Multitronic Problems - Big Problems!

Log a call complaint with Audi Customer services and WatchDog.

I have contacted Audi and been told that they are not aware of the issue because no one has complained which I don't believe. Watch Dog may take action if there is enough complaints.

See my signature below.

not happy said:
I have had my A4 2.0 S Line Diesel for 3 1/2 years and regularly serviced by Audi dealers. I experienced some 'missing' recently and then a loss of power when accelerating, more noticeable when climbing hills. I took the car into a friends Audi approved workshop and after a diagnosis he said it needs a new gearbox! he stated that this was a common problem and due to the technicalities of the electronics he wouldn't want to replace it but recommended someone. Like all the previous posters, I believe there is a duty on Audi's behalf to compensate people in our situation. Has anyone won a case against Audi or any other manufacturer? I really can't afford the £2 - £4k that people are quoting for repairs
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I would also like to complain about the rubbish multitronic gearbox after just being recovered when I completely lost drive coming out of a car park onto a main road which was down right frightening. I've had the car ('03 A4) back to the garage twice since I bought it in June with 68000 on the clock and all they did was reset the ECU to clear the fault code. Now the car is undriveable, unsafe and potentially needs a complete new gearbox! This is the first Audi I've ever owned but would certainly think twice before buying another one if this is the extent of the so called german engineering excellence. Please keep me informed of any Watchdog action as I'm about to offer my garage the chance to put this right before pursuing legal action.
 
Hi Guys, new to the site and thought i'd tell you my story!! 15th January bought a 2005 A4 2.0 tdi Multitronic with 52k milles on the clock. 2 days after purchase guess what??? Yip, could get her out of reverse, switched her off and on again and she went ok. Later that day went to start her and nothing!!! All lights were on ok but she wouldn't turn over. Afetr 20 mins she decided to fire up. Well everyday since it's been steadily getting worse. left into local audi dealer and they said it was some pcb and magnets, left her in today and they've now told me it's the ecu on the multi!!! Sick as a pig now!!! What are Audi at?? I just traded my '02 Passat triptronic with 158k on the clock and she never missed a beat! Unfortunately the dealer i purchased the Audi from is in England (Evans Halshaw) and i'm here in Belfast. Feel sick after reading boys are having to fork out up to £4k for a new gearbox! I find out tomorrow what will be needed for definite.
 
"just a break down for you, if your car judders on gentle acceleration then the most likely culprit is a 6-7 clutch plate conversion or a new input shaft, and an update, i dont advise getting this done anywhere else other than a main deler as specialist gearbox repairers are not able to recode the gearbox ecu for 7 plates that is a fact IT cant be done anywhere else no matter what they say!!"

Hi all I have this problem on a 2004 1.8T multitronic. Does anyone have a blueprint/diagram of this gearbox so I can make sense of how/where the 6/7 plate clutches are located and the input shaft and how this all fits together. I also want to know if I can do the 6 - 7 plate upgrade on the model I have? Is there a specialist anyone can recomend that I can call up to discuss this?
 
my cousin has a a4 mulititronic box also and had the same problem!!
does the light on the dash flash?
what it is the gearbox ecu is naffed
new one from audi was around £650 plus the oil
there is a company that can repiar them but we tryed it and after what they did the ecu was tottly dead so we got a refund and got a new one and fitted it and never had a issue since.
it dont need a new gear box which is a load of balls
if you want the job done give me a shout!!
 
We just bought an A4 1.8 Convertable. 2 (old) lady owners, 55 plate and only 20K miles, and yes, a multitronic gearbox that is playing up already. All dash lights on and the gearbox is failing to deliver power properly to the wheels.

The car is utterly immaculate and has obviously been very well looked after (full VAG SH). As the 3rd owner, do we have any claim against audi for an inadequate bit of kit?

The car will be delivered to VAG in Camberley this evening and so we could do with some advice on how to deal with the potentially criplling cost of repair.

Thanks in advance
 
Latest is that it needs a new ECU. Normally £1500, Audi have given us a 'goodwill' price of £1100 and an A6 3.0 TDi Quattro estate to use until it is repaired in 10 days time!

Nice, but I worry if this repair will be enough if we are getting the dreaded shudder on gera change.

Any thoughts?
 
Hi All
I'm new to the forum. I'm also one of the unlucky one's with this problem. I've researched the problem a bit and have found a place called ECU Testing.com in Nottingham that can repair the ECU at 250 pounds and they give a 2 year / unlimited mileage warranty with the repair. My problem is that I'm in South Africa and need to ship the thing there. I would like to know from anybody whether they know the place and have actually used them. In essence a reference!! Thank you!!
 
