# S Tronic Problems??



## sheila (Oct 7, 2006)

The question I hoped I would never need to ask but unfortunately I am not sure if I have problem or not.
I know there are already a lot of questions on this but finding your way through all these is very confusing.
I have a TTRS S Tronic which is now just over a year old, don't do a lot of mileage but I have become to think that the STronic is perhaps not what it should be, I do not find it particularly seamless in changes, down changes in D particularly to second can be a bit jerky on pickup, I thought all these gear changes on an STronic would be a lot smoother. In Manual mode it can be very ferocious from 1st to second it almost feels like the front end of the car is pulling itself apart and something mechanical is about to snap. Overall I am not convinced the box is operating as smooth as it should be and having never had an auto before I don't have anything to compare it against.
Any ideas as I don't particularly want go back to the garage to be fobbed off until I am pretty sure, thanks.


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

My TTRS is manual but I have driven the S-Tronic version several times and I did have a S-Tronic TT before.

It certainly sounds like something is not right; the changes should be very smooth. If it feels like you describe in Manual mode then there's definitely something not right.

The two clutches are hydraulically operated under control of the gearbox ECU. On gear change one clutch opens and the other closes; the rate at which that happens and the amount of 'overlap' between the clutches depends on the ECU response to various inputs like speed, how far you've pressed the accelerator pedal etc etc.

The problem could be in the electronic control system, one or more of the solenoid valves, the hydraulic system or one of the temperature or pressure sensors. The first action should be a test drive and diagnostic check at the dealer.


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## moro anis (May 27, 2010)

I know it's not the same car but I have a TTS S Tronic and it is barely possible to hear or feel the gear changes.
As it's an almost new car I'd be back to the dealer pretty quickly. It's hardly likely to heal itself.
Good luck


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi Sheila, Take it back to dealer, & ask if you can drive another S tronic to compare it with yours. 
Hoggy.


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## phope (Mar 26, 2006)

Yours and ours are very similar ages, being some of the first TTRS S-Tronics delivered

Ours does not sound like yours at all and has been no problem at all - I'd take it back to the dealer and ask them to review/diagnose any issues


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## sheila (Oct 7, 2006)

Taking it back in tomorrow so I will wait and see if they come up with anything.


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## Joerek (Oct 24, 2008)

I do have the TTRS Stronic. In D going upgear it it very very smooth. Actually all upgear changes are very smooth, always, even in S or pure Manual. Well 'smooth' ofcourse with explosions which you feel, but thats a good thing of the ttrs s-tronic 

When the gearbox is changing gears down you can geel it's not 100% smooth, depending on how fast you are braking. Many times chosing a lower gear manually, there is a delay of about half a second and you notice it isn't that smooth. But I definetely do not experience the things you describe.

Did you had it from mile 1 or is it something that is getting worse?


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## Piker Mark (Nov 16, 2011)

Joerek said:


> I do have the TTRS Stronic. In D going upgear it it very very smooth. Actually all upgear changes are very smooth, always, even in S or pure Manual. Well 'smooth' ofcourse with explosions which you feel, but thats a good thing of the ttrs s-tronic
> 
> When the gearbox is changing gears down you can geel it's not 100% smooth, depending on how fast you are braking. Many times chosing a lower gear manually, there is a delay of about half a second and you notice it isn't that smooth. But I definetely do not experience the things you describe.
> 
> Did you had it from mile 1 or is it something that is getting worse?


That's exactly the same with my car; aside from that and when the car is being driven from cold, it's hard to even feel the box changing gear, up or down.


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## sheila (Oct 7, 2006)

Thanks for the comments.
It seems to have developed over time, however as the car has only covered 7,000 miles its not done a lot of mileage yet.
I have taken it in today and it is getting looked at, not sure what the outcome will be but they have sent some data off to Audi and are keeping it overnight while they wait a response.
Any ideas what this data will be, where its taken from, and what it is likely to reveal, anything or nothing?


