Here's a question for you all:

I was always under the impression that manual transmissions were more robust and tended to outlast automatics. Over the course of the past few years on Maxima.org, I've noticed people complaining about both failing automatics and manuals. Of course, the longevity of either transmission depends greatly on the amount of power, degree of maintenance, and the driving style of the owner. However, do you think that our 5-speed manuals maybe aren't as robust as the 4 speed automatics? Or was my first impression more accurate?

As far as I'm concerned, it's well established that Nissan builds a darn-good automatic transmission...mine's got 203k miles on it and it still shifts beautifully.

Please keep the poll relevant to our A32 Maxima & I30 transmissions and not other models/brands.

 

If you count the 95-97 manual trannies, then it is really no contest. I haven't heard of problems with most 97's, 98's, and 99's, but then again they aren't that old. As a whole, the auto's last longer. I was subject to the differential bearing failure, and now have a 45k mile old 98 tranny in my car. I hate to say it, but I think the autos have held up better.

edit: not that I don't think that the 5 speeds are infinitely more fun to drive...

 

im guessing that manual trannies dont last as long since we tend to abuse it a little more than auto's! =)

 

I just hit 204,000 on my auto. Boost + Auto = blown. Boost + Manual = takes a bit longer to blow.

N/A + Auto = Tons of miles IMO.

 

Too bad those auto trannies begin to die the minute you add any appreciable power..

 

Wait so boost doesnt count as power cause hes got 204k with boost on his auto

 

I vote Manual and I own a Auto. Providing that they both get driven in the same manner & the manual driver knows how to shift. I haven't any problems with my auto and 153K miles Runs as strong as it did new.

 

Either one will last just as long as you dont abuse them and change the fluid regularly. If I had to choose one, I'd say 5 speed only because there are less parts that COULD break.

 

Manuals may have little things go bad earlier such as the clutch but its cheap to fix. But auto might last a bit longer without problems but when something goes wrong, its usually a big thing and expensive.

 

Exactly what maximus wrote....i think people abuse their manuals or don't shift properly or w/e but i think if you drove normally prolly manual would last longer.

 

Yeah I know...so much of it has to do with how you drive it. If you're brake torqueing or neutral dropping an automatic...well you know the story. If you flush the fluid regularly and don't drive like an a$$, you really don't have much to worry about.

Is there anyone who has had success running boost with an automatic tranny?

 

Transmissions are like alien technology to me. Both should last just as long as the other with proper care. Manual may need more consideration due to wear. I would bet that they are both expensive to replace. Last I checked for my 87 pathfinder automatic it's around six grand. I haven't seen very many nissans with bad transmissions though.

 

Maxima auto trannys are weak when it comes to driving your car hard

 

It seems Nissan auto trannies are much stronger than manual trannies. The manual trannies tend to break much quicker in the 4th gens. Even the new Z/G35s have much stronger auto trannies than manual trannies. Complete opposite of Hondas where their auto trannies are glass but their manuals are bullet proof.

 

In general, autos last longer and is more durable than manual because manuals wear and tear faster. For example, you doing the shifting isn't the same as letting a computer doing it for you. Sometimes, you grind the gears or rev too high or downshift too fast. All these add up to faster wear and tear, while in an auto, you don't have to worry about any of them. The ECU takes care of them for you.

 

i have a 96 pathfinder thats automatic, and it has over 230K miles on the original trannie, not sure if all nissan trannies are the same though

 

well i guess you guys may be right, but me and others i known have blown their autos quick. my original tranny went a 70k, and my freinds went at 44k

 

You misunderstood his statement. He said Auto paired with boost would result in a blown tranny, manual and boost results in a little longer, but N/A and auto and he said they go for a long time.

 

Interesting, the pole is 50/50 right now! I voted for Auto's being the longer lasting tranny because peopel who buy auto's are generally not as agressive driving then the people who buy manuals.