Hi all

I have had various gearbox problems (A4 2001 2.0), mainly as a result of poor maintenance by the previous owner. I've seen and heard so much about these problems, but eventually found a garage who didn't just dismiss it as "CVT multitronic? new gearbox mate"

Basically, the gearbox is really sensitive to all the ECU readings, and this model has 3 - gearbox, engine and ABS. If any of them are not reading correctly, the gearbox a=starts to play up. I've replaced most of the top breather system (previously bodged!), catalytic converter (result of previous bodges), coolant temp sensor (common problem) and the housing, which was leaking, the coolant then leaking into the gearbox breather. I then had the CVT fluid replaced. Result is that it's getting better (still needs the thermostat doing, which again affects things).

Basically, don't take any crap from small back street dealers, most of whom don't really understand auto boxes/are frightened of them. If yo don't want to go to Audi, at least go to an auto specialist and suggest they check all the temperature sensors and breathers etc, and the fluid in the box before they go down the route of new ECU/valve body etc.

Hope that helps - it's a great car, just needs looking after properly - yes you pay more for supposed reliability and quality, but you still have to look after them properly!
 
I only had 1 car with auto gearbox, a old shape audi a6 c4 (audi 100 shape) 2.5 tdi with a 4 speed gearbox. I had it for 5 years and covered over 100k in it. I only sold it after repairing the gearbox 2 times at a well known auto gearbox specialist(it did not last long!) then they had replaced the box with a factory rebuilt one wich lasted till the car was written-off (i knew the new owner)...I have since lost faith in automatic gearboxes ! Had a Nissan sunny 20 years ago with a 3 speed gearbox wich was worked really hard by my father and never, never missed a beat. If you want a reliable box buy a b5/c5 audi quattro with a ZF gearbox...Much more reliable but still can give trouble if the oil isn't replaced every 80k or so. I decided to stick with manual boxes, much cheapper to replace a clutch and flzwheel than auto gearboxes !
 
adamss24 said:
If you want a reliable box buy a b5/c5 audi quattro with a ZF gearbox...Much more reliable but still can give trouble if the oil isn't replaced every 80k or so.
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Not too sure about this mate! I have a C5 RS6 with the said ZF box, and they are notorious for failing. In fact mine just failed in November. 3k for the refurb!
 
Well you're not alone here, the issues of dsg boxes is well known across the US as Audi America extended the mechatronic warranties over there to 100k miles, so it is known to audi.

Also I know of number of people with issues with there's here that got goodwill for there cars even though audi didnt say yes we admit a problem, you only have to scan the net & forums for people with issues on variety of VAG branded cars.

I know of another instance where recently audi have offered 50% on the cost of replacing the mechatronic unit on the 8P, so audi arent accepting liability in UK but clearly they wouldnt offer 50% of the whole cost on a car thats now 5-6 years old unless they knew something they supplied had issues.

Totally unacceptable tbh as they're also aware of turbo issues, porous heads & rack issues on the 8P, considering the stock of racks in birmingham main warehouse is vast & my contacts at audi say they replace them often, the fact we have to pay this huge cost & they wont accept they have supplied not fit for purpose parts, boils my urine.

The fact that audi have paid a fair bit towards head replacements, racks & turbo's when challenged by customers kinda tells a tale dont you think, let alone stretched chains on the 3.2's which someone got 75% plus paid for on a car thats out of warranty.
 
mrmule said:
Not too sure about this mate! I have a C5 RS6 with the said ZF box, and they are notorious for failing. In fact mine just failed in November. 3k for the refurb!
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There is no manual gearbox wich audi has that will withstand the torque and bhp of a v8 twin turbo ! Even the r8 gearbox is somewhat a Lamborghini box. They do break with spirited drag launching as the torque convertor does not lock from tickover wich is bad for the box...
 
Just reading through this thread with my head in my hands. I bought an A4 1.9 TDI multitronic 8 days ago, 54 plate, 56 K miles. All was fine on the test drive no problems at all, really liked the car so I parted with mt cash and took delivery a couple of days later. Driving round the first day I realised that sometimes the car shudders when coming to a stop, something clearly not right there I thought, so called garage and have it booked in for next week. Will see what they have to say, it's Evans Halshaw not Audi so I am expecting to have some problems to get them to admit there is a problem. I've also noticed sometimes after pulling up with a shudder that the car doesn't seem to engage drive again properly, happened on a hill once and I almost rolled back into the guy behind me! After reading this thread it seems like I am joining the multitronic problem club! Ugh!
 
