General New Fiat Mama has a silly question

[Ginomama]

Hello,

I am the proud new mama of a 2013 Fiat 500 sport, with the dualogic gearbox. Unfortunately I have a lot to learn and needless to say the car is in the repair shop right now and I am unsure if it was all my fault because I haven't been driving Gino right. I drive in auto mode all the time. The hill starts caught me by surprise but I'm getting used to that. My question is should I be idling in neutral when the car comes to a stop as I've heard conflicting advice on the subject. I'm sorry I'm not at all technical and just want to learn to understand what is best for the car.

 

[rmjbn1]

Hi and welcome
Yes, if you're stationary for any period of time, put it in neutral.
The important thing to remember is that DuaLogic is not a conventional auto box, it's a manual box with a clutch, fitted with a robot to operate the clutch and gear changes. So try to avoid riding or slipping the clutch as with a manual car.
What's gone wrong with Gino? Hopefully nothing serious. Leaking seals and low hydraulic fluid in the robot seem to cause most issues.
There's a dedicated thread on the subject here:

The one and only Dualogic failure thread | FIAT 500 (2007+)

Moderators Note: I've started this thread to put all the currently active dualogic failure posts into one place. The story begins here... Hi All Newbie here!.... I purchased my Fiat 500 dualogic new in 2010.....roll forward nearly 5 yrs & apart from a couple of minor niggles I find myself...

www.fiatforum.com

 

[Ginomama]

Hi and welcome
Yes, if you're stationary for any period of time, put it in neutral.
The important thing to remember is that DuaLogic is not a conventional auto box, it's a manual box with a clutch, fitted with a robot to operate the clutch and gear changes. So try to avoid riding or slipping the clutch as with a manual car.
What's gone wrong with Gino? Hopefully nothing serious. Leaking seals and low hydraulic fluid in the robot seem to cause most issues.
There's a dedicated thread on the subject here:

The one and only Dualogic failure thread | FIAT 500 (2007+)

Moderators Note: I've started this thread to put all the currently active dualogic failure posts into one place. The story begins here... Hi All Newbie here!.... I purchased my Fiat 500 dualogic new in 2010.....roll forward nearly 5 yrs & apart from a couple of minor niggles I find myself...

www.fiatforum.com

Thanks for your reply and I will definitely read that thread. I think Gino has just been a bit neglected. He's a tough little guy and I think he will be good to go with his new clutch, hoses and timing belt. It's been a bit like an adoption and I just need to get used to him but I've never loved driving so much.

 

[GettinBetter]

... The important thing to remember is that DuaLogic is not a conventional auto box, it's a manual box with a clutch, fitted with a robot to operate the clutch and gear changes. So try to avoid riding or slipping the clutch as with a manual car....

Great explanation.
I have no experience of the Dualogic, but from what I thought, I assumed it was just a gear changer. I see in your response that it has a clutch? am I reading that right? and how is it used with this robot changer?

Would you be kind enough to explain?

Regards
GB

 

[The Panda Nut]

You can buy a system to make a manual car semi automatic. In the after market solution a micrswitch ion the gear leve activates the clutch electrohydraulically I belive the Dualogic is pretty much the same but it seems more complex. In theory its a great idea. I had back trouble a few years ago and got nearly convinced to have mycar converted, but recovered so it wasnt essesntial any more. So yes it has a clutch and a bank of sensors to tell it when a change is necessary. The clutch action is all done by the system so no clutch pedal is necessary. Quite fun to use provoding it all works, but also quite a lot of things that can play up so servicving is important.

 

[rmjbn1]

Great explanation.
I have no experience of the Dualogic, but from what I thought, I assumed it was just a gear changer. I see in your response that it has a clutch? am I reading that right? and how is it used with this robot changer?

Would you be kind enough to explain?

Regards
GB

I think @The Panda Nut has answered that better than I could - thanks TPN!

As I understand the robot is bolted on to a standard manual transmission, and basically does the same as the slave cylinder to operate the clutch - hydraulically pokes the release fork.

So if you're sitting stationary in gear, it's keeping the clutch pressed for you, and if holding it on an incline on the throttle, it's slipping the clutch. Neither of which do it any good, so it's better to select neutral and use the handbrake instead.

 

[rmjbn1]

Thanks for your reply and I will definitely read that thread. I think Gino has just been a bit neglected. He's a tough little guy and I think he will be good to go with his new clutch, hoses and timing belt. It's been a bit like an adoption and I just need to get used to him but I've never loved driving so much.

Ah, all good then, just routine consumable items by the sound of it
Of course there's no such thing as a silly question, but we also like silly questions on the forum, so feel free to keep em coming