# S tronic advice needed



## sneath1 (Aug 13, 2012)

Hi, I'm going to look at several mk2's this weekend as sold my mk1 last week but a couple have the s tonic gearbox and having only ever owned manuals in the past I wanted to know TTO's opinions on the automatic before I make a decision!

Thanks in advance


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## Andy Mundo (Jan 11, 2012)

I've had my TT S-Tronic almost a year now and it's the first auto box I've ever had. It's great and I love being able to 'waft' around in it.

However, having just come back from holiday and having a hire car (Fiat Punto!), I really enjoyed being involved in the car and actually changing gears manually. Even though I was sat on the left, with the stick in the wrong place, in a dodgy Italian car on shit roads....

I'd definately have a TT again, but it would be a manual.

If you plump for the S-Tronic MAKE SURE you have either a manufacturer warranty or a solid aftermarket warranty to cover any possible issue with the S-Tronic gearbox failing - there's loads of posts on this forum about it, happens to about 5% of the cars. It happened to the previous owner of mine and looking at the invoices I've got cost LOTS of money to fix.

Good luck!


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## wja96 (Mar 4, 2010)

They're fabulous when they work properly, but a reasonable proportion develop faults where the car lurches, suffers lag on take-off, won't reverse up slopes or is unwilling to change gear. These faults will generally only become apparent when the gearbox is thoughly warmed through so you need a significant test drive. I would suggest a minimum of 15-20 minutes on a high-speed road (a couple of junctions on the motorway) followed by an absolute minimum of 10-15 minutes in traffic. That's a VERY long test drive by normal standards (ideally at least an hour if you can) but that's what you need to see any faults show themselves.

And make sure you get the best warranty you can afford. If these go wrong, it's 4 figures straight away and they can go wrong.

Personally, I just wouldn't buy a used s-tronic, but that's me after two bad experiences. Your mileage may vary as they say!


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## WozzaTT (Jan 15, 2006)

Andy Mundo said:


> I've had my TT S-Tronic almost a year now and it's the first auto box I've ever had. It's great and I love being able to 'waft' around in it.
> 
> However, having just come back from holiday and having a hire car (Fiat Punto!), I really enjoyed being involved in the car and actually changing gears manually. Even though I was sat on the left, with the stick in the wrong place, in a dodgy Italian car on shit roads....
> 
> ...


Interesting! I only had a short test drive of a car with the s-tronic gearbox and I didn't take to it at all, for the same reasons as you mention really - not feeling 'involved' enough with the car. I'm glad I got a manual but from what I've seen on here the vast majority of owners of cars with s-tronic boxes would never go back.


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## jaybyme (Mar 10, 2010)

I find the Stronic in the TT RS very good indeed.
I'm changing gear far more often than I would do in the manual,plus you have the awsome noise when changing up and down.
I think I'm converted,even when I jump in my Megane R26, I wish it had a really good double clutch box.


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## sneath1 (Aug 13, 2012)

Thanks guys, this gives me some food for thought on the s-tronic and will definately do the long test drive. I will let you know how I get on!

Are there any TT Mk2's for sale on here as I cant view the marketplace yet?

Cheers


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## CWM3 (Mar 4, 2012)

If God had meant cars to have flappy paddle gearboxs that go crunch , lurch, creep, bang, then he would have not given you a left leg, other than to walk home with when the thing breaks down


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## 35mphspeedlimit (Sep 25, 2010)

sneath1 said:


> Thanks guys, this gives me some food for thought on the s-tronic and will definately do the long test drive. I will let you know how I get on!
> 
> Are there any TT Mk2's for sale on here as I cant view the marketplace yet?
> 
> Cheers


Joining the TTOC should sort that for you!! :lol: :lol:


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## Gizmo68 (Feb 26, 2012)

Having driven a couple of DSG / S tronics I personally would not buy one with MY money, they cost more to buy and can do a worse job at changing gear, the good one I drove was very good, the bad one was awful!, a bad one will also leave a very bad taste in your mouth and a huge dent in your wallet if you are silly enough to own one out of warranty.



35mphspeedlimit said:


> Joining the TTOC should sort that for you!! :lol: :lol:


So will increasing your post count to _around _50 posts.


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## Wallsendmag (Feb 12, 2004)

35mphspeedlimit said:


> sneath1 said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks guys, this gives me some food for thought on the s-tronic and will definately do the long test drive. I will let you know how I get on!
> ...


You can't say that


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## maxamus007 (Mar 9, 2011)

I have an S-Tronic which failed and needed replacing.

From experience i would not buy an S-Tronic 2nd hand anymore (unless the car was new or less than a yr old).


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## BigAardvaark (Mar 5, 2012)

Had mine since May from 18000 miles. So far it's had the mechatronics replaced and is currently back at Audi having the clutch pack replaced. They tell me the clutch pack isn't actually covered by Audi's extended warranty but have agreed to fund the replacement 100% without me even pushing the issue.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

I love driving my S tronic RS, however I don't intend on keeping the car past it's warranty period and personally wouldn't have an S-tronic without a comprehensive warranty!

My last TTS was s-tronic and that had problems, nothing like that with the RS - yet - but I do get some pretty jarring thumps on upchanges sometimes, certainly more than when first new so I think the clock is ticking... :lol:


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## KingMarty (Jul 18, 2012)

I've just bought a 2007 3.2 V6 S-Tronic, privately. Stop making me worried something will go wrong! I refuse to buy a warranty too. :roll:


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## -wizpip- (Sep 20, 2011)

My Mechatronics / S-Tronic gearbox failed at 42k miles, and I only drive the thing on the motorway! Don't get me wrong, it's an awesome system and I love it, but that was less than two years for me. Luckily the first gearbox was on Audi eh?


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## nomis (Aug 1, 2012)

this thread is like a fright fest for any stronic owners. i too only just bought an 20k 07 stronic and im kinda hoping now that if its gonna fail it does it soon while its still under warranty!


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## wja96 (Mar 4, 2010)

nomis said:


> this thread is like a fright fest for any stronic owners. i too only just bought an 20k 07 stronic and im kinda hoping now that if its gonna fail it does it soon while its still under warranty!


It's almost a trap really. If you have s-tronic, you have to have a warranty of some description. VAG (VW Audi Group) won't sort this out as long as people keep buying them. By giving a 10-year limited warranty in the US, VAG have effectively admitted they know there is a problem. The difference between the US and here of course, is the American consumer won't put up with the carp we do.

I reckon a significant number of s-tronic drivers have been told (and have accepted) that "that's how they are, they're all like that". It comes on very gradually in many cases and unless you have a really long test drive you may never notice it. Indeed, if your daily commute is 10 minutes to the train station where the car never warms through, you still might never notice it.

And most owners are terrified to admit there could be an issue because it might effect the resale value of their own car. I can certainly understand that.


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## wja96 (Mar 4, 2010)

KingMarty said:


> I've just bought a 2007 3.2 V6 S-Tronic, privately. Stop making me worried something will go wrong! I refuse to buy a warranty too. :roll:


Please buy a warranty. Even if it's only a simple one that just covers the engine and gearbox. The rest of the bits on these cars are pretty bullet-proof (maybe not the window regulators), but I'm sure you can buy a very basic warranty from the AA that's relatively cheap and just covers specific bits.


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## CWM3 (Mar 4, 2012)

The only thing about this issue that still amazes me, is that these boxes are still falling 9 years after their introduction. Having had the misfortune to buy a MK5 GTI with a DSG in 2006 and learn quickly that an excellent car was otherwise ruined by a suspect gearbox design, and many others found the same (often to considerable personal cost), VAG have still not solved the issues in the 6 speed box, I can only think they dressed it up as a S Tronic to distance it from the issues of the DSG, well that appears to have failed.

The reports of manual gearboxes failing are as rare as rocking horse doodah, and thats after hamfisted human beings have been placed in control of the gear change procedure.

If anyone does their homework and then still goes out and buys an S Tronic, I take my hat off to them, brave people.


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## Wallsendmag (Feb 12, 2004)

Then again out of 36000 registered members I've only heard twenty or do problems on here


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## Gizmo68 (Feb 26, 2012)

Wallsendmag said:


> Then again out of 36000 registered members I've only heard twenty or do problems on here


How many of these registered members never bought a TT in the end? and how many bought the safer bet of a manual box?

S tronic can be great .... it can also be a dog.... an expensive one at that.
By all means buy one once you all of the information at you fingertips, but keep it under warranty!


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## TT-driver (Sep 14, 2010)

CWM3 said:


> The only thing about this issue that still amazes me, is that these boxes are still falling 9 years after their introduction.


I'd say it's still cutting edge technology that sometimes just goes over the edge, if that makes sense. The box is just too complicated for mechanics to inspect, adjust and fix. So when all is OK, changing oil is all it requires. But when things go pear-shaped, get a specialist involved rather than someone who is just experimenting hoping to fix the problem. I believe it's the latter category that is giving these transmissions a bad reputation.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Many other car manufacturers have double clutch automatic gearboxes, if I were to buy into another marque and frequent the relevant online forum, would I find I was reading about exactly the same issues? Do 5-10% of Ferrari owners or Porsche owners or Merc owners enjoy gearbox malfunctions? :? (Well probably Mercs....)


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## TT-driver (Sep 14, 2010)

They may, yes. Transmission problems aren't the issue. It's the way they are being resolved. Sometimes I get the feeling someone's car isn't a car with a problem that needs fixing.... it's training material on which is being experimented at the owner's expense. That is wrong and that is what leads to complaints.


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## igotone (Mar 10, 2010)

TT-driver said:


> But when things go pear-shaped, get a specialist involved rather than someone who is just experimenting hoping to fix the problem. I believe it's the latter category that is giving these transmissions a bad reputation.


That's a very good point actually. I do wonder about how many mechanics really understand the intricacies of these systems and how many units get replaced which could be cured with adjustments.