Hi,

Is anyone certain of how to differentiate between the conventional Auto 'box and a MultiTronic CVT 'box on a 2000 to 2005 A6 (2.5) Tdi?

Is it the 'S' versus '1' & '2' on the gear lever? (I'm not referring to the '+' and '-' symbols on the manual area of the selector)

I don't want to but a CVT Multi-tronic by mistake!

Are the conventional tipTronic boxes much more reliable than the CVT? I think so. I hear so, But they seem rare after 2000 most Auto box cars seem to be the CVT variant.

BTW: Are there better variants of the 2.5 diesel engine? As is the case with the 1.9 diesel - the PD130BHP 1.9Tdi seems to be the best 1.9 motor, although all 1.9's are good. I want the 2.5 for the torque... feels great. I may simply search out the manual quattro version, although they are old and becoming rare.

Thanks.
 
New member. I have a 2003/52 A4 cab 3.0 DSG.
I bought it in 2004 with 16K on, from an Audi dealer and soon detected that the gearbox was jerky at times when moving off from rest - that aside I really like the gearbox.
I tried to get it fixed under warranty. They said change the gearbox oil. I said I have already had it changed. They said "do you think Audi will shell out £4K for a new gearbox without changing the gearbox oil?" I had the oil changed again. No difference. Hounded them for a bit but got nowhere and gave up.

7 years and 104K miles later: still jerky at times, fine on the open road. Just one day it misbehaved badly, felt like clutch slip or not selecting a gear. Cleared itself up and has not really done it again though once or twice I've had a whisper of it. For the last 60/70K I have lived in fear of having to get a new box and I still do.

That aside I have only had 2 problems:
1) most of the electrics went haywire - locking itself, alarm going off, widows going down by themselves. Friendly non audi garage tracked it down to the control unit being wet (under the passenger seat I'm told), took it out and dried it off. No further problems (I suspect a 'proper' dealer would have fitted a new unit for £800 or so).
2) Back window detached from the hood - inside was OK outside detached. Halfords said fix it with mastic. Didn't work. Various US forums said either can't be fixed or use very complicated heat guns etc. Finally found the Surreycarinteriors.co.uk who fixed it for about £120 - was worth £120 just to meet the guy and see the cars he was working on (1948 Bristol, 1930s Lagonda, wartime RAF Hillman Minx)
 
A4 2.5 TDi with MT, 95,000 miles, 03 plate.

No errors on the ECU, but I have the judder on acceleration and also when slowing down. I also have an issue with the revs when driving at a constant speed of around 40mph, where the revs will increase by 500rpm every few seconds, but there is no corresponding increase in speed.

The car is fine otherwise, and I'm hoping to have the work carried out with paying main dealer prices, can anybody recommend a repairer who understands the problem and can carry out the repairs.

Many thanks,
 
Hi guys im new to these forum.I just bought A6 C6 2005 2.4V6 127.000km.It started to shudder while moveing off only when oil get hot and on low revs , i have also noticed that revs jump up and down at speed 50 60km/h.Ecu checked no faults!Mes. block also look good, adaptation done, first oil changed at 80.000km a bit too late and again just now but problem didnt gone.A couple of mechanic"s told me that forward clutch needs to be change and probably chain as well.Any way gearbox has to be strip on the table.
Anybody had the same problem in 2.4 petrol?
 
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www.inde-tech.co.uk

They'll give you decent advice and sort out the problems. They're fixing about 2-3 cars a week with Multitronic problems - usually a new 7 plate clutch.

Did mine in a day, wish I'd found out about them earlier.
 
Would you be able to advise what this multitronic might be: Gearbox? Sensor? Clutch? some plastic trans fluid pressure device? Hoping it's cheap as feeling skint.

Car is A4 3.0 petrol multitronic cabrio on an 03 plate. 90,000 mainly motorway miles

Everything is fine when the car is ran from cold for abour 2 miles, or specifically till the gearbox is up to temperature.

When engine and gearbox warm, anything above 1900 rpm and everything is fine.
When you come to a stop everything is fine.
Accelerate hard and it seems to be fine

But when up to temperature and Below 1900 revs like when you cruise on the motorway in traffic the rev counter shows the revs kind of blipping up and down, not constantly, but regularly.It 's as if it hasn't been able to make up its mind what gear ratio to stick with.

If you press the accelerator more than moderately no problem, as revs rise to well over the problem threshold of 1900rpm or possibly even as low as 1800.

When you park the car up gingerly at the end of the day at very low revs no problems. Can be jerky accelerating away from lowish to moderate throttle levels but ONLY when gearbox is warm.

