Gearbox Malfunction (No Reverse, Continue Driving) + TPMS - SOLUTIONS

[Rumcajs]

Hi Guys,

For some time I fought with the "" errors reported by my Audi A5 computer.
Multiple posts and YouTube videos suggested that the gearbox is broken, I need to spend 8-10k $ for a new gearbox, it is a DSG issue, I need to bus some magic elements and many more statements based on cycled gossips and rumor's not facts and technical knowledge from the field.

So below I'll try to describe you the issue and the solutions.

ISSUE:
"Gearbox Malfunction (No Reverse, Continue Driving) + TPMS" problem reported by the Audi computer (sometimes there is a notification regarding "broken bulb" as well)

SYMPTHOMS:
Gear 1,3,5 works, gears 2,4,6,7 doesn't work
High revs and issue when auto-switching from 1 to 3 to 5

DESCRIPTION:
You receive not one error that your gearbox is broken but two errors at the same time, sometimes three. That means that it doesn't point to one of them for sure but the the issue with one of that element which are related to each other and placed in the same notification group.

SOLUTIONS:

1. For DSG gearboxes - the DSG gearboxes have an "adaptation mechanism". They adapt to the driving style of the owner. If you buy a car from other person what is good to do is to reset that system and allow him to adapt to you. To do that (on a warm engine, after the ride):
- turn off the engine, set the P and activate the handbrake
- press the break pedal to the max for 30 seconds
- hold it still and start the ignition - press the key or start button (do not start the engine itself, just the ignition)
- keep pressing the break pedal for the next 30 seconds
- turn of the ignition
- release the break pedal
- wait 5 minutes
- take a short few minutes drive

2. "Gearbox Malfunction (No Reverse, Continue Driving) + TPMS" means that there could be a gearbox issue or TMPS issue. So in this point lets focus on TPMS. Audi - in opposite to Mercedes or the French cars - uses external tire pressure system (Mercedes, French cars uses internal sensors in each wheel - which by the way are very sensitive to the atmospherically conditions like temperature or external air pressure which depends e.g. on the high above the sea level - if the outside air temperature is high then the tire pressure will increase, if low in winter then the tire pressure goes down - changes above 0,2 bar are signalized as error and issue - in such cases do not scream in panic but just check your tire pressure first and compare it to the cars manual). But getting back to the point. Audi has external tire pressure system (TPMS). It is related to the 4x4 transmission mechanism, the gearbox and ABS. It counts the wheel circumference and rotation. If the tire pressure in any tire varies or change from the tire pressure set as a standard in the MMI TPMS, the rotation of the wheel varies and the computer interprets that as an issue with gearbox or TMPS (maybe ABS and transmission as well) and you will see gearbox/transmissions + TPMS issues. That doesn't mean that the gearbox or TPMS have any issues but that one of the wheel or more may have incorrect pressure vs the standard set in the MMI TPMS . What you need to do is:

a) check the tire pressure in every tire to be sure they are identical and that you do not have a broken tire/wheel
b) pump it to the correct level specified in the car manual or on the car sticker (on the door frame)
c) IMPORTANT / CRUCIAL !!! go into MMI , find the TIRE PRESSURE settings, and RESET IT to the current tire pressure to set it as a BASE value
d) if you like to use used tires be sure they are identical in the size/diameter and circumference as that will cause the issues as well (4x4 drive requires identical rims/tires on each wheel to function properly!)

Since now the systems - gearbox, 4x4 transmission, ABS will take that value as a correct/base one and measure all metrics and the differences to notify you based on it.

When you may face that problem and when you need to check and adjust/reset the TPMS in MMI:
- when you switch the wheels/tires
- when driving hard (tire and air inside will go warmer = air will expand = air pressure will goes up, above some level like some 0,xx bar difference will show an error like in the subject)
- when driving on ice or during the winter (tires will be cold, tire pressure will goes down)
- when importing car from other country where the temperatures are different than in your country tire pressure may change and TPMS will report issues as it was set in MMI under a different weather conditions
- when driving high above the sea level (different high = different air pressure)

So before you drive to the workshop/service and pay huge amount of money to buy and replace new gearbox, clutch etc. or before you will listen to many internet gossips and rumor's I would recommend you to perform two points proposed above. They are free to implement on your own, requires small amount of time and do not require any special tools or technical knowledge to perform them. And next if you will do that and the problems will still occur you may consider the workshop/service to visit.

Regards,

[tigpower]

Rumcajs thank you very much for this useful information, my friend has problems with the Audi A5 gearbox, so maybe it will be useful to him. I will send this thread to him.

[Rumcajs]

AN UPDATE & SOLUTION:

Hi Guys,

After a few months of struggling with that issue, after reviewing tons of YouTube and forums comment I've finally solved the problem with that error.
If the steps mentioned in my post above may work for a temporary time - like it was in my case, especially that DSG TCU reset procedure - but may not work permanently, try this way:

STEPS TO SOLVE THE ISSUE:

Info: First of all, this issue is hard to diagnose as it is random, not a routine issue. To me it was first every few weeks, then every few days, then like every 10-100 kilometers of driving.

1. When you observe the issue, do not turn off the engine and connect a professional grade! diagnostic computer (not some cheap or free ODBII tester or application - as they may show you nothing) to your car to read the error codes. The cheap or free ODBII testers will show you s***. If you do not have such professional grade equipment, find a car workshop who has such and then leave them your car to drive a bit (in my case it was a 300 kilometers) to observe the issue and read the error codes by such professional grade diagnostic computers. Somehow the free or cheap ODBII testers will not read that error codes - I tried with such different apps on my smartphone and they show nothing. The reason may be that the Audi has two computers - ECU (a standard computer), but for DSGs there is a second computer, a TCU (Transmisson control unit - a gearbox computer). Agree with the workshop that they will perform a longer test drive (as I mentioned in my case it was 300 kilometers, I paid for the full tank of a fuel, and agreed that the boss of the workshop may use the car on a daily basis for a week to be sure to observe the issue and next to be sure that the issue disappear).

2. Let the workshop to fix the issue based on the diagnostic data. The potential reasons for the problems as described by the workshop were:

- mechatronic unit to replace (a few thousands of $ in Audi official workshop or a mechatronic replace kit (a few hundreds of $) - THAT WAS NOT A PROBLEM, THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE ISSUE

- a solenoid near to the gearbox and a wire & it's connector where the cooling fluid gets into and create a short circuit which causes the issues - THAT WAS NOT A PROBLEM, THAT DID NOT SOLVE THE ISSUE

- one of the electro-valves was broken (the professional grade diagnostic computer shows that error - with the info which valve exactly it is, as they are multiple in the DSG), the replacement of that electro-valve in the DSG - SOLVED THE ISSUE!!!


THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM: The broken electro-valve within the DSG gearbox.
Not mechatronic unit, not the TCU, not solenoid, not TPMS, not electronics.
Since it was replaced to the ORIGINAL NEW ONE the problem disappears.

So, first of all guys find a professional diagnostic computer with the person who knows how to use it (not some cheap & free tester or apps)

PS: There is a possibility that for some issues the TCU or some elements of it could be broken.
But that should be diagnosed first as I described above, and the proper report from such testing should be deliver to you in the first place. Without that it is just guessing.
If someone haven't tested anything and just saying "I know what the issue probably is or could be" ask for a diagnostic report and some prove - error codes & error names.
Unless you have a lot of money to spent or such person will fix that for free. That is too expensive problem to approach like that.


WHAT TO AVOID WHEN TROUBLESHOOTING THIS ISSUE & HOW TO SAVE A LOT OF MONEY:

1. Avoid magical parts which solves the issue - I saw one YouTube video when some dude is trying to sell you a part which if you replace the original gearbox part with two screws under it will solve that issue magically = BULLSHIT & SCAM.

2. Avoid companies like one from UK (commercial on the YouTube channel) which states that they have a magical trick in their great workshop, just send them a computer and they will solve the case = BULLSHIT & SCAM.
How could they know what the issue is without connecting any diagnostics to your car? They can't.

3. Avoid guessing, the "I think, maybe, in my opinion" bull****s which you can see a lot e.g., in the YouTube comments from people who did not diagnose or even see your car at all

4. Avoid magical YouTube solutions from the people who did not present a report with the errors from a professional grade diagnostic computer on that video with the error codes and error codes numbers (those are basics for any diagnostic)

5. Be careful with the official Audi Car Service as many times they just us a standard approach or hide the manufacturer mass failures (like they deny of the 2.0 TFSI 8T3 bad design of pistons & rings which causes 0,5-2L oil consumption per 1000km and states that it is due to the oil separator or that's how it is). In my case Audi official car service stated that it is a broken mechatronic (replacement costs a few thousands of $) while in fact it was a one electro valve which was broken.

[175mph]

Hi Rumcajs

TQ for your update and solutions, very useful. I have similar problem with my S4 at the moment.
You mentioned "THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM: The broken electro-valve within the DSG gearbox.
Not mechatronic unit, not the TCU, not solenoid, not TPMS, not electronics.
Since it was replaced to the ORIGINAL NEW ONE the problem disappears."

What do you mean by "electro-valve within the DSG gearbox", do you have the part number or photos that can help..

[Rumcajs]

Hi Rumcajs

TQ for your update and solutions, very useful. I have similar problem with my S4 at the moment.
You mentioned "THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM: The broken electro-valve within the DSG gearbox.
Not mechatronic unit, not the TCU, not solenoid, not TPMS, not electronics.
Since it was replaced to the ORIGINAL NEW ONE the problem disappears."

What do you mean by "electro-valve within the DSG gearbox", do you have the part number or photos that can help..

Hi there,
I mean "electro-valve". There are few "electro-valves" in the DSG gearbox.
One of them was broken. The diagnostic workshop tried 3 times before they finally identified this issue.

Below you can find the details of the workshop that was able to fix this issue. That is a workshop oriented to service a DSG gearboxes.
Here you have the link: http://autodrive.pl/en/home-eng/ (there is a phone and email there)
They should be able to communicate in English as well so you may ask them about the details as I'm not an expert in this matter but they are.

Best regards,
Rumcajs

[RS5ukone]

Hi there,
I mean "electro-valve". There are few "electro-valves" in the DSG gearbox.
One of them was broken. The diagnostic workshop tried 3 times before they finally identified this issue.

Below you can find the details of the workshop that was able to fix this issue. That is a workshop oriented to service a DSG gearboxes.
Here you have the link: http://autodrive.pl/en/home-eng/ (there is a phone and email there)
They should be able to communicate in English as well so you may ask them about the details as I'm not an expert in this matter but they are.

Best regards,
Rumcajs

Hi,

I am in the exact same boat and currently trying to make contact with the garage in poland. As you say this issue is hard to diganoistcs because the warning is rare/random and very dangerous that your gearbox just goes into limp mode after months of working fine

May i ask how much the garage charged you in total for the work and repair?