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## phope (Mar 26, 2006)

Part of it will be interrogating any fault codes logged in the gearbox ECUs, as well as seeing if there are any software updates available

Error codes might display dates, times, mileage, if it is a intermittent problem, or if it is persistent issue

This is ours (error free of course), taken from Vagcom/VCDS - the Audi diagnostic machine will likely output it in a different format

Address 02: Auto Trans (J743) Labels: 0BH-927-711.clb
Part No SW: 0BH 300 011 N HW: 0BH 927 711 C
Component: DSG DQ500-7A H04 1411 
Revision: 00H04V01 
Coding: 0014
Shop #: WSC 00000 000 00000
ASAM Dataset: EV_TCMDQ500021 001001
ROD: EV_TCMDQ500021_AU35.rod
VCID: 2D5AB2D07C0A1FB

No fault code found.


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

Must type faster . . . . What phope said and:
If read correctly it should help point to any problem, but sometimes reading the codes is complicated because whatever the root cause is brings up other fault codes in a cascade.


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## phope (Mar 26, 2006)

Another thing they may try, after reading the codes, is to do a readaptation of the gearbox - basically resetting to factory settings and setting tolerances

Described here (6 speed version) http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.ph ... x_(DSG/02E)


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## sheila (Oct 7, 2006)

No news yet, still at garage and awaiting response from Audi re the data they have sent them, thought they would get a quicker reply than this.


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## phope (Mar 26, 2006)

I would have thought so, if they've had it for 3 working days since Wednesday

I guess because it is a relatively new gearbox model, they may not have a lot of previous info from other warranty claims to reference against, so might be taking a bit longer to examine


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

I'd be interested to see what they say too. Although my 'box is not displaying symptoms like that yet, I also think that at times it is not as smooth as it should be - whether in manual or auto mode; particularly, it will sometimes "snatch" the next year (usually 3rd>4th) with a bit of a jolt on anything other than a very light throttle.


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## sheila (Oct 7, 2006)

powerplay said:


> I'd be interested to see what they say too. Although my 'box is not displaying symptoms like that yet, I also think that at times it is not as smooth as it should be - whether in manual or auto mode; particularly, it will sometimes "snatch" the next year (usually 3rd>4th) with a bit of a jolt on anything other than a very light throttle.


It sounds a bit like part of my issue, however the snatching of the gears changing up was only in manual mode and as described has occasionally been very ferocious that it almost felt like to something mechanical was going to break or the engine come away from the front of the car. They have now sent my cars data to Audi in Germany and are waiting a reply, it seems that they may be scratching their heads on this one unless they have had previous complaints logged with a solution.


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## jaybyme (Mar 10, 2010)

I had Audi look at mine,as like phope,sometimes it would give a bad gear change from 3rd to 4th in manual,also 1st,to 2nd.
Audi couldn't find any faults though.
I find it very easy to drive around the problem, by changing higher up the rev range.
Mine has done over 15,000 miles now,and either gear changes are better,or I'm unconsciously adapting to the gearbox.


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## Joerek (Oct 24, 2008)

I have it for 10.000 kms now and 3 months. It was 100% flawless in upshifts. Sometimes with launch control it keeps hanging in the limiter for 0.5 sec and sudden upshift while in D can be very slow, which is a pain when you suddenly want to speed up the catch a spot in another lane.
Only downshifts aren't soft.

I see myself driving in pure M mode more and more often and use the stick to shift. Gives you the proper manual feeling, but with instant shifts and great explosions  Absolutely love the gearbox with this engine.


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## Pale Rider (Nov 15, 2011)

My TDi is only about a month old and has only done a few hundred miles. The auto changes are smooth. The manual changes are also smooth providing I'm doing something reasonably sensible. However, if I'm in manual mode - and I forget that I'm in manual mode - and I bring the car to a halt, say while in 4th gear, the S-Tronic will eventually override the manual (to prevent the engine stalling) and then the changes are jerky. (Obviously, this is not a sensible thing to do). I guess it's jerky because the S-Tronic leaves it till the last minute to change down - whereas if it had been in auto mode it would have changed down in a more planned manner. That's my guess anyway - the user manual isn't very helpful in this area.

Now, if I'm going to stop, I put the gears in auto mode and let the S-Tronic handle it and it seems to prefer that.


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## wja96 (Mar 4, 2010)

I don't think anyone has too much to be nervous about. They'll just fix it if it's not right. I've not heard of anyone who was the original owner of a DSG or S-tronic having to pay for anything to be done to the boxes - even in the 4th or 5th year of ownership.

