S tronic problems

rasA4

rasA4

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hey all been talking to my mate who is saying the S tronic boxes are failing done a search on google which brings me back to asn :( however cant see any recent stuff..

My worry is now when buying used and after when the warranty expires what then fork out for £5k for a new one? I'm very surprised this is happening a lot.

not really convinced in going for PCP,

your thoughts please
 
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5k is for the box alone , after 10 hrs of labour etc , could see north of 10k .
 
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rasA4 said:
hey all been talking to my mate who is saying the S tronic boxes are failing done a search on google which brings me back to asn :( however cant see any recent stuff..

My worry is now when buying used and after when the warranty expires what then fork out for £5k for a new one? I'm very surprised this is happening a lot.

not really convinced in going for PCP,

your thoughts please
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There are plenty of companies who offer extended warranties...If you are concerned about your s tronic box failing then this would be the best route for you to follow..:friends:
 
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Whilst I have seen occasional posts on here where people have had s-tronic issues, to say that they are failing is a bit of a wide statement. There will always be the odd one for sure with a mass produced car, but I'd suggest that that's the exception rather than the rule.

Keep them maintained - which I think is a fluid change around the 24K or 28k miles mark (can't remember off hand) - and you should be ok. But if you are really worried then take out an extended warranty.
 
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HawkeyeS3 said:
Whilst I have seen occasional posts on here where people have had s-tronic issues, to say that they are failing is a bit of a wide statement. There will always be the odd one for sure with a mass produced car, but I'd suggest that that's the exception rather than the rule.

Keep them maintained - which I think is a fluid change around the 24K or 28k miles mark (can't remember off hand) - and you should be ok. But if you are really worried then take out an extended warranty.
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I'm on my fifth A3 with an s-tronic gearbox and each one has done around 35-40k miles and I have no trouble at all with any of them.
 
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h5djr said:
I'm on my fifth A3 with an s-tronic gearbox and each one has done around 35-40k miles and I have no trouble at all with any of them.
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Shhhh don't speak too soon! :)
 
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Was it not the older boxes that had some issues? I've had two DSG/S-Tronic and never had any bother with either, still in one of them. As said, take out the extended warranty or a after market one to put your mind at rest.
 
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I have been on this forum and various VW forums for years, i have only ever seen very very few mk5 golf aged cars with issues and these happened when cars were new and were fixed under warranty, it was never the whole box either, just the mechtronics units which were about £1500 iirc, i can honestly say i haven't seen any cars in the last two or three years ?!, maybe i am not looking hard enough !
 
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More people will post when their gearbox has issues vs when its working fine, so take it with a pinch of salt. The DQ250 DSG/S-Tronic has been around since 2005. There were some problems on earlier cars with software and mechatronic units failing, but the dry clutch 7 speed DQ200 was the real problem. In general if they are serviced they are reliable.

I had a 2010 GTI that had problems with false neutrals, fixed with software update. Today two cars in the family are S-Tronic and no problems other than occasional jerkiness, noise/whine at low speed but they are just characteristics of what is essentially an automated manual. Its a good box overall.

If it does go wrong, its more likely related to the mechatronics unit which is about 2k to replace, maybe less for a refurbished one. Would need to be pretty catastrophic to replace the whole box.
 
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Cheers guys nicely put
 
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Even manual gearboxes have problems. I had problems with the synco on my last manual box.
 
A synchro is a drop in the Ocean compared to the vunrable complexity of S chronic .
 
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My 63 plate 1.4 COD S-Tronic box was replaced after around 3,000 miles, warranty replacement cost including labour was circ £5,000.

Only took it in as periodically was making a noise like a belt slipping, when accelerating up from the bottom of a hill.

Hasn't put me off, as today just ordered a FL 1.4 COD S-Tronic.

Remember you only ever hear about the ones that develop problems.
 
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Gazwould said:
A synchro is a drop in the Ocean compared to the vunrable complexity of S chronic .
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Not really. If you look at the data and cutaways of an s-tronic it is basically a normal manual gearbox but with automatically operating twin clutches on the end controlled by the mechatronic unit. More expensive that a ordinary manual box but the manual box also needs manual clutches which ware out. One thing with an s-tronic is the control system will not let you abuse it or the clutches.

Personally driving with an s-tronic is much better than with a manual box. But if you prefer a manual then by all means buy a car with one whilst they are still around. A good number of top of the range in each of the Audi models can now only be purchased with s-tronic.
 
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HawkeyeS3 said:
Whilst I have seen occasional posts on here where people have had s-tronic issues, to say that they are failing is a bit of a wide statement. There will always be the odd one for sure with a mass produced car, but I'd suggest that that's the exception rather than the rule.

Keep them maintained - which I think is a fluid change around the 24K or 28k miles mark (can't remember off hand) - and you should be ok. But if you are really worried then take out an extended warranty.
Click to expand...

I'd echo this - VAG drivetrain components usually fail catastrophically early in their life, if they are going to fail. On 8 new VWs i've never had a fault that left me stranded at the roadside, but I have had 2 turbo failures - both within 6 months of new. My Dad is a DSG/S-tronic fan (I am not), and he's had 2 Golf TDIs in DSG flavour - one ran to 123k miles when he traded it in after 5 years, another ran to 142k miles after 6 years, with no drivetrain issues - both cars were running tuning boxes for the majority of their miles. Don't know of anyone on the forums that has had a mechatronic meltdown with the car more than 18 months old. Flu.id change is 40k miles.
 
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