Erratic Transmission and Grinding Noise in 2017 Dacia Dokker: Potential Transmission Oil Pressure Cooler Malfunction?

Hey, funny you should mention it, I had a pretty similar ordeal with my 2014 Dacia Sandero. Sounds almost identical to what you've got going on. I was experiencing the same erratic shifting and grinding. It was nothing like a transmission oil pressure cooler issue though. Turned out the culprit was a defective valve cable connection. My mechanic had a look under the hood and realized the valve cable connection was a bit funky. The poor gear changing and whining, all pointed to this. After he fixed the cable connection, the car was almost back to its good old self. So, before you go down the rabbit hole of transmission issues, you might want to give that a look. Yeah, it was definitely a shake-up when he broke the news, but once the cable connection was repaired, things improved noticeably. Immediately gave me peace of mind knowing there wasn't a bigger underlying issue. Crossing my fingers your problem's sorted soon. Make sure to keep us posted.

Hey, that's quite the conundrum you both had with your Dacias. My had a similar run in with his Dokker too, grim times indeed. Just like, the problem wasn't as deep as a transmission issue, but rather a dodgy valve cable connection. I'm curious though, can you remember how much it cost you to fix up that chaotic connection? And has anything popped up since then, or has your Sandero been behaving?

Hey there, yeah, fixing that rogue valve cable connection set me back about 170 bucks if I recall correctly. Not the most fun way to spend money, but at least my Sandero's been smooth running since then, which makes it all worth it. And as for that transmission oil pressure cooler bugaboo you mentioned before — got it checked out a little while back, and the mechanic said it was all clear. So breathing a sigh of relief over here! Nothing's reared its ugly head since, and my Sandero's behaving just fine. Hope your Dacia Dokker's on the mend soon! Should you hit any more speed bumps, just holler.

Hey all, your responses have been super helpful and quite a relief! I guess I've been stressing over the wrong things. It's good to hear that some of you have had the same problem—and it wasn't some complicated transmission issue, thanks for giving some context with your own experience. Now I have a better idea of what to tell my mechanic. 170 bucks ain't too bad if it'll sort out this grief. Way better than a transmission rebuild! And, thanks for chiming in with your 's experience. It just strengthens the hypothesis. I'll get the valve cable connection checked right away, and keep my fingers crossed for a simple fix. Appreciate the good wishes and will certainly keep you all in the loop. Here's hoping my next update will be with some good news! Thanks again, everyone!