A3 3.2 DSG 04 - A problem

H1_8ENF

H1_8ENF

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Ok, Here's the deal...

4 months ago I bought my first Audi. I like Audis they are great.

However I have a problem and I believe it is related to the DSG box.

Now I have read hundreds of posts by people with the same car as I, who all claim that they are amazed and overwhelmed by the way the gearbox works, how smoothly it operates and how, in fact, if the DSG were a woman, it would be Keira Knightley, covered in melted Lindt chocolate.

I appear to be the only man in the world who doesn't find this to be the case. And that, makes me think I have a problem.


My gearbox has the following traits...

At low speeds it is jumpy.
I lose drive when accelerating up or down a hill (from a standing start) - which causes me to lurch and roll back.
When going from reverse into 1st (or drive as it actually is) I find that the box sits in what appears to be neutral for probably about 1 or 2 seconds before engaging and driving (lurching) away. Whilst it is sitting in "neutral" the car will rev - in case that makes a difference to anyone.

Now this makes me think that whilst everyone else is driving Keira Knightley I am driving Jackie Stallone.

My Audi dealership, claims it can find no fault. Although credit where it is due, they haven't given up looking for it yet and the faults are intermittant.

So does anyone have any ideas or similar stories? As I am now running out of ideas / time / and Warranty.

Help greatly appreciated.

Ben
 
Certainly doesn't sound normal to me.
I don't recall anyone else posting similar DSG problems to those - certainly during the last two years anyway.

Have you demonstrated the specific problems to the dealer rather than just saying "Something's a bit iffy; please have a look".
 
I'm on my second A3 fitted with a DSG and I certainly have never experienced anything like the problem you describe. It's sound to me like the clutches are not behaving as they should.
 
H1_8ENF said:
I appear to be the only man in the world who doesn't find this to be the case. And that, makes me think I have a problem.


My gearbox has the following traits...

At low speeds it is jumpy.
I lose drive when accelerating up or down a hill (from a standing start) - which causes me to lurch and roll back.
When going from reverse into 1st (or drive as it actually is) I find that the box sits in what appears to be neutral for probably about 1 or 2 seconds before engaging and driving (lurching) away. Whilst it is sitting in "neutral" the car will rev - in case that makes a difference to anyone.
Click to expand...

You're not the only bloke in the world who finds these problems with DSG.
I experience everything you do too, to varying degrees.
Low speed (above crawl) in traffic, no matter which mode, is jerky and lurchy.
Hillstarts are a nightmare (presumably why Audi list 'hillhold' as an option)
Engaging reverse is a time consuming nightmare, making you look a **** in a car park.
My car's been like this since new.
I've driven other DSG's, to compare, and they're the same
Some people notice these things more than others, some people work around them.
Bottom line is, it's normal.
 
Thanks for your time on this

I have described the problems to them in more detail than I have here, but without the female celebrity reference points.

I have also been out in the car with their head technician, however the car behaved normally then, no lurching, no bizarre gear changes.

They currently have the car with them. If they say there is nothing wrong with it again I shall have an independant inspection carried out.

Any suggestions for this are more than welcome guys!?
 
Skittler said:
I don't recall anyone else posting similar DSG problems to those - certainly during the last two years anyway.
Click to expand...

LOL!
Are you kidding me???
 
The only delay I have found is when selecting reverse, but having reversing sensors makes this easier as I only apply revs when the bleep sounds. Apply revs too early and it will lurch.
 
Not wanting to sound like I am burying my head in the sand and hoping that I can ignore the fact that Bowfer has similar problems but it seems odd that the car can be have in two ways.

It can either drive "normally" or it can drive like a loon. Surely a car can only behave in one way or another, it shouldnt be able to choose its own driving style... a car that can do that would surely flag up that there is a fault?
 
Well I have the same car as you same age etc, I think the delay with reverse is normal, you will just have to adapt and get used to it, as for the other faults I have to say that on hills I tend to use the park brake when pulling off-if you read the manual it tells you on hill starts with DSG you will get the `roll back` sin", and to use the park brake. I really dont think they will find much wrong with your car-DSG is a very long way off being perfect-(Q Bowfer) I think you will just have to learn to live with it-or change if you dont like it???:icon_thumright:
 
Certainly looks that way doesn't it. Shame really, everything else about the car is pretty damn good, it is only the gearbox that lets it down!
 
I`ve kind of got used to it and now that I expect the niggles I love driving it but its each to there own I guess...when I change next year I will go back to manual though.:)
 
Yes when I know how it is going to behave I dont mind it at all, it's the fact that in can jump from one extreme to the other that i find frustrating. I'm sure I will put up with it happily but I must say that with all the hype surrounding the DSG box I have been left feeling quite disappointed with it.

Still - it could be worse, I mean afterall I am driving a 3.2 V6:icon_thumright:
 
H1_8ENF said:
Certainly looks that way doesn't it. Shame really, everything else about the car is pretty damn good, it is only the gearbox that lets it down!
Click to expand...

Hear hear.
My whole A3 ownership experience has been tainted by that damn gearbox.
Whilst it has other faults, like any car, I'd probably overlook them if the driving experience wasn't completely ruined by DSG.
When the gearbox ****** you off all the time though, other faults just add to the horror.
 
