Neutral problem
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,642
Likes: 1,209
From: Lake Worth Beach, Florida
Neutral problem
I have recently started experiencing a problem when I activate Neutral by holding both paddles in. After a while the car will let the clutches go and engage first gear. The car will then not allow me to reengage the clutch release. Anybody experiencing this issue?
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2007
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How long is "a while"?
What are the other conditions? Foot on brake? Are you on a hill?
How do you know the clutch has reengaged? Does the car start to creep forward?
Racer
Joined: Jun 2025
Posts: 277
Likes: 208
From: Rochester NY
Why would you hold it in neutral like that with the paddles ? And if you really want it in neutral that bad why not use the button on the console. Its dedicated to only that. Certainly hope you have your foot on the brake while you doing this .
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2016
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From: Garden Valley CA
I'm trying to understand the problem. Pulling both paddles doesn't put the transmission in Neutral, it is like pushing the clutch pedal in a manual transmission car. The computer will still downshift through the gears as you come to a stop, they just won't be engaged.
Are you saying that if you let off the brake pedal with the paddles pulled when stopped and give it some gas that the car will start moving forward?
Are you saying that if you let off the brake pedal with the paddles pulled when stopped and give it some gas that the car will start moving forward?
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From: DFW Area TX
Not on my 2020 it doesn't. Perhaps they changed this behavior at some point. After getting the clutches to disengage by pulling both paddles, I can let one go (either one) and just holding the one paddle will keep the clutches disengaged
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2007
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I'm trying to understand the problem. Pulling both paddles doesn't put the transmission in Neutral, it is like pushing the clutch pedal in a manual transmission car. The computer will still downshift through the gears as you come to a stop, they just won't be engaged.
Are you saying that if you let off the brake pedal with the paddles pulled when stopped and give it some gas that the car will start moving forward?
Are you saying that if you let off the brake pedal with the paddles pulled when stopped and give it some gas that the car will start moving forward?
I think his question was to the OP though. Who is saying that when he keeps both paddles pulled "for a while" the clutch re-engages. The owners manual says nothing about re-engaging the clutch as long as both paddles are held. And furthermore, it also says the clutch will remain dis-engaged as long as either one of the paddles is pulled - "The vehicle will remain in this condition until both the + paddle and − paddle are released. " After a double paddle declutch, you must release both paddles before the clutch engages according to the manual.
And this the way it seems to work for most of us.
Both conditions described....that it will re-emgage the clutch while both are pulled, or re-engage as long as one is pulled after both have been pulled, are not how it is described in the manual.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,642
Likes: 1,209
From: Lake Worth Beach, Florida
Read your comments. I'm old school and when I come to a stop I pull the paddles to disengage the transmission. If I'm stopped for an extended time I place the car in neutral. I know that once both paddles are pulled you only need to hold one paddle back to keep the clutches disengaged. I thought that I might have been releasing the paddle but I have come to the realization that has not been happening. When the clutches reengage, I am unable to get the clutches to disengage by pulling the paddles.
Part of my thinking is that the clutches are not fully disengaged when you come to a stop. GM has said that the clutches should last the life of the car. I had my 08 C6 for 16 years and 181,000 miles. I think what GM really means is that the clutches will last the life of the warranty period.
Interesting fact. One of the engineers in our club recently told me the reason the C8 has wet clutches is for temperature control of the clutches.
Part of my thinking is that the clutches are not fully disengaged when you come to a stop. GM has said that the clutches should last the life of the car. I had my 08 C6 for 16 years and 181,000 miles. I think what GM really means is that the clutches will last the life of the warranty period.
Interesting fact. One of the engineers in our club recently told me the reason the C8 has wet clutches is for temperature control of the clutches.
Moderator
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 39,165
Likes: 18,012
From: DFW Area TX
Read your comments. I'm old school and when I come to a stop I pull the paddles to disengage the transmission. If I'm stopped for an extended time I place the car in neutral. I know that once both paddles are pulled you only need to hold one paddle back to keep the clutches disengaged. I thought that I might have been releasing the paddle but I have come to the realization that has not been happening. When the clutches reengage, I am unable to get the clutches to disengage by pulling the paddles.
Part of my thinking is that the clutches are not fully disengaged when you come to a stop. GM has said that the clutches should last the life of the car. I had my 08 C6 for 16 years and 181,000 miles. I think what GM really means is that the clutches will last the life of the warranty period.
Interesting fact. One of the engineers in our club recently told me the reason the C8 has wet clutches is for temperature control of the clutches.
Part of my thinking is that the clutches are not fully disengaged when you come to a stop. GM has said that the clutches should last the life of the car. I had my 08 C6 for 16 years and 181,000 miles. I think what GM really means is that the clutches will last the life of the warranty period.
