DCT / PowerShift Transmission Update TSB Thread

[jdetzel]

^^^
Absolutely! Mine was a nightmare for the first few hundred miles. After about 1500mi it is has been mostly fine.

Also check this:
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=306863

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by dan50

...In any event, take it in to your dealer and see what happens...

Originally Posted by cuozc

Maybe you have done so. Bring your car to your dealership...

Originally Posted by Sprint

...PM the c.s. rep on this forum to get help if needed. These are basically good cars.

Originally Posted by 6769MOPARS

Wait until you've reached 1000 miles before you take it in. And, be sure you drive it aggressively occasionally so that the clutches wear in. Most of us have no problems with the DCT. Give it some more time.

Originally Posted by jdetzel

...After about 1500mi it is has been mostly fine...

The overwhelming support from this community is awesome, guys; thanks!

Originally Posted by tjbjday

...I have worked with regional rep. After last update they will not call back...

I want to help make this right, tjbjday. So I can do this, PM me your full name, VIN, best daytime phone number, approximate mileage, and dealer details and I’ll arrange for your regional CSM to call.

Originally Posted by miuk9

...Just got a Focus 2013 and just today at 300 miles noticed the grinding/rattling sound which i suspect is from the transmission...

miuk9,

Welcome to the boards! I’m happy to lend hand. Please shoot me a PM with the information I listed above.

Originally Posted by cuozc

...Just got my se back today. It worked perfectly on the way home. Smooth from the start. Even going hard on gas uphill. ...

I’m really glad your shifting is smooth now, cuozc.

Cory

[unfocused1]

Originally Posted by jdetzel

^^^
Absolutely! Mine was a nightmare for the first few hundred miles. After about 1500mi it is has been mostly fine.

Also check this:
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=306863

+1, and it's a good reminder to read. Thanks!

[miuk9]

Originally Posted by jdetzel

^^^
Absolutely! Mine was a nightmare for the first few hundred miles. After about 1500mi it is has been mostly fine.

Also check this:
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=306863

Problem was less acute this morning (cold) but its still there for a shorter duration and if i'm really straining to hear it. After reading so much about the DCT especially the Ford letter, i'll definitely give it a few more days before deciding to bring it in, just in case the clutch is leaking.

Originally Posted by FordCustomerService

The overwhelming support from this community is awesome, guys; thanks!


I want to help make this right, tjbjday. So I can do this, PM me your full name, VIN, best daytime phone number, approximate mileage, and dealer details and I’ll arrange for your regional CSM to call.


miuk9,

Welcome to the boards! I’m happy to lend hand. Please shoot me a PM with the information I listed above.


I’m really glad your shifting is smooth now, cuozc.

Cory

@FordService.

For now i'm going to try it out to see if the rattles are truly green clutch related wear in noises. But i do think Ford should instruct the dealers or CS team to brief customers as they take delivery of the car. Basically I burnt about a gallon of gas last night trying to figure out the problem driving around the neighborhood and surface streets before reading the forum.

PM sent

[suss6052]

Originally Posted by miuk9

Problem was less acute this morning (cold) but its still there for a shorter duration and if i'm really straining to hear it. After reading so much about the DCT especially the Ford letter, i'll definitely give it a few more days before deciding to bring it in, just in case the clutch is leaking.

The clutch ca not leak, its a dry friction clutch like the kind used in a manual transmission. If this was a wet clutch set up like the VW DSG gearbox then fluid leaking from the clutch housing would mean that the clutch was getting dried up and damaged.

I think you're referring to the possibility of transmission fluid leaking onto the clutch via the input shaft seals, or from the rear main oil seal leaking and contaminating the clutch plates.

That was an issue that seemed somewhat more common on the earlier builds, although the exact numbers are known only to Ford at this point.

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by miuk9

...PM sent

I appreciate the heads up, miuk9; I sent you a reply.

Cory

[Arco-Zakus]

Originally Posted by tjbjday

I believe Ford should be explaining to potential customers what they are buying. ...

