tiptronic hesitation fixed

[bam21978]

I wanted to share this in case someone had the same problem: I have had a hesitation problem with my 2006 A4 2.0t Tiptronic for a few years. I would come to a stop sign (usually when the car is cold) then give it a good amount of throttle to pull out into traffic and it was like the transmission was hung up in 3rd gear. The engine would load up like I had the brake and gas on at the same time but just wouldn't go. It would creep out into traffic at 2mph and leave me hanging for 2 or 3 seconds before seeming to downshift into 1st and accelerating pretty abruptly. My dealer in Wisconsin never found a problem. Then I moved to Washington state and decided to try with my new dealer. Barrier Audi wiped the Tiptronic's adaptive memory clean. The theory is that it's now going to learn how I drive without having any data from it's previous owner to confuse it. So far so good. I went out of my way to make it hesitate and it just accelerated away. Thanks Barrier Audi!

[bigsef36]

Ive been having that same problem ever since ive had my car, ill have to have them try that when i take my car in for service next time.

[dzombek]

This is great, I will have to check with my dealer as well. This problem, as we all know, is a PITA...

[audinewguy]

how much did they charge for this?

[theklug]

I'm curious if this is this the same reset that you do with that whole holding down the gas pedal down for so long, then remove key thing?

Forgive me, I forget what this was called...

[Sprode]

I have learned to drive around this by keeping it in first manually during these times. Never found a good solution to this.

[A4 Effort]

I'm curious if this is this the same reset that you do with that whole holding down the gas pedal down for so long, then remove key thing?

Forgive me, I forget what this was called...

Throttle body adaptation, and it's not the same thing

Thanks OP - keep us posted on your results

[LagIsForePlay]

huh I am having the exact same problem. Thanks for this!

[V32]

i actually thought that was normal haha. I'll be so happy if this fixes it. Thanks

[daudic]

Thank you very much OP! Does anyone think a shop other than the dealership can do this? There are lots of shops that work on German cars.

[Silververtu]

Can we wipe out the tiptronic memory thru VAG-COM?

[freaksavior]

Can we wipe out the tiptronic memory thru VAG-COM?

I'd like to know as well. Mine isn't as bad but it does this all the time, I thought it was just normal turbo lag or something.

[Korrect414]

I have always had this problem and just thought it was normal. Very good news, I may need to make a trip to the dealer.

[tarunpatel]

anyone find out how much the dealer charges?

[Titanems]

in all honesty, it better be free because you'd have to do it about every few months once the computer goes back to the way it was before the flash

[LagIsForePlay]

Well I called my dealer today and told them that I have a similar problem. Asked if they could erase/reset my tranny's (CVT) memory. He said that this is how the car normally drives and that I could put it in manual mode as a work around. This highly annoyed me. OP can you please post the name of the service your dealer performed?

[bam21978]

Here's an update to my original post:

The mechanic wrote on my invoice that the transmission was behaving "normally" and that the hesitation was caused my the time required to shift from 3rd to 1st when I put my foot in it. How can it be normal for my transmission to be in 3rd when I come to a complete stop?! Anyway I was not charged for the service. The invoice says "reset transmission adaptation values" and "found that there is a software update for the TCM as well, performed SVM update #NA8E37A001 and brought the software level from 10 to 80." Hopefully one of you guys know what that means. Good luck everyone!

[A4-Wookie]

Thanks for the info!!

I aso thought it was just the way the car ran. Figured it was just turbo lag. Still have to drive 40 minutes to the closest dealer to get it checked out...but I wont mind the drive :D lol. Hopefully, the dont give me crap about having to pay for this.

[jcmac]

I too was experiencing the same symptoms. The dealer blamed it on the 'transmission adaption values'. I got curious about the condition of my spark plugs as they have never been out since new. Having about 36k miles I pulled the plugs. They looked good but were gapped to around .034". The gap for my '07 2.0T is supposed to be .028" (BOSCH FR6KPP332S) which is what I set them to. The tip-in lag and first gear stumble went away completly. A wide open throttle start from stopped now results in a reasonable initial response followed by progressively stronger power as boost increases followed by a strong shift to second at redline.

My old car, a 2003 A6 2.7T did not suffer from the tip-in stumble but had the WOT bog big time. The plugs were gapped to .032" as per the NGK recommendation. Six months later and further consultation of the Bentley repair manual showed a plug gap of 0.4 to 0.6mm. I did not know that this in inches is .018" to .020". I then regapped them to .018" and the A6 no longer bogged on WOT. It pulled progressively stronger in first on to redline! So much better, so much safer! Sometimes less is more!

[mauismile]

What if you get your car chipped?? Will that adaptive memory be erased??

[4SHRNGS]

I just picked up a 2008 3.2L that produces the same hesitation from a stop/start. Dealer hypothesized that the CVT would adapt from the prior owners driving habits to mine, or I should leave it in Sport Mode and that is commonplace with all CVT transmissions. @Bam21978 thank you for sharing. You're scenario makes complete sense. I'm waiting for Audi Coconut Creek to receive a new driver side A/C vent (which will hopefully remedy an intermittent buzzing / rattle noise). I made a note of your post to request they clear the memory and update the software on my TCM too. I'll update what happens after. Would be thrilled if this makes the stop/start hesitation go away. Thanks Bud!!

[Charles.waite]

I just picked up a 2008 3.2L that produces the same hesitation from a stop/start. Dealer hypothesized that the CVT would adapt from the prior owners driving habits to mine, or I should leave it in Sport Mode and that is commonplace with all CVT transmissions. @Bam21978 thank you for sharing. You're scenario makes complete sense. I'm waiting for Audi Coconut Creek to receive a new driver side A/C vent (which will hopefully remedy an intermittent buzzing / rattle noise). I made a note of your post to request they clear the memory and update the software on my TCM too. I'll update what happens after. Would be thrilled if this makes the stop/start hesitation go away. Thanks Bud!!

FYI, The OP is talking about the tiptronic Transmission, not the CVT. It could help for the CVT but I wouldn't count on it. I know the Computer stores adaptation values for both so its still worth a shot.

[4SHRNGS]

FYI, The OP is talking about the tiptronic Transmission, not the CVT. It could help for the CVT but I wouldn't count on it. I know the Computer stores adaptation values for both so its still worth a shot.

Charles, Thank You for pointing out that there's a difference. This car is new to me as of a week ago and I'm not as technical about the different transmissions (yet). I'm guessing I have the "Triptronic" NOT the CVT. The car is an '08 with Paddle Shifters and what looks like 7 Speeds in the Trans. Appreciate your help!

[Charles.waite]

Charles, Thank You for pointing out that there's a difference. This car is new to me as of a week ago and I'm not as technical about the different transmissions (yet). I'm guessing I have the "Triptronic" NOT the CVT. The car is an '08 with Paddle Shifters and what looks like 7 Speeds in the Trans. Appreciate your help!

Do you have quattro? The CVT only comes on front wheel drive A4s. The paddle shifters were an option on the Tiptronic only I believe. The tiptronic is a 6-Speed as well. Multitronic offers between 6 and 8 "gears" depending on year but they are really just preset ratios that simulate gears. They are there to make people feel like they are shifting with a traditional gearbox.

Heres a little background: Tiptronic ** Wikipedia

CVT (Multitronic in Audi parlance) ** Wikipedia

[4SHRNGS]

Do you have quattro? The CVT only comes on front wheel drive A4s. The paddle shifters were an option on the Tiptronic only I believe. The tiptronic is a 6-Speed as well. Multitronic offers between 6 and 8 "gears" depending on year but they are really just preset ratios that simulate gears. They are there to make people feel like they are shifting with a traditional gearbox.

Heres a little background: Tiptronic ** Wikipedia

CVT (Multitronic in Audi parlance) ** Wikipedia

This one's not Quattro. Its FWD... I glanced quick at your links (TY)... Sounds like the car would have a Tiptronic S. It has the S-Line Package. Think it may be only the S-Line Dress, not the full S-Line i.e. supension etc.

