Auto-trans. reliability if paddle shifting
 

I went to waffle house today in my new 2010 370z. It had about 200 miles on it from test drives, etc. The dealer told me it didnt sell quickly because most drivers buying a 370 prefer a manual trans. Personally, i dont mind an auto trans. if it is in a car with at least a v6. However, another car enthusiast at waffle house today suggested i should have gotten a manual trans. because he knew alot of people whose transmissions had failed due to frequent use of paddle shifters, his main example was his own eclipse spyder. I think this guy was really only jealous, but what do you think? Am i risking my trans. if i use paddle mode to often or to aggresively. I think of the 370 as a serious performance car, that should hold up. I didnt buy it to putt around like its a family sedan.

First off your friends got an eclipse not a 370 And there is no more issues with paddle shifter or the transmission to say there is an issue.
I have yet to hear of any issues personally so paddle away :)

shouldn't be any issues

Is the pic in your sig a smartZ?

I've had my 7AT since early 09 and no problems here.

does 7at mean 2007 auto trans? or for example does 7mt mean 2007 manual trans?

the number refers to the number of gears. 7at == 7 speed auto trans; 6mt == six speed manual

^ 100% correct

Comparing and Eclipse and a Z is like comparing a raisin to a bottle of Dom Pérignon.
Just because Mitsubitchy has crap transmissions, doesn't mean everyone else has crap transmissions.

I agree. didnt mean to compare a jazzed up mitsubishi to a z car. My knowledge of cars is a little limited to generalities. I just got my z, and i got a little over zealous driving it this first week. I was concerned about a break in period, which i didnt follow 100%. I had a 2011 accord coupe v6, which had started to make some noise from under the front end (sounded a little like cv joints). Anyway i traded the accord on the z rather than deal with it. Also i didnt like front wheel drive. i think i felt like the noise may have come from the paddle shifting, so i guess some of my comments/anxiety is i dont want to damage my new baby. I am at 600 miles now, so i am going to stay under 4k rpms until i hit 1200 mi. I got on it pretty good a couple of times and i hope i didnt hurt anything, dang i got the new car jitters. Do any of you still park far away from others in parking lots. He He

The 370Z's 7AT transmission can't really be directly compared to autos from other random manufacturers. It's a very solid system, and a relatively new design. I've got ~22K miles on mine since early 2009. I almost always use the paddle shifters the whole time the car is rolling. No problems so far, and I don't expect problems anytime soon.

However, don't believe Nissan's BS about the 7AT's fluid never needing a change. Get it changed every 15-20K miles or so at a dealer. It's not that expensive anyways, and it does break down.

Thanks for the feedback. I feel better after reading you guys comments. I look forward to making some performance upgrades, starting with a cold air kit this week., maybe a twin turo one day...

Mine has gone the drag strip at last 75 times and i drive it hard and shift at 7700 to 7800 rpm .
No problems but i have changed the fluid at 20,000 km and now it shift even faster.
(major pain to get the level right in the 7 AT. took 3 timed to get i full.)

A guy at the Waffle House told me he got a dual cluch transmission and a week later his dog died. I've avoided the dual clutch transmission ever since! :eek:

Don't trust a guy that drives an eclipse... simple as that.