[dnalor50]

I own a 2015 i30 SR manual. The car handles well, it is quiet, it has no rattles, but it has one glaring fault which Hyundai which not acknowledge, let alone resolve.

The manual gearbox is the slowest and most ponderous that I have encountered in a lifetime of driving manual cars. The clutch must be pushed hard to the floor for each gear change. The gear stick needs to be moved to the the point of engagement and then slowly eased into gear. Any attempt to do a quick change results in resistance, or a slight grating or snick of gears. The problem is most apparent under acceleration when changing from first to second. The change from first to second must be done rapidly to keep up with traffic. When going up hill changing down also needs to be done slowly, resulting in a loss of momentum.

The car has been back to the dealer 3 times, once for an extended period, but they say there is no problem. The gearbox oil was changed to no avail. The problem is worse when the gearbox is cold, but apparent at all times. Last time Hyundai had one of their technical specialists to test drive the car and I noticed that he drove the car the way I do in that he moved the gear stick to the point of engagement and eased it into each gear very slowly.

My previous car was a 2006 Focus LS. With this car I never gave gear changes a thought. A cursory stab at the clutch and a flick of the gear stick was all that was required.

The dealership have not been able to provide another manual car for me to try in spite of many requests. A five minute drive would tell me if this is a design fault or a problem with my car.
Sadly I was not able to test a manual prior to purchase as there were none stocked by any dealerships in the area. I have read every review of this car and no motor-noter has mentioned a problem with the manual gearbox. The words "caveat emptor" are ringing in my ears!

[Phil №❶]

Some members have reported much smoother gear changes by replacing the gearbox oil. Perhaps one of them will comment.

[Doggie 1]

My previous 2009 FD diesel manual 5 speed was a bit notchy in the gear change department.
My current 2012 GD diesel 6 speed manual is an improvement but there are still a couple of issues with the change from 1-2.
Other changes are fine.
I changed (and upgraded) the gearbox oil a while ago and found that when cold, if anything, the change was a little worse, but once warm, it was better.
I guess I have got used to it and I really enjoy the manual changing on this car. It takes a bit of skill as you get to know the car, but I quite enjoy the challenge of that.
It does still catch me out from time to time though.

[CraigB]

I got smoother and quicker gear changes by switching to Penrite gear oil, they're not sport gearboxes by any means and do require more accuracy in the gear shift and clutch timing but the oil change did help improve it somewhat.

Like Doggie mentioned the 1st to 2nd shift is a bit annoying, the shift spring tries to force the stick over to the right rather than straight down to 2nd so you have to constantly remember to push the stick over to the left every 1st to 2nd change and once you start memorising that it is much smoother.

[Shambles]

I'd get the gear linkages checked. My dealer f****ed my FD linkages up to the point where gear changes 1-2 were nigh on impossible some days.

[dnalor50]

Thanks everybody for confirming my suspicions. I'll try changing the oil again and experiment with pushing the gear stick harder left when changing into second and harder right when going between 5th and 6th.

The only reason to drive a manual is for the enjoyment of changing gears but this gearbox is joyless.

[Surferdude]

I don't know about the 2015 model but in the FD, the linkages are adjustable. I've seen posts on here about them.
@cruiserfied might have some advice.

[Shambles]

... the linkages are adjustable...

Yep, and my dealer admitted to adjusting mine at service time. I just wished they'd left them well alone, but it was on their jobsheet to inspect & adjust. Never got it sorted out before I traded it in.

[Dazzler]

dnalor50

Sorry to hear that. I am quite surprised. We have had 3 manual i30's. The first, a 2008 FD Diesel was a bit notchy into reverse and 1st to 2nd when cold. The 2nd 2010 petrol CW (wagon) had an amazing gear change. The best I've ever experienced out of many manual cars I've owned. The third and current i30 is my wife's 2014 petrol tourer. It was ok when she first got it but after 14,000 odd kms over 2 years it is now pretty much as smooth as the CW. A joy to use...

[elantraelite]

We have both an FD Diesel manual and a GD Diesel manual, the GD has an awesome gear box on it, nice and smooth, but for some reason my notchy FD is happier to shift faster

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

[The Gonz]

I always associate notchiness in autos with tighter shifting; conversely the smoothness is achieved through more sluggish changes.

[Phil №❶]

Sounds like the oil is a bit thick when cold, this can affect the synchromesh of the gears IMO.

[dnalor50]

As per CraigBs suggestion I tried pushing the stick harder left when changing into second, but this causes extra resistance. I think the gate is working fine for all gears, but the synchro is inadaquate. This certainly makes the car challenging to drive as stated by Doggie, but I would be happier for the gearbox to simply behave itself, as did the gearbox of the 2006 focus LS I traded in. 

[Dazzler]

Something is not right. Trish's is a Czech built tourer, but the change is awesome now.

[Phil №❶]

If the clutch is not completely disengaging, this can cause a stiff change as well.

[dnalor50]

If the clutch is not completely disengaging, this can cause a stiff change as well.

The clutch has to come 4-5 cm up from the floor  before it starts to bite (very smoothly and predictably), therefore I assume it's working OK.

Even when stationary this car has to be persuaded into gear. Any fast movement results in resistance or notchiness. At the lights I try to anticipate the green and have the car in gear and ready to go .

[nzenigma]

If the clutch is not completely disengaging, this can cause a stiff change as well.

The clutch has to come 4-5 cm up from the floor  before it starts to bite (very smoothly and predictably), therefore I assume it's working OK.

Even when stationary this car has to be persuaded into gear. Any fast movement results in resistance or notchiness. At the lights I try to anticipate the green and have the car in gear and ready to go .

Definitely not right.
Do you have a bit of free play when you press on the pedal, in other words , is the clutch fully engaged when your foot is off the pedal?
Comments I get on the FD manual box is..... brilliant !!!. Recently, a young bloke got out of his 360Z and took my 2009 CRDi manual for a test run over a nearby mountain road that is a magnet for weekend motorcyclists. He paid cash for the Hyundai upon return. True story.