auto b ox problem

Hi I am thinking of buying an mg tf but have been told they put another box in a few months ago but the same problem has started again ie not changing gear and only driving in one gear, it is cheap for what it is and i am trying to find out if this could be an expensive job... help Jo

Could be a very expensive problem if its a gearbox failure. Because it is a constantly variable transmission it will sound as if it is in one gear all the time because it changes gear seamlessly to check put it in sports mode and change gear manually then holding it in say third gear put your foot down and it should change up automatically at 6000 rpm. If it limits its revs to 3000 or doesnt change up there is a problem.
Chris

Personally Jo I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. The CVT is a notoriously weak gearbox. Team it with a fairly powerful and torquey engine and you have the recipe for trouble! If you really want an auto make sure you get one that drives flawlessly and sounds nice and smooth too as the CVT is also prone to rattles etc which is the first sign of danger.

Why oh why didn't they use the auto box from the original mini (with some tweaks of course) ... they had the rights to it, it was a supremely clever design to say the least, and was fairly robust for a cheapo gearbox. GRRRRRR

Hi Jo, i agree entirely with the comments made already, the automatic gearboxes on the TF are prone to problems, because they were not robust enough to handle the power from the 1.8 K series engine. Constantly variable gearboxes are strange to drive because they always sound as if they are in one gear (Honda introduced a "bump" in the software on their CVT gearbox on the Jazz , Civic & HRV to simulate a gear change, following of many complaints about being "stuck in one gear") The probable reason for the car being cheap, is that it is unsalable with a dodgy automatic box, because of the massive cost of replacement. If you must have an Auto TF, find a quiet very smooth one. I would quite honestly walk away from this one!!:shake:

on the flip side, i love our MGF CVT, its great for commuting in, good economy (approx 42mpg average) and the CVT box is lovely and smooth!

Londonlass posted a thread about buying a TF with possibly a somewhat "dodgy" auto box. there is a full page reply to this question from Roger Parker (MGOC Guru) in the August edition of MG Enthusiast. he is basically saying that the oil and proper changes is critical, you can ONLY use one make of oil. a new box is £3000 and a rebuilt one is £1400 plus the cost of fitting. not sure if i can add a copy of the article to this thread so anyone wanting a copy including Jo, send me a PM with an email and i will send one, i certainly makes interesting reading. i did not realiase that the road tax is £20 greater for an auto car registered after March 2002 and its destined to go up again to £235:rolleyes2: