My buddy just picked up his 03 TL S from a dealer after they replaced his tranny, now the thing is when he wants to use the manual mode (move stick up and down +/-) the car automatically shifts from 1st to 2nd but then lets him shift from 3 to 4 to 5, so basically he doesnt have the ability to control when he shifts to 2nd ... what can cause this ? is this normal ?

 

Your friend never had control of shifting from 1st to 2nd, its not allowed on the TL, if he had a TSX he has control of 1st gear

 

Thanks for the reply.
But is it supposed to work from the other manual mode ? 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 to 5 ? not using the +/- ...

 

What "other" manual modes are you talking about? Our cars (TL's) control shifting for 1st & 2nd gear after that you have to hit the rev limiter for it to shift into 3rd. This is assuming you have moved the gear shift over into the +/- area outside of the auto "D5" mode.

 

if u gate shift then u hav control of 1st but if u are in sport mode u have no control. all tho i feel like i do so i shift up anyway like a dumbass

 

He never had full control of the shifting in 1st. The ecu automattically shifts from 1st to 2nd in SS mode (unless you have a 99) All 2000-2003 do this

 

Are there any negatives of gate shifting, is it bad for the tranny ? Im not sure thats why Im asking.
Sometimes I like to mess around with the "manual" so thats why Im asking, sometimes I might wanna have full control.

Also, what is the diffrence between ss and gate shifting ?

 

no its not bad, its just giving you control over when it shifts.
Gate is better for 1/4 mile racing allows you to hold first slightly longer and it seems to shift a little faster than SS. SS is better for curvy roads and stuff because its easier (just up and down) <--- what ss was made for