In other words manuals might be prone to more abuse by the driver. Improper shifting, missed gears ect. all add up to more ware and tare on the tranny. And as we all know on here the 5 speed is prone to differential bearings failing. We can thank Nissan Mfg. for that. Had all the trannys been preloaded correctly, we might not be seeing so many bearing failures.

 

What are the symptoms of a differential bearing failure? My car runs like the day I bought it, although I only just turned 57,000 miles and recently replaced the transaxle fluid for the first time. I can live with a few repairs down the road as my 5-speed was Cdn$1,200 plus tax less than an automatic when I bought the car new. Also, I still have 50% on the original front brakes and 40% on the original rear brakes and I don't think you could say that for most automatics.

 

Plus, we've seen 5 speeds more than autos fail here on the org. I have 162000 on my original tranny and it still shifts beautifully.

 

Well I would say in general a given automatic tranny won't last as long as a manual simply because automatics are more complex than manuals. More complex you make a system the less reliable. You have to consider that most americans are lazy so the majority of the public want autos. I think the engineers at nissan put all the hard work in designing a reliable auto tranny and just quickly whipped up a 5 speed tranny option for those who like to shift on their own. I think if nissan took as much time designing the auto as the manual, the manual would be unbreakable. Obviously if you read through the posts on these threads the auto's seem to be a lot more reliable. Not to mention only 10% of maximas are equipped with a 5 speed.

 

I'd say 5 speed, but owners of 5 speeds may be more aggressive, if they don't last as long.

In any case maintenance for a 5 speed entails a very infrequent fluid change, and that's it. Also, when it dies and it's time to replace it's going to cost a lot less. If you can't drive for beans with a manual you will burn through your clutch all the time and that will cost a lot.

 

your car is sweet

 

The AUTO will last longer. Mainly due to the fact that Nissan messed up the diffy bearing shims from the factory. Given the same driving habits of an individual, the auto will definantly last longer.

 

That made pretty much no sense at all. If you shift an auto "hard", it will wear out the auto also. Doesn't matter if the ecu is doing the shifting or not.

 

Also the longevity of either is more directly related to how the owner treats/services the tranny vs whether or not the tranny is auto or manual.

 

Ive heard of ALOT more automatics hitting the 200k + mark than manuals. Regardless of driving habits, my vote goes to the auto concidering the max we are comparing is STOCK. Moded, i believe is a different story. I believe the automatic tranny was designed with the stock power the max puts out, any more and it will wear ALOT faster than a 5spd, then again im not just talking about an intake or exaust...

5spds may not last as long but i know for a fact, that they are MUCH more durable than the automatic. Whether or not they last longer is a mystery to me, im just going by what i see in the FI boards and the like.

 

True...but don't forget you can replace all eight brake pads in an afternoon for less than $100. A tranny will take considerably more time and money to replace.

 

Anything when abused won't last as long. You can kill an automagic easily if you are always abusing drive 1 & 2 and overd-drive. I have a friend that loves to downshift his automagic while getting off a freeway, he slams it on drive 2 and I just shake my head. He has a 3rd gen Maxima, currently with a blown tranny. I have a manual tranny and eventhough I didn't own this car from when its new, the transmission feels good still. I can't believe the clutch is still going. My normal driving habit is that I usually shift up at around 2.5-3k miles, I never over-revv. Well, almost never but at times I just can't help it.

 

This is exactly why my vote went for the auto's too. I can't believe the manual's are actually winning!!! I thought that with all of the problems of the trannies from the factory would have swayed the vote an incredible amount.

 

Nissan had to make the auto tranny really strong because they really fuzzed up the auto tranny on the stanza. They had to earn back that "reliable import" monicker. The thing i like about the 5spd, if it breaks i can probably still get it home, or if one gear goes i can skip it. mine has 150k, and i love it.

 

What's the point of buying an auto when you want to shift it yourself? Just go buy the manual. Autos are made to be automatic. Of course if you shift it hard, problems will surface earlier. That is the exact reason why manuals wear and tear faster....thus, translates into lower price on two similarly equipped used cars.