[Racer Z]

Overlooking the reliability for the moment, what car is comparable to the 4C?

Early 911 SWB = project car
Lotus Elise

As a daily driver, nothing in the 'project car' class. There isn't a new car that holds my interest. Purchase price, the 4C is at the top of my limit.

Suggestions welcome.

 

[heelntoe]

I hope it doesn't happen to me but I'd gladly wait out a fix on this. The car is far too special to send it back.

 

[Racer Z]

I hope it doesn't happen to me but I'd gladly wait out a fix on this. The car is far too special to send it back.

That's my point!

 

[decatur]

Our car is banished to A-mode the rest of the week (sloppy cold snow-melt roads) and it's still better than the new corvette we could have purchased (because THAT car would be hiding in the garage in this weather). Stick with your Alfa-Romeo and D-auto if that works for you.

 

[Alfa RPh]

A flawed 4C is still better than almost everything else that's available.

 

[Haha]

You aren't alone. Everyone would hate a sight of their car like this:

But luckily this looks more like an Iranian delivery, not an inconsistent problem.

 

[Racer Z]

Hmm, now that's an idea. I could trailer my 4C around everywhere I go. I have the truck and the 4C, all I need is the trailer. Backing up the trailer isn't any more difficult than backing up the 4C. I could say, "I'm taking her in for custom work." I'd have a 4C with lots of zero mile road miles.

 

[Rookie]

Hmm, now that's an idea. I could trailer my 4C around everywhere I go. I have the truck and the 4C, all I need is the trailer. Backing up the trailer isn't any more difficult than backing up the 4C. I could say, "I'm taking her in for custom work." I'd have a 4C with lots of zero mile road miles.

You would need a Spider to sit in so you could feel the wind in your hair while your wife drives the trailer.

Back on topic how about a 550 Spyder replica built with a Porsche drive train?

Elise is similar but a lot tougher to live with.

I don't like the cars but Mazda had a couple neat concepts based on the MX-5 ( the one my mom had was called a Miata :wink2 a Spider and a Speedster. Unfortunately they kept that weak ass motor in them.

 

[phaphaphooey]

Elise feels very similar to the 4C but with worse build quality and more spartan.

 

[Antithos]

This might be a stupid and unrealistic solution but I wonder.
Have you changed out the ECU or modded your car out at all? I wonder if this could just be a software issue with the ECU that needs to be rewritten or reinstalled? Kind of like a computer with a corrupted file. Cars these days are basically a rolling computer in some ways. I wonder if you could convince the dealer to take the ECU out of another car and let you drive it around for a while to see if you get any error codes with a new ECU.
I really wonder if anyone that has changed the ECU out on their cars if they have had any transmission error codes as well. Kind of makes you wonder because you are running out of things that it can be. Short of a whole new transmission…..what else can it be?
Has this suggestion been covered?

 

[heelntoe]

Pretty sure the transmission control programming is in its own computer and not the ECU that typically gets swapped for performance tunes.

 

[Antithos]

Pretty sure the transmission control programming is in its own computer and not the ECU that typically gets swapped for performance tunes.

Just throwing some ideas around.... not sure this would even matter, but have they tried changing that out?

 

[4Canada]

This might be a stupid and unrealistic solution but I wonder.
Have you changed out the ECU or modded your car out at all? I wonder if this could just be a software issue with the ECU that needs to be rewritten or reinstalled? Kind of like a computer with a corrupted file. Cars these days are basically a rolling computer in some ways. I wonder if you could convince the dealer to take the ECU out of another car and let you drive it around for a while to see if you get any error codes with a new ECU.
I really wonder if anyone that has changed the ECU out on their cars if they have had any transmission error codes as well. Kind of makes you wonder because you are running out of things that it can be. Short of a whole new transmission…..what else can it be?
Has this suggestion been covered?

Pretty sure the transmission control programming is in its own computer and not the ECU that typically gets swapped for performance tunes.

Just throwing some ideas around.... not sure this would even matter, but have they tried changing that out?

It is a good thought, but AFAIK, the transmission function resides in the body control module, BCM for short. At least that is what I understood was flashed with the update. Maybe Jamie or Greg can chime in.

BUT, not only might a reprogramming of that be an idea (perhaps tried), but given The Real Cvh's report of the "bed in' procedure post-update (and wondering if all dealerships carried this out), that becomes yet another possibility for the failure. Armchair diagnosis is fun, but generally fruitless.

I'll drive mine in auto if need be, as long as I know it won't let me down that way!

 

[Barth Vader]

I can confirm that certain unnamed people have encountered the fault with both the stock ECU and a clone. The problem lies elsewhere.

