likely be more reliable than a fiat duologic

To be fair to them there are plenty of these autos that don’t have problems but if they do they tend to be very big problems and difficult to fix so for that reason I’d add to the voices above saying to avoid.

Something Korean might be best? I think the 10+ year old cars tend to use more conventional auto boxes as do Toyota

Any old Yaris is indestructible

Yes, I see that Hyundai and Kia both use a 'traditional' torque converter gearboxes so may be the best option to avoid expensive surprises.