[Charles.waite]

This one's not Quattro. Its FWD... I glanced quick at your links (TY)... Sounds like the car would have a Tiptronic S. It has the S-Line Package. Think it may be only the S-Line Dress, not the full S-Line i.e. supension etc.

If its FWD then you have the CVT, doesn't matter if its S-Line or not that makes sense too since you said it has 7 gears which fits in with the CVT fitted in the B7 A4s. Also what you have is the SE package, its basically the S-Line Appearance package. It was a new option for 2008.

[80sGuy]

Charles, Thank You for pointing out that there's a difference. This car is new to me as of a week ago and I'm not as technical about the different transmissions (yet). I'm guessing I have the "Triptronic" NOT the CVT. The car is an '08 with Paddle Shifters and what looks like 7 Speeds in the Trans. Appreciate your help!

If you have FrontTrak, 7-Speed simulation, Paddle Shifters on the steering then you have a multitronic CVT. Nice 'fragile' transmission and good on gas mileage BUT you've got to take care of it, meaning going easy on the pedal and fluid changes every 30k-40k. This transmission lags from a standstill but you'll get used to it. Nice color, almost like mine except for the engine size. How many miles by the way?

[4SHRNGS]

@80sGuy & Charles Thank You for the intel! I love the car, the great fuel economy and stock power from the 3.2L 6. The car was just shy of 28,000 miles when I picked it up a week ago. The dealer took it in on trade for a VW at the end of December and it sat for about a month before I came along and took the keys. Per the CarFax the car originally sat on the dealers lot at Braman Audi in Palm Beach for most of the first year when it was delivered and the prior 1st owner only had then car for 2 1/2 years from it's original purchase date. Leaves me 22,000 miles and a year and a half in warranty. Everyone who's seen the car thinks it's brand new. The interior is perfect. The exterior is near perfect. All wheels are nearly new looking. I purchased the car from Gunther VW in Coconut Creek. Gunther put 4 new Nexon tires on it. The (I'm sure cheap) tires seem to produce a lot of sticky black rubber dust on the wheels and low areas on the body right behind all wheels (Really annoying because it makes the car look dirty more than it should). Like the "Dolphin Grey" exterior and all Black interior colors a lot. Took a referral from family to use their friend for tint. They used some cheap crap instead of LLUMAR Film and I hated it, so I had it re-done 15% all around with LLUMAR. The dealer ordered me a new driver side AC Vent which seems to be the source of an intermittent buzzing / rattle. Other than the hesitation from a stop / start, the car is sweet. Years ago, I had a B6 2003 A4 3.0 6MT, and really love how Audi updated the B7 platform. I traded a 2008 Honda Civic for this one so I'm on cloud 9 to be back in a luxury automobile... (In the past I've also had 8 Honda/Acura Products, BMW, VW, Toyota, Pontiac, Chevy i.e. Trailblazer SS =) now my sisters truck and others I can't remember... Are there any ways to improve the lag from a standstill with a multitronic CVT transmission? When you say the transmission is "fragile" with suggestions... Are these trans known to go bad easily? I enjoy spirited driving. Would say I'd rather enjoy driving aggressively short of pushing things to the point of breaking because I'm not daddy warbucks or handy enough to pull a transmission apart and fix it myself... Sounds like I'll be due for a Transmission Fluid Change soon then... How many miles have you clocked on your 2008?

[Infamouz627]

Here's an update to my original post:

The mechanic wrote on my invoice that the transmission was behaving "normally" and that the hesitation was caused my the time required to shift from 3rd to 1st when I put my foot in it. How can it be normal for my transmission to be in 3rd when I come to a complete stop?! Anyway I was not charged for the service. The invoice says "reset transmission adaptation values" and "found that there is a software update for the TCM as well, performed SVM update #NA8E37A001 and brought the software level from 10 to 80." Hopefully one of you guys know what that means. Good luck everyone!

Yes thanks for your input bam21978 this is good information.

Now either I'm not understanding something or AOA customer service and the service technicians are not on the same page.