I think VAG have just decided to accept that a small proprtion of the boxes go wrong and they fix them. It's inconvenient for the owner, but at least the car is fixed.

Don't forget that the Audi warranty is on top of your legal rights which give you up to 6 years of warranty if you can demonstrate the defect was present in the box when it was purchased. Which could be very easy or very hard depending on which legal websites you read.


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## SuzukaGrey (Mar 24, 2011)

Hello Everyone,

For those who have RS S-tronic and are concerned about their gearboxes. Take a breath and for get it that you will get over those jerks and odd shifts.

I had my car in with audi for 5 weeks and they had carried out many tests on it including data exchange with Germany. They could not find anything and were clueless. However they had to change mtronic unit to see if could solve the problems. There was no difference after installing the new part infact it got worse. 
So then audi decided to check some brandnew cars which have the same gearbox, TTRS and RS3. Findings were very strange that the new cars were worse, infact all the new cars had same problem. 
Final answer was that its a nature of RS gearbox and its common among all RS- Stronic boxes.

Cheers


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## Mule (Jul 12, 2010)

Not nice


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## LEO-RS (Apr 13, 2009)

SuzukaGrey said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> For those who have RS S-tronic and are concerned about their gearboxes. Take a breath and for get it that you will get over those jerks and odd shifts.
> 
> ...


S-tronic box in the RS is bullet proof. No problems here and I have given it a really rough time. Its as smooth now as it was when it had a few hundred miles on the clock. No complaints whatsoever with the transmission up or down the box.

So I guess thats a direct opposite opinion of your views Suzuka.


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## jonnyc (Feb 13, 2010)

Have they changed the oil and filter in the box? That can have a pretty dramatic effect on the smoothness..

I wouldn't settle for what they are telling you to be honest..


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

jonnyc said:


> Have they changed the oil and filter in the box? That can have a pretty dramatic effect on the smoothness..
> 
> I wouldn't settle for what they are telling you to be honest..


I agree: this sounds like the old "They're all like that Madam, it's a characteristic of the car" - as said by car dealers when presented with a fault that they either can't or don't want to bother to fix.

I've driven two different RS S-tronics (in a spirited fashion :roll: ) and neither had jerky shifts or felt like the engine was about to fall out.

If the problem got worse after changing the mechatronic unit does that not clearly indicate that they have at least identified where the fault lies. All they have to do now is fit a mechatronic unit that works properly.


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## Joerek (Oct 24, 2008)

As I said before, mine seems to be 100% bulletproof too and also really giving it a hard time, every day... Perhaps you just have to drive it hard a lot to keep it smooth  Currently 10.000km+ on it in less that 3 months and never had a jerky moment (in upshifts).

I wouldn't accept such answer. The car should be driving as it did during the testdrive (or new) especially during the warranty period.


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## sheila (Oct 7, 2006)

I have the car back now with no fault detected, seems the data sent to Germany did not reveal any faults. Audi are going to send me another TTRS to try and compare the two back to back to see if there is any difference or if the problem I think I have is just a characteristic of RS Stronic.


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## 98RON (Jan 9, 2009)

Disappointing but not that surprising..... I bought a new 3.2 DSG in 2004 and got rid of it after a few months because I didnt like the DSG - jerky downshifts and sometimes almost impossible to get in reverse then would abruptly engage and the car lurch backward embarassingly! Thought they would have got this down right after 8 another years!


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## jaybyme (Mar 10, 2010)

maybe expectations are just a little too high.
I'm certainly very happy with the stronic,and would definitely choose it over the manual any time.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

In a way that's reassuring to know, hopefully it means the odd thunk is not an omen of pending mechatronic problems after all!



98RON said:


> ...jerky downshifts and sometimes almost impossible to get in reverse then would abruptly engage and the car lurch backward embarassingly!


you describe what honestly sounds like classic mechatronic failure issues, I experienced similar with my previous TTS, sounds like you have had a tainted experience of the s-tronic gearbox


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## jaybyme (Mar 10, 2010)

I spoke to my tuner this morning,and will be popping in Friday for a chat about the new stronic map, and fitting a new downpipe.
It will be interesting to see if the box is better once remapped. ?


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## 35mphspeedlimit (Sep 25, 2010)

98RON said:


> Disappointing but not that surprising..... I bought a new 3.2 DSG in 2004 and got rid of it after a few months because I didnt like the DSG - jerky downshifts and sometimes almost impossible to get in reverse then would abruptly engage and the car lurch backward embarassingly! Thought they would have got this down right after 8 another years!


Indeed, this is a tad worrying and brings back bad memories for those of us who have been through the dreaded DSG Mechatronic Unit replacement with no help from Audi! Anyone know if all these latest 'problems' with MkII S-Tronics are all related to six gear dual-clutches or seven gear ones too??


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## sheila (Oct 7, 2006)

Sorry for the delay in response but I only got my hands on the replacement car from Audi over the BH.
As a result the problem has now been identified and my car is running spot on.   
As soon as I drove the Audi loan TTRS it became apparent that the gear changes were different to mine and it did not suffer from the jerky downshift and pick up in second gear, however what was most noticeable was the massive difference in the way the box operated in 'S' mode, the Audi car was much more progressive than mine and the gear changes up came a lot quicker and it had the throttle blip on downshifts which was not as noticeable on mine. I know the principle of the 'S' mode is to hold the gears longer to give a more spirited drive but on mine they seem to hold forever almost like manual, if you were not able to make progress due to traffic mine held third gear for ever without changing up to fourth. The only way I could get a good throttle blip on down changes was after some spirited driving and then heavy braking forcing it down a couple of gears, on the Audi car just gradual deceleration gave a nice throttle blip on each down shift.
Having discussed this with the Technician it then became apparent that there is a software update as a result of this 'S' mode issue identified on the TTRS and the RS3, the update makes reference to this problem and also fuel consumption.
As my car was one of the first S Tronics in this country and manufactured October/November 2010 it appears it has the very first version of the software, there seems to have been another three or four versions since and then this recent one in respect of the 'S' mode issue.
I have now had the software updated and it has completely transformed the car, it has ironed out the jerky issues in 'D" mode as well as changing the way it changes gears in 'S' mode, I am now very pleased and wish I had known about this earlier.


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## jaybyme (Mar 10, 2010)

Great news,enjoy your TT RS with propoer Stronic now


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## phope (Mar 26, 2006)

Kind of surprising that the software flash wasn't tried first - I would have thought it would have been one of the 1st actions to make sure that all available updates for the drivetrain were applied to the car

Ours is perhaps a couple of months younger than yours and hasn't had 1st service yet, so will see what the dealer says when the service comes around - I've not experienced the issues you mention, so won't be losing sleep over it


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## moro anis (May 27, 2010)

Pleased to see it's been sorted and the car's been transformed to your liking. Bet the grin factor's even bigger now


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

sheila said:


> I have the car back now with no fault detected, seems the data sent to Germany did not reveal any faults. Audi are going to send me another TTRS to try and compare the two back to back to see if there is any difference or if the problem I think I have is just a characteristic of RS Stronic.





phope said:


> Kind of surprising that the software flash wasn't tried first - I would have thought it would have been one of the 1st actions to make sure that all available updates for the drivetrain were applied to the car


Indeed. I would have thought that the software iteration would have been an important part of the information sent to Audi and something that should have been easily and quickly identified as a possible cause of the problem and with an equally simple solution.

Nevertheless, glad it's now fixed and the car drives as it should.


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## SuzukaGrey (Mar 24, 2011)

Shiela,

Glad that you have identified the problem and its been solved with software update, Can you please share the software version or code with us so that i can check it with my local Audi dealership as well. 
You can find the details on the job sheet (reciept/Invoice).

Thanks in advance for your help.

Regards


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## sheila (Oct 7, 2006)

SuzukaGrey said:


> Shiela,
> 
> Glad that you have identified the problem and its been solved with software update, Can you please share the software version or code with us so that i can check it with my local Audi dealership as well.
> You can find the details on the job sheet (reciept/Invoice).
> ...


Unfortunately I have not got any paperwork as this was all done as part of the warranty work I assume.
I think my original software code was 1406 or similar and the new software is 17 something, sorry I have not got the specifics but your garage should be able to find the details on their technical web site as this is apparently a recorded issue for the TTRS and RS3's in connection with 'Sport Mode' but it all seems to have fixed the other issues as well which is good news for me


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## sheila (Oct 7, 2006)

brittan said:


> sheila said:
> 
> 
> > I have the car back now with no fault detected, seems the data sent to Germany did not reveal any faults. Audi are going to send me another TTRS to try and compare the two back to back to see if there is any difference or if the problem I think I have is just a characteristic of RS Stronic.
> ...


I agree, I don't know why this was not mentioned when I first took it in, I understood they had checked for any updates and had the car for nearly two weeks whilst the data that they downloaded was sent off to Audi, the difference in the way the two cars drove in sport mode was only identified when I had a go in the other TTRS before that I had not given a great deal of thought to the Sport Mode on mine as I did not see it as a real issue and assumed it was set up to work that way, which of course it must have been when the software was first created, it seemed that when I pointed out this difference between the two cars that they discovered the software changes, I am going in again tomorrow and will ask the question as to why they had not flagged this at the beginning, however I am pleased it seems to have sorted it now.


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## Joerek (Oct 24, 2008)

Great it's sorted. I'm very glad to hear it was just software and not something mechanical. Gives me even more trust in the great S-Tronic box!
Is there a way to check the software version yourself? I guess in mine in S-mode it keeps the gears too long when I'm slowly accelerating, it slowly gets up to 6K rpm and then shifts. Thats annoying.


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## sheila (Oct 7, 2006)

Joerek said:


> Great it's sorted. I'm very glad to hear it was just software and not something mechanical. Gives me even more trust in the great S-Tronic box!
> Is there a way to check the software version yourself? I guess in mine in S-mode it keeps the gears too long when I'm slowly accelerating, it slowly gets up to 6K rpm and then shifts. Thats annoying.


That sounds the same as mine before the software update. Having now driven the other TTRS and experienced the difference in setup to mine I now realise that mine was pretty pointless, it might have been okay if I wanted to drive flat out on a track or open road in an auto mode but if I wanted to hold the gears that long I would obviously use the manual setting. Since the software change I can now use the Sport Mode more often in general driving where perhaps I can't always make progress but still able to have a more spirited drive than in Drive Mode, rather than before I was thrashing around in 2nd and 3rd gear without it changing up into 4th, and of course now get a slightly better fuel consumption.


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## Joerek (Oct 24, 2008)

Mine was built in December 2011 or January 2012 and I collected it this February. In that case I guess it should have some recent software right?
In S-mode it only keeps holding the gear up to 6K RPM even when I slowly accelerate just after I drove it spiritually so I guess it recognizes such a drive and holds the gears longer. I can drive it in S-mode without much troubles but just sometimes its annoying it doesn't change gear more quickly. Also downshifts in S-mode are clearly not as smooth as upshifts. In D mode you cannot notice it. Is it normal for downshifts to be less smooth then upshifts?

Also sometimes in M-mode from 1 to 2 (when accelerating slowly) it doesn't shift instantly. I would guess it should change gears from 1 to 2 in milliseconds because gear 2 should be ready, but it can take up to a second sometimes, but only when slowly accelerating. Anyone else with this experience?

Besides these experiences I absolutely love this Stronic gearbox and would never thought I would love anytime else besides a manual. The sound of it (shifts) is just insanely good!


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## igotone (Mar 10, 2010)

I think the problem with downshifts is that it's too damned easy to blip that paddle a couple of times without necessarily paying the same attention to your speed and revs as you would with a manual box. If you're selecting a lower gear in too high a rev range, then due to engine braking when the lower gear kicks in, it's going to be a jolt. Also much as I love the the S-Tronic box on my TTS, I do sometimes miss that throttle blip to rev match mid-change which makes things much smoother.

I can't say I've got any real issues though, in fact rather than mess about with the paddles, I often just knock the stick back and forth between Sport and D mode and I find the car very driveable and responsive.


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## Pale Rider (Nov 15, 2011)

igotone said:


> Also much as I love the the S-Tronic box on my TTS, I do sometimes miss that throttle blip to rev match mid-change which makes things much smoother.


The S-Tronic does that - on mine anyway. When you change down it revs the engine to the correct speed before engaging the lower gear. Thats' why down shifts take slightly longer than upshifts.