 

[Antithos]

Does anyone know if/ when they got all new transmission from Alfa if Alfa replaced the BCM computer as well? Is that a part that has ever been replaced during the trial and error stage of fixing the transmission before the actual transmission was actually replaced?
Here is something else to consider. I find it unusual not to have the problem in automatic mode. If it is in fact a mechanical transmission issue it will occur regardless of what mode you are in (obvious). It has to be something computer or software wise. When you drive in automatic mode the onboard computer (BCM) that monitors and runs the transmission has preset tolerances and commands depending on the conditions and what the driver is telling the car to do. For Instance it will upshift and downshift depending on speed and RPM etc.…. It is really hard to stress or exceed those predetermined variables/tolerances in automatic mode because the computer is going to do what it does based on a predetermined set of variables programed into it.
In manual mode you have the ability to exceed/stress those tolerances that are preset for the transmission and also do things at RPMS speeds etc.… that you can’t do driving in automatic mode. I am wondering if while driving in manual mode if there are times you are telling the car to do one thing and the onboard computer is telling something else so as a result they contradict each other and the computer quits responding or telling the tranny what to do. Hence you get locked out of manual.
Does any of this make sense or am I just rambling on at this point? I am about 5 beers in…..

 

[Rookie]

Does anyone know if/ when they got all new transmission from Alfa if Alfa replaced the BCM computer as well? Is that a part that has ever been replaced during the trial and error stage of fixing the transmission before the actual transmission was actually replaced?
Here is something else to consider. I find it unusual not to have the problem in automatic mode. If it is in fact a mechanical transmission issue it will occur regardless of what mode you are in (obvious). It has to be something computer or software wise. When you drive in automatic mode the onboard computer (BCM) that monitors and runs the transmission has preset tolerances and commands depending on the conditions and what the driver is telling the car to do. For Instance it will upshift and downshift depending on speed and RPM etc.…. It is really hard to stress or exceed those predetermined variables/tolerances in automatic mode because the computer is going to do what it does based on a predetermined set of variables programed into it.
In manual mode you have the ability to exceed/stress those tolerances that are preset for the transmission and also do things at RPMS speeds etc.… that you can’t do driving in automatic mode. I am wondering if while driving in manual mode if there are times you are telling the car to do one thing and the onboard computer is telling something else so as a result they contradict each other and the computer quits responding or telling the tranny what to do. Hence you get locked out of manual.
Does any of this make sense or am I just rambling on at this point? I am about 5 beers in…..

I am 3 martini's in and what you're saying makes even more sense
Eliminate the impossible whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth!

 

[decatur]

Does anyone know if/ when they got all new transmission from Alfa if Alfa replaced the BCM computer as well? Is that a part that has ever been replaced during the trial and error stage of fixing the transmission before the actual transmission was actually replaced?
Here is something else to consider. I find it unusual not to have the problem in automatic mode. If it is in fact a mechanical transmission issue it will occur regardless of what mode you are in (obvious). It has to be something computer or software wise. When you drive in automatic mode the onboard computer (BCM) that monitors and runs the transmission has preset tolerances and commands depending on the conditions and what the driver is telling the car to do. For Instance it will upshift and downshift depending on speed and RPM etc.…. It is really hard to stress or exceed those predetermined variables/tolerances in automatic mode because the computer is going to do what it does based on a predetermined set of variables programed into it.
In manual mode you have the ability to exceed/stress those tolerances that are preset for the transmission and also do things at RPMS speeds etc.… that you can’t do driving in automatic mode. I am wondering if while driving in manual mode if there are times you are telling the car to do one thing and the onboard computer is telling something else so as a result they contradict each other and the computer quits responding or telling the tranny what to do. Hence you get locked out of manual.
Does any of this make sense or am I just rambling on at this point? I am about 5 beers in…..

I've been following these threads for a while and have come to the same conclusion. In manual mode, you're able to get into scenarios that throw an exception and invoke the protect_transmission() routine. The various auto-modes can't get there from here.

 

[Antithos]

OK great. So can anyone answer if the BCM or the computer that controls the transmission has been replaced when the transmission was replaced or before as trial and error?

 

[4Canada]

This is exactly my reasoning behind my suggestion to Racer Z a page or so back, to try automatic but shift with the paddles, once he's confident that fully auto is not an issue. Resutls from trying Automatic mode being overridden by a paddle shift should help techs narrow down where the fault lies.

Also,replacement of the BCM has not been specifically mentioned, but I think that Barth Vader is the only one that I remember who got a new transmission while he owned the car. It didn't fix the issue (was later told it was also flawed). But he may know if that was also replaced either for him, or on the second tranny swap.

 

[4Canada]

I am 3 martini's in and what you're saying makes even more sense
Eliminate the impossible whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth!