Have you had a Bad mechatronic or transmission? Please post

[Sukks2bu]

So I'm looking to compile a list of people who have had a bad mechatronic unit, or required a new transmission.
Please post the year, miles, and work that was done and if you are satisfied with the outcome.

[nkkm]

2010, 40K miles. Mechatronic unit replaced this week so too soon to tell if satisfied yet.

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[hjl113]

2010 with DSG and ADS.

Mechatroic unit was replaced at 80,000km (roughly 55k miles)
Downside for me is that DSG fart is gone (when shifting)

Nobody seem to know who to get it back though....

[Atzek333]

- 06/2009
- 72K Milles
- New Mechatronic and Clutch Pack ... obligingness paid by Audi

everything good until now ... knock on wood

[PAS4]

-2010
-63K miles
-bad transmission
-dealership bought it back after 1 month of ownership and sold me a 6 speed

[fignewton]

2010; 41K miles, fried circuit card; replaced under warranty but no whole mechatronics unit.

[jayts]

I just bought my car so prior owner had this done, but had 3 mechatronics replaced then a new trans at approx 62k miles

2010 s4 DSG
3 mech units 0-62k
new trans at 62k
Currently 77k total on car with new trans

Praying I will be ok

[Sukks2bu]

Please chime in, even if you had work done years ago.

[Isik]

2010; 41K miles, fried circuit card; replaced under warranty but no whole mechatronics unit.

same here... 2010 @ 56k miles, not the whole mechatronics unit, dsg fart is still there. Currently at @ 60k

[Blackhawk878]

Can you also list if you are tuned/modded? If it isn't in your sig anyway.

Edit: Didn't see this thread before posting....http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/554226-DSG-Issues-Vote-On-Climate-Traffic-Problem

[MailmanOdd]

2012 model, 15k mechatronics failure. Replaced under warranty.

[jayts]

2012 model, 15k mechatronics failure. Replaced under warranty.


Ugh no way, I thought Audi figured this out, now Im scared mine will go again, I have a 2010 but my trans was built in 2012

[a4huey09]

2012
1k miles
replaced transmission

[dreaddontdie]

2012, 26k, not tuned. replaced transmission due to whining sound in 2nd and 3rd gears. $14k (also replaced center diff and prop shaft), covered by warranty.

[riegeraudi]

everyone needs to report this to the government agency that does recalls because Audi has to extend the warranties on the transmission to 10yrs as it seems like these dsg transmissions are almost guaranteed to fail. Knowing Audi they will extend the warranty 10years later when no one has the car anymore.

Can someone get the admin also to Pin this thread so that we can keep a running total?

[Sukks2bu]

Can someone get the admin also to Pin this thread so that we can keep a running total?[/B]

Great idea

[SwankPeRFection]

2010, about 22k miles had mech replaced.

[220013047]

2010, 31K. replaced mech unit, filter and oil.

[Doc Masher]

2011 S4 s-tronic, non ADS, with sports differential
Issues not as serious as final failure noticed at 25K miles
Mechtronic unit replaced by Audi at Audi's expense @ 31K miles
No further issues noted to date(current mileage 34000K miles)

While driving this past summer in 118 degree weather @ aprox. 45MPH, vehicle would not accelerate, then indicated in the gauge cluster that there was a "transmission malfunction" but was "okay to drive and limited functionality would be noticed". Took the car to Audi dealer and they stated they were going to re-flash the transmission ECU, I Had already noted through the vag-com that there were 6 occurrences of torque reduction due to clutch 1 over temp indication service code P17d8. Audi informed me there was a TSB for this exact issue 2030477/3. They completed the TSB (change of the transmission printed circuit card and associated wire harness within the mech-tronic unit inside the transmission) and performed a DSG fluid change with new fluid and new s-tronic filter (After a small debate and escalation to the service manager). The car has been driving great since the TSB completion.

[jayts]

So does Audi warranty a new trans, mine has 15k miles on it? All I know is I'm TD1 now but the prior owner had it replaced while TD1 and the dealer had no issues

[SwankPeRFection]

Any new parts bought and installed at an Audi dealership (warranty work or not) is warrantied by Audi for 12k/12 months, whichever comes first or will continue to be covered under the standard warranty if that still applies to the car as a whole.

[jayts]

Any new parts bought and installed at an Audi dealership (warranty work or not) is warrantied by Audi for 12k/12 months, whichever comes first or will continue to be covered under the standard warranty if that still applies to the car as a whole.

Guess Im foooked

[bayonet14]

2010 DSG APR Stage II - daily driver - throwing mech box codes - traded on a 2013 S4 DSG before going the route of any repairs - 2010 S4 was at 50k w/stage II and zero warranty. Prior to the mech box and transmission issue I had just replaced both L/R cracked engine mounts.

[Drew855]

2011, 32k miles, bad mechatronics. Mech, filter, and oil replaced under warranty. Now at 36.5K miles and haven't experienced any issues.

[jayts]

10/27/13

2010 B8/S4 DSG 40,200 miles.

Started the car yesterday, put the car in reverse, and the DIS went a bit nuts with "Gearbox Malfunction, Reverse Gear Unavailable, TPMS warning." Had to push the car out of my garage to get it towed to the dealership. Waiting to hear what they say....

I told the dealer it may be the Mechatronics as other S4 owners have run into this issue. Dealer said they had only seen it once before, but it was on a car that was stage 2 and they would not cover it under warranty..... Yikes.... glad I held off with serious mods until warranty has expired...

With just 3 months left on my factory warranty, I am seriously considering an extended warranty. Will need to do the math on the cost vs. a major repair item cost to see if it makes sense to buy....

Should know what the issue is soon.

They always say that, the mechatronics is known failure issue at Audi and VW, they know, they just act stupid about it

[theKB]

They always say that, the mechatronics is known failure issue at Audi and VW, they know, they just act stupid about it

yup, they all claim to hardly see this issue, it's BS...

even if 10% of cars are failing it's too much.

Had a chance to take a Jaguar F-Type V8S on the track this past weekend with the new zF 8 speed gear box and frankly I would be quite happy to have one of those over these DSG gear boxes.

[Nixon_S4]

Wondering if the people who experienced mechatronics malfunction can list signs prior to said malfunction. I occasionally feel some "knocks" in the transmission and after owning a WRX STI (think ringland and legal actions to have the engine replaced under warranty), I sincerely hope I'm just freaking out and everything is fine.

[KarimS3]

Seems like the bulk of the mechatronic failures are occurring in 2010 models. I have an early build 2011, so I hope I'm ok (I know they changed the mechatronic unit for 2011, since they included LC).

[SwankPeRFection]

They always say that, the mechatronics is known failure issue at Audi and VW, they know, they just act stupid about it

Agreed. Audi's going to get sued about this sooner or later. It'll be no different than the B6 CVT issues of past.

[breyton490]

2010 Prestige w/40K miles. Mechatronics unit failed. Audi is replacing under warranty

[SwankPeRFection]

lol, hopefully you didn't drain the wrong fluid. How people can make that mistake is a bit hard to figure out. Do they not look to see what the pan is attached to? WTF?

[Deschodt]

Wondering if the people who experienced mechatronics malfunction can list signs prior to said malfunction.

Initially, hard downshifts in lower gear in auto mode. Really hard at times. Slight clutch smell outside the car... All happening more often with a hot car, no issues when cold... Then it progressed to issues switching from P to R or D making the car jump... Occasionally - never consistently. No codes the first time. Second service it wasn't any better, I got a new Mechatronics unit. All good since (2010)

[Nixon_S4]

So far so good then. Anyway, the car is stock (apart from suspension and cosmetic mods) and CPO'ed until 2016 / 100k miles. Chances are I'll grab something else before the warranty ends.

[Mike00]

Seems like the bulk of the mechatronic failures are occurring in 2010 models. I have an early build 2011, so I hope I'm ok (I know they changed the mechatronic unit for 2011, since they included LC).

2010 and 2011 appears to be coming up the most. I'd be curious about build dates on the 2011's because you have to imagine they are early 2011 builds. Realistically anything outside of those two years appears to be an anomaly.

[The_Transporter]

Damn....starting to feel a bit more grateful towards my tiptronic... Sorry to hear about all these troubles. I'd HATE that feeling, knowing my transmission was shot and not being certain Audi would fully cover it!

[Sukks2bu]

Just out of curiosity, when I start driving from a stop, at a slow speed, I would say normal throttle, I find the car shifts to 2nd gear sooner then I would like, and even faster into third. Car never gets past 2000 rpm. Its hard to explain, but if i were turning left on an advance green, id be in third before i make the turn. Is this normal?

[theKB]

Just out of curiosity, when I start driving from a stop, at a slow speed, I would say normal throttle, I find the car shifts to 2nd gear sooner then I would like, and even faster into third. Car never gets past 2000 rpm. Its hard to explain, but if i were turning left on an advance green, id be in third before i make the turn. Is this normal?

that's pretty normal and most likely for maximum efficiency. If you put it in dynamic it won't do that and will hold the shifts longer.


Damn....starting to feel a bit more grateful towards my tiptronic... Sorry to hear about all these troubles. I'd HATE that feeling, knowing my transmission was shot and not being certain Audi would fully cover it!

I would say if Audi were to have put the zF 8 speed in the s4 instead of the DSG, I would have been much happier in the end.

[Sukks2bu]

that's pretty normal and most likely for maximum efficiency. If you put it in dynamic it won't do that and will hold the shifts longer.

Thanks, I also find, when I'm in dynamic, the engine revs when gearing down, giving me a smoother stop then when I'm in auto, or even comfort.
Gearing down when stoping can be a little jolting. Does anyone know if the software update address this?

[wwhan]

2010 and 2011 appears to be coming up the most. I'd be curious about build dates on the 2011's because you have to imagine they are early 2011 builds. Realistically anything outside of those two years appears to be an anomaly.

My 2011 S4 has not failed yet, it was built in mid June 2010.

[Isik]

same here... 2010 @ 56k miles, not the whole mechatronics unit, dsg fart is still there. Currently at @ 60k

Stock as far as I know. No TD1 flag. but could the previous owner have flashed it and put it back to stock map? Possible. Bought at 34k miles...

[Mike00]

My 2011 S4 has not failed yet, it was built in mid June 2010.

I'm by no means saying 2011 is destined to fail. But if you look at failures mentioned 2011 is more common then the rare 2012 etc... Overall it looks like 2010 has a decent failure rate and 2011 isn't a huge anomaly. That is if you believe we have enough posts to make this statistically relevant and we don't.

Still it's interesting. I was pretty set on modding but I can't figure out how long I'll keep this car. So for now I'll wait on the tune.

[Audi403]

What is the cost of replacing the mechatronic unit if you don't have warranty?

[theKB]

What is the cost of replacing the mechatronic unit if you don't have warranty?

$6-8000 depending on the dealership

[richope]

Just bought mine used 6 weeks ago, stopped by the dealer today to get a quart of oil and touchup paint. Checked history: complete transmission replacement 5 Months ago, so mileage would have been roughly 22K. Audi denied warranty due to TD1 flag and STaSSIS paid bill (12K). I am shopping now for extended warranty.

[ahcow]

Took my car in for service on Monday, spoke to the service adviser about the DSG recalls. He told me the DSG came from 2 factories and they are concerned with the DSG from one of the factories. So those cars with DSG from that factory got the TSB but others didn't. It's not dependent on year, it's luck of the draw. I am not sure if the DSG failures are linked to DSG from a particular factory or not.

[SwankPeRFection]

Just bought mine used 6 weeks ago, stopped by the dealer today to get a quart of oil and touchup paint. Checked history: complete transmission replacement 5 Months ago, so mileage would have been roughly 22K. Audi denied warranty due to TD1 flag and STaSSIS paid bill (12K). I am shopping now for extended warranty.

They've been kind of quiet in the aftermarket world over the past few months with people wondering if they're going out of business. One has to wonder if all these payouts haven't hit their pockets pretty hard. Some weren't even paid and they're losing dealers left and right. Ironically, maybe it'll be Audi that finally forces these dealers to come out with a user flashing solution which is undetectable sooner rather than later.

[Drew855]

Just bought mine used 6 weeks ago, stopped by the dealer today to get a quart of oil and touchup paint. Checked history: complete transmission replacement 5 Months ago, so mileage would have been roughly 22K. Audi denied warranty due to TD1 flag and STaSSIS paid bill (12K). I am shopping now for extended warranty.

Wow. I hope these companies such as Stasis and individuals get reimbursed by AoA when they finally get sued and lose the case. Pretty shameful of Audi to deny coverage when it is so clearly a design defect.

[theKB]

Just bought mine used 6 weeks ago, stopped by the dealer today to get a quart of oil and touchup paint. Checked history: complete transmission replacement 5 Months ago, so mileage would have been roughly 22K. Audi denied warranty due to TD1 flag and STaSSIS paid bill (12K). I am shopping now for extended warranty.

If it had a stasis flash I wish you luck on finding a company that will provide an extended warranty, if you do please post the company that will require coverage.

And this is where the model makes zero sense. 12000 dollar payout for something that I think most will agree was a manufacturing or design flaw and not a "chip" flaw. This is not a sustainable business model to pay out everything because audi is hiding behind TD1. Even if things are still going ahead for stasis, I don't see how much longer this can last and if they do have some sort of underwriter that covers this sort of thing, how long that company will be willing to pay.

[theKB]

Took my car in for service on Monday, spoke to the service adviser about the DSG recalls. He told me the DSG came from 2 factories and they are concerned with the DSG from one of the factories. So those cars with DSG from that factory got the TSB but others didn't. It's not dependent on year, it's luck of the draw. I am not sure if the DSG failures are linked to DSG from a particular factory or not.

Do you have a number for this TSB? There is a TSB out that covers 2010-2012 (iirc) for seals going because the ATF is eating away at it.

[SwankPeRFection]

Ya well, if Stasis had any brains they'd sue Audi for violation of the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act. In fact, more people should probably do this. Thing with this particular issue is that Audi themselves have both public and internal documents which indicate that the problem is definitely with the mechatronics unit. Because of this, it would be even easier to win such a case because despite begin TD1, they can neither prove or disprove the additional power was or wasn't the cause of the failure. Them having the failure acknowledgment and fix already documented for these cars is enough to make them the bad guy for not covering it under warranty. I say we all get in on a Class Action about this. It's ridiculous.

[PurduinaM3]

Perhaps a stupid question, but is Audi replacing these failing Mechatronic units with newer updated parts, or the same parts that failed originally? If they're using updated parts then I would feel good about buying a DSG S4 that has already had the work done, but if it's the same part then it's just a ticking time bomb. Considering how many people here believe that it's only a problem on the 10's and 11's, you'd have to believe that they did something to fix it on the newer models, right?

[SwankPeRFection]

Perhaps a stupid question, but is Audi replacing these failing Mechatronic units with newer updated parts, or the same parts that failed originally? If they're using updated parts then I would feel good about buying a DSG S4 that has already had the work done, but if it's the same part then it's just a ticking time bomb. Considering how many people here believe that it's only a problem on the 10's and 11's, you'd have to believe that they did something to fix it on the newer models, right?

The new mech that was put in mine was a different design. Some parts were plastic as opposed to all metal like in the old one. I'm guessing less heat transfer with plastic than metal. The problems starts when things get too hot for the mech units (i.e. operating range of the electronics is exceeded). That and the fluid also ate up some of the cabling coming from it. Let's hope the replacement units hold out or I'm gonna be the first mother****** to corn hole them real good over it.

[theKB]

Ya well, if Stasis had any brains they'd sue Audi for violation of the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act. In fact, more people should probably do this. Thing with this particular issue is that Audi themselves have both public and internal documents which indicate that the problem is definitely with the mechatronics unit. Because of this, it would be even easier to win such a case because despite begin TD1, they can neither prove or disprove the additional power was or wasn't the cause of the failure. Them having the failure acknowledgment and fix already documented for these cars is enough to make them the bad guy for not covering it under warranty. I say we all get in on a Class Action about this. It's ridiculous.

If that is in fact true, someone at Audi should have these documents and could "leak them" through a member or feed it to one of the larger automotive blogs.

Also I am pretty sure magnussen moss does not cover this sort of thing (and is only a US statute). That law is more designed to cover people using oem equivalent parts in maintenance (filters/plugs etc) and not if someone modifies their car.

[PurduinaM3]

The new mech that was put in mine was a different design. Some parts were plastic as opposed to all metal like in the old one. I'm guessing less heat transfer with plastic than metal. The problems starts when things get too hot for the mech units (i.e. operating range of the electronics is exceeded). That and the fluid also ate up some of the cabling coming from it. Let's hope the replacement units hold out or I'm gonna be the first mother****** to corn hole them real good over it.

Good info. That should also help those who get denied due to TD1 or mileage over warranty limit; if there's a super-seeded part number then obviously there was a problem with the original part for them to redesign it.

[KayS4]

2011 Audi S4 -- Mechatronics failure at 25K replaced.. Had issues again after 20k ... TD1 flagged will not look at concern further.

[IanCH]

2011 Audi S4 -- Mechatronics failure at 25K replaced.. Had issues again after 20k ... TD1 flagged will not look at concern further.

Whats your build month from your sticker?

[theKB]

2011 Audi S4 -- Mechatronics failure at 25K replaced.. Had issues again after 20k ... TD1 flagged will not look at concern further.

so you had your mechatronics fail at 45000 as well and they denied the claim? Did you fork over the cash to have the repair done?

I am very similar... 2011, failed at ~10000 and then again at 30000. Denied warranty on second go around and then fixed after two months of arguing.

The big question they couldn't answer me and what I wanted was if I put up the money to fix it and it failed again (with no re-flash of ecu aka remains stock after that) who is on the hook for the repair.

Other thing is car was flagged PRIOR to the TSB about TD1 being issued. There was talk of flashing back to stock the first time just in-case which in hindsight I should have done but again this was not an issue at the time and frankly it was fixed without issue.

[Sukks2bu]

It seems to me, that most of the mech failures happened while under warranty, or in the earlier stages of the cars life. My count for those that posted here.

16 under warranty
2 after warranty
3 right on the border.

I have been debating wether or not to buy the extended warranty thru audi, or just set aside some money as my own warranty if needed.

My question now would be, how solid are these cars, and when can we expect " warranty" items to begin failing?

$3300 for 2 years and 40000klm. Will parts fail in the first two years after manufactures warranty, or can we expect it to occur later in the cars life?

[theKB]

i personally would get rid of the car if you aren't in a negative position financially.

[2010drive]

Just bought mine used 6 weeks ago, stopped by the dealer today to get a quart of oil and touchup paint. Checked history: complete transmission replacement 5 Months ago, so mileage would have been roughly 22K. Audi denied warranty due to TD1 flag and STaSSIS paid bill (12K). I am shopping now for extended warranty.

I will definitely be getting a STaSSIS tune now.

[levigarrett]

Y
It seems to me, that most of the mech failures happened while under warranty, or in the earlier stages of the cars life. My count for those that posted here.

16 under warranty
2 after warranty
3 right on the border.

I have been debating wether or not to buy the extended warranty thru audi, or just set aside some money as my own warranty if needed.

My question now would be, how solid are these cars, and when can we expect " warranty" items to begin failing?

$3300 for 2 years and 40000klm. Will parts fail in the first two years after manufactures warranty, or can we expect it to occur later in the cars life?

I really don't know how well the S4 holds up. I had a 2006 A4 that I traded for my S4. My A4 had 98k miles on it and overall, the car was quite solid. I found a good indy shop and I'd say the cost of ownership was very reasonable. It certainly influenced my decision to buy another new Audi.

[Sukks2bu]

Y

I really don't know how well the S4 holds up. I had a 2006 A4 that I traded for my S4. My A4 had 98k miles on it and overall, the car was quite solid. I found a good indy shop and I'd say the cost of ownership was very reasonable. It certainly influenced my decision to buy another new Audi.

Thank you, this is the kind of feedback I'm looking for

[The.Wizard]

2010 with DSG and ADS.




Mechatroic unit was replaced at 80,000km (roughly 55k miles)
Downside for me is that DSG fart is gone (when shifting)

Nobody seem to know who to get it back though....


Have you thought of having your ECU reflashed at the dealers or aftermarket ?

I say this because I lost the dsg fart on TT when I changed exhaust. It came back when I had my remap after to take into consideration my exhaust and dsg remap.

Just saying that as you've had a new tronic it may have a slightly different map to the original setup.

[mrmomo313]

55, 800 on the odo. Just dropped my car off to the dealership last night. Started with the clunking noises when shifting between P, N, D etc a couple months ago so I took it in and they said nothing was wrong. Just yesterday as I was coming to a stop at several lights I experienced the "rear ending" sensation. The car would lurch forward and make grinding noises as it came to a stop. We'll see what they say now, sounds like classic mech unit failure so far. They took the car for a test drive with me and unfortunately they couldn't replicate the problem last night.. They said they would test it out further today. We'll see what happens

[Nasdaq]

Any 2013s with reported issues yet??

[drob23]

Any 2013s with reported issues yet??

Bumping this thread to ask the quoted question again, wonder if the redesign has helped or if there just aren't enough high mileage B8.5's to experience the problem yet.

[RickFLS4]

I have 24K miles on my 2013 and have not had any DSG issues. Overall the car has been great.

Shit, I hope I don't regret saying that (superstitious).

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[drob23]

I have 24K miles on my 2013 and have not had any DSG issues. Overall the car has been great.

Shit, I hope I don't regret saying that (superstitious).

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Haha, same.

[zcd2.7t]

2011, 68K miles, tuned since new, LOTS of 1/4 mile passes with and without using L/C, several track days, crappy Chicago roads and weather, no issues to report.

[whts4]

2012 S4 15k mi:
At 5k mi, mechatronic unit "serviced" (upgraded) fluids replaced.
At 15k fluid burnt, some surging, Audi replaced entire transmission. Note: Car came from Miami and was driven mostly in town (stop and go) for the first 12k mi.

[swish]

2010 S4 46,000 miles mechatronic unit replaced under warranty , mods Awe intake , Awe resonated exhaust with downpipes.

[RWD2quattro]

I'm glad I don't have this headache anymore, my 2012 had the first mechatronic replaced @ 4200 miles and then at 10K. Shifts were rough from 1-2-3 and coming to a stop from 2-1 (jerky). At times the tranny would slip at high RPM's (one day went to 7500 with SA in the car) and when driving below 35mph it would sometimes hunt for gears.
Audi replaced tranny at 16K, new tranny developed an oil leak and smell was horrific (dripping on top of exhaust). Went to dealer several times until they conducted a dye pen test on the rear casing and found a crack. Dealer took tranny apart, replaced housing and problem solved. Now I have a 6MT and no issues [:D]

God speed for all of you with S-Tragic, its a matter of time...

[IanCH]

I'm glad I don't have this headache anymore, my 2012 had the first mechatronic replaced @ 4200 miles and then at 10K. Shifts were rough from 1-2-3 and coming to a stop from 2-1 (jerky). At times the tranny would slip at high RPM's (one day went to 7500 with SA in the car) and when driving below 35mph it would sometimes hunt for gears.
Audi replaced tranny at 16K, new tranny developed an oil leak and smell was horrific (dripping on top of exhaust). Went to dealer several times until they conducted a dye pen test on the rear casing and found a crack. Dealer took tranny apart, replaced housing and problem solved. Now I have a 6MT and no issues [:D]

God speed for all of you with S-Tragic, its a matter of time...

You make a post about how you essentially bought a lemon and then say "its a matter of time" ? what? Some people die young, the rest of you watch out, it's only a matter of time....

[AtomSharp]

My mechatronic unit was replaced Nov 2012. Car had about 35k on it and was 2010. I created a thread on the issue and the outcome, listed below. Long story short, they replaced everything under warranty. Mechatronic unit replaced and recalibrated. The dealer did not care about my mods.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/514086-Another-Bad-Mechatronics-Unit

[RWD2quattro]

You make a post about how you essentially bought a lemon and then say "its a matter of time" ? what? Some people die young, the rest of you watch out, it's only a matter of time....
Let me get this straight, you're criticizing me for posting my experience on my old 2012 S4? If S-tragic's are so great, why the numerous post on this forum questioning mechatronics/tranny reliability? Have you seen this tranny apart and the insane amounts of gearing/components? I saw mine in pieces. That's why I said good luck, something will FAIL sooner or later...

Don't hate, 6MT rules!!

[centexvic]

..double post

[centexvic]

Mechatronics @ 53k miles Was behaving screwy for the 500 miles before. Bone stock 2011with sport dif. Never tracked but driven with some enthusiasm. Currently working with service manager as is under CPO.
Jan 2011 inservice date..so build likely oct- dec 2010.

[Massey]

2010 S4 with 70K miles dealer replaced mechotronic unit and a circuit board but still can't figure what's wrong [=(] so far they are taking care of the bill will wait and see what happens if tranny needs to be replace

[bombdiggity]

2010 S4 with 53k miles. The whole Mechatronix failed, not under warranty.

[Sukks2bu]

Update regarding dsg.

So I took my car in before Xmas for some " Pre out of warranty" work. This included the dsg fluid replacement and a software update.
When I picked up my car, I noticed I had some surging happening under throttle. I will post a video. I returned the car and the performed another dsg fluid replacement. I Picked up the car and it drove normal, but with some slight differences.

Previously in this thread, I mentioned I had the smoothes 2-1 shifting in dynamic mode because the engine would rev a little to allow a smother downshift. This is no longer the case. Now I can hear the clutch disengaging when coming to a stop with what is described as normal hard 2-1 shifts. When taking off, shifts from 1-2-3 are clunkier and more aggressive. I'm guessing this is to be what is considered "normal" when in dynamic. This was all a little disappointing. How ever.......
In auto mode,after this service, the car is driving smoother than ever, and I rarely get hard shifts.

So from what I gather, after performing the dsg fluid change, and software upgrade, the car is driving like it is supposed to, for better or for worse.

The mechanic who worked on my car also explained to me, that, comfort mode and dynamic mode have preset tunes and no " adapting to our driving" occurs in these modes. Only in auto mode, does the car adapt, and it is continuously ongoing, it never ends. You can test this by driving aggressively in auto, then grany it from a stop, and you will notice some harder shifting.
At least that is my findings.

Here's the video of surging.

http://s789.photobucket.com/user/sukks2bu/media/Audi%20S4/e4bb0df3247656b8430d07414654c1e8.mp4.html

[SwankPeRFection]

Ya, it shouldn't be doing that surging thing. Only time it should ever do anything close to that is if you're in bumper to bumper and it's constantly On/Off the clutches as it shifts or feathers them to move you along slowly. Even then, once it's clamped down, it shouldn't do it. You're already at speed, there should be no reason for this and the RPMs should be rising slowly. Thing is, it could be a problem with the DSG or a problem with an RPM sensor/gauge sending the info along. However, this surging behavior at slower speeds has been a mech/DSG issue in the past.

[Sukks2bu]

That was fixed as soon as I took it back, that was weird, but what I gather from that is, the amount of dsg fluid in the dsg greatly affects the way the car drives. Even with the difference I feel in dynamic mode now, I wouldn't be surprised if the changes I feel are from different fluid levels, and not a software update.

[bombdiggity]

I paid 2200 for parts and 950 for labor plus tax in California to replace my mechatronics unit (Whole unit, not just the circuit card).

[Hansel]

Yes. 55k Audi covered it even with TD1.

[KayS4]

Yes. 55k Audi covered it even with TD1.


Please give me information of this, I maybe in line with this issue, I had a mechatronics replaced once.

No error message this time around but the transmission after coming off the throttle when I dip back into it in 4th or 5th gear after rolling often hits Red Line the car revs up as if its in Neutral. Anyone else have this issue upon having the unit replaced or transmission?

Ive been deined helped based on the TD1 code.

[Hansel]

Please give me information of this, I maybe in line with this issue, I had a mechatronics replaced once.

No error message this time around but the transmission after coming off the throttle when I dip back into it in 4th or 5th gear after rolling often hits Red Line the car revs up as if its in Neutral. Anyone else have this issue upon having the unit replaced or transmission?

Ive been deined helped based on the TD1 code..


Did you buy it new? If so go to the dealer you bought it from. Just don't take no for an answer.

[theKB]

Please give me information of this, I maybe in line with this issue, I had a mechatronics replaced once.

No error message this time around but the transmission after coming off the throttle when I dip back into it in 4th or 5th gear after rolling often hits Red Line the car revs up as if its in Neutral. Anyone else have this issue upon having the unit replaced or transmission?

Ive been deined helped based on the TD1 code.

fight them hard, that's how mine was fixed (plus i had their loaner car for almost two months waiting for this to be resolved).

[bombdiggity]

I'm in the same boat KayS4. I'm trying to get Audi to cover my expense I paid out of pocket. You should file a complaint with the nhtsa.


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[theKB]

I'm in the same boat KayS4. I'm trying to get Audi to cover my expense I paid out of pocket. You should file a complaint with the nhtsa.


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every single person should do this who has had mechatronics issues without question. KayS4 is Canadian, so not sure if that will take but if the US issues a proper recall under government pressure, AoC will have to follow suit. Also it seems as though Audi of Canada is far tougher on the TD1 thing I would assume since the market is much smaller. Was much better (it seems) when it was under Audi North America.

Link that takes you directly to the complaint page below...

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/index.xhtml

[bombdiggity]

I lucked out. After persistently complaining to AOA they covered the mechatronics failure even though the car was out of warranty and TD1! Glad I didn't have to hire an attorney because I was ready too! Be persistent and complain to big Audi if they deny you! They denied me twice before accepting to cover it!


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[P Rock]

I didn't see this thread or heard of this issue before buying my S4 (gulp). 2010, 46k miles, stock, just out of warranty (gulp). Wish I would have seen this prior as it would have effected my buying decision. This is disheartening because I love the car :(
I'm not experiencing any issues but a lot of people are alluding that it's a matter of WHEN and not IF isn't helping. Especially knowing I'm within year/mileage range of what most people are reporting :(
Only hope I see is reading that some people have gotten a replacement (after a fight) even out of warranty. But worst case scenario, price to replace vary quite a but. One person said $6000-$8000 and another person said roughly $3000. What's more accurate?

[bombdiggity]

I paid 3500$. The part was about 2200$ for the mechatronics. Which is more that just a circuit card. The rest was labor and tranny fluid.


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[bombdiggity]

They should make the mechatronics issue a sticky on the top.


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[P Rock]

They should make the mechatronics issue a sticky on the top.


Agreed. Seeing this would have totally changed my buying decision. I remember reading all the positives of DSG and never heard of this issue until now. My car is a prime candidate being a 2010 with 46k miles and fresh out of warranty. Do we know if this affects all DSG cars? Is it really a matter of WHEN and not If and is bound to happen? My car is stock and now find myself shopping for extended warranties which means no modding... Defeats the entire purpose of buying this car :(
What a bummer this has been.

[bombdiggity]

I was in the same exact boat. Aftermarket warranties will not cover it. If you have symptoms of it. Do yourself a favor and take it to audi for their world class inspection. Then your car will be documented as not having any issues so when it fails like mine did, you can stick it to Audi because they didn't catch the failure, and plus it's a known problem.


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[bombdiggity]

My car was td1 and covered at 53k miles. They will try and say that an ecu tune voids the warranty but an apr ecu tune does not affect the control of the tcu at all and I made point to remind them that car was inspected 1 week after purchase and they didn't have any codes or issues associated to the car at all.


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[P Rock]

I was in the same exact boat. Aftermarket warranties will not cover it. If you have symptoms of it. Do yourself a favor and take it to audi for their world class inspection. Then your car will be documented as not having any issues so when it fails like mine did, you can stick it to Audi because they didn't catch the failure, and plus it's a known problem.


I don't have any of the symptoms but it sure sounds like this is something that will eventually happen. I even dug up the carfax on my car to see if it was ever replaced....shows nothing. Guess I just have to drive it, enjoy it and the day will eventually come where mine also fails.

[bombdiggity]

I don't have any of the symptoms but it sure sounds like this is something that will eventually happen. I even dug up the carfax on my car to see if it was ever replaced....shows nothing. Guess I just have to drive it, enjoy it and the day will eventually come where mine also fails.

Audi can give you the repair history for your VIN. You just ask them for it. The original owner of my car had the tail lights replaced due to condensation getting inside of it. THAT WAS IT! Too bad he didn't nor did I notice the passenger seat heater appears to only be partially working. The repair for that is probably expensive.


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[bombdiggity]

My symptoms started with bucking at 1st and second gear in traffic or after the car was hot from driving. Then the transmission started clunking when going from drive to anything. Don't ignore these red flags if you get them as failure is imminent.


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[P Rock]

Audi can give you the repair history for your VIN. You just ask them for it. The original owner of my car had the tail lights replaced due to condensation getting inside of it. THAT WAS IT! Too bad he didn't nor did I notice the passenger seat heater appears to only be partially working. The repair for that is probably expensive.


Yeah, in my carfax history, it also shows taillight replaced and water pump/thermostat replaced. I'll call Audi tomorrow to see if anything related to the DSG was also repaired/replaced. "Imminent"? Man does this put a damper in owning this car.

I did come across this thread and it's helping me stay positive as it appears the majority do not have issues.
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/579636-B8-B8-5-DSG-Problem-Poll-Any-kind-of-failure

[bombdiggity]

16% of all that were polled had issues. That's quite a few I think. A little more that 1 out of 6. I think that is why Audi covered it as they do not want a class action lawsuit cutting into their profits.


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[P Rock]

16% of all that were polled had issues. That's quite a few I think. A little more that 1 out of 6. I think that is why Audi covered it as they do not want a class action lawsuit cutting into their profits.


I agree with all that you said. Maybe I'm wrong here but the farther and farther our cars become out of warranty, I'd think the less likely they'll cover it. Maybe I'm wrong and I hope that I am for the sake of others who are coming out of warranty.
I have a hard time thinking they'll cover my car 2 years from now when it has 60k on the clock and the DSG goes bad. I'd be SOL.

[P Rock]

Here's the NHTSA link to post complaints to the mechatronics again. Looks like there's already some complaints with this issue but if enough people keep chiming in, maybe Audi will do something about it in the future. I'd stress the safety aspect of it because that really opens their eyes.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchResults

...and what's this TSB??? It sure sounds like the mechatronics issue although it says "steering" but the summary says "gearbox". Also found this info under the "service bulletins" tab on the NHTSA website.

Service Bulletin No.: TSB-35-13-15
Component(s): STEERING NHTSA ID Number: 10054213
SUMMARY:
AUDI: MULTIPLE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTC) ASSOCIATED WITH POOR INTERNAL CONTACT OF CIRCUIT BOARD (GEARBOX) WHERE OIL ADDITIVES CAN CAUSE PLASTIC CIRCUIT PLATES TO DELAMINATE AND CONTACT LOSS. MODEL 2010-2013 S4, S5, RS5, S6, S7. *PE

[theKB]

Service Bulletin No.: TSB-35-13-15
Component(s): STEERING NHTSA ID Number: 10054213
SUMMARY:
AUDI: MULTIPLE DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTC) ASSOCIATED WITH POOR INTERNAL CONTACT OF CIRCUIT BOARD (GEARBOX) WHERE OIL ADDITIVES CAN CAUSE PLASTIC CIRCUIT PLATES TO DELAMINATE AND CONTACT LOSS. MODEL 2010-2013 S4, S5, RS5, S6, S7. *PE

Don't worry, the genius' at Audi will blame this on a chip tune if you are flagged...

[P Rock]

Don't worry, the genius' at Audi will blame this on a chip tune if you are flagged...

My car is bone stock. Tried calling them about this earlier and got an answering service..... Left a message. Didn't mention a tsb in my message so I hope they call back.

[bombdiggity]

They covered mine so I'm sure they will cover you. For what it's worth I bought my car used then found out it was already tuned stage 1 and also td1, they were reluctant to cover my mech but they did after a few more contacts with them.


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[P Rock]

They covered mine so I'm sure they will cover you. For what it's worth I bought my car used then found out it was already tuned stage 1 and also td1, they were reluctant to cover my mech but they did after a few more contacts with them.


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How many miles when they covered and how long out of warranty?

[bombdiggity]

Td1 and 54k miles


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[Sukks2bu]

Well, new mech ordered today, AOC is picking up 90%
Never had the gear malfunction error message, no check engine light, only my saying I don't think it's driving right
I think this is fair considering I'm 8000klm out of warranty.

[Mantis]

Mine is on it's way out, error message any day that is slightly warm and I spend any amount of time in stop and go traffic. Appointment is set at Audi on June 11th, aftermarket warranty will be on the hook if it requires a new mech unit. It has always shifted hard into 2nd, downshifts brutally hard into 1st when creeping. I will report the findings back here

[Sukks2bu]

I didn't see this thread or heard of this issue before buying my S4 (gulp). 2010, 46k miles, stock, just out of warranty (gulp). Wish I would have seen this prior as it would have effected my buying decision. This is disheartening because I love the car :(
I'm not experiencing any issues but a lot of people are alluding that it's a matter of WHEN and not IF isn't helping. Especially knowing I'm within year/mileage range of what most people are reporting :(
Only hope I see is reading that some people have gotten a replacement (after a fight) even out of warranty. But worst case scenario, price to replace vary quite a but. One person said $6000-$8000 and another person said roughly $3000. What's more accurate?


$4000 Canadian tax in

[Braudy13]

I have a 2010 with 57k miles CPO and just recently started getting the rough starting in 1st, especially when hot. I also have been getting a hard buck from 2-1 as I go to stop. Definitely worse when car is warm. I took it to audi and they said they will take a look. They did a tsb for software and said it should be good to go. It still seems rough and I had he SA drive it and he agreed but said give it a week as the new software needs to learn your driving. We will see but I will be back in a week when it is not better.

[SwankPeRFection]

I have a 2010 with 57k miles CPO and just recently started getting the rough starting in 1st, especially when hot. I also have been getting a hard buck from 2-1 as I go to stop. Definitely worse when car is warm. I took it to audi and they said they will take a look. They did a tsb for software and said it should be good to go. It still seems rough and I had he SA drive it and he agreed but said give it a week as the new software needs to learn your driving. We will see but I will be back in a week when it is not better.

Your SA is "hoping" it'll be good to go, but it won't be. The software update they did was the 24AS ECU update to improve drivability down low and overall of the DSG trans. This update WILL NOT fix your issue because your issue is due to a failing mech unit. Once they fix that (i.e. replace it), it'll be fine. If they open up the DSG to replace the mechatronics unit in it, ask them to also replace the pickup filter in there. It's a pretty large filter and is supposed to be "life", but you're at almost 60k miles and you might as well play it safe. They will NOT pay for this filter, you have to come out of pocket yourself for it, but it's only like $100. DO IT! It's worth the dollars. They will not charge labor to put it in because they're already in there doing other stuff, so it'll just be parts.

Part number of filter: 0B5325429E

What it looks like:
http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/397385_x600.jpg

[zachzdmme]

Bought my 2011 S4 with 71K miles... saw on carfax where mechatronics unit was replaced at 42K miles...

[Sukks2bu]

Your SA is "hoping" it'll be good to go, but it won't be. The software update they did was the 24AS ECU update to improve drivability down low and overall of the DSG trans. This update WILL NOT fix your issue because your issue is due to a failing mech unit. Once they fix that (i.e. replace it), it'll be fine. If they open up the DSG to replace the mechatronics unit in it, ask them to also replace the pickup filter in there. It's a pretty large filter and is supposed to be "life", but you're at almost 60k miles and you might as well play it safe. They will NOT pay for this filter, you have to come out of pocket yourself for it, but it's only like $100. DO IT! It's worth the dollars. They will not charge labor to put it in because they're already in there doing other stuff, so it'll just be parts.

Part number of filter: 0B5325429E


What are the advantages of replacing this part if its meant to be in there for life? I'm considering it.

[SwankPeRFection]

What are the advantages of replacing this part if its meant to be in there for life? I'm considering it.

If you're not in the DSG to do other work (i.e. mech change or other issue or chaining fluid), there's no reason to change the filter. However, I like changing the filters on things who's lifeblood is the fluid that goes through that filter. That why you change the oil filter and the fuel filter regularly. Now, Audi has even changed the fuel filter on the B8 to be a life one because it's attached to the in-tank fuel pump and not easily serviceable. That said, I'll probably change that out at 50k or so miles just to be safe and keep the fuel pump healthy. It's something I've always done.

As far as this DSG filter, with as finicky as the DSG is in this car, $100 on a filter is a no-brainer when you're already in there. On Porsche PDKs, the shifting can get crappy if the fluid and filter isn't changed and there's been many a Boxters with the autos in them that a simple filter change and fluid flush fixes all trans issues on them. Why Audi thinks it's OK to "life" this filter is beyond me, but I'll change it if I'm already in there since it's so cheap.


BTW, anyone going in the DSG to either change this filter or change the mech unit, make sure you also order a new pan gasket. You shouldn't reuse the old one because it'll leak in the long run. Any time that pan comes off the trans, put a new gasket on it. It's the smart thing to do. And don't open it up just to do this filter. Wait until the DSG fluid change maintenance interval comes up and do it then. You have to drain the 7Q of fluid out and that's more expensive than the filter. lol

[Sukks2bu]

Excellent reply, thank you

[Sukks2bu]

Well turns out, mine is getting replaced as part of the original quote.

[Braudy13]

Thank you for the info Swankperfection, I will be taking it back this week. As you said, the update did not help the issue. Thanks for the filter idea, seems more then reasonable to do some PM on the DSG.

I hope they just fix it and my car drives better. It has definitely gotten worse and it annoying. I will let you know

[Nixon_S4]

My mechatronic unit is currently being replaced under warranty, car is a 2010 with roughly 41K miles (a tad under 66K km, Canadian car from Montreal). I've requested the pick up filter to be replaced as well.

Car was dropped this morning and my tech advisor is hoping for the work to be done possibly by Wednesday. Can't wait to see if I'll be able to tell any difference.

[SwankPeRFection]

My mechatronic unit is currently being replaced under warranty, car is a 2010 with roughly 41K miles (a tad under 66K km, Canadian car from Montreal). I've requested the pick up filter to be replaced as well.

Car was dropped this morning and my tech advisor is hoping for the work to be done possibly by Wednesday. Can't wait to see if I'll be able to tell any difference.

Have them apply the 24AS campaign as well. It's an ECU update to improve drivability. They'll probably do it, but bring it to their attention just in case they don't see it as needing to be done on your car. Should be a lot smoother once you get it back to some extent... certainly won't knock around anymore like before.

[Nixon_S4]

Have them apply the 24AS campaign as well. It's an ECU update to improve drivability. They'll probably do it, but bring it to their attention just in case they don't see it as needing to be done on your car. Should be a lot smoother once you get it back to some extent... certainly won't knock around anymore like before.

Thanks for the heads up, and for all the very valuable info provided in this thread [up]

[Sukks2bu]

Mech unit replaced, Changed DSG filter, applied 24as update...............car is rockin.

[merlinq21]

I fit the bill. I think they arw replacing my mechatronic

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[merlinq21]

I fit the bill. I think they arw replacing my mechatronic

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Update. Transmission was replaced today. Bad mechatronic killed the transmission



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[Akrion]

2010; 41K miles, fried circuit card; replaced under warranty but no whole mechatronics unit.

Funny ... or sad I guess ... my experience is just the same with 1 year diff in the make and 1K in the miles :)

2011; 40K miles, fried circuit card; replaced under warranty but no whole mechatronics unit.

[Nixon_S4]

This is a copy / paste from another mechatronic thread.


My mechatronic unit was just replaced yesterday and I must admit it's night and day. I too was hit by multiple error codes and limp mode. I believe the software was also updated to the latest version as per recommended by @SwanPeRFection in another thread. Downshifts are much smoother in dynamic mode but ine downside is that the typical burp when shifting in dynamic mode is now more tame. An exhaust will solve that in the future.
a
Service was great from the dealership, a fresh breeze coming from Subaru. I feel like I have a brand new car and I'm ready to go stage 2 now that this is cleared :)


Well,

After the mechatronic unit was replaced roughly three weeks ago, I've been experiencing some issues ever since. First, I had a max 4000 rpm notice in the dash with the EPC light on, which disappeared after restarting the car. I thought this was just tome random code.

Shortly after, the car came to a complete stop right in the middle of the highway... during rush hour. I was able to turn off the car and start it back right after. You'll understand I was very lucky not to get rear-ended at over 50 MPH and that I was alone in the car, as I have a one-year old daughter and my wife's pregnant. Freaky, you'll agree.

This morning, the car would simply not start at all. Starter was doing its job, battery is just fine but the engine wouldn't fire. As I was waiting for roadside assist, the car finally started so I drove to the dealership.

Bottom line is the car is currently being inspected as the issue seems to be related to the mechatronic unit that was just replaced. My SA is telling me they're looking into it to determine if the problem is related to some technician's bad job or a faulty unit.

Things are adding up and I'm getting very, very frustrated.


Well, good news as of this morning.

I did not have to push or insist (it actually was a little tough getting in touch with my SA due to a couple of Holidays here in Quebec, Canada over the past couple of weeks)


According to my SA, this is a $6000 bill that adds to the $4000 from less than a month ago. Thank God the car is CPO'ed, but the entire experience really makes me question keeping the car once the warranty will expire a couple of years from now. I was planning on going Stage 2, but I don't feel like spending $3k only to have something else even more expensive break up right after - a $10k repair is always a little harsh.


Surprise! A CEL came up tonight while driving back home from work, in usual traffic. I'm getting really, really fed up. I'm going to the dealership tomorrow morning first thing.

[03a4sport]

I'm really scaring myself reading all these transmission posts. Bought my car used from a little dealer with 61k on it on June 10th. Never noticed an issue with the DSG until a couple hot days and stop and go traffic. It's got the rear-end sensation only during those times. No CEL's yet to speak of. Haven't had it in to Audi to diagnose, but not sure they need to tell me it's bad mechatronics when it has all the symptoms. Not sure that there's going to be anything that I can do to get them to cover any of the repairs. But, wondering how long I have until I start to have more major issues. Sent the email to the dealer today I got it from to see if they're willing to eat any of the cost if I'm anything out of pocket.

[SwankPeRFection]

This is a copy / paste from another mechatronic thread.








Surprise! A CEL came up tonight while driving back home from work, in usual traffic. I'm getting really, really fed up. I'm going to the dealership tomorrow morning first thing.

Don't clear the codes. Take it in. If it's for anything transmission related, push to have a whole new transmission installed. Tell them you no longer trust the box that's in there since it's been opened several times with failed fixes and has been nothing but trouble. If it's CPO, Audi should step up. They've done it for other people.

[SwankPeRFection]

I'm really scaring myself reading all these transmission posts. Bought my car used from a little dealer with 61k on it on June 10th. Never noticed an issue with the DSG until a couple hot days and stop and go traffic. It's got the rear-end sensation only during those times. No CEL's yet to speak of. Haven't had it in to Audi to diagnose, but not sure they need to tell me it's bad mechatronics when it has all the symptoms. Not sure that there's going to be anything that I can do to get them to cover any of the repairs. But, wondering how long I have until I start to have more major issues. Sent the email to the dealer today I got it from to see if they're willing to eat any of the cost if I'm anything out of pocket.

If it's that harsh, it's the same issue as other 2010 cars have had unfortunately. If there's no warranty, I'd pressure the dealer you bought from to get it fixed on their dime.

[IanCH]

I'm really scaring myself reading all these transmission posts. Bought my car used from a little dealer with 61k on it on June 10th. Never noticed an issue with the DSG until a couple hot days and stop and go traffic. It's got the rear-end sensation only during those times. No CEL's yet to speak of. Haven't had it in to Audi to diagnose, but not sure they need to tell me it's bad mechatronics when it has all the symptoms. Not sure that there's going to be anything that I can do to get them to cover any of the repairs. But, wondering how long I have until I start to have more major issues. Sent the email to the dealer today I got it from to see if they're willing to eat any of the cost if I'm anything out of pocket.
Scary! More States should have laws like mass that mandate a 100% coverage warranty for the first 30/60/90 days depending on mileage.

[Nixon_S4]

Don't clear the codes. Take it in. If it's for anything transmission related, push to have a whole new transmission installed. Tell them you no longer trust the box that's in there since it's been opened several times with failed fixes and has been nothing but trouble. If it's CPO, Audi should step up. They've done it for other people.

I had the codes cleared. I'll make sure not to next time, if there's a next time.

Funny thing is when the scanned the car, a code came up regargin the carbon build-up issue covered under warranty. Things is, they apparently cleaned the car TWO MONTHS ago for tha carbon build up issue.

And I don't know if I'm just crazy, but I feel the transmittison is acting clunky again. After both the mechatronic AND the unit board have been changed.

Ugh...

[brucebanner]

I'm really scaring myself reading all these transmission posts. Bought my car used from a little dealer with 61k on it on June 10th. Never noticed an issue with the DSG until a couple hot days and stop and go traffic. It's got the rear-end sensation only during those times. No CEL's yet to speak of. Haven't had it in to Audi to diagnose, but not sure they need to tell me it's bad mechatronics when it has all the symptoms. Not sure that there's going to be anything that I can do to get them to cover any of the repairs. But, wondering how long I have until I start to have more major issues. Sent the email to the dealer today I got it from to see if they're willing to eat any of the cost if I'm anything out of pocket.
I'm in the exact same boat as you and now freaking out. I had a b7 a4 cvt before so I already dealt with that. Now this, ugh.I've already emailed the dealer but I bought it from out of state so I dunno what they'll do about it. However it was a Audi dealer in Colorado and I live in Washington. I'm also having the surging issue with the rpms. I'm talking to the dealer to maybe return the car lol, not sure that's possible be I haven't even had it a month yet.

[03a4sport]

Yup. I had a 30 day warranty form the little mom and pop dealer that I bought mine from. Needless to say I purchased it on June 10th and it's past the warranty. I emailed them last night and haven't heard back from the. It was hot here today, 94 degrees, and never had an issue with the rear-ending sensation. I've lately been trying to use the paddle to get it into first gear before coming to a stop and that seems to be working.

I'm sure that it'll become an issue one day and I'll get a code. Then I'll be up the creek and hope that there's a TSB that AOA will cover for me.

[brucebanner]

well how do we campaign for an extended warranty on our vehicles like they have extended on many transmissions in the past? i guess someone has to file a class action suit first?

[03a4sport]

Progress update on my mech unit failure:

Got the gearbox malfunction error this past weekend. Shut car off for about 30 minutes after I made it home and all errors were gone upon start up. Drove it to my local Audi dealer for diagnosis. Confirmed yesterday that fault codes linked to bad mech. New unit and fluid installed was quoted @ $3600. I'm at 63k miles and no CPO. I verified that my car used to be CPO's and I'm not TD1.

I've got a call into AOA and they're checking to see what goodwill assistance they can provide to me. I'm also talking to the little dealer I bought it from on June 10th since I had a 30day warranty on it and called AOA about a transmission issue on July 2nd.

I'm going to tell the dealer to start the repairs and hope that someone other than me steps up and covers the costs. I'm also going to have them put in the pick up filter at the same time.

That and I need to figure out if it's worth $350 to have them install and "code" a new battery for me.

[gscottyg]

I am almost out of the factory warranty (2011 DSG) and took it to dealer today to see if they would replace the mech unit. I have similar problems with the transmission but not anywhere need what some of you posted. No codes were thrown etc. It just doesn't always shift right down low from stop -1-2 and vice versa. Anyway they just updated the software. What do I do? Take it to a different audi dealer? My factory warranty runs out August 2nd!! I have a 3rd party extended warranty but I am not sure they will cover the expense.

[bombdiggity]

I would ensure that your complaint is documented on paper with an Audi service advisor, then consider contacting AOA either now or after it fails. If you are TD1 expect resistance from Audi but they should cover it.

[gscottyg]

Call AOA and complain that the dealership didn't fix it? Should I go to different dealership or keep going to same one? They were pretty nice at the one I took my car too.

[Sukks2bu]

That's the way most audi dealerships work.
It's the procedure they need to follow.
They have to try software first before they move on to hardware. These are the guideline AoA or AoC set.
Stay with the same dealership, and let them go through the process.
Eventually when all else fails, they will replace a mech unit, and hopefully on their dollar.

I was in the exact situation gscottyg was in. No codes, just complained the car wasn't consistent and AOC covered 90% of the cost of new mech when I was 8000k out of warranty.
Not bad if you ask me, considering I had no codes, and out of warranty.

[Rdrcr]

Yes, 2009, A3, 29K miles. Mechatronic unit was replaced.

Mike

[gscottyg]

Well I spoke to my service advisor and the car is going back monday afternoon. I mentioned the mechatronic unit and she said they are aware of that and it will be one of the next steps. She said since I opened the case before my warranty expired Audi should most likely cover the costs. Will keep you posted.

S.G.

[brucebanner]

Im just wondering for those that have had mech unit replaced, what is the warranty on the replaced unit? does anyone know? or is there not one?

[IanCH]

Im just wondering for those that have had mech unit replaced, what is the warranty on the replaced unit? does anyone know? or is there not one?

Don't know if its different with the mech unit, but standard audi service center warranty on work is 1yr 12k miles.

[gscottyg]

I spoke to my service advisor today. She said the mechanic drove it again and said the transmission was fine. I had a severe jerk/shutter last time i put it in dynamic mode and was driving in stop and go and parking speeds. Anyway.... I am going to go back first thing in the morning to drive the car with the mechanic and see if I can get the car to jerk. If not, what do you guys suggest? I am pretty sure the mech unit has to get replaced. Should I take it in once a week until they cave? I haven't spoken to AOA yet. I guess that is the next step? They already did the software update and adaptability stuff :(

[SwankPeRFection]

I spoke to my service advisor today. She said the mechanic drove it again and said the transmission was fine. I had a severe jerk/shutter last time i put it in dynamic mode and was driving in stop and go and parking speeds. Anyway.... I am going to go back first thing in the morning to drive the car with the mechanic and see if I can get the car to jerk. If not, what do you guys suggest? I am pretty sure the mech unit has to get replaced. Should I take it in once a week until they cave? I haven't spoken to AOA yet. I guess that is the next step? They already did the software update and adaptability stuff :(

The mechanic couldn't duplicate the issue because it seems to really crop up when the temp gets hot for the trans fluid. It must be above a certain temp and driving it cold off the lot won't do shit. That's why that idiot doesn't see a problem with it. Go heat it up and then drive around their parking lot in 1-2 gear nice and slow for about 10 minutes. Mill bet it'll start to act up.

[d ran]

anyone seeing issues on the 13 or 14 models?

[MaxxS4]

anyone seeing issues on the 13 or 14 models?

I have a 14 with 13,500 miles on it, in manual mode 2-1 does not make a good sound and chunks

[gscottyg]

Well I drove with the mechanic this morning after driving the car around town by myself for 30-45 minutes. I could not get the car to buck/jerk etc at all. Of course when I was alone it jerked occasionally lol. The service advisor just said bring it in whenever you want if it is bad. She repeated that Audi will cover the cost if the unit goes. I am thinking maybe I should drive in dynamic mode only for the next few weeks to increase the bucking lol. This is frustrating!!!

[mtxmiller]

Mine has 77k miles and is doing the lurching thing almost every time I come to a stop. I have an appointment next Tuesday.

Is there a chance I will be able to pressure Audi to replace the mech unit or any other transmission parts that may be failing?

[03a4sport]

Good luck. I was only able to get the Audi to commit to covering 20% of the repairs. I didn't buy it from an Audi dealer though. I had 63k on mine and not flagged TD1. I contacted AOA numerous times about this and kept getting told there was nothing they could do. I filed my NHTSA complaint and will hope they eventually do a recall.

[P Rock]

Will driving around predominantly in "S" or dynamic mode increase the chances of this happening or speed up the moment it happens (IE: happening at 60k miles versus 70k miles)?

[brucebanner]

Will driving around predominantly in "S" or dynamic mode increase the chances of this happening or speed up the moment it happens (IE: happening at 60k miles versus 70k miles)?

im gonna say yes, i drive pretty much exclusively in comfort now. Yesterday i switched to dynamic for maybe 5 minutes and it starting happening.

[mtxmiller]

Good luck. I was only able to get the Audi to commit to covering 20% of the repairs. I didn't buy it from an Audi dealer though. I had 63k on mine and not flagged TD1. I contacted AOA numerous times about this and kept getting told there was nothing they could do. I filed my NHTSA complaint and will hope they eventually do a recall.

Thanks for the info. Has anyone else been able to get Audi to pay for this out of warranty? They must know this is a quality issue.