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## -wizpip- (Sep 20, 2011)

igotone said:


> I do wonder about how many mechanics really understand the intricacies of these systems and how many units get replaced which could be cured with adjustments.


I was told that part of the inner workings of my gearbox had sheered off. Although, that was after they'd replaced the mechatronics unit. One suspects that they replaced the mechatronics because it fails so frequently, and it was probably fine. I doubt that and the gearbox would fail together, would they?

Also, how can you diagnose a computer problem when it's in fact quite a large mechanical one?!


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## doddkp23 (Jan 9, 2012)

jaybyme said:


> I find the Stronic in the TT RS very good indeed.
> I'm changing gear far more often than I would do in the manual,plus you have the awsome noise when changing up and down.
> I think I'm converted,even when I jump in my Megane R26, I wish it had a really good double clutch box.


Is this awsome noise only for the ttrs and the tts or also for the tt s-tronic? I mean the farting noise


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## KingMarty (Jul 18, 2012)

wja96 said:


> KingMarty said:
> 
> 
> > I've just bought a 2007 3.2 V6 S-Tronic, privately. Stop making me worried something will go wrong! I refuse to buy a warranty too. :roll:
> ...


I did actually consider it, however a decent warranty seems to be around £700 to £800 for 12 months. Of course if I experience the issue then it's well worth it. But if I don't, I have thrown £700 to £800 down the drain. And then what if I experience the issue in my 2nd year of ownership and no longer am covered by the warranty? It'd have cost me the previous years warranty on top of the repair (£800 + £2,500?). So I'd then get a 2nd year warranty. Then a 3rd year... by which point whether I have the issue or not, I have still paid for it anyway.

Of course it is very unfortunate to anyone who has had the issue, such as the posters in this thread, especially if you had to pay for it yourself. But it is still 5% of owners? Maybe 10%? This is quite a high percentage of failure, but still makes it far more probable that I will not have the issue. I guess I would rather risk not being in the 90% to 95% of those without any issues, than to pay just in case I am in the 5% to 10% of those who are.


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## nigel d hoyle (Dec 19, 2010)

Guys, reading all the comments on DSG box. Got a 2008 TT 2litre TFSI done 34,000 with no issues. Oil change due at 37 /38 K miles. Put warranty direct policy on the car fir 13 month at 388 pounds, cover up yo 5 K on bug items such as DSG box.
My experience is great , Nigel

Please buy a warranty. Even if it's only a simple one that just covers the engine and gearbox. The rest of the bits on these cars are pretty bullet-proof (maybe not the window regulators), but I'm sure you can buy a very basic warranty from the AA that's relatively cheap and just covers specific bits.[/quote]

I did actually consider it, however a decent warranty seems to be around £700 to £800 for 12 months. Of course if I experience the issue then it's well worth it. But if I don't, I have thrown £700 to £800 down the drain. And then what if I experience the issue in my 2nd year of ownership and no longer am covered by the warranty? It'd have cost me the previous years warranty on top of the repair (£800 + £2,500?). So I'd then get a 2nd year warranty. Then a 3rd year... by which point whether I have the issue or not, I have still paid for it anyway.

Of course it is very unfortunate to anyone who has had the issue, such as the posters in this thread, especially if you had to pay for it yourself. But it is still 5% of owners? Maybe 10%? This is quite a high percentage of failure, but still makes it far more probable that I will not have the issue. I guess I would rather risk not being in the 90% to 95% of those without any issues, than to pay just in case I am in the 5% to 10% of those who are.[/quote]


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## maxamus007 (Mar 9, 2011)

Its not just the gearbox that can go wrong in S-Tronic's or manuals.
A warranty is worth having for peace of mind.

I'm glad i had my warranty extended for 2 years. Cost me £1,100 but in that time i have had the following:

- New Mechatronic Unit (Cost on Invoice - £2,200.00)
- New Parcel Shelf (this isn't a simple job as its part of the rear trim. Cost - £330.00)
- Driver side Window Regulator (Cost £179.00) (COMMON FAULT)

Car is booked in currently for the following issues:

- New Ignition Module (COMMON FAULT)
- Driver-side Window realignment (as it doesn't go all the way up)

Obviously i didnt pay a penny and it was all done under warranty but if it wasn't i was looking at £3,000+ to get those issues sorted. Its not cheap as Audi typically charge £85-95.00p/hr just for labour!

I know a few people on here have had new steering racks but i haven't had that issue.
Rusting Hubs is another.


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## KingMarty (Jul 18, 2012)

Definitely been worth it in your case then. Perhaps I will reconsider... :?


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## sneath1 (Aug 13, 2012)

Thanks very much for all the feedback, I viewed 5 mk2's yesterday an they were all dog rough, in fact my 12 year mk1 was in amazing condition compared to the ones I have viewed! My budget is only 12k as its just a weekend car but finding a straight one is proving more difficult than originally planned. Back to the drawing board today with 3 more to view but all manual as I think having read the posts I will stay away from the s tronic models.


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