Attention all car dealers

"MLGCarGuy" (thejdmguy)
06/23/2015 at 10:16 • Filed to: None

Paddle shifters manual transmission.

I’m tired of going on Autotrader and searching a car with a manual transmission (e.g. Lexus IS), only to find that there are so many “manual” cars for sale just because dealers think that if you have paddle shifters, it must be a manual transmission.

An example:

See? The car’s an auto and the listing says it’s manual.

DISCUSSION (34)

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > MLGCarGuy
06/23/2015 at 10:20

No clutch, no manuel.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > MLGCarGuy
06/23/2015 at 10:20

I still love when people say they have both a manual and automatic transmission.

No. You don’t.

3 pedals = manual
Paddles = paddle shifter transmission, or I’ll even give you semi-automatic transmission.

CB > MLGCarGuy
06/23/2015 at 10:21

My previous idea of “hire someone who knows what they’re doing to put up your ads on websites” still seems like a good idea.

crowmolly > MLGCarGuy
06/23/2015 at 10:23

If the transmission has a “D” setting it is not a manual.

MLGCarGuy > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
06/23/2015 at 10:25

http://dougdemuro.kinja.com/no-your-manu-m…

MLGCarGuy > CB
06/23/2015 at 10:27

Even then you need a set of well-trained people, because dealers who describe their Elantras as sleek and sporty shouldn’t be posting ads.

MLGCarGuy > crowmolly
06/23/2015 at 10:28

“Well a manual has R and this car has R so I think it’s a manual” -what the dealer probably thinks

jjhats > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
06/23/2015 at 10:29

while I agree, supercars like the enzo complicate things as there is no automatic function to the semi-auto so it would be stupid calling the enzo an automatic

Patrick Nichols > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
06/23/2015 at 10:29

Buddy of mine actually did have both... he drove a 90 somthing S10 with 4 speed manual... had a non working automatic in the bed during one winter for traction...

crowmolly > MLGCarGuy
06/23/2015 at 10:31

I’m guessing it’s “Well, you can go into the plus-minus setting and shift when you want.”

MLGCarGuy > crowmolly
06/23/2015 at 10:33

That’s probably it, but there has to be other reasons why a dealer would do this.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Patrick Nichols
06/23/2015 at 10:34

Touche. lol

crowmolly > MLGCarGuy
06/23/2015 at 10:35

With the growing popularity of paddle shifters/dual clutch boxes in higher end stuff I’m a little surprised that an option hasn’t been added in the dropdown box.

Haase > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
06/23/2015 at 10:35

Dealers do not do this on purpose. Let me explain why.

I manage inventories for a large family of dealerships. Like most dealerships, we use a DMS to syndicate all of our inventory across Cars, AutoTrader, eBay, our main website, etc.

Because transmission information is not defined by the VIN, when it is decoded by the software within a DMS, it will display the standard transmission....Which is most cases, is a manual transmission.

So, it’s not that dealers want to label cars with paddle-shifters as manuals, but rather it’s evidence of their lack of effort to display their inventory correctly online.

This is just one of many little things that dealers fail to do when writing up their inventory. I take great pride in the quality of my dealership’s website and the experience it allows the customers to have.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Patrick Nichols > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
06/23/2015 at 10:36

To be fair I don’t know if it was automatic, but it was some sort of trans bell housing and I didn’t know enough about cars at the time

Haase > MLGCarGuy
06/23/2015 at 10:38

Dealers do not do this on purpose. Let me explain why.

I manage inventories for a large family of dealerships. Like most dealerships, we use a DMS to syndicate all of our inventory across Cars, AutoTrader, eBay, our main website, etc.

So, it’s not that dealers want to label cars with paddle-shifters as manuals, but rather it’s evidence of their lack of effort to display their inventory correctly online.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Sam > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
06/23/2015 at 10:40

I consider paddles which allows you to suggest the next gear to be autos still. DCTs are semi-auto, though.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Haase
06/23/2015 at 10:43

I’ve seen alot of cases of people listing cars with flappy paddles as manual transmissions. I think that we’re pretty far removed from the days when a manual was automatically the standard transmission at this point. It seems like most cars aren’t even offered with one. This looks like a case of people actually thinking that their transmissions are manual because you can select a gear.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > Sam
06/23/2015 at 10:43

I guess I should have differentiated, I agree with you. DCTs are semi-auto, and anything with flappy paddles that isn’t a DCT is an automatic.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > MLGCarGuy
06/23/2015 at 10:52

We’re facing them with a paradox. They know that there is a strong enthusiast preference for manual transmissions. They know that some people like manual-mode autos. “They’re almost the same, right?” They conclude that the primary attraction of a manual is ability to select ones own gears - hence, the manumatic should clearly be listed as manual! However, the preference for manual transmissions is usually exclusive of manual mode autos, because the shifting act and behavior of the transmission is what attracts. In their attempt to attract people of the first group on a poor understanding of customer psychology and wants, they put them off - because the preference is an explicitly *informed* one, i.e. the customer can usually not be fooled into “something similar” as is the case with some other “doesn’t matter” options - differences in traction control and the like. The customer has a distaste for the “close but no cigar”, and they don’t even realize that in their attempt to attract us (by to their mind “giving us what we want”), they’re “pissing down our back and telling us it’s raining”.