Sorry to see that your whole exp is tainted by DSG. We don't like it either hence the manual versions (Quattro by choice, and Black of course:mad: ) are the ones for us.
 
I've got to agree, it's the worst thing about my car. I might get another A3 next year but there's no way I'll be going for a DSG model. It's the jurkiness at very low speeds in stop start traffic that's the worst
 
It's a lesson learned Rick.
Never fall for marketing hype when you're stuck with a car for three years (company car).
If it had been my own car, it would have been sold within months and I'd have simply put the whole sorry business behind me.
"Ooh look, I can play with some paddles...whoopeee..sorry about your neck"
 
There are a number of problems that some people experience with DSG (which I wasn't disagreeing with), and these have been well covered in previous threads.

I think these issues sound different to me though.

Bowfer, please don't let your dislike of DSG in general cloud the issue - which is whether that particular behaviour is normal for a DSG. As described, I don't think so.
 
Skittler said:
Bowfer, please don't let your dislike of DSG in general cloud the issue - which is whether that particular behaviour is normal for a DSG. As described, I don't think so.
Click to expand...

I'm not letting it cloud the issue.
As I stated earlier in the thread, many of the traits he described are replicated in my car, and other DSG's I have driven.
Evidently, some of the behaviour is therefore normal.
If my car is anything to go by, DSG's 'foibles' get worse with age too.
My car is a jerky, clunky, mess.
this may or may not be sorted by a DSG oil change, which I think is due around now (36000 miles).
Depending on the mileage of the poster's car, it's entirely possible his is showing the results of higher mileage.
His car will be one of the first with DSG, so perhaps he's venturing into 'unknown territory'.
 
Re. Higher mileage

Yes, you could well be right - and that's very worrying as the rest of us catch him up!
 
This is a bit of a diesel v petrol argument and divides owners.

I'm on my second DSG car and don't get any jurkiness when driving in slow moving traffic, which is most of the time.

Just release the brake, let it start moving then apply gas - I've found using sport mode in crawling traffic helps as you don't get the early change to 2nd gear.

My test drive in a 170 was a manual and I now know why I chose DSG.
 
daveyjp said:
I'm on my second DSG car and don't get any jurkiness when driving in slow moving traffic, which is most of the time.

Just release the brake, let it start moving then apply gas - I've found using sport mode in crawling traffic helps as you don't get the early change to 2nd gear.

My test drive in a 170 was a manual and I now know why I chose DSG.
Click to expand...

Most of the jerkiness in slow moving traffic I experience is when you come OFF the throttle.
Sometimes, the engine braking and transmission shunt is unbelievable, like a learner driver.
It throws you forward, but what can you do?
I can hardly change the way I take my foot off a throttle and I don't have a clutch to depress to stop it!
'Manual' is worst for this, 'D' stops it a bit.
To be perfectly frank, it would take VERY poor clutch control for a manual driver to be as jerky as DSG in traffic.
 
from my own experience, i have a petrol 2.0T and have experienced none of the issues detailed other than the reverse delay, tho id say it was .5 of a second,

I have however test driven a diesel for about 100 miles and experienced all the issues and gave it back to audi and told them it was horrible, to which the service engineers response was 'yes, it is in a diesel'...

each to their own i guess. id love to try a 3.2tho
 
I've never tried DSG in a petrol, but I'm willing to concede the 'rough' character of the engine may contribute to the problems I've encountered.
 
Ok - just to throw a spanner into this one...

The Audi UK Technical team have been investigating my car now all day, running various tests and still more to follow. I have just been informed that there is a good chance that they want to keep my car for as long as over the weekend. That gives me some indication that they are aware the car is not performing as it should be.

Mr steve - I do like to hear that yours is selection speed of about .5 second as it confirms to me that mine is most certainly not.

Bowfer - my jerkiness is generally on accelration and not on deceleration, but I must say its ****** weird how many different ways this gearbox seems to react.

I had a DSG oil change at approx 56000 miles, it did improve the jerky nature but did not eliminate it.

Before this week Audi claimed that nobody had ever experienced a fault like what I was claiming to be experiencing. Who knows maybe they will discover something new through all these "tests".

I will keep you informed. Good to hear your comments and concerns with the 'good ole' DSG...
 
H1_8ENF said:
Bowfer - my jerkiness is generally on accelration and not on deceleration, but I must say its ****** weird how many different ways this gearbox seems to react.
Click to expand...

FWIW, I've noticed my DSG has good and bad days too.
I can only put this down to the fact DSG allegedly 'learns' your driving habits and adjusts itself accordingly.
So if you drive fast all the time, it adjusts itself and vice versa.
However, I've noticed 'switching' driving styles confuses the hell out of it.
If I go from thrashing the **** off the car to driving slowly, the DSG will start doing weird stuff like not changing down a gear like ot normally would.
So you'll start going up a hill and it'll labour, forcing you to change manually.
It's a very fickle beast!
 
