A4 b8 2010 cvt 2.0 tfsi

[maged1972]

Hello to all Audi B8 Experts & Owners:

I am going to get my A4 B8 2010 CVT 2.0 TFSI in 2 weeks time.
And frankly from all the negative reviews on CVT I am worried sick !

So I'd like to get some reviews from current B8 owners with CVT
And if there are any techies working on Audi's, could you also provide some feedback ? Please....

So far after a month of reading, this is my conclusion:
Previous CVT's had major issues.
The current one has been re-done from the ground up.

This forum's help would mean a lot.

Thanks,
Maged

[ASU Daniel]

no problems 6k miles in for me...i still miss manual though and next car will be 6mt hopefully

[NPuter]

I have a 2010 cvt...

I like it a lot more than I was expecting to - in D you get a smooth ride with super high mpg. The acceleration lag gets better as you get used to driving the car.

Once you put it in manual mode, the lag virtually dissappears...

[maged1972]

I have a 2010 cvt...

I like it a lot more than I was expecting to - in D you get a smooth ride with super high mpg. The acceleration lag gets better as you get used to driving the car.

Once you put it in manual mode, the lag virtually dissappears...

Thanks, this is good news !!

[Okan509]

after reading these, I realized how strange a specimen of car mine is.

anyways, I'm sure you will love the car either way!

[maged1972]

My previous car was a manual , an Alfa 156 2005 Facelift with a modified 2.0 TSpark

Traffic in Cairo is crazy, lots of jams, so I opted for an auto.
Audi Egypt doesn't offer quattro or manual.

[ikotua]

not bad at all.

[macuser]

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...&highlight=cvt

[Pete4 1.8t]

I actually tend to prefer the way the Multitronic feels over the Tiptronic. I had one as a loaner and really liked it. If you drive normally it's wonderful!

[Yahdatshim]

ami i the only ex b7 owner who had a bad experience with cvt.... loved the way it drove, but after the tranny death @ 44k i decided to never go back... of the hundreds of thousands i mustve rec'd the defective one.... ive always had that luck, mebe thats why i always pick the wrong scratch ticket

[Wickedslider]

I actually prefer the B8 CVT over the tiptronic.
You may need time to get use to the 'initial starts' at the light, or at close to zero speed while the car is rolling. Those are the moments when the car isn't sure if you are slowing down to a stop or about to speed up. It needs to engage or disengage the clutch once it figures out what you want, and that I think most people complain about. You would feel either its not response, jerky or unpredictable.
Give some time for the car to learn your driving behavior. I think I also learn enough about the car that I know to ease in the throttle whenever I get into that state.
For any spirited driving, move into M or S; its like a different world. Enjoy.

[NPuter]

I actually prefer the B8 CVT over the tiptronic.
You may need time to get use to the 'initial starts' at the light, or at close to zero speed while the car is rolling. Those are the moments when the car isn't sure if you are slowing down to a stop or about to speed up. It needs to engage or disengage the clutch once it figures out what you want, and that I think most people complain about. You would feel either its not response, jerky or unpredictable.
Give some time for the car to learn your driving behavior. I think I also learn enough about the car that I know to ease in the throttle whenever I get into that state.
For any spirited driving, move into M or S; its like a different world. Enjoy.

perfectly said - you kinda learn how to use the throttle correctly after some time... I'm now at the point where there is virtually no hesitation when accelerating from zero....

Switch it to M - and its almost as if you were in another car

[maged1972]

I actually prefer the B8 CVT over the tiptronic.
You may need time to get use to the 'initial starts' at the light, or at close to zero speed while the car is rolling. Those are the moments when the car isn't sure if you are slowing down to a stop or about to speed up. It needs to engage or disengage the clutch once it figures out what you want, and that I think most people complain about. You would feel either its not response, jerky or unpredictable.
Give some time for the car to learn your driving behavior. I think I also learn enough about the car that I know to ease in the throttle whenever I get into that state.
For any spirited driving, move into M or S; its like a different world. Enjoy.

Very good feedback...
Again, you guys are helping a lot and keeping my spirit up ! :)

[Okan509]

I don't know how you prefer CVT to Tip

[Wickedslider]

I don't know how you prefer CVT to Tip

At starts, the B8 feels like a manual, just with a computer controlled clutch. At slow rolling speed, the clutch disengages just like in a manual. It could be just me, but I like the feel of that. CVT in D is smoother and has better fuel economy. In S or M, the experience is the same as or very similar to the Tip.

[NPuter]

At starts, the B8 feels like a manual, just with a computer controlled clutch. At slow rolling speed, the clutch disengages just like in a manual. It could be just me, but I like the feel of that. CVT in D is smoother and has better fuel economy. In S or M, the experience is the same as or very similar to the Tip.

perfectly described - it feels like an automatic manual in D

[billyc]

Haven't driven a Tiptronic but I have compared it with the S-Tronic. Its smoother than the S-Tronic during upshifts and downshifts. I guess it depends on how your drive. I have no regrets with my 1.8T CVT.

[MasterB8er]

Maged1972, you definetly do not want the cvt.

Thank GOD I leased this car.

I haven't had any problems, BUT I can tell there will be in the future. Every morning there is a Spring Like sound that pops within 10ft of my drive off. When I drop it into reverse my revs dipped very low.

2.0T engine is remarkable though. It's always ready to run hard somehow still gives me great MPG. (I'm sure it has something to do with the CVT) As a matter a fact, I Drive this car as hard as i can to see if it will break. I just feel sorry for the person who will buy my car after I'm done with it....

If this car is a long term investment, I'm not sure I would go with a CVT. Good Luck!

[l1fegam3r]

IMO the CVT for the week that I have had my car has been extremely responsive and a lot better than I was expecting. Because the car is only a week old there is a pretty obvious lag on the accelerator for aproximately 1 second after I depress the accelerator. As others are saying the manual and s-mode eliminate this lag completely. THe ride in D is effortless and completely smooth. The car revs so low it gets a little anoying at times but the MPG is remarkable. When you shift into s you hear a great exhaust note. No complaints about the 2 wheel drive. Drove in the rain in LA last week and no wheel spin but then again I am rather conservative driver. Gear shifts in D are almost un-noticeable. Which is good and bad.

Hope this helps...

[NPuter]

No complaints about the 2 wheel drive. Drove in the rain in LA last week and no wheel spin but then again I am rather conservative driver. Gear shifts in D are almost un-noticeable. Which is good and bad.

I also haven't had any wheel spin in the 1000miles I've driven my car

The gear shifts in D are un-noticeable because there aren't any gear shifts in D - A CVT transmissions does not have any "gears" like a standard automatic...
"S" and "M" mode simulate a 7 (i think) gear transmission...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continu...e_transmission

[Wickedslider]

I haven't had any problems, BUT I can tell there will be in the future. Every morning there is a Spring Like sound that pops within 10ft of my drive off. When I drop it into reverse my revs dipped very low.

You are correct about the Reverse gear. I had to learn to keep my foot firmly on the brake until the gear is solidly shifted into reverse. At the very beginning, as I was used to quick shifts to rev, there were a few times I almost stalled the engine. Shifting to R will take longer than other cars, but I could live with this. I hope this does not mean there is actual wear that would cause breakage later in the life of the car.

[maged1972]

Maged1972, you definetly do not want the cvt.

Thank GOD I leased this car.

I haven't had any problems, BUT I can tell there will be in the future. Every morning there is a Spring Like sound that pops within 10ft of my drive off. When I drop it into reverse my revs dipped very low.

2.0T engine is remarkable though. It's always ready to run hard somehow still gives me great MPG. (I'm sure it has something to do with the CVT) As a matter a fact, I Drive this car as hard as i can to see if it will break. I just feel sorry for the person who will buy my car after I'm done with it....

If this car is a long term investment, I'm not sure I would go with a CVT. Good Luck!

Well this sound, might be the electro-mech brakes unlocking ?

[dA4banger.au]

Hi all

I was away for a month or so and now the forum has a new look! Well done!

As for the CVT, I think there are two separate matters here: behaviour and durability.

My wife had a B6 1.8T CVT before and its CVT got in trouble at 90k (km that is). Transmission guys said we were actually lucky as most people got the problem at ~50K. The cost of repair was so bad that my wife decided to get a new car instead and hence her 2010 2.0T, but guess what? It's a CVT again! She resents manual transmission and the only way we could get a non-CVT auto was S-tronic in either the quattro or higher end V6 or TDI models which were all above her budget and need.

Now in terms of behaviour, the 2010 CVT still misbehaves in some ways similar to the 2002 B6. For instance, try to reverse park the car against the gradient in a relatively tight place. Unless you keep using the hand brake, you are almost certainly bound to hit either the car in front or rear. It just rolls forward (although in R) and then with the slightest press on accelerator, it jumps back. Very frustrating indeed. It also has some hesitation when you drive in R and then switch to D.

Apart from these two, its behaviour is excellent. With a simulated 8 speed tranny, I love driving the car in M mode. My wife drives the car exclusvely in S mode and she loves the feel of the car. The economy is also perfect.

As for its durability, only time can tell. It's simply too early. Though I don't believe the CVT has changed from earlier B8s. If there are B8 owners with over 50k miles who are all happy still, then perhaps Audi has fixed the issue. There were 6 plates in B6 CVT clutches which were increased to seven in B7 and eight in B8 (will there be nine in B9?!). Apparently, increasing the number of plates had positive effects in terms of reliability, but whether it's enough,I'm yet to see.

I have the good old manual transmission on my own B8. It's gearing is way better than the 5-speed tranny on my '02 1.8QTM. Between the tweaks to A4's manual tranny and the improvements to their 1.8 TFSI, Audi has hit the mark very well. The new combo drives and feels pleasantly different.

Cheers!

[billyc]

Hi all

I was away for a month or so and now the forum has a new look! Well done!

As for the CVT, I think there are two separate matters here: behaviour and durability.