MLGCarGuy > Haase
06/23/2015 at 10:53

Good to know that info, thanks.

Haase > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
06/23/2015 at 11:01

Dealerships or private individuals?

A proper “flappy paddle” gearbox is truly a manual transmission, but with automated functionality. Vehicles equipped as such display as a manual by default after being decoded by a DMS’s inventory system.

Also, just because automatic transmissions are the norm, it doesn’t mean manual transmissions are not standard. Every time we get a Ford Fusion in our inventory, it shows that it’s equipped with a manual transmission....And it’s been wrong every single time. Like I said, if it’s a dealership listing, it’s a pretty good bet that they didn’t put the effort into making the listing correct.

On the other hand, sure, people are silly and will list their vehicle as a manual when it is equipped with paddles. That is mostly ignorance.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Haase
06/23/2015 at 11:02

Both.

Tekamul > Haase
06/23/2015 at 11:13

So they’re not malicious, just lazy.

Still not someone to do business with.

Justin Hughes > MLGCarGuy
06/23/2015 at 11:18

One thing VW does well is make it very clear whether a particular car in their inventory is a manual - a REAL manual - or a DSG. They understand this distinction.

Haase > Tekamul
06/23/2015 at 11:25

Yeah, basically.

Textured Soy Protein > MLGCarGuy
06/23/2015 at 11:32

The worst is when you’re looking for BMW M cars, particularly the ones that had the terrible SMG as their automatic option. All of the SMGs are listed as manuals. It’s not so bad with the E46 M3 since there are a good number of them with the manual transmission, but it’s super irritating with the the E60 M5 and E63 M6 where almost all of them are SMG.

Der Käfer > MLGCarGuy
06/23/2015 at 11:44

I work for a Volkswagen Dealership and we never encounter this problem, we carry a lot of performance models in both auto and standard, new and used... and the customers know what they want. We don’t market a car standard if it isn’t... it’s that simple. That being said a lot of dealers know that some models sell better if they are manual so they market the vehicle as such and when the customer comes in they play the “we made the mistake game but lets make a killer deal!!!” to justify the cheaper price difference. I chose to work at my dealer group because of the way they work, I have worked plenty of places that are right in line with this post... sharks. BUT some dealerships pay an outside company to come in and list their cars on the various sites and sometimes the represtative from that company taking the pics and listing them misreads the specs "6 speed DSG" so he or she assumes manual.

Meatcoma > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
06/23/2015 at 11:49

The term ‘Manual-mode’ needs to die. Perhaps ‘Shiftable-mode’ would be more descriptive. But we aren’t going to convince the manufacturers of that.

tromoly > Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
06/23/2015 at 14:30

So if it’s a paddle-shifted transmission that has a clutch pedal, what is it?

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > tromoly
06/23/2015 at 14:37

A sequential manual transmission, in which case you’re probably either on a motorcycle or in a race car.

MLGCarGuy > Der Käfer
06/23/2015 at 16:19

Well you’re already better off than other dealers. Some Lexus dealers call the IS manual themselves…when it’s clearly an auto.

RazoE > MLGCarGuy
06/26/2015 at 11:36

I dealt with this when looking for my manual IS300 (R.I.P). I would just ask if it had buttons on the steering wheel (for the “sport shift”). If they said “yes”, I’d just move on.

johnmpc94 > MLGCarGuy
06/26/2015 at 16:23

Yeah, part of it is just a lack of care on behalf of the dealerships. Been shopping for my brother’s first car lately (requirements are: FWD, 4-door, manual, <$8k, <150k miles) and came across an ‘06 Maxima 3.5SE Manual. Dealer doesn’t have any interior pictures, so I can’t judge whether it really is or not. So I break down and do the “Chat with a Sales Rep” thing on their webpage. Ask the lady if it has a clutch and gear lever or a handle with +/- next to it. She informs me that she isn’t actually a Sales Rep for the dealer, but can she have my information and a real person will contact me soon; I give in and give it to her. Get an email from a Sales Rep who says that it is a Manual. I’m at the office so I can’t call to set up a time to see it. A few hours later, get another email from the same sales rep who says “Sorry, it’s actually an automatic.” So, naturally, I move on. Get another email the next day saying that my time is very important to him and that he’s got the best customer satisfaction, etc... I reply saying that if my time was important, perhaps you’d take a little more care to inform yourself on what you’re selling, that using an online chat system to generate leads is rather irritating, and that I no longer require his services.

I’ll add that the dealer was one of many Penske Automotive located here in the Mid-South. Perhaps larger chains can afford to care less?