Hello all. I've finally decided to come out of my 'lurker' status and make a post.

I've recently (3.5 weeks ago) went and purchased my first brand new car - an '06 crossfire limited in the 'old man tan'. Personally, I loved the color. It had class. Chicks dig class. I can now speak from experience.

Anyway, I've been driving the car around for about 1k miles now and I love every single thing about the car except for the way it shifts. Getting from first to second is a god damn chore! Pressing the clutch to the floor yields only what I can describe as a knocking under the car - I literally feel something moving forward and making a rather harsh knocking sound/feel.

Pulling the shifter into second is a real pain in the *** as well. I really need to pull back on the thing to get it in there...

And lastly,

The shifter is constantly vibrating no matter what gear I'm in.

Now, after searching and reading many posts, I feel as though something may be amiss here! Do you guys feel this is grounds for bringing the car to the dealership and having it looked at, or should I rough it out for a few more miles and hope that the transmission breaks in?

Thanks in advance, and I apologize if I put this in the wrong sub-forum.

 

Crossfire six-speed trannys are notoriously stiff when they are new. Especially the 1-2 shift like you mentioned. Especially when they are cold. Getting into reverse is somewhat difficult as well. Things will start to loosen up as the tranny gets some mileage on it and the mechanical bits get to know one another better.

Personally, mine started loosening up nicely at about 20-25k miles. I'm at 45k miles now and it's silky smooth.

As far as vibration goes, I always feel a little bit, but it's not what I would call excessive. If you think something is not right because of the amount of vibration you feel, then take it to a dealer and have them look at it. That's why you have a warranty. It won't cost you anything but time. I just hope you can find a good dealer!

 

i don't remember mine being as bad as you are describing, but i may me less picky, idk? anyways an option would be for you to go and test drive another one and see if it feels similar to you.

 

I never dealt with the break in noise since I got mine used... however even now at just over 50K miles the shifter vibrates a small amount (barely) while in gear or neutral. The knocking would make me worry though...

 

I had an '04 coupe and drove it form 4K miles to 7K miles and had the same experience...and during the 3K I owned it, it did get better, if not a little bit. My biggest problems were into reverse and into first while stopped. I quickly learned that if I put it into first while the Xfire was still moving even the slightest bit cured the first thing...reverse was always an issue and the 1-2 shift always kind of bulky...I think there are some TSBs on this issue for adjustment...take it in, they may be able to make it better.

 

I have not had any of the problems you described.

The shifter is a little notchy at first, but has been really nice after a little break-in. (I have 6,700 miles on my XFire).

I would take your car to the dealer for adjustment/repair.

 

It is true the 1st-Reverse engagement is pretty stiff when these cars are new and requires full clutch pedal depression. But the statement about shifter vibration is a bit of a puzzle. The Shifter in these cars is a hybrid cable-rod design which is supposed to isolate the shifter **** from powertrain movement and vibration. I'd suggest you test drive another Crossfire with a manual and see what you think. If yours is that different you may have a clutch or shifter problem. You have a warranty on the clutch for 12 months or 12,000 miles; after that it's on YOUR dime. Just make sure you get it taken care of while still covered under warranty !

Cincinnati Slim

 

Thank you for the replies.

I'll be calling up the dealership later on today and I will hopefully be able to find the time to take a drive up there and drive a few other crossfires. If they feel the same I'll suck it up and give it some more break in time, if not, I'll ask the dealership to take a gander at mine.

I'll report back, for sure!

 

I have the same problems, in fact I was one of the many plagued with the first gear pop out issue. After 4 tranny rebuilds first gear hasn't popped out (knock on wood)... But now, the car seems to shake excessively at all speeds with or with out the clutch engaged.

I am putting a call in to the dealer today and hopefully they will find the issue in the first visit this time!

I'll let you know what I find out.

Viffer

 

I notice that you didn't say anything about the way the gearshift lever hits the trim in the console when you go from 1st to 2nd, or 3rd to 4th!

 

Huh? You might want to check the alignment on your trim because mine surely does not contact anything when I shift!

 

Neither does mine!

 

mine doesn't either? lol.

"oh ****."

 

There's another thread somewhere here, where we all found that when "aggressively" shifting, there's enough give in the shifting to allow contact with the trim ring around the shifter. Not a big problem...just something that you notice!

 

My 6 speed doesn't do any of these weird things - vibrating, hard to get into second, etc - and the car only had 32 miles on it when I got it two weeks ago. I actually really like the way the shifter feels in this car, and I say this after just replacing a Mazda Miata with this Crossfire. The Miata shifter has long been considered one of the best in the business and, while the Crossfire's throw may be a bit longer, I find it to be plenty smooth and precise. I've not even come close to missing a shift in this car but when driving the Miata aggressively I would very often botch the 2-3 upshift and hit 5th, or grind the heck out of the thing.

 

Is there any problem showing up at the dealership with a magnaflow exhaust?

They couldn't possibly deny me service could they?

 

No, not a problem at all. Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act sees to that. Unless the aftermarket part causes a failure your warranty can not be denied. An aftermarket exhaust is just not going to cause an issue with the mechanical linkage of the shifter.

 

Alright awesome.

It'll be a cold day in hell when I remove this exhaust.

 

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Well I went up to the dealership today and drove a different xfire. I took the very dark grey one out for a spin with my buddy .. what a world of difference!

Shifting in that car compared to the one I got is night and day. I have an appointment on the 10th to drop the car off and they're gonna take a look at it.

It kind of sucks that I'll be without my car for an undetermined amount of time, but now I've come to find that I actually don't suck at driving the crossfire.. the crossfire just sucked at driving!

woo!