I contacted the customer service number and spoke to rep who told me that it was defintely possible for a service technician to perform this transmission adaptation reset as well as the TCM update if necessary and it would cost little to no cost ($50 or less) whether the vehicle was under warranty or not. After that information, I proceeded to get in contact with my local service center and spoke with a technician. The service tech told me he has never heard of a "tranny adaptation reset" and the TCM update would cost me close to $200 dollars because it takes about an hour and a half worth of labor. I then contacted the next closest service center and the tech there said that there is such a thing but it would cost close to $300 for the reset but he'd throw the TCM update in for free if necessary. I couldn't help but laugh at the 2 techs who gave me this information and told them every single employee I've spoken to has given me a contradicting story. Any input on costs for a vehicle thats out of warranty?

[Charles.waite]

@80sGuy & Charles Thank You for the intel! I love the car, the great fuel economy and stock power from the 3.2L 6. The car was just shy of 28,000 miles when I picked it up a week ago. The dealer took it in on trade for a VW at the end of December and it sat for about a month before I came along and took the keys. Per the CarFax the car originally sat on the dealers lot at Braman Audi in Palm Beach for most of the first year when it was delivered and the prior 1st owner only had then car for 2 1/2 years from it's original purchase date. Leaves me 22,000 miles and a year and a half in warranty. Everyone who's seen the car thinks it's brand new. The interior is perfect. The exterior is near perfect. All wheels are nearly new looking. I purchased the car from Gunther VW in Coconut Creek. Gunther put 4 new Nexon tires on it. The (I'm sure cheap) tires seem to produce a lot of sticky black rubber dust on the wheels and low areas on the body right behind all wheels (Really annoying because it makes the car look dirty more than it should). Like the "Dolphin Grey" exterior and all Black interior colors a lot. Took a referral from family to use their friend for tint. They used some cheap crap instead of LLUMAR Film and I hated it, so I had it re-done 15% all around with LLUMAR. The dealer ordered me a new driver side AC Vent which seems to be the source of an intermittent buzzing / rattle. Other than the hesitation from a stop / start, the car is sweet. Years ago, I had a B6 2003 A4 3.0 6MT, and really love how Audi updated the B7 platform. I traded a 2008 Honda Civic for this one so I'm on cloud 9 to be back in a luxury automobile... (In the past I've also had 8 Honda/Acura Products, BMW, VW, Toyota, Pontiac, Chevy i.e. Trailblazer SS =) now my sisters truck and others I can't remember... Are there any ways to improve the lag from a standstill with a multitronic CVT transmission? When you say the transmission is "fragile" with suggestions... Are these trans known to go bad easily? I enjoy spirited driving. Would say I'd rather enjoy driving aggressively short of pushing things to the point of breaking because I'm not daddy warbucks or handy enough to pull a transmission apart and fix it myself... Sounds like I'll be due for a Transmission Fluid Change soon then... How many miles have you clocked on your 2008?

The CVT transmissions are quite fragile, the B7 CVT is better than the B6 CVT, but not much better. They have an alarming tendency to malfunction and leave you stranded because the viscous clutch (or something) fails and it wont go into gear. The only option being to get towed to a dealer to have your TCM module replaced for some exorbitant sum. If you keep up on the fluid changes that goes a long way towards minimizing the chances of failure, from what I've read. I don't mean to scare you, but its happened to a number of people around here. Given your low mileage I would think you'll be fine for a while.

Great find on the DG + Black. My avant is that color and I love it! I'm 50/50 on the exterior updates from B6 to B7. I like the Avants better but I think the B6 Ultrasport look is better than the B7. Plus the B7 taillights look funny on the sedan..

[80sGuy]

^^At the same time there are a few members (AudiCVT and a few others) in here with their original transmissions with over 140,000 miles because they took good care of it.

[4SHRNGS]

Well I know I'll take care of the car while I'm holding the keys... Sounds like I just need to pay extra attention to the service/transmission fluid changes and not beat the crap out of it. Thank You for the congrats! I'm really stoked. First plan is to replace the stock radio with a New Pioneer AVIC-Z140BH Install. Then some new shoes... Love the stock power from the 3.2 so I don't expect to really want to mod anything for more ponies really. So the conclusion on the CVT Trans hesitation from a standing start sounds like its something I just need to get use to...