I could have sworn it behaved itself completely even when warm the other week. Trans oil has been changed recently.

thanks
 
First of all u have to have VAG then u can check gearbox control unit and also Measure blocks.I have very similar problem and the bad news is no matter what its gearbox has to be strip;(
Forward Clutch(no need to strip gearbox)
Electric control unit(no need to strip gearbox)
Chain
Drums
Hydraulic Unit
Input shaft
But be4 that i would recommend u start of adaptation and find out when was the last time u have changed ATF (gearbox oil)
Problems occur only when the oil is warm why?Because ones ATF gets warm pressure in the gearbox decrease which means that chain has more loose between the drums and starts to slip it could be exactly the same with the forward clutch....I just diagnosed my gearbox problem.U probably saw my post above
 
What did you mean "have VAG?"

Gearbox oil changed at 40,000miles then 49,500 (because we did not know it had been done at 40,000) and 89,500 miles.

I would have thought a clutch slipped under hard acceleration. Mine does not. Only problems are when between 1200rpm-1800rpm and gearbox WARM

Cheers
 
audi upgrades
Hey Everyone,
I'm new here and have seen a great 2009 58 plate A4 Avant 2.7 TDI multitronic that I like the look of. The only problem is that this thread and others on the net have scared me witless about now opting to buy. I suppose for me the big issue is whether anyone has had the same gearbox problems with the new 7 plate clutch installed as replacements, or in the newer cars?

I spoke to the guys at Inde-Tech for some advice and they were really helpful advising that it was perhaps to early to tell. Can anyone else offer any advice or guidance.

Thanks in advance
 
mrmule said:
Not too sure about this mate! I have a C5 RS6 with the said ZF box, and they are notorious for failing. In fact mine just failed in November. 3k for the refurb!
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spot on they are common and its engine out to remove the box with these beasts I have never had the torque converter fail though

but clutch packs and solonoid valve chests yes for rs6
 
Hi, I'm new here so please be gentle.

Audi UK have offered me a reasonable discount off a "New" multitronic gearbox,due to my very good service history, etc., but my local dealer is now telling me that itwon't be a new box, but just an exchange unit ???

I can't get hold of Audi UK to confirm what this means, I don't mind themtaking back my old box if they are supplying me with a brand new one, but ifthe new box is only a refurbished one and still costs £5000 inc fitting beforediscount to replace, that seems a bit extortionate !
Does any one know the real cost of a new box so that I cancheck I’m not being ripped off
2005 Audi A4 Cabriolet, 2.4 V6, Multitronic
 
Dave.G6HNI said:
Hi, I'm new here so please be gentle.

Audi UK have offered me a reasonable discount off a "New" multitronic gearbox,due to my very good service history, etc., but my local dealer is now telling me that itwon't be a new box, but just an exchange unit ???

I can't get hold of Audi UK to confirm what this means, I don't mind themtaking back my old box if they are supplying me with a brand new one, but ifthe new box is only a refurbished one and still costs £5000 inc fitting beforediscount to replace, that seems a bit extortionate !
Does any one know the real cost of a new box so that I cancheck I’m not being ripped off
2005 Audi A4 Cabriolet, 2.4 V6, Multitronic
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its probably new electric control unit that cost 1000eu.New gearbox cost 5500eu.Mate they will ripp u off any way.Take the car back and bring it to private garage that repair multi.I had the same in my 2.4 A6, after the deler wanted to replace the gearbox i took the car to private garage.Cost me 800eu and half of the box is new inside, drives like new one!
 
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patsy2011 said:
What did you mean "have VAG?"

Gearbox oil changed at 40,000miles then 49,500 (because we did not know it had been done at 40,000) and 89,500 miles.

I would have thought a clutch slipped under hard acceleration. Mine does not. Only problems are when between 1200rpm-1800rpm and gearbox WARM

Cheers
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Hi i replied to your post long ago but have just noticed that its not here!
Any way VCDS cable these is what u need , u could then check the ECU for faults and MVB.
I had very similar problem, ATF stream pump, chain, forward clutch had to be replaced.
 
Guys, if you want an auto in an Audi, go for the tiptronic or newer model in the Multi Tronic. There are hundred of audi drivers commenting on these Audi's and being ripped off by high Audi costs. See Audi MultiTronic Gearbox Problems
 
I wouldnt fully agree with your opinion. The earlier version of multi. was faulty thats right, since 2004 multitronic was improved. People who buy an Audi with such a gearbox often forget about regular service which is ATF oil. It has to be change every 60km. otherwise multi strats slowly brake down. Another reason why it has bad opinion as a faulty gearbox is that people abuse their cars and unfortunately multitronic is not strong enough for sporty driveing style. I watch a couple of other forums, thrust me there are a lot of problems with tip tronic too.
 
