[Stansamg]

Hi all have started the search for a Gtr. With my budget il probably fall into a 2009 plate. However after doing much reading in here I've come to the conclusion that the earlier cars are a ticking time bomb wrt gearboxes.

I have seen a few 11 plates for 47-50 k and my question is that a much better car to drive? The early 2009 models can be had for 35 k now.

 

[Ja5on]

Never had any issues with my MY10.

Some of the very early 09 cars had issues, but I don't think you could turn around and say the older cars are a ticking time bomb.

David Yu had done many a track day in his car at various levels of tune and not had any issues. I think he has circlips done and that's it, I maybe wrong.

 

[Takamo]

Hi all have started the search for a Gtr. With my budget il probably fall into a 2009 plate. However after doing much reading in here I've come to the conclusion that the earlier cars are a ticking time bomb wrt gearboxes.

I have seen a few 11 plates for 47-50 k and my question is that a much better car to drive? The early 2009 models can be had for 35 k now.

It's luck of the draw, not all 09/10 my cars had gearbox issues, I had an 09 and had not a single problem with it but I know a few guys that have but I think it's down to abuse and lack of letting them warm up before ragging it. I'd buy a low mileage and well maintained car and pay that little bit more for it.

 

[deankenny]

Some do, some don't.

My 59 plate GT-R gearbox went 3 days after buying it, luckily I had extended warranty and was looked after very well by Middlehurst during the claim and repair process.

Repair ended up being a 2013 box

 

[donski D]

Had my early 09 for 3 years, done a couple of track days, covered 20000 miles and had no issues (2 years with y-pipe and Cobb custom tune)....

 

[SamboGrove]

All you need to do if worried about the box is when it next gets a tranny oil service get the circlips done + uprated magnets, gear stoppers and piston clips etc. not a significant outlay for the peace of mind.

 

[deankenny]

All you need to do if worried about the box is when it next gets a tranny oil service get the circlips done + uprated magnets, gear stoppers and piston clips etc. not a significant outlay for the peace of mind.

^^^^ This, any 09-10 owner should get this done, I don't care if your car done this that track days etc etc and it's been fine, same could of been said about mine till it went.

 

[The Zedhed]

As has been said on many occations you never get a post saying "I have a GT-R and it's gearbox is great" things only get reported when/if they go wrong!

I have a Litchfield 650 stage 4.25 and it's gearbox is great

 

[stixGTR]

My 59 plate gearbox is perfect.
no uprated software either. I drive her everyday and track her too.
Well serviced and maintained, always warmed up and cooled down.

Best thing I've ever spent money on is my GT-R

 

[deankenny]

It does not make sense, there is clearly a weak point with the 09-10 GT-R gearboxes, those that are saying "oooo I have a 59 GT-R and never put a foot wrong, always maintained, tracked etc etc" blah blah blah.

What you got to remember is all the 09-10 GT-R gearboxes that have gone kaput were also "fine and fault free and looked after" before they went wrong.

If you have 09-10 GT-R for the love of god spend the small amount to get the clips, stoppers etc fitted.

 

[Stansamg]

Agree with deankenny. All this I've never had a problem talk is premature. From my extensive research the early 09 cars are more likely to suffer with failures. Despite the mechanical sympathy etc. I for one cannot risk 40k on one and either will buy an 11 plate or look for one that has had a gearbox replacement!

 

[barry P.]

You are being far too paranoid about the gearboxes! Just buy a decent 09 or 10 car and get one of the independent specialists to clean the solenoids, fit a magnet kit and a set of solenoid clips to stop them rotating. It will probably cost you about £400, if you have it done at a service when the gear oil is due for a change that will save you paying £150 for another load of trsndmission oil.

 

[R35Audio]

I thought the chocolate gearbox rumors came from the early import cars, especially 2007-2008 cars which did have problems but I believe the issues were resolved in the official UK cars onwards. That's my understanding.

Of course, these are torque monsters and even more so once you get a stage 1-4.25 tune so there will always be a risk but with so many happy un-modded gearbox owners out there, I don't think its a massive problem.

With our friends at Litchfields, SVM, ACSpeedtech etc, gearbox issues are never real re-mortgage bombshells like they were with Nissan's huge replacement cost scare stories from the early days.

