Which Is More Expensive To Maintain: Manual Car vs. Automatic Car

Many newbies and even some casual drivers often ask: is it really cheaper to repair and maintain manual transmissions than automatic ones? We have the right answer, and at times get faced with too many questions concerning the maintenance cost between a manual transmission and automatic transmission. That’s why we have this post to answer those once and for all!

What’s the difference between a manual and an automatic car? Let’s begin with the basics – a manual car has a gear system that you operate yourself by moving the gear stick and pressing down the clutch pedal. The majority of vehicles driven in Nigeria are manual. But an automatic car doesn’t need this as one would say it does it itself. We have written a detailed blog to highlight the key differences between manual and automatic cars, ensure you check it out. 

Should You Buy An Automatic Car

Pros

• Easier to drive: Many people like automatic cars for their convenience. They’re simple to operate as there’s no clutch to control. Simply select D for Drive and forget about manoeuvring the gear stick until you need to park or reverse.
• Smoother ride: Automatic gearboxes offer a seamless transition between gears, giving you a pleasant ride without any stuttering.
• Better in rush-hour traffic: If you’re forever stopping and starting in congested towns, it can become a chore to constantly pump the clutch pedal. Automatic transmissions require less effort, so you can concentrate fully on navigating tricky junctions and other traffic safely.

Cons 

• More expensive to buy: The main disadvantage of automatics is that they generally cost more to buy than their manual counterparts, both new and second-hand, so they’re not ideal if you’re on a budget.
• Boring to drive: Some drivers find that automatics take the fun out of driving. They like the feeling of changing gear and having more of a physical connection with their car. And for anyone used to changing gears, it can actually be difficult to adjust to not having a clutch.

Should I buy a manual car?

The majority of motorists in Nigeria still drive a car with a manual gearbox, but how does it compare to an automatic?

Pros

• Greater control: A manual gearbox gives you more control over the car as you alone choose which gear to use. This can be particularly beneficial in wintry conditions.
• More speed: Some automatics can be slow and cumbersome, although many are now fitted with dual-clutch technology to make them quicker. A manual gearbox is traditionally better at transferring power from your engine to your wheels, so you can accelerate at a faster pace.
• Cheaper to maintain: Manuals generally require less maintenance because they have a less complex design than automatics. Repairs tend to be significantly cheaper – unless the clutch goes.

Cons

• Not as safe: With a manual, you need to take one hand off the steering wheel to change gears. Automatic cars are safer as you can keep both hands on the wheel and concentrate more on the road ahead.
• Leg ache: Constantly working the clutch can become uncomfortable as your left foot never gets a rest, especially if you drive in congested areas. This can lead to aches and pains in your leg muscles.

The manual generally costs less than the automatic in maintenance & repair

First, we will like to directly point out that, manual transmissions are always or usually found to be cheaper in repair and maintenance than automatic transmissions mainly because the automatics are by far more complex and normally possess more parts or functions that can just fail at any time but that really depends on a driver’s driving style though.

A typical automatic transmission would have hundreds of hydraulic, mechanical as well as electronic helpers that usually work together in harmony just to smoothly shift the gears for a driver. Whereas, the manual transmission consists mostly of mechanical gears which just rely on a driver mostly to engage the vehicle’s clutch & shift whenever needed.

Automatic transmission generally costs more to repair & maintain because of its advanced nature

The total cost of replacing an automatic transmission fluid alone can get as high as N60,000 sometimes depending on the type of vehicle and also who is to do the transmission fixes. Manual transmission on the other hand also requires a periodic fluid change, but its cost tends to actually be always half of that for automatics.

We need to also stress that transmission repair costs will vary widely depending on the car and what needs to be fixed.

Cost to replace a manual or automatic transmission in Nigeria

When repairing a leak, the cost might be a few thousand nairas or less, but when tearing apart a complete transmission system just to find the real cause of a problem, more expenses will surely be incurred for that.

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This is why some auto repair shops usually recommend just replacing a vehicle’s entire transmission rather than trying a “fix” for its internal problems and then a rebuild – especially with the newer dual-clutch and continuously variable automatics, just because the parts are always difficult to get and the repair know-how is even less compared to the conventional automatic transmissions.