Oh my god, a lot of problems here which is now worrying the hell out of me!

My car is going into the garage on friday for a VAG check. Its a 2004 A3 2.0 TDi and the DSG gearbox struggles to change down gears when decellarating. It makes funny 'metallic' noises when it does.

I have only had the car for nearly 3 months which i bought from a garage in Rochdale. I noticed the problem straight away but thought it was just because the engine was cold. If its an expensive job do you think i have a case against the garage i bought it from? I told him the next day something was wrong with it.

Thanks in advance
 
Well u gona have to proof them that they sold u a faulty car, if u say that u told them right away that something was wrong u have case against the garage! I dont know much about DSG gearbox but i can only imagine its the same expensive and complicated like multitronic :( Good luck pal, let us know how did u get on.
 
gregor100 said:
Well u gona have to proof them that they sold u a faulty car, if u say that u told them right away that something was wrong u have case against the garage! I dont know much about DSG gearbox but i can only imagine its the same expensive and complicated like multitronic :( Good luck pal, let us know how did u get on.
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Cheers, hopefully its something minor! Will let you know bud!
 
Katherine B said:
Love my car, love Audi...hope I still do in a week....

Have an A4 1.8T with multitronic gearbox, bought brand new and only 3 years old (3 months outside warranty) with normal mileage....last week noticed that car seems to be missing/blipping, like gears slipping, especially when pulling away or going up hill. Booked it into my regular Audi dealer to get it checked out...

Mechanic knew exactly what it was immediately...something wrong with the Mulitronic. Diagnosis - needs new gearbox!!

How can a 3 year old car, costing best part of �30,000 need a new gear box after 50,000 miles...???

I've been told it's turning into a common problem for Audi...design fault with the Multitronic they thought was restricted to diesel engines, but turns out it's petrol too...so everyone out there with a multitronic box needs to be aware of this problem.

Clearly Audi know they have a potential nightmare but personally very disappointed (having spent so much money on a 'reliable' car) they have made no effort to advise people, or recall cars....waiting for warranties to expire perhaps...? Or maybe I'm just being cynical...

Anyone else out there with the same/similar experience (and I hear there are lots of you) please let me know...keen to find out how you resolved this with Audi.
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I have been an avid Audi enthusiast since the first Quatro rally car first appeared. I have been driving Audi since 1995. The 500SE was a dream to drive and I traded that in due to age after 11 years. After that I drove an A4 2.0 multitronic that kept on blowing its tail end lights. Thereafter I drove an A4 1.8T multitronic with no significant problem. When I got the opportunity to buy an A4 2.0 TFSI quatro factory demo, I jumped at the chance, much to my regret. It had +- 7500 kilometers on the clock. The S-Tronic gearbox has been clunky from the day I drove the car off the lot. At first the dealer treated me as if I was nuts when I complianed, as their diagnostics didn't show any faults. we went through repeated cycles where they kept the car for a day or three and they re-loaded and upgraded software. This didn't solve the problem.

I eventually gave up. Then at the next service they told me the technician who test drove the car after the service said there was something wrong with the gearbox and they wanted me to bring the car in again, which I did. This led to another series of tests and eventually the mechatronic unit was replaced. This didn't solve the problem so another series of tests followed, after which they replaced the clutch. Still no resolution of the problem. The car has +- 41000 Kilometers on the clock now.

I have now, after 2 years, finally given up. I was considering replacing it with another model with a multitronic box, but after reading the feedback from Katherine, I'm not sure I should do that to myself. As if this isn't enough, the car has now developed rattles that the dealer tried unsuccessfully to correct.

This makes me very sad. Where to now???
 
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Sorry to jump on the post bit you all seem to understand the multi tronicmore than I do

Posted 13 hours ago ·

Hi, wonder if anybody could help.

Have an 2004 audi a3 2.0 tdi tiptronic.

Have some problems.. on start up it needs cranking over a bit, (could deal with this) however when driving it the other day left the house fine pulled over at the shop went in come out started car up put in drive and went to pull off and no revs or acceleration.. Turned the car off and on again still nothing... Then off we go (about a minute) get going along again stop at the roundabout same thing again.. However when this happens I lose all revs it drops to about 800rpm. When it eventually goes back to 1000rpm it seems to go OK. Seem to have like an engine cough occasionally Aswell. Have plugged in vcds and noEdition g obvious comes up... Any ideas before I start throwing money into it.??? Tia


 
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