P500 Gear shifting

[Stalkman50]

I just went and put the deposit down on a 520 and it will be ready next week. I got to test drive it and am happy with almost everything except how it shifted. The dealer told me once it is broken in it wouldnt be nearly as bad. It was a lot more enjoyable in manual over automatic. Was the dealer being honest or can I expect the hard shifts forever? Hopefully this thing breaks in a little bit with time. If I didnt have my seatbelt on I felt like it was gonna throw me through the front windshield when it down shifted.

 

[Backwoods]

After the break-in oil change you will notice a huge difference. It will be much better

 

[Fischer]

I just went and put the deposit down on a 520 and it will be ready next week. I got to test drive it and am happy with almost everything except how it shifted. The dealer told me once it is broken in it wouldnt be nearly as bad. It was a lot more enjoyable in manual over automatic. Was the dealer being honest or can I expect the hard shifts forever? Hopefully this thing breaks in a little bit with time. If I didnt have my seatbelt on I felt like it was gonna throw me through the front windshield when it down shifted.

With my 500 it helped with oil change,however, everyone complaines of hard shift which is true. They use hypoid gears which are stronger than beveled gears. I'll take the noise and harshness all day long with longevity provided instead of smoothness and higher maintenance. Also clutch adjustment at about 500 miles made the biggest difference for me in the one I have. Just my opinion.

 

[SILVER_ALERT]

The hard shift is normal. I have a 2016 P5 and it is a little quieter now, but but still loud. On the up side, I have had zero problems with the transmission or clutch. Unless you already know, almost everyone starts off in 2nd instead of 1st. My dealer even suggested that when I bought it. That will save you one noisy shift. Only if you are trying to climb something vertical, or dragging a couple of moose out of the woods, do you need 1st.

 

[Keebler]

Alot of P500 owner, myself included, have noticed an improvement in shifting smoothness after doing a clutch adjustment. I would recommend that you do the break in, then change the oil and see if it is better. If not then do the clutch adjustment, the procedure is on this forum and it is really easy. After I did the clutch adjustment the shifting improved 100%, however manual shift is still much better for me. Automatic shift always seems to shift at to high of an RPM and under load ... I am a manual type guy.

 

[ladoredb]

My 520 was rough shifting for the 1st 75ish miles.
It gets better with use.
Prefer manually shifting seems smoother, however Automatic is now decent, not so jerky.
Family uses Auto, I use paddles.

 

[crewcabrob]

Same as above for me. First oil change did wonders.
I use the shifters as well, auto is for my wife and kids To use.
I likely need to do the clutch adjustment one of these days.

Rob

 

[RLC59]

My 2020 P500 shifted really rough when I got it and stuck in 1st gear the first time I took it out, had to use the shift tool under the seat to get it back into neutral. After that I only used the paddle shifters until I hit 100 miles and took it in for it's first service. I had the dealer put in the Honda synthetic oil and it shifted a lot better after that (don't know if it was the oil or the mileage that helped). I can actually use it in either auto mode or manual paddle mode now.

 

[Dave75]

Search “Hard Shifting?” look at the 7th down from the top for P500.
After the the 1st oil change it will get better, auto still sucks.