I have bought a second-hand 2008 diesel automatic Toyota Yaris. The gear change between first gear and second gear is very jerky. There is a lag and then the gear changes, it the same way a new driver might make a mess of this changing manually.

I've had autos before and even a Yaris auto before and it was smoother than this. (Very good actually.) I've never had a diesel before. Is this to be expected with a diesel, maybe because of the way it revs? Or are the automatic boxes on the new Yaris not as good as the old ones? Could it be a fault (cheap I hope) to fix? (Software adjustment?)

Keith, May 2013

Thanks mags. I've been reading up on this and lots of people say that the Yaris MMT auto box is very poor.

Even so mine is so bad I can't believe it is right. Before I go to Toyota and part with many many hundreds of pounds, I want to check what might be wrong and if I can do anything myself (reset something, fluid levels etc.) All suggestions welcome.

Keith, June 2013

a lot of automatics now are manual transmissions with actuators to eliminate the clutch peddle. If yours is like this it can feel lihe a poor manual shift particularly on one to two shift.

mags, May 2013