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## 35mphspeedlimit (Sep 25, 2010)

Pale Rider said:


> igotone said:
> 
> 
> > Also much as I love the the S-Tronic box on my TTS, I do sometimes miss that throttle blip to rev match mid-change which makes things much smoother.
> ...


Indeed, kinda obvious really when you think about it but not something that everyone seems to appreciate! Never mind, I shall soon be saying goodbye to the 'Sport' mode as I didn't think it was worth selecting the option with the 1.8 engine as the paddles and manual change will more than do with this engine selection! :lol:


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## richmcveigh (Jul 19, 2013)

Guys, I've brought this post up because I'd like to run a couple of things past the RS S-Tronic owners...

Driving in traffic once the engine is warm can be very jerky and clunky at low speeds and RPM. When driving at less than 20mph in 'D' there is often a mechanical cluck and jerk when the gear changes both up and down. This gets rather annoying and uncomfortable at times and does not happen all the time. For this reason taking it to Audi will be a waste of time because the first thing they'll do is try to replicate the issue and then will not be able...

When driving under heavy acceleration the changes are slick and seamless - no complaints there at all, only praise!!

It almost feels like the RS just isn't designed to go slowly.

Last night I was driving around a corner at about 15mph in 1st gear using 'M' mode, I pulled the + paddle and CLUCK... into 2nd it went. This was under very light acceleration - actually no acceleration, just holding the same speed.

I get it that there are two clutches in the DSG gearbox, and that it will attempt to second-guess which gear you'll select next, and that if you choose the gear that it HASN'T preselected then it will be less smooth. But from 1st - 2nd?!

Any opinions would be greatly received.

Thanks,

R


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

I've generally experienced no clunks and bad changes when in D, however do sometimes experience some (occasionally violent!) clunks/jolts when using manual.

I can usually replicate a jolt when using manual and changing 3>4, sometimes when you change up quickly it's almost as though it can't keep up and particularly 3rd to 4th will jolt home, almost as if it tries too hard, if that makes sense.


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## Candyturbo (Apr 20, 2014)

so happy i brought a manual audi ! ive had vw dsg s for years and they are suppose to be silky smooth!


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## planman (Sep 15, 2002)

Driving in traffic once the engine is warm can be very jerky and clunky at low speeds and RPM. When driving at less than 20mph in 'D' there is often a mechanical cluck and jerk when the gear changes both up and down. This gets rather annoying and uncomfortable at times and does not happen all the time. For this reason taking it to Audi will be a waste of time because the first thing they'll do is try to replicate the issue and then will not be able...

When driving under heavy acceleration the changes are slick and seamless - no complaints there at all, only praise!!

It almost feels like the RS just isn't designed to go slowly.

Last night I was driving around a corner at about 15mph in 1st gear using 'M' mode, I pulled the + paddle and CLUCK... into 2nd it went. This was under very light acceleration - actually no acceleration, just holding the same speed.

I get it that there are two clutches in the DSG gearbox, and that it will attempt to second-guess which gear you'll select next, and that if you choose the gear that it HASN'T preselected then it will be less smooth. But from 1st - 2nd?!

Any opinions would be greatly received.

Thanks,

R[/quote]

I have just gone through the same, and it was the mechatronics unit. Can't believe how many of these have failed!
Audi would not give any goodwill towards the replacement so I forked out £1960.00. Car is so different now though.


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## Jenny H (Aug 25, 2013)

My TTS is s-tronic and is very smooth in D and M modes. I mainly drive it in M mode with the paddles.
The only jerking I get is sometimes pulling away when the engine is cold, may get a slight jolt. I find I can stop this by just letting the clutch bite for a split second before giving it any gas, if that makes sense?
The jerkiness with your car doesn't sound right.
Jenny
x


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## Mk2Stu (Jan 12, 2014)

richmcveigh said:


> Guys, I've brought this post up because I'd like to run a couple of things past the RS S-Tronic owners...
> 
> Driving in traffic once the engine is warm can be very jerky and clunky at low speeds and RPM. When driving at less than 20mph in 'D' there is often a mechanical cluck and jerk when the gear changes both up and down. This gets rather annoying and uncomfortable at times and does not happen all the time. For this reason taking it to Audi will be a waste of time because the first thing they'll do is try to replicate the issue and then will not be able...
> 
> ...


