My friend wants a Crossfire really bad, so I went with him the check out a couple. I know about the shifting problems and told him I will test and compare to mine. Mine is bad only when its below 0. I drove 2 they were so bad I didn't want to leave the lot. Am I lucky I don't have a problem? Are there more bad than good 6 speeds? the 2 I drove were at different dealers. I told the salesman about the issue and he took us to the service dept and asked if they heard about the problems and they said no. But I don't think they ever sold a Crossfire they had 8 on the lot. My friend didn't buy one yet he wishes he can. Thanks.

 

I didn't have much problem when I test drove/bought my '05 Xfire base. Granted I wasn't doing the drive in below 0 here is so cal, but it was a rainy day.

There is some sputtering (lack of better word) when I do 1-2 shift. Being smoother with the clutch release helps a bit, and so does turning off stability control. But being in freezing temp where you are turning stability control is probably not an option.

chung

 

I've driven manual transmission cars for over 30 years and the Crossfire 6-speed definitely takes some getting used to. It definitely 'loosens up' over time (or maybe I've just gotten use to it...)

 

Mine is the same but only if its been left over the weekend and its cold. Once its warmed through shifts fine. Had a 330 BMW and that was the same German trait I guess?

 

i find the same thing on mine, on start up shifting to 1st or reverse is hard until the car gets warmed up, this of course gets worse if its cold outside, i'm going to call my service manager now and ask if there is any reports about this. or any recalls

i also drove my friends Xfire when he was demoing it at the dealership it had 4k on it this was about the time i had 4k on mine and his was a lot more loose than mine but he drove his hard, and i think i'm a better manual driver. this could be why or just because they are different cars, after all each is unique, but it was warm out because i had the top down.

i'll post again shortly after i talk to chris,

 

ok Chris Brandt of Van Dyn Hoven Automotive Kaukauna WI says,

Because of the fluid viscosity in the crossfires manual is very thick (regular fluid NOT synthetic) combined with Daimlers low tolerances. this is normal and a common occurrence and once the heat from driving and multiple shifts builds up, shifting becomes much easier. Which is exactly the case of how mine reacts up here in Wisconsin.

a lot of that is common sense.
never bothered me too much.

 

The manual tranny definitely gets better after a few thousand miles. I have almost 20k miles on my car now and I hardly notice any difficulty in the 1-2 shift. Of course, regularly driving in Washington, DC traffic helps with this a lot because the car gets a good chance to get nice and warm and the shifting routine goes something like this:

First, second, slam on the brakes, first, second, slam on the brakes, first, second, slam on the brakes, first, second, slam on the brakes, first, second, slam on the brakes, first, second, slam on the brakes, first, second, slam on the brakes.

Well, you get the picture...

 

I haven't had any major difficulties with the manual and have about 20K on the car. Over the years, I have developed a bad habit of warming the car whenever there is frost (or the possibility of frost) on the car, so the engine has been spinning the transmission in neutral for a while on cold mornings, which may help.
I got into the warm-up habit after almost killing myself when the windshield frosted while I was driving and I couldn't see a darn thing.

 

When I bought my car I didn't have any issues with my shifting I really liked how smooth it was the cars I test drove I did let the warm up while he was talking to the salesman for about ten minutes and I still had problems getting it in gear. I have 7,000 miles on my car now and it still feels like the day I bought it.

 

mine is definitely a bit sticky when cold (southern Indiana), but shifts just fine after warming up. of course, you can easily shift from 1st to 4th until you get the hang of keeping the shifter "left" when going to 2nd...not really a problem and alot of fun to drive...

 

5w20 Motor oil is considered "very thick"?