 

[Stansamg]

You are being far too paranoid about the gearboxes! Just buy a decent 09 or 10 car and get one of the independent specialists to clean the solenoids, fit a magnet kit and a set of solenoid clips to stop them rotating. It will probably cost you about £400, if you have it done at a service when the gear oil is due for a change that will save you paying £150 for another load of trsndmission oil.

That's exactly my point. I know of one who had his circlips and magnets done etc but still broke his gearbox!

 

[TomS]

1? Out of how many?

Anything can break, at any time, with any amount of power, for an abundance of reasons.

If you're this worried about the gearbox now I'd hate to think how paranoid you are going to be once you start hearing the ridiculous number of mechanical clunks that the car makes on a daily basis.

 

[Stansamg]

Speak to the people who are in the know. Ie specialist tuners and even Nissan. They will fill you in as to how many gearboxes are failing and it isn't just a few. I think I'd rather stick with one with a warranty or an 11 plate onwards.

 

[deankenny]

Barry, exactly, nothing about paranoid, £400 like you say for the potential saving of an item which could cost close to £10000 to replace is a no-brainer.

Again for those that keep saying my box is fine, and those that say well you only hear about the bad ones not the good ones.

Lets put it this way, how many newbies keep coming on here and bring up this same old subject 09-10 gearboxes etc etc, I see at least 1-2 threads a week made about it, there is CLEARLY a problem otherwise they would not be asking about it from the research they have already done. Which clearly shows a widespread problem hence the worry and come ask on the forum themselves. You don't see the noobs raising issues about the 2013 boxes do you, because when they are googling about the car the results are clearly showing a huge problem and issues with the early cars gearboxes, from all round the world, not just UK.

Get your early boxes done if not, tick tock tick tock tick tock.

 

[Chronos]

Barry, exactly, nothing about paranoid, £400 like you say for the potential saving of an item which could cost close to £10000 to replace is a no-brainer.

Again for those that keep saying my box is fine, and those that say well you only hear about the bad ones not the good ones.

Lets put it this way, how many newbies keep coming on here and bring up this same old subject 09-10 gearboxes etc etc, I see at least 1-2 threads a week made about it, there is CLEARLY a problem otherwise they would not be asking about it from the research they have already done. Which clearly shows a widespread problem hence the worry and come ask on the forum themselves. You don't see the noobs raising issues about the 2013 boxes do you, because when they are googling about the car the results are clearly showing a huge problem and issues with the early cars gearboxes, from all round the world, not just UK.

Get your early boxes done if not, tick tock tick tock tick tock.

I got my 09 done a month after I bought it...For safety reasons... ohh and stage 4 at the same time :chuckle: as said circa 400 to save a potential failure is a no brainer..

if there is a known problem, Nissan should be giving all the 09-10's a new gearbox on recall ... that'll be the day! opcorn:

 

[deankenny]

Good Chronos, nice to see.

I may sound abrupt, but I speak from direct experience so I deserve to be.

I only had the car 3 days before my gearbox went, didn't even own it long enough to get the clips, stoppers etc done.

Imagine if I did not have Middlehurst warranty when I bought it, spending 40k on a car and 3 days later gearbox goes like it did. I was upset enough as it was WITH the warranty changing it, I dread to imagine how I would have reacted without warranty.

So people I'm not being harsh, or digging holes at the car, I speak from experience and truly do not want to see other cars come to this tragic conclusion.

 

[barry P.]

Dean it is people like you that perpetuate the myth that all early gearboxes fail and cost £10,000 to sort out. There is a known problem with the early gearboxes where bits of metal stick to the solenoids, if the gear oil is changed at regular intervals, bigger magnets are fitted to collect the particles and the solenoid clips are fitted the boxes are just as good as the later ones, the gearboxes are not different. The early cars, and where these horror stories originated, were because independants had not identified this issue and the NHPCs were not allowed to strip the boxes, so if the car was in warranty the NHPC would check you hadn't modified your car and then fit a new box.If your car was modified the NHPC would say tough luck, hand over your £10K as you need a new box! In probably 95% of the cases if the box was stripped it could have been sorted for a few hundred pounds. The OP perhaps needs to speak to Iain at Litchfields or Andy at AC Speedtech who can perhaps reassure him that '09 gearboxes with a few cheap mods are not "ticking timebombs"