S3 Manual owners - I need your help please! (problem with my S3)

[pop80_uk]

Hey all,
So I owned a 1.4 TFSI 2015 COD manual for around a year and have recently changed it and bought a 2015 S3 manual with 32K on the clock (no engine modifications and will not have any engine modifications made ever)

I have driven it for around 3000 miles so far and its been fine, but just recently has started doing the following:

> You push down the reverse and put it into reverse and then once selected the knob pops back up again (I will try and do a video) Is this normal in a manual S3? My A3 never did this it always stayed down. The reverse gear is still selected and engaged its just the selector pops back up from its depressed position.

> On a few occasions (especially after using the stop start) I have engaged the clutch and selected 1st only for it to be in reverse. Very odd and no force on top of the shifter was required for this to happen. What is the cause? Is this a cheap part?

> On two occasions I have selected reverse and revved the engine to bite but the handbrake has not disengaged, any ideas?

> Finally is there anyway to test how much life my clutch has left in it, it seems OK, but reading on here it would appear at 30,000 miles I am on borrowed time now in relation to clutch life. Its pretty frustrating as I would expect a clutch to last for at least 50 - 70,000 miles. But I have budgeted in for a SACHS replacement.

Thanks for your help in advance and I look forward to your replies.

 

[Adam14]

@Starry would be of most help here I believe seeing as he has a manual S3. Think most here have s tronic S3s.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[Starry]

Hey all,
So I owned a 1.4 TFSI 2015 COD manual for around a year and have recently changed it and bought a 2015 S3 manual with 32K on the clock (no engine modifications and will not have any engine modifications made ever)

I have driven it for around 3000 miles so far and its been fine, but just recently has started doing the following:

> You push down the reverse and put it into reverse and then once selected the knob pops back up again (I will try and do a video) Is this normal in a manual S3? My A3 never did this it always stayed down. The reverse gear is still selected and engaged its just the selector pops back up from its depressed position.

> On a few occasions (especially after using the stop start) I have engaged the clutch and selected 1st only for it to be in reverse. Very odd and no force on top of the shifter was required for this to happen. What is the cause? Is this a cheap part?

> On two occasions I have selected reverse and revved the engine to bite but the handbrake has not disengaged, any ideas?

> Finally is there anyway to test how much life my clutch has left in it, it seems OK, but reading on here it would appear at 30,000 miles I am on borrowed time now in relation to clutch life. Its pretty frustrating as I would expect a clutch to last for at least 50 - 70,000 miles. But I have budgeted in for a SACHS replacement.

Thanks for your help in advance and I look forward to your replies.

Hi mate, my