Shiny Chinese crossovers are increasingly being spotted on our roads, tempting with modern designs and prices that make European manufacturers swallow hard. But under the polished surface and huge tablets in the interior lies a question that worries every pragmatic buyer: what happens to the transmission when the warranty expires? It turns out that the “Achilles heel“ of Asian cars is often exactly where the power is transmitted to the wheels.
The most common headache for owners of budget Chinese vehicles comes from automatic transmissions. Drivers often share an annoying pull at low speed, which in Sofia's traffic jams becomes a real test of nerves. The problem is not only in the software calibration, but in the tendency of these boxes to overheat, which leads to premature wear of the friction discs. The unpleasant “squealing“ when starting off is the first signal that a budget purchase may require a hefty amount of repair money earlier than expected.
Special attention should be paid to the automatic seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions that we find in some representatives of Dongfeng (Forthing). Although these cars use a seven-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission (7DCT), developed by the giant Magna (formerly Magna-Getrag), which on paper is a guarantee of quality, in Chinese car sources, such as ASR Gearbox Repairs, for example, indicate that these units have operational features and potential problems.
Chinese interpretations very often suffer from “howling“ a sound reminiscent of an old mixer, and a tendency to oil degradation at higher loads. Unlike Japanese industry standards, the main enemy of this box is overheating in urban conditions. The resource is often limited, and repairs in Bulgaria are still an exotic and expensive procedure that most service stations refuse with a shrug. Technical reviews from established channels such as Marek Drives and specialized publications such as Zigwheels highlight a critical flaw in the calibration: dangerous slowdown during sharp acceleration.
The situation is different with some Chery models. Although the Omoda 5 arrived with a large basket of promises, the first real reviews from international markets, relevant to our region, point to specific whims of their 7DCT box. However, it is not defective, but simply wayward. Unlike Dongfeng, we are not talking about a complete surrender of the mechanism here, but about “thinking“ when you suddenly apply the gas, which in critical overtaking situations can cause a cold sweat on the driver's forehead. The problem lies in the fact that these transmissions are set up for maximum economy, which often makes them get confused in choosing a gear if your driving style is more dynamic.
Of course, not everything Chinese is bad. Giants like Geely, which uses technologies from Volvo, or Great Wall (GWM) with its Haval models or MG, are making significant progress. Their transmissions, often also developed in conjunction with leading global suppliers, perform much more stably. However, when buying a second-hand “Chinese“ or even a new one from the lower price segment, careful testing for noise and smoothness of shifting is mandatory. Otherwise, you risk finding out the hard way that cheap sometimes comes out quite expensive, especially when the “automatic“ decides to go on indefinite leave.