[bombdiggity]

Read the whole post. I did and TD1

[bombdiggity]

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=597056

[03a4sport]

Bomb, you bought the car from an Audi dealer though, right?

I got mine from a small local dealer.

[bombdiggity]

Carmax. Dealer doesn't matter. The mech is a piece of shit. Audi knows this. Failures have occurred at less than 10k miles on stock vehicles. Take it to an Audi dealer have them fix it. Make audi of America know about your issue and ask them to cover it. In California if your car is stock, it is covered under emissions laws.

[cspcrx]

anyone seeing issues on the 13 or 14 models?

Really seems to be an issue on 2009 - 2011 dsg cars.

[bombdiggity]

Anyone have this issue?

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=612968


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[theKB]

Good luck. I was only able to get the Audi to commit to covering 20% of the repairs. I didn't buy it from an Audi dealer though. I had 63k on mine and not flagged TD1. I contacted AOA numerous times about this and kept getting told there was nothing they could do. I filed my NHTSA complaint and will hope they eventually do a recall.

TD1 or not this should be covered, no questions whatsoever (although if you have a TCU flash that could be a different story and I would understand that)

The ONLY way for Audi USA to issue a recall and extend the warranty on this horrible part is if people file complaints with the NHTSA. If this keeps happening Audi USA will go forward with it (much like they did with the FWD cars) and then other countries will be forced to follow suit.

LINK TO COMPLAINT FORM... Even if Audi covers your car you should still file a complaint. As most people should wonder, what happens if the car fails again, or the car is just out of warranty etc etc.

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/index.xhtml

[bombdiggity]

TD1 or not this should be covered, no questions whatsoever (although if you have a TCU flash that could be a different story and I would understand that)

The ONLY way for Audi USA to issue a recall and extend the warranty on this horrible part is if people file complaints with the NHTSA. If this keeps happening Audi USA will go forward with it (much like they did with the FWD cars) and then other countries will be forced to follow suit.

LINK TO COMPLAINT FORM... Even if Audi covers your car you should still file a complaint. As most people should wonder, what happens if the car fails again, or the car is just out of warranty etc etc.

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/index.xhtml

Agreed. They covered me 100% and td1.



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[theKB]

Agreed. They covered me 100% and td1.

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Oh I'm not saying audi will cover it, I am saying they SHOULD cover it and not send their customers up the river on a known and prevalent issue. One that has countless TSB's related to it.

Pretty hard to blame an APR/GIAC/REVO/etc chip for seals delaminating due to ATF used or any other number of issues.

Covered or not, file a complaint.

[SpfldS4]

Great I just bought a 2010, has 25K miles and no warranty...well not entirely. CT has a 60 Day 3K mile warranty clause. Can I take my car to Audi and have them inspect the DSG? I'm just getting used to this car so I have no idea what is normal and what isn't right now.

[bombdiggity]

Great I just bought a 2010, has 25K miles and no warranty...well not entirely. CT has a 60 Day 3K mile warranty clause. Can I take my car to Audi and have them inspect the DSG? I'm just getting used to this car so I have no idea what is normal and what isn't right now.

They will make you pay for it but it's definitely worth it if you have a problem. That way you can say "they checked the vehicle and no failures found".


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[Sstone14]

Just bought 2010 S4 Last Saturday 10/11. Test drove in the morning, cool day, no problems. That afternoon, after they gave me the keys...Hard, knocking downshift into first, bouncy take off and hard knock when selecting "D" from neutral. All the classic signs of Mech Unit failure, as I have read. I took the car back on Wednesday, it has been in the shop since. They called today to say they drained the gear oil and put in a different weight. Sounds like they took out the synthetic and switched to mineral.

Questions is, is this actually a solution? Is the damage already done to the Mech Unit? Also, with the new mech units, are they using synthetic gear oil or mineral?

[Sukks2bu]

Just bought 2010 S4 Last Saturday 10/11. Test drove in the morning, cool day, no problems. That afternoon, after they gave me the keys...Hard, knocking downshift into first, bouncy take off and hard knock when selecting "D" from neutral. All the classic signs of Mech Unit failure, as I have read. I took the car back on Wednesday, it has been in the shop since. They called today to say they drained the gear oil and put in a different weight. Sounds like they took out the synthetic and switched to mineral.

Questions is, is this actually a solution? Is the damage already done to the Mech Unit? Also, with the new mech units, are they using synthetic gear oil or mineral?

That is the first step audi takes to diagnose the problem. When they give you your car back and it is still doing it, take it back to the dealer. Then they will do some software updates and whatnot. When that doesn't work, take it back and they may replace the mech unit for you. If under warranty, you won't pay anything, but your most likely out, so expect to pay something all the way to around $4000.

[glalonde]

2010 s4
at 51000 Km sept 2012 went into limp(?) mode, max 40km/h, had transmission replaced. Charged me $75 to look into issue a few months before, should have bugs them for a refund on that one.

Strange thing, after many software updates it seems to now have only two modes. M and D. No S. If I move the shift right to -/+ it enters M mode(1-7 or whatever it is), works ok. If I it the - or + on the steering it enters M mode for a few minutes that goes back to D, before it would enter S mode. Not sure how to enter S mode at all now.

Also just weeks before going out of warranty, had fluid leak between rear tires. had rear transaxle replaced, had to have it brought in from US, to Toronto. Have no idea the large $$$ that would have cost me if it had happened just a few weeks later.

Glen

[SwankPeRFection]

2010 s4
at 51000 Km sept 2012 went into limp(?) mode, max 40km/h, had transmission replaced. Charged me $75 to look into issue a few months before, should have bugs them for a refund on that one.

Strange thing, after many software updates it seems to now have only two modes. M and D. No S. If I move the shift right to -/+ it enters M mode(1-7 or whatever it is), works ok. If I it the - or + on the steering it enters M mode for a few minutes that goes back to D, before it would enter S mode. Not sure how to enter S mode at all now.

Also just weeks before going out of warranty, had fluid leak between rear tires. had rear transaxle replaced, had to have it brought in from US, to Toronto. Have no idea the large $$$ that would have cost me if it had happened just a few weeks later.

Glen

Press the ADS button to scroll over to Dynamic. That's going to be the only way to go to S. That's how it works. I know you have ADS buttons on your dash because if you didn't, you'd have an S on the shifter to enter Sport/Dynamic mode.

[SwankPeRFection]

Just bought 2010 S4 Last Saturday 10/11. Test drove in the morning, cool day, no problems. That afternoon, after they gave me the keys...Hard, knocking downshift into first, bouncy take off and hard knock when selecting "D" from neutral. All the classic signs of Mech Unit failure, as I have read. I took the car back on Wednesday, it has been in the shop since. They called today to say they drained the gear oil and put in a different weight. Sounds like they took out the synthetic and switched to mineral.

Questions is, is this actually a solution? Is the damage already done to the Mech Unit? Also, with the new mech units, are they using synthetic gear oil or mineral?

There is only one type of DSG fluid to run in these units. They're giving you a load of crap to make you go away long enough so they don't have to fix anything for more cost. If your dealer knew anything, they'd know to write it up as a bad mech and get Audi to replace it. I have a feeling your car isn't under any warranty and they're trying to fix it just long enough for you to have to deal with this yourself eventually out of your own pocket. If it doesn't have warranty, walk away from it unless they're going to replace the mech unit in the trans. You don't want to be stuck with these costs, trust me on that one.

[Sstone14]

Update: After one week, still no car. QC drove it after they "replaced the gear oil" and to everyone's surprise, it did NOT fix the issue. They say they have the "Lead Tech" for the southeast here now looking into the issue. He wants to replace the oil in the rear differential(is this a joke??) and see if that works. Who knows how long it will take. To their credit, I basically told them that I don't want the car back until it is fixed.

The real shocker here is that it was sold to me as a CPO so everything is under warranty. I'm really confused as to how they CPO'd a car, with an issue such as this, and have not been able to diagnose the issue. I guess the good news is that I will have a ton of free maintenance on the car?

Total days of ownership: 12
Been in the shop: 8
In my Driveway: 4

[tgsweat]

Probably why the previous owner dumped it.

[kdphan]

I'm taking my 2010 in this friday for a checkup

currently at 51k miles

Should've done this a long time ago.

I have the same symptoms as most of other posters (hard clunk when coming to a stop like somebody rear ended me). Only happens when in heavy traffic and stop/go driving.

If they can't resolve the issue and make me pay to fix it, i'll probably just trade this car in and get something else.

[Sstone14]

Got the call today. New mech unit has been ordered. It has been a bitch, but I think AOA helped cut all the BS.

My suggestion, if you are having the same issues as what is described in the thread, and you feel like the dealer is giving you the run around... Call AOA. Also file a complaint with NHSTA. Maybe they will push Audi to do a recall, similar to what they did with VW's first go at the DSG.

[IanCH]

2010's are primarily the problem child here.... very interesting. My car has scared me with some clunky shifts now and then along with some no power to the wheels in turns, but it hasn't gotten any worse in 15k miles. (@ 90 k now)

[if6ws9]

What's the cost to replace the mechatronic unit?

[Johnnycash]

What's the cost to replace the mechatronic unit?

3-4k

[bombdiggity]

Mine was 2200 for the mech and another 1200 in labor and fluids/ filter.


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[Atzek333]

so how we fix this issue with the mechatronik ? should we change the oil every 30K KM ? or should we test an other oil sort ? there musst be a solution for that

[Sstone14]

Apparently it is a design flaw in the early 2010. The units electrical system is exposed to the hot oil which causes it to short out/malfunction. This is how it was explained to me. Unfortunately, the only fix is to replace the unit with a new one where these elements are better shielded from the elements. I have had my new mech unit for about 5k miles, no issues at all. It will take some time to go through the motions with Audi (changing gear oil and other bs maintenance that doesn't fix the root cause) but it is worth it. Just hope you are still under warranty!


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[longwood8]

My Mechatronic unit failed at 65k. 2010 S4 Replaced by Audi under extended power train warranty they gave me after water pump failure. My saga chronicled in this thread. (http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/629953-RPM-fluctuates-at-cruise-and-almost-stalls-from-stop)

[booosteda4]

I am fighting AoA on this issue.. for a new TCM first..but the Audi dealer said that's just the first step on finding out if the Mechtronics is bad or the transmission needs replacement.

I bought my 2012 S4 with 29k on it from a small dealer and after going to my local Audi dealer for a pre-purchase inspection and trans problems, then the 35k / reset the trans learning and still problems and then back again they finally tell me the TCU needs replacing but my car was flagged at 5k with a TD1 so its no pwer train warranty for me. I took it up with AoA and they denied it.

My car is shifting worse and my "warranty" is going to be up in a couple months. I am fing pissed about this.

How do they approve some of you guys with TD1's and then I can't get them to approve mine..I don't even get the advantage of having the car tuned and I am getting f'd

[Hawkpilot6060]

Just short of 70k miles, stasis tune (now revo 1+), CPO till 100k, no TD1. Started to get some symptoms of a mech failure, dropping it off on Monday. I will post the outcome, hopefully no issues as the WPB Audi dealership has been great with me, they did my Stasis tune in 2013 when I bought my S4 from them used with 39k miles.

[Works2shoot]

Just short of 70k miles, stasis tune (now revo 1+), CPO till 100k, no TD1. Started to get some symptoms of a mech failure, dropping it off on Monday. I will post the outcome, hopefully no issues as the WPB Audi dealership has been great with me, they did my Stasis tune in 2013 when I bought my S4 from them used with 39k miles.

Go to revo and get flashed back to stock. Stasis no longer exists to cover warranty work.