H1 8ENF.........where abouts are you based?. If you're anywhere near me, your welcome to compare my DSG with yours. If not, I'm sure someone else with the same spec as you will be able to help.
The only "problem" I experience is the slight pause between reverse and first. That said I don't find it a problem at all and think it's a great addition to the 3.2 V6.
 
Ive not heard of the gearbox learning your driving habits. How does it do that? Any ideas? Don't worry I dont want an in depth technical analysis - I'm just interested
 
3.2 Ju I'm based in Birmingham, but thank you for the offer, thats very kind. Of course if anyone is any closer to me than Bradford and would like to make a similar offer then that would be great, though I certainly wouldnt want to pressure anyone into doing so!

Cheers to all of you on here, all of you very informative and helpful. Glad to have joined.
 
Same offer would apply from me however I`m even further away...one quick question,are you actually paying for all these tests if the car is a 2004??? I hope its warranty of some sort or this much time @ the stealers will cost a small fortune mate??? Keep us all informed as to the outcome:icon_thumright:
 
One quick reply would be no, I bought from a main dealer 4 months ago so I still have 8 months worth of warranty before I start paying for it...

Otherwise I don't think I would be as caalm as I am.

However I would like it back quite soon as my replacement they have given me is A4 1.9 TDI. Which is like driving a tank witha gear box that has been put together by monkeys with an Ikea instruction manual and some string. And if anyone happens to read this who is currently driving an A4 with this engine in it would someone kindly point out to me the purpose of first gear. To me it seems it was included because it was sort of customary to do so - because as far as I can tell it's pointless. Gets to 5000 rpm by the time youve hit 10mph!

Don't get me wrong I havent got a thing against every gearbox ever produced.... honest...
 
mine does the same thing in revere but to be fair since reverse is for manoeuvring only, I find there is enough drive with the crawl you get (ie not pressing the gas pedal) to move the car slowly into a space - don't get these people that need to be doing 10-15mph in reverse it isn't necessary - so thats my workaround for this 'trait'

I have been noticing lately of a bit of a snatched gear change between 1st and second although it doesn't do it all the time - can't really work out at what times it does it, at first i suspected when it was cold but I have had it do it when its warm and not do it when its cold - so not sure about this but i expect it is probably normal and within the operating tolerances of the gearbox - ie its not going to get everything perfect all of the time.
 
I wouldnt have put the jerky nature at low revs down to gear selection, it doesnt feel like its changing down a gear then back up, it feels like its disengaging completely and the re engaging at with as much gusto as to launch the QE2. With regards to reversing, reverse is fine, when the box has found it - it just takes a while for it to realise its purpose in life is to selct the gear I want it to.

Incidentally everyone, I still havent heard from audi, so presumably still more checks and tests are being carried out, I'll let you know when I hear anything
 
To add to this discussion, my 3.2 DSG has been jerky from time to time. It went in for a service today, so I asked them to investigate. The technicians agreed that it wasn't working correctly and they've ordered a new control module for the gearbox.

Dan
 
Cheers Dan,

I believe it is called a Mechatronic Control Unit. Having had my car for four days Audi Technical UK have decided to go down the route of ordering one of those for me aswell. Have you had yours fitted yet? If so has that improved things?

Good to see that Audi are willing to accept that our cars are not operating correctly - as that means they will keep on having to fit new bits to my car until they think it is now working as it should...

Is yours under warranty aswell?
 
H1_8ENF said:
Cheers Dan,

I believe it is called a Mechatronic Control Unit. Having had my car for four days Audi Technical UK have decided to go down the route of ordering one of those for me aswell. Have you had yours fitted yet? If so has that improved things?

Good to see that Audi are willing to accept that our cars are not operating correctly - as that means they will keep on having to fit new bits to my car until they think it is now working as it should...

Is yours under warranty aswell?
Click to expand...
How is the car now the control unit has been replaced...is it much different??? Are you happier with the car now? :icon_thumright: :cool:
 
It will take ten days for the replacement unit to arrive and then they will call the car in to have it fitted, so as yet I don't know if this is the answer. Audi say this is one of a couple of things they can try... so lets hope? Has anyone else had one of these go wrong and re-fitted?
 
Interesting that.
If I were keeping my car, I'd probably hassle Audi to replace that Mechatronic control unit.
But I'm not, so I won't.
Still interesting though!
 
H1_8ENF said:
It will take ten days for the replacement unit to arrive and then they will call the car in to have it fitted, so as yet I don't know if this is the answer. Audi say this is one of a couple of things they can try... so lets hope? Has anyone else had one of these go wrong and re-fitted?
Click to expand...
Ok thanks...could you let us know how it behaves when it is done, I think a few of us would be very interested.:icon_thumright:
 
Will do with pleasure, I'm rather hoping they get it in before christmas. It can be like a little christmas present from Sutton Coldfield Audi to me.
 
bowfer said:
It's a lesson learned Rick.
Never fall for marketing hype when you're stuck with a car for three years (company car).
If it had been my own car, it would have been sold within months and I'd have simply put the whole sorry business behind me.
"Ooh look, I can play with some paddles...whoopeee..sorry about your neck"
Click to expand...

Exactly the reason for introducing cash in lieu of Company cars.. I have done this with great success.
 
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