My wife had a B6 1.8T CVT before and its CVT got in trouble at 90k (km that is). Transmission guys said we were actually lucky as most people got the problem at ~50K. The cost of repair was so bad that my wife decided to get a new car instead and hence her 2010 2.0T, but guess what? It's a CVT again! She resents manual transmission and the only way we could get a non-CVT auto was S-tronic in either the quattro or higher end V6 or TDI models which were all above her budget and need.

Now in terms of behaviour, the 2010 CVT still misbehaves in some ways similar to the 2002 B6. For instance, try to reverse park the car against the gradient in a relatively tight place. Unless you keep using the hand brake, you are almost certainly bound to hit either the car in front or rear. It just rolls forward (although in R) and then with the slightest press on accelerator, it jumps back. Very frustrating indeed. It also has some hesitation when you drive in R and then switch to D.

Apart from these two, its behaviour is excellent. With a simulated 8 speed tranny, I love driving the car in M mode. My wife drives the car exclusvely in S mode and she loves the feel of the car. The economy is also perfect.

As for its durability, only time can tell. It's simply too early. Though I don't believe the CVT has changed from earlier B8s. If there are B8 owners with over 50k miles who are all happy still, then perhaps Audi has fixed the issue. There were 6 plates in B6 CVT clutches which were increased to seven in B7 and eight in B8 (will there be nine in B9?!). Apparently, increasing the number of plates had positive effects in terms of reliability, but whether it's enough,I'm yet to see.

I have the good old manual transmission on my own B8. It's gearing is way better than the 5-speed tranny on my '02 1.8QTM. Between the tweaks to A4's manual tranny and the improvements to their 1.8 TFSI, Audi has hit the mark very well. The new combo drives and feels pleasantly different.

Cheers!

Agree with you on this. When on a gradient, I would normally use the Automatic Parking Brake function. And when selecting gear, I would make sure I wait 1-2 seconds for the gear to engage before driving off.

[NPuter]

Weird - I haven't had any problems with Reversing/selecting gears (knock on wood)

I noticed that sometimes it takes a little longer to shift into reverse, but nothing to the point were it is annoying. Also, I can reverse at a very slow, constant, speed... I guess this is because there are no inclines here in miami...

[Wickedslider]

My wife had a B6 1.8T CVT before and its CVT got in trouble at 90k (km that is). Transmission guys said we were actually lucky as most people got the problem at ~50K. The cost of repair was so bad that my wife decided to get a new car instead

dA4banger: Would you share what was the trouble with your wife's B6 1.8T CVT that cost so much in making it worth to get a completely new car? I assume the multiplate clutch would be a wear-item like in the manual tranny which could be replaced at cost similar to the manual.. am I wrong?

For parallel parking on an incline, the auto-brake/electro-brake can help take care of the problem described. For slight inclines, I do not have this problem.

[dA4banger.au]

dA4banger: Would you share what was the trouble with your wife's B6 1.8T CVT that cost so much in making it worth to get a completely new car? I assume the multiplate clutch would be a wear-item like in the manual tranny which could be replaced at cost similar to the manual.. am I wrong?

For parallel parking on an incline, the auto-brake/electro-brake can help take care of the problem described. For slight inclines, I do not have this problem.

The problem with B6 CVT had three folds. First, it made a mechanical grinding noise at certain speeds and engine revs. It was the worst at 60-70 kmh (driving around town) at about 1800 rpm. I guess that meant worn out belt or pullies. The second problem was shudder felt mostly at the steering wheel at very slow speeds (like walking pace). This happened whether the car was in D, R or in N (rolling off either direction). That meant every take off or coming to stop was accompanied with a shudder. The last problem which started first at about 85k km and progressively got worse was some sort of sticky clutch plate in a way that under moderate or mild acceleration at below 2000 rpm, the car made jumps and surged with a fluctuating engine rpm. Accelerating hard while above 2000 rpm was fine.

Our CVT problem was apparently not uncommon. Audi has designed the CVT in a very unfriendly way. Even CVT CPU is inside the tranny!. To have a look inside the tranny, or to change its oil, or to replace CPU, one needs to remove the whole front of the car. In Australia, just the labour cost for this is AU$3500. Imagine when your tranny CPU dies. At that cost, and given the grinding noise I was advised to replace the CVT with a reconditioned one for the total cost of AU$7000. I don't even want to imagine the price of a new transmission or having the job done at Audi. I was told by the transmission guys that the new tranny would be good for another 50k km. Considering the value of the car, its age and the repair cost, we decided to exchange the car. That would also help us rid of the bubbling soft-touch buttons inside! My wife's car is purchased for her business and with a government tax incentive offered exclusively for 2009 purchases, we summed that buying a new B8 over four years would cost less than paying a $7000 repair bill and still driving a 2002 model B6 with peeling off interior.

The auto-brake feature is an option which was not included in my wife's car. My manual B8 has it (which I don't use). My gripe is that CVT's behaviour when reversing on a gradient is really unacceptable and potentially dangerous. If this option improves the functionality, Audi should include it as an standard feature on CVT-equipped cars.

Oh, well. I like Audis too much anyway... :)