[Whitee]

Starting to get signs now. 2010. In hot weather in getting slamming into 1st gear. Can't believe there is no recall for this BS.


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[beautyview]

2014 at 21k. No reverse. Audi put a whole new transmission.

[Hawkpilot6060]

Just short of 70k miles, stasis tune (now revo 1+), CPO till 100k, no TD1. Started to get some symptoms of a mech failure, dropping it off on Monday. I will post the outcome, hopefully no issues as the WPB Audi dealership has been great with me, they did my Stasis tune in 2013 when I bought my S4 from them used with 39k miles.

My car is fine, they could not replicate it, maybe I was being overly concerned. They did not hook it up to the computer to do an update so I would not get the TD1, they are great at Audi WPB. Just went over 70k miles and still not one issue since I bought it. Saw an awesome Nardo Gray RS7 in the showroom for $138k.

[CELison]

My mech unit was replaced at 47k miles under warranty. Car is a 2010.

[xmaxnux]

I have a 2.10 A4 2.0T Quattro with 7 speed S-tronic (around 80.000km now) and have the same problems as all of you guys. Sad to say but I tought Audi's where more reliable...just looking to repair it and trade for some other brand i think...

Manuel from Argentina

[Fociracr]

Man this thread makes me all sorts of depressed. I have a 2010 with around 41k miles. I really hope not all early models are affected. Is there any higher mileage 2010's that have never had any DSG mech unit issues?

[Atmmac]

I am going through this now. I had the transmission re adapted under my lemon law dealer warranty (800 bucks). Helped for a while but now its back with a vengeance and I am out of the warranty. Slamming into first gear when hot (mainly after traffic.) Then shifting into park or reverse makes loud clunking noises. Car is a 2010 S5 Cabriolet with 60K. Car is going in on the 28th of Sep. Hopefully Audi gives me a break considering they misdiagnosed the problem and as a result hosed my warranty.

[Jv218]

Any 15 issues?

[Hawkpilot6060]

Just short of 70k miles, stasis tune (now revo 1+), CPO till 100k, no TD1. Started to get some symptoms of a mech failure, dropping it off on Monday. I will post the outcome, hopefully no issues as the WPB Audi dealership has been great with me, they did my Stasis tune in 2013 when I bought my S4 from them used with 39k miles.

They found no issues when I took it in, so mine is fine at 71,500 miles now.

[kdfwagen]

I just bought a 2010 s4 with 72k. The mechatronic unit was replaced at ~67k (at owners expense). Also the car had the new update concerning the dsg drivability. It shifts very smooth for me. Only hard shift is going from neutral to drive (minor clunk) which I think is normal. I am just hoping this new mechatronic unit (circuit board) lasts for my ownership.

Also, the thermostat has been replaced twice. Once at 30k or so an once at 70k (metal).

Car has been kept stock as far as I know.

[sjuhawks19]

Mine is a 2014, just making a weird sound between 3rd and 4th gear pretty much all of the time, but no noticeable slippage. They checked it out said the sound is coming from the transmission and is not normal, have a new transmission ordered, 15,000 miles. It's been a few weeks, I'm not sure how long it takes to get a new transmission into the shop, but thankfully, at least for now, my car drives fine, just has that weird sound.

[MysticStylez]

Welp, 2011 S4 APR Tuned 50,050mi. Just out of warranty. had Gearbox Malfunction warning go on and then off today. Flashed back to stock and taking in tomorrow. Hoping I can get some sort of goodwill help from Audi if this is my issue.

[gscottyg]

Hey guys I have posted about the stupid mechatronic in the past. I have a 2011 S4 and for the past year I have tried to get the dealer to fix the mechatronic unit. It never threw an error code so it was hard to convince them. I sorta gave up and recently moved to the other side of the country this past summer. Anyway fast forward to this past month and my car started acting funny again aka mechatronic related symptoms. What was funny was that the first error code was TPMS malfunction. It went on and off intermittently for no reason. Finally, yesterday the car threw the dreaded gearbox malfunction code and went into limp mode. Luckily i was near home and parked the car and let it cool off overnight. Today I was able to drive it to AUDI without the DSG spazzing out. I brought my documentation from the East coast AUDI dealership to prove that I have had this problem for a year now. Luckily the AUDI dealership I drove to has me in the system for the same problem. I made sure to bring it to AUDi after I moved so I would have enough documentation from different dealerships in case I have to go through AOA. I don't want any problems lol. I do have a Fidelity extended warranty so I should not be spending much on the repair either way. The car started exhibiting the problems at about 45-50k, and now has 62k on it. I will keep you guys posted. If anyone is from the Seattle area I took it to the Bellevue Audi as I have heard horror stories about Audi of Seattle. Sorry for the long post :)

[gscottyg]

Ladies and gents some more bad news :( I got a call from the SA this evening, car needs new transmission!!!! Thank god I have an extended warranty.

[Atmmac]

My car is at the dealer now. They had to send some statistics to Audi about the transmission oil temperatures. Getting pretty annoyed its taking so long to get this fixed. Its been there for 3 full days.

[sjuhawks19]

Should get mine back tomorrow with a new transmission. Hoping all is working well at that point moving forward.

[Atmmac]

I just spoke with the dealer. Said they found metal shavings in the transmission and it will need to be replaced. I had taken the car there while I was still under lemon law warranty the end of May and had them try and fix the problem. Now I am out of the warranty and apparently they misdiagnosed the issue and had merely done software updates. Which did nothing. The shop foreman is contacting AoA on Monday. They didn't even give me a price on the replacement. Hopefully it's just covered under goodwill. 60k miles and a new transmission is unbelievable. I thought the service steering column problem on the corvettes was bad but this blows it away.

[sebgreen]

Got my car back yesterday from having the mechetronics unit repaired. Hopefully issues are solved.


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[gscottyg]

Dude the transmission is 9g + 2g in labor. Audi got the okay from Fidelity to go ahead and order the transmission. They have to ship it from Germany which takes a week right there. Fidelity checked with Audi to make sure I was not TD1. At least now I can tune the car in the next year after I break in the new DSG lol :)

[Atmmac]

So the dealer has told me that audi will do nothing to help me and it will be ~17k to replace the transmission. I am contacting audi myself now to fight on this since it was misdiagnosed when i brought it in under my lemon law warranty back in May. I will not be purchasing an Audi again in the future as this is ridiculous.

[Thomas@TAI-VW]

17k!! Holy shit!!! THIS is WHY I tell anybody I can to stay away from DSG Audi! The FWD DSG in the A3/GTI/Golfs has been pretty good in service,but these S4 ones are a complete turd. It would not be so bad if the turd was not so expensive.
1. Buying a S4=MT6 all the way
2. Leasing S4=anything goes,it is not really your car anyway,you are just renting it,and can give it back/no liability.

[Atmmac]

Yeah 17 k. I have already contacted my family attorney and if Audi or the private dealer I bought it from don't step up to the plate we will file suit. He thinks my case is solid since i had it in for service on the transmission during the lemon law warranty period. Regardless I think this may be the last Audi I own. This is not quality.

[wwhan]

Yeah 17 k. I have already contacted my family attorney and if Audi or the private dealer I bought it from don't step up to the plate we will file suit. He thinks my case is solid since i had it in for service on the transmission during the lemon law warranty period. Regardless I think this may be the last Audi I own. This is not quality.

The transmission replacement should NOT be $17k :

http://genuineaudiparts.com/parts/2011/Audi/S4/Base/index.cfm?action=partDetail&section=AUTOMATIC%20TRANSAXLE&group=AUTOMATIC%20TRANSAXLE&subgroup=AUTOMATIC%20TRANSAXLE&component=TRANSAXLE&partnumber=0B5300058N002&vehicleid=314391&siteid=214407 (http://genuineaudiparts.com/parts/2011/Audi/S4/Base/index.cfm?action=partDetail&section=AUTOMATIC%20TRANSAXLE&group=AUTOMATIC%20TRANSAXLE&subgroup=AUTOMATIC%20TRANSAXLE&component=TRANSAXLE&partnumber=0B5300058N002&vehicleid=314391&siteid=214407)

Audi Genuine Factory Part
Part Number: 0B5300058N002

TRANSAXLE S4, Fits 2011 Audi S4 Base MSRP $9,146.64, Online Price $8,506.40

[Atmmac]

Yeah I think this dealer is ripping me off. I'm going to take it elsewhere if I have to pay for the work on my own.

[Atmmac]

Oh btw I have an s5 cabriolet 2010. Pretty sure the trans is the same part number though.

[Fociracr]

Damn, as shitty as this is I think it's time for you to take Audi (dealer) to court for this crap, i mean they can't be serious telling you, you're shit out of luck and have to fork over 17k for a transmission (on a 5 year old car with 60k miles) that's known to be the weak spot on the B8 S4. I mean don't they see how ridiculous that sounds, that's more than half you're vehicles value. I don't think they should be messing with people now especially with all the controversy that's surrounding Audi/VW.

[Atmmac]

If they don't make it right within these next few days I will take them to court. It's not even a question. Why wouldn't I do it. It's cheaper to take legal action than to fix the car.

[s4 dryve]

That's awful to hear Atmmac...

After some back and forth 3 weeks ago, my dealer got the green light from corporate to install a new DSG. Final tab was $11,400. Car is 2010 with 55k on it and the DSG had been "bumping" for quite some time now (at least a year). Thank God I bought it CPO so it was warrantied.

It drives like brand new now. At least it did for a week and then the thermostat broke/got stuck last weekend, car overheated and is now back in the shop. Not sure if this is the last Audi for me but I'll never own one out of warranty. I do know that.

[Atmmac]

I talked to a different dealer. They quoted me at 11k for the tranny install. They also said if I had brought it in to them they would have covered it since it was cpo before but apparently that warranty does not transfer. Sad because the bmw warranty transfers no question. Seems like Audi is just looking to rip people off any way they can.

[gscottyg]

Yes the transmission and work is around 11g total. That's how much Audi told me, even though it is getting covered by Fidelity. Apparently fidelity won't pay for some nuts/bolts which is another $100-150 BS! I agree buy/lease new audi or preowned CPO/3rd-party warranty!

[Atmmac]

I just sent a letter to the local news about this. I have never been so livid. I am supposed to hear more info from AoA on Monday but I am going to do everything in my power to make these guys pay.

[LazyAK]

2010 Audi A3 Quattro. Just had the mechatronic replaced at 80k so no warranty, part was $2200, labor $700. Noticed the issue slowly developed from 65-75k km.

Have driven it for 1000km since the replacement and just had the first issue reappear when I tried parking today. Tried parking after driving, put it in reverse and car went into limp mode with the gear flashing on the instrument panel.

[sebgreen]

Was getting clutch temp warning. Had the mech unit repair kit fitted. Kit was from Audi but fitted by a local specialist. Been almost 2k miles - so far so good. Hope it stays this way.


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[CinciKid]

Did you guys get any codes before you replaced any parts? I had a P1F68 Transmission code pop up today and am wondering if my mech unit is on its way out.

[riegeraudi]

Admin at Audizine is severly lacking. On page one I and others already asked this to be stickied on the first page since this seems like a common expensive problem.
I bet if people start contacting news outlets like 20/20 and nightline VW/Audi will then extend the warranty to 10 years since this is a known issue with these cars. Also looking at the fact that Audi's 2017 S4 will have the 8 speed instead of the DSG points to the fact that this iteration of the DSG has not been reinforced enough to take this much power and the heat generated. Audi just doesn't want to step up to the plate and take care of things. Seems like a corporate culture. BMW has to step up to the plate with the HPFP problems by extending the warranty to 10years when it became a nation news issue.