Rich,
I am not 7 speed s-tronic, but I had a loud and very repeatable thud/clunk with my 6sp gearbox when it changed down 4-3, 3-2 off throttle when warm. You could come off the throttle and coast until it downshifted....and thud. Southampton changed the mechatronic which made no difference whatsoever, so ended up having a complete new box after a bit of to and fro with Germany. Now it is quiet as a mouse on downshifts (and upshifts). They did comment that they could find nothing physically wrong with the old box, just that it was noisy. Make of that what you will.
Stu


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## Samoa (Apr 4, 2014)

So how reliable are they then? Only issue I've found is when slowing gradually - get slight uneven engine braking as it changes down, otherwise beautiful bit of engineering

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

So many people rave about the DSG box and how much better it is than manual but from reading the above it seems its fraught with problems and compromises. That's on top of the other regular problems like failing mechatronics.
I seem to spend a lot of my time stuck in slow moving traffic and by the sounds of it I'm better off with manual, despite the wear on my left leg.


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## 35mphspeedlimit (Sep 25, 2010)

As another year draws to a close the mechatronic woes of the unfortunate few continues to raise its ugly head on this Forum. It's now some three and a half years since my Mark 1 mechatronic unit failed but it still feels like yesterday and the pain and expense that I went through will not be forgotten. Jerking and clunking in gear changes at low speeds when the engine is hot is one of the common symptoms of the dreaded DSG / S-tronic failure! Still, hasn't put me off the box as I currently own a 2012 1.8 S-tronic and have just ordered a new TTS with S-tronic box!!


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## richmcveigh (Jul 19, 2013)

An odd question, but what's the best way to get the worst out of the gearbox? I think when get home tonight I'll drive it round some quiet roads in low gears to see how it responds.

I may well have put across a worse picture than what is true... I'll investigate tonight.

My RS most definitely had not been ragged!!


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## Trossuk (Mar 16, 2014)

Considering how many of these units are out there and what seems to be a very small number of failures I would conclude its a good piece of engineering. Mine has convinced me that auto is the future. I'm thinking next car will be a Bmw x drive diesel auto. Better than the Quattro system and still economy with power.


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## 35mphspeedlimit (Sep 25, 2010)

Trossuk said:


> Considering how many of these units are out there and what seems to be a very small number of failures I would conclude its a good piece of engineering. Mine has convinced me that auto is the future. I'm thinking next car will be a Bmw x drive diesel auto. Better than the Quattro system and still economy with power.


So good that the US authorities forced Audi to warranty them for (10?) years to US customers!


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## 35mphspeedlimit (Sep 25, 2010)

richmcveigh said:


> An odd question, but what's the best way to get the worst out of the gearbox? I think when get home tonight I'll drive it round some quiet roads in low gears to see how it responds.
> 
> I may well have put across a worse picture than what is true... I'll investigate tonight.
> 
> My RS most definitely had not been ragged!!


There are probably dozens of potential causes of mechatronic woes but yours does sound a little bit like mine which was a faulty speed sensor (code G182) which meant that the car didn't know whether it was accelerating or decelerating and therefore couldn't anticipate which gear to select next! Slowing down as if approaching a junction and then accelerating away (as if the junction was clear and didn't require you to stop) was a favourite for mine jolting into gear. Always at slow speeds and usually between gears one, two and three. A 'pulsing' rev counter was also a noticeable fault as things got gradually worse. Good luck.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Still yet to read about any DQ500 7-speed s-tronics experiencing the same issues as experienced with the 6-speed in the TTS and rest of the VAG range.

Touch wood :lol:


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## 35mphspeedlimit (Sep 25, 2010)

powerplay said:


> Still yet to read about any DQ500 7-speed s-tronics experiencing the same issues as experienced with the 6-speed in the TTS and rest of the VAG range.
> 
> Touch wood :lol:


You'd think they would have ironed out any problems by now wouldn't you! :wink:


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## Snappy79 (Dec 23, 2012)

I do feel like I have a similar problem.

In manual mode it works fine if I push the accelerator to the floor.

But if Im in first gear, and build up revs when having 50% trottle, the car BANG'S into second gear (its very hard and loud, almost like its not using clutch).

The car is a 2011 RS, with only 6k miles on it.

Have anyone else experienced similar things?

To tread starter: Is this what you experienced


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