Q: Experiencing shift shock from 1-2 and a little from 2-3 when car is cold.
I just bought this 2008 Mazda 3s from a dealer. I've noticed when the car is cold it shifts hard (shift shock) mainly from gears 1-2 and a little bit from 3-4. The problem improves when the car reaches operating temp. The problem is mainly from first to second gear. It feels a bit sluggish in first and jumps into second. Feels like it struggles to cross the threshhold to second gear. Not a huge jump into gear but very noticable. No thunking sound or anything, just feels like it struggles going into second while cold. I took it in but they obviously don't want to deal with a transmission issue. I've researched to find that others have had this same issue but can't find anyinfo on whether it leads to bigger problems, or any final diagnosis. To get the dealer to look at it I need to leave it so they can test it out when it's cold. If it's not under warranty I'll have to put out money for diagnosis, rental car etc.. Does anybody have advice on this?
My car has 114000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Hi there. It really depends on the terms of your purchase as to what I’d recommend. If the vehicle is under warranty then it’s best to let the dealership make the repairs. However, if it’s not, it would probably be a good idea to have this issue resolved by a transmission specialist shop (as they will typically be 20% lower pricing than a dealership). The issue itself could simply be due to an obstruction within the hydraulic lines inside the transmission, which can usually be resolved by a transmission fluid flush. You might want to start here, by having one of our professional mechanics complete a transmission flush and filter replacement.
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