I agree, but lots of people do not do what they "should", if they even know what that is. When the new Focus came out I don't think most of the people selling them knew much about how different its "automatic" transmission is. No surprise that they couldn't explain it to potential customers. There was also some confusion, probably even some deception, about the difference between the DCT's "normal characteristics" that some owners objected to and the actual failures that were occurring. Considering the high turnover I've seen in sales people at car dealers in my area, it is likely that some only cared about what was in it for themselves in the near term, even after they did know what was going on. (Ever heard of Bernie Madoff?)

One thing that might make it not feel so bad is to write it off in your mind to the proverbial "rising cost of education." I've noted in other comments that I've been "educated" really well about buying new cars at least 4 times in the last 40 years -- slow learner here. (In one case -- not a Focus --- I ended up finding a crashed sample of a later model than the one I owned and swapping its transmission with mine, all at my expense. I liked the rest of that car that much, especially with other modifications I had already made to it. Doing that job was also very "educational". Learning to be my own mechanic paid back more than I realized for many years after that, though it's definitely not for everyone.) It is not easy doing the homework and being patient for the right opportunity, but that is part of the lesson.

One of the lessons I got from experiences like this is that, as a buyer, I "should" know what it is that I am buying. Another was to not buy a new or re-designed model in (at least) its first year of production unless I'm up to dealing with the likely problems. A third was to not get so excited about any new car that I forget the first two. Such excitement can lead to trying to convince youself that, after all these years, car makers must have learned how to do it all better by now. The only way that usually happens is when they stick with old/proven technology. (e.g. Toyota Corolla) Buying a brand with a better track record can help, but is no guarantee. (Two of my "lessons" have been taught to me by Honda and Toyota.)

I hope that doesn't sound too harsh. I sympathize with your predicament, and thank you for sharing your experience here for others (me) to learn from.

====================================
"Brevity is the soul of wit." No wonder my posts are so long.

[RFrench6646]

I haven't posted in a while, so thought I'd update my own experiences thus far. 1st off I find it refreshing to see that there are more positive postings on here than when I first started using this site. That tells me that Ford must be trying to keep people happy. I know my dealer is awesome! My last visit there for an oil change, also got a couple of minor nuisances taken care of (rattle in dash panel, and rear bumper, the latter was due to having the bumper cover replaced after a minor accident, so that wasn't a warranty fix, they just did it anyway!)

I now am at 15,000 miles and the DCT is flawless, no shudder, no hesitation, just smooth efficient shifts. I love swapping to "manual mode" and letting the engine wind up, I have shocked quite a few with the acceleration I can pull off. Probably the most impressive one was dusting a fellow in a new Dodge Dart, By the time I hit 4th gear he was a good 4 car lengths behind. He asked me what upgrades I had done, and still doesn't believe me when I said it's all stock.

Back to my dealership, I asked the mechanic how many Focus owners have come in complaining about the DCT, he said about 90%! I shared with him my own experience, and he pretty much said if everyone would try to learn and research as I have, it would probably drop to about 20% or less. I told the salesman I bought mine from that he should suggest a potential buyer to look on this site, and do a little digging before and after buying then maybe they would even be getting higher ratings from the surveys. (They probably won't, but I tried )

Anyway just wanted to say keep on Focus and Happy driving to all!

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by RFrench6646

...I now am at 15,000 miles and the DCT is flawless, no shudder, no hesitation, just smooth efficient shifts. I love swapping to "manual mode" and letting the engine wind up, I have shocked quite a few with the acceleration I can pull off...

I love seeing posts like these, RFrench6646; thanks so much for sharing!

Cory

[mishka]

In my car (2013 DCT) one of the shifts is much slower (that's what hesitation is right?) compared to the rest and i'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same. So the only shift that seems to be much slower for me is when I shift from 2nd to 3rd. By the way, i'm referring to shifting in manual mode. In drive or sport/auto it shifts seemingly normally (not slow).
So i'll be in 2nd gear, push the upshift button and about 2 seconds later it finally switches to 3rd gear. The rest of the gear switches are much faster than that. Am I experiencing hesitation?
Also for anyone who hasn't seen it, I have a thread up about how my DCT engine and/or transmission died while driving (not sure if it was a stall), and i'm taking the car into the dealership. here is the link to the thread. Should I mention this "hesitation" to them as well since i'm already getting it inspected for defects?

Thanks.