[ataylor]

I've been doing some research on 3rd party warranties that may cover this:

Warranty Direct (Premium):
inclusionary policy,
$250/mo for me for 24 mos, covering 100k/5 more years
...but the mech unit isn't a part in the transmission that would be covered (no mention of control modules)

CarChex Titanium:
Very attractive exclusionary policy due to price and coverage, at first
$200/mo for me for 24 mos covering 5yrs or 60k more miles

However, this line is in the fine print
"[we won't pay for] REPAIR COSTS OR EXPENSES IF A BREAKDOWN IS DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY CAUSED BY OVERHEATING OF ANY COVERED PART OR NON COVERED PART"

I believe this is a deal breaker.

The search continues

[jygesq]

Try fidelity direct.

[ataylor]

Try fidelity direct.
Requested a quote thanks!


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[jygesq]

did you email Troy Troy Dietrich ([email protected])

[SportVier]

Wow. So sounds like this "Direct Shift Gearbox" is not exactly what one would describe as a "robust cog swapper." [cool]

[LeadToRome]

Wow. So sounds like this "Direct Shift Gearbox" is not exactly what one would describe as a "robust cog swapper." [cool]

To me the jury's still out overall until we get some sort of numbers. 90% of people with no problems never post about that and 90% of the people who do have problems are on the iinternet about it immediately, so it can seem like things are flying apart when maybe it's far more rare in reality. But it definitely happens more than it should.

[LazyAK]

2010 Audi A3 Quattro. Just had the mechatronic replaced at 80k so no warranty, part was $2200, labor $700. Noticed the issue slowly developed from 65-75k km.

Have driven it for 1000km since the replacement and just had the first issue reappear when I tried parking today. Tried parking after driving, put it in reverse and car went into limp mode with the gear flashing on the instrument panel.

To follow up to this post earlier. After spending 3k replacing the mechatronic unit it was still having the same issues. Took it back to the Audi dealership 3 weeks later,they now say the clutch is dragging, and recommend a new transmission for $10,000....

Out of warranty, and CPO doesn't transfer in my case or it would still be in effect.


Recommendations anyone? I am absolutely livid. My other 2007 A3 has 187,000 km and has never had a transmission issue, yet this 2010 has had this problem showing up since 70k km range.

[Senseless]

Any automatic transmission can fail. I've had 2 of them go in an Acura at 45,000 miles and a Chevy truck at 90,000 miles. They were about $4000 and $2000 rebuilt replacement jobs; not $10,000+. What is the cost for a similar BMW transmission? Maybe these things are too complicated.

[ataylor]

To follow up to this post earlier. After spending 3k replacing the mechatronic unit it was still having the same issues. Took it back to the Audi dealership 3 weeks later,they now say the clutch is dragging, and recommend a new transmission for $10,000....

Out of warranty, and CPO doesn't transfer in my case or it would still be in effect.


Recommendations anyone? I am absolutely livid. My other 2007 A3 has 187,000 km and has never had a transmission issue, yet this 2010 has had this problem showing up since 70k km range.
So this is terrifying

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[Sukks2bu]

Sticky please

[SportVier]

To me the jury's still out overall until we get some sort of numbers. 90% of people with no problems never post about that and 90% of the people who do have problems are on the iinternet about it immediately, so it can seem like things are flying apart when maybe it's far more rare in reality. But it definitely happens more than it should.

Yep, always a strong negative selection bias on the internetz, but I have seen zero forum chatter about catastrophic 6MT failures. Maybe I missed that and those are also "flying apart" at a similar rate?

[wwhan]

Yep, always a strong negative selection bias on the internetz, but I have seen zero forum chatter about catastrophic 6MT failures. Maybe I missed that and those are also "flying apart" at a similar rate?

Quite a few MT6 clutch replacements on AZ.

[ataylor]

Quite a few MT6 clutch replacements on AZ.

Well now we're talking about something much more difficult to call a manufacturer defect, unfortunately.

[SportVier]

Well now we're talking about something much more difficult to call a manufacturer defect, unfortunately.

Yeah, I'm sure they are using a decent clutch from LuK or Sachs. Any failures are more than likely "user error".

[jygesq]

Quite a few MT6 clutch replacements on AZ.but many many posts about hard to start if clutch pedal is not pressed in hard.more scary than DSG problems?

[cspcrx]

2010 and 2011 cars seem to have more issues than the 2012 and on dsg cars. This is well documented and known, that being said you would think AOA would step up on this. Knowing this when i went shopping for mine i looked for a 2012. Hope they come through in some way for you.

[LazyAK]

To follow up to this post earlier. After spending 3k replacing the mechatronic unit it was still having the same issues. Took it back to the Audi dealership 3 weeks later,they now say the clutch is dragging, and recommend a new transmission for $10,000....

Out of warranty, and CPO doesn't transfer in my case or it would still be in effect.


Recommendations anyone? I am absolutely livid. My other 2007 A3 has 187,000 km and has never had a transmission issue, yet this 2010 has had this problem showing up since 70k km range.

To follow this up further.

Spoke with Audi Canada. They dragged it along for a week and a half before finally saying that the misdiagnosis at the dealership was not their fault, and that they wont be doing anything for the car or offering me any compensation for the 3k I spent after the dealership misdiagnosed it as a mechatronic issue.

[AudiS4SD]

I'm looking at getting a 2014 or newer S4 with DSG...should I be concerned? Looks like all the issues were 2010/11, but not all the 2014+ have the mileage yet to claim any potential issues with the DSG.

[SportVier]

I'm looking at getting a 2014 or newer S4 with DSG...should I be concerned?

If you have read this thread, then I think you already know the answer to your question.

Can I interest you in a 6MT...?

[AudiS4SD]

If you have read this thread, then I think you already know the answer to your question.

Can I interest you in a 6MT...?

I did read the thread and it seems 2010/11 models are having the issue. However, as I mentioned, the 2014+ models are still relatively low mileage -- not yet reaching the point where the 2010/11 models had the issues (with exceptions like the one replaced under 10k miles). So, this is why I ask if it should be a concern. As Audi officially fixed the issue or can we expect the same issues to arise?

Edit: Just saw this post with DSG issue on a 2015... http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/691623-B8-5-Weird-noise-coming-from-DSG-trans

Getting rid of a 6MT?

[SportVier]

Getting rid of a 6MT?

Maybe in late 2019.

[Deltaflash]

OK- I bought a gorgeous 2010 S5 in Deep Sea Blue with Tuscan, comfort seats, prestige package, and I love it. It had 36k miles. I bought from an independent dealer, as I couldnt find that color combo at an Audi dealer. with 600 miles past purchase I called Audi and told them I am getting the "lurching" problem where it feels like the car has been hit. Longer you drive, the worse it gets. Audi asked all of the questions: how many audis have you owned, did you purchase them new or used? From an Audi dealer, etc. They said to take to my local dealer for diagnosis to start the process. From the Carfax I determined that about 100 miles after servicing the car for "transmission issues" the previous owner sold it. So Audi KNEW this vehicle had this problem. I called Prestige Audi in Miami, the only place the vehicle has ever been serviced, I gave the advisor the vin and he was like "YOU DIDNT HEAR THIS FROM ME, BUT I WOULDNT BUY THAT CAR. IT HAS TRANSMISSION ISSUES." I think its unsafe, as it actually jumps once you come to a stop. The dealer wants $2000 for a new circuit board, which is outlined in a TSB. The advisor said they most likely wont give me any goodwill, even though the vehicle has 36k, its 7 years old. Also, she cant guarantee this will fix the problem. WTF? I wish I had never bought the car, but there is nothing I can do now. Im waiting to hear from Audi. Why havent people filed a class action suit? Seems like so many of us have a bad transmission...

[jygesq]

Buyer beware 36 k on car, no warranty, did you test drive it? Or did you have an inspection done? You bought the car for its color. Audi may have done something for the original buyer. It is sad you got taken , but you did not do reasonable things to protect yourself. Didn't you think why such a low mileage car was NOT sold bu AUDI dealer. Go after the place you bought it from. Get a lawyer and sue / threaten to. They had to know the condition of this car they sold you.

[Deltaflash]

of course buyer beware. You're right. Yes I test drove the car. Unfortunately the problem doesnt occur until after over an hour of driving, regardless of how hard you drive it. Yes, I bought the car for its color. I also liked the fact it had ONLY been serviced by an Audi dealer, had a clean carfax, only had 36k miles, had never been out of Miami, had new brakes, tires, and rotors, had all maintenance done according to schedule and had no paintwork. Dumb I know. Who does that? As far as why it wasn't sold by an Audi dealer, are all cars that come off lease that are not sold by the original manufacturer bad? I guess you have the gift of hindsight. I didnt.

[mjames]

2010, 74k, DSG circuit board needed replacement, car gave me gearbox malfunction alert.

[LeprekanDE]

Add me to the list. 10' S4 57K miles. Gearbox malfunction light came on yesterday. Aftermarket warranty covering all less $100 deductible and $160 in probably fluid/shop supplies etc. On a side note Audi West Chester (PA) has been great to deal with. Would highly recommend.

[Agawl]

2010
Replaced mech 100k
Replaced transmission 102k
Around 70k had the gear box malfunction , "limited function" message. No power at the gas pedeal randomly while driving for a few seconds. Audi fixed. That was the beginning of my issues. 95k rear ending sensations occasionally when coming to a rolling stop. P-N-D gear bang that was a heat related issue when driving for over 30 minutes. After many appointments they finally decided to replace the mech unit. Drove my car for a few weeks, issue came back. They re-diagnosed the car as having smooth shifting and no issues 2 times. Got Audi Canada involved and they sent someone to diagnose the car. I personally had to replicate it for them. They replaced the transmission. My car still feels like it lurches from 1st to 2nd when slowly accelerating. Not the same car anymore...warranty up in 2 months

[kdfwagen]

Will audi ever issue a recall for the mechatronics unit or transmission? This is pretty bad for early model years.

[jsh139]

Will audi ever issue a recall for the mechatronics unit or transmission? This is pretty bad for early model years.

I agree. Unfortunately, there are lots of factors go into a recall. We see a lot of issues on this site, but don't forget that we are a small percentage of the S4 units in the field. And, people tend to only post when something bad happens.

[mjames]

What I'm curious to know is how many have been fine after just replacing the circuit board vs. how many have seen that lead to mechatronic failure and eventually transmission failure. Just had my circuit board replaced, starting to feel like it's a ticking time bomb and I need to sell it.

[TheNiloJunior]

My data from the '10 S4 I purchased last month...

According to ElsaPro I requested from local Audi service department, previous owner had the following done 09/25/2015-09/25/2015 at 66,260 miles:

Parts Item: Mechatron 8K5927156J. (x3)
Service Item: Mechatronic removed+reinstalled (x2)
Comments: Warranty/Goodwill Maintenance

I'm at around 71,200 miles. DSG is smooth shifting except for the occasional noticeable shift from 2-1 when slowing to a stop in dynamic. It seems this is normal for the DSG. I still have the exhaust fart on spirited upshifts.

It would appear from tech comments that mechatronic replacement was covered at no charge even though the car passed the 4 yr/50,000 mile warranty. I know Audi has a 12 mo./12k mi. warranty on their repair work. Would I be correct in assuming this still applies when the car has taken new ownership? Also wondering as from previous posters if I may have an upgraded unit since the repair was done in 2015.