40 TDI gearbox lag - officially a uk software update?

[kennyboy993]

Hi there, back in an Audi after a while. I'm 2 or 3 days in to a C8 40 TDI Avant and although it's nice, of course I've already come across the awful lag from a standing start with the s-tronic gearbox.

I'm already starting to work around it with turning off coasting, switching to sport for roundabouts etc - though I wanted to check if there is officially a software update for this car in the UK that addresses it?

I've noticed something for the 50tdi though not specifically the 40.

 

[abmat]

Strange as I don’t experience any lag in mine at all.

 

[kennyboy993]

I should state my car is a 2019 model. Maybe abmat's car being a 2021 already has update? The problem is all over the net - too severe an issue to be missed.

Out of interest, do you always travel in dynamic and sport abmat?

 

[abmat]

Dynamic. 99% of the time.

 

[RichA6]

Do you mean lag in the stop/start function or just in general? Mine is 2019 and fine, although the stop/start gets confused every now and then.

 

[kennyboy993]

I mean in general, when you're pulling away from a standard start - there's a good 1.5 to 2 second lag from pressing the accelerator to the car actually moving off. It's clearly the transmission not the engine - is when the engine is already started i.e. stop/start turned off

 

[RichA6]

Ok. I’ve not had any issue like that and I’ve had the car from new. Gearbox has always been fine, generally the same as other dct type boxes, a bit slow swapping from first to reverse and back but fine otherwise. I always leave it in comfort mode.

Mines been back to the dealership loads of times for the dash and a recall and has had quite a few software updates. Probably worth asking audi.

 

[kennyboy993]

Thanks Rich - I suspect mine may need same updates, do you know if there's a way I can tell from the car what updates it's had, or is a dealer call job?

 

[RichA6]

Thanks Rich - I suspect mine may need same updates, do you know if there's a way I can tell from the car what updates it's had, or is a dealer call job?

I’m afraid I don’t know sorry. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can pipe in.

 

[abmat]

How many miles has it done?

 

[kennyboy993]

How many miles has it done?

27k

 

[PaulR7]

I find mine sluggish as well from a standing start, pushing the lever down to get the transmission into S mode mostly fixes it but is then too eager to hang onto first and second gear.

 

[kennyboy993]

I find mine sluggish as well from a standing start, pushing the lever down to get the transmission into S mode mostly fixes it but is then too eager to hang onto first and second gear.

Yeah I find that too - I find that putting it in manual mode helps even more. As I move off I then swap back to drive mode. It's all a bit of a faff though - I've emailed dealer to try and get a definitive answer to the software update question

 

[DaveW]

+1 for "S" mode as well...

 

[Steve940]

I get no lag from pull away,I do get lag when coasting around a roundabout and then accelerating..as an example,it would be nice to have Instant response but hey,I'll assume its a characteristic of thus model..maybe a gearbox flash would fix

 

[abmat]

27k

So not due an oils change then.

 

[Steve940]

Box oil change is 38k

 

[elan2s]

When the C8 was launched there were lots of reports on forums such as this one regarding a lag when accelerating. I had this issue on my 2019 car (40TDi) , but it was only really apparent when going to accelerate hard from standstill, perhaps to take advantage of a gap in traffic to turn right. I think some had a software update, but not sure it fully resolved the issue at the time. Popping it into S tended to solve the problem and putting straight back in to D once moving avoided the holding onto gears issues others mentioned. People buying later cars MY20 onwards do not seem to have the issue and on my 21 40TFSi I am not experiencing the issue at all. May of course be the switch from diesel to petrol making it more responsive. Always worth checking with the dealer if there is an update available for the gearbox though

 

[Longstride83]

I have this lag and I had it on my 2019 model and my newer one which is a My20. I find It dangerous.

 

[Gazwould]

Surely this is accelerator pedal lag ?
And lies within the pedal developer coding.

I've noticed two different responses on 2.0 TDI Q5 and Q7 with S-tronic .

I'm sure this would fix it !

 

[A6 Avant]

Does anyone know the specific code for this gearbox software update please (40 TDI) so that I can check whether mine has had it or not? Sounds like it was only necessary for earlier 2018/19 A6 models as newer models don't tend to have the lag.

 

[OptimusPrime]

They do. It has something to do with the start stop function. There is a delay between the car deciding whether it believes you are coming to a stand still or progressing onwards.

I’ve found like everyone else putting it into ‘S’ mode it removes the lag but then becomes jerky as it’s expecting a responsive throttle input.

if you put it into auto drive select mode it improves this issue massively not to mention I’ve found the mpg increase.

 

[A6 Avant]

They do. It has something to do with the start stop function. There is a delay between the car deciding whether it believes you are coming to a stand still or progressing onwards.

I’ve found like everyone else putting it into ‘S’ mode it removes the lag but then becomes jerky as it’s expecting a responsive throttle input.

if you put it into auto drive select mode it improves this issue massively not to mention I’ve found the mpg increase.

Interesting, so should that mean turning off the start/stop function would improve the lag? My 40TDI feels much better than it used to now. Not sure whether I've just got used to it or if Audi updated it at some point (it has had several updates since I've owned it) but I remember it being really bad at first and now it's not really an issue.

One thing that definitely helped was changing the drive mode from 'comfort' to 'individual' with the drive system set to 'balanced' and steering set to 'comfortable'. Fuel economy is probably marginally worse than I was previously getting in comfort mode but the car is much more responsive and I don't have to put it into sport mode at junctions etc.

The most noticeable gearbox lag I experience now is changing from reverse to drive when I first start the car. It goes away after a few seconds but it's a bit disconcerting and can be embarrassing when someone is waiting for you to complete a manoeuvre and it looks like you're just sitting there.