Interesting fact. One of the engineers in our club recently told me the reason the C8 has wet clutches is for temperature control of the clutches.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 12,846
Likes: 10,255
From: Garden Valley CA
Read your comments. I'm old school and when I come to a stop I pull the paddles to disengage the transmission. If I'm stopped for an extended time I place the car in neutral. I know that once both paddles are pulled you only need to hold one paddle back to keep the clutches disengaged. I thought that I might have been releasing the paddle but I have come to the realization that has not been happening. When the clutches reengage, I am unable to get the clutches to disengage by pulling the paddles.
Part of my thinking is that the clutches are not fully disengaged when you come to a stop. GM has said that the clutches should last the life of the car. I had my 08 C6 for 16 years and 181,000 miles. I think what GM really means is that the clutches will last the life of the warranty period.
Interesting fact. One of the engineers in our club recently told me the reason the C8 has wet clutches is for temperature control of the clutches.
Part of my thinking is that the clutches are not fully disengaged when you come to a stop. GM has said that the clutches should last the life of the car. I had my 08 C6 for 16 years and 181,000 miles. I think what GM really means is that the clutches will last the life of the warranty period.
Interesting fact. One of the engineers in our club recently told me the reason the C8 has wet clutches is for temperature control of the clutches.
BTW, there is a guy on the other forum with over 200K miles on his C8 with no DCT problems and he just drives normally. If there were clutch wear problems when driven normally you'd think it would show up by then.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 11,446
Likes: 8,609
Does it happen on flat road or a hill?
And, how do you know the clutch engages? Do you feel the car go or try to go? Will it start to drift forward. What does the dash show - normally during a double paddle declutch I think the gear indicator flashes - what do you see there when this happens.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 11,446
Likes: 8,609
Read your comments. I'm old school and when I come to a stop I pull the paddles to disengage the transmission. If I'm stopped for an extended time I place the car in neutral. I know that once both paddles are pulled you only need to hold one paddle back to keep the clutches disengaged. I thought that I might have been releasing the paddle but I have come to the realization that has not been happening. When the clutches reengage, I am unable to get the clutches to disengage by pulling the paddles.
Part of my thinking is that the clutches are not fully disengaged when you come to a stop. GM has said that the clutches should last the life of the car. I had my 08 C6 for 16 years and 181,000 miles. I think what GM really means is that the clutches will last the life of the warranty period.
Interesting fact. One of the engineers in our club recently told me the reason the C8 has wet clutches is for temperature control of the clutches.
Part of my thinking is that the clutches are not fully disengaged when you come to a stop. GM has said that the clutches should last the life of the car. I had my 08 C6 for 16 years and 181,000 miles. I think what GM really means is that the clutches will last the life of the warranty period.
Interesting fact. One of the engineers in our club recently told me the reason the C8 has wet clutches is for temperature control of the clutches.
When I say foot firmly on the brake, its important. According to verbal description by Josh Holder, the more firm the brake is pressed, the more the clutch engages. As you release pressure on the brake, the clutch starts to engage. The less pressure on the brake pedal, the more the the clutch starts to engage - it does this so that the car begins to creep forward, just like it would with a slushbox.
Advanced
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 54
Likes: 20
Is your foot on the brake when this happens?
Does it happen on flat road or a hill?
And, how do you know the clutch engages? Do you feel the car go or try to go? Will it start to drift forward. What does the dash show - normally during a double paddle declutch I think the gear indicator flashes - what do you see there when this happens.
Does it happen on flat road or a hill?
And, how do you know the clutch engages? Do you feel the car go or try to go? Will it start to drift forward. What does the dash show - normally during a double paddle declutch I think the gear indicator flashes - what do you see there when this happens.
hey Andy, only have seen on flat roads here in Florida. Foot off the brakes both or one paddle held it eventually releases after a finite time. Yes, the car starts moving clutches are re-engaging. If light still red at the intersection releasing both paddles and pulling them back again the trans will disengage the clutches again and the car stops moving. Hope this makes sense.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2007
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hey Andy, only have seen on flat roads here in Florida. Foot off the brakes both or one paddle held it eventually releases after a finite time. Yes, the car starts moving clutches are re-engaging. If light still red at the intersection releasing both paddles and pulling them back again the trans will disengage the clutches again and the car stops moving. Hope this makes sense.
Seems like a safety issue to me.The reason I was asking about the hill is because of the Hill Start Assist feature that will apply the brakes and then after a while will even set the EBP (per the Owners Manual description of Hill Start Assist). So, I was speculating that if that happens during a double paddle declutch it might affect that. But since its happening on flat surface, my "theory" does not apply.
Last edited by Andybump; May 10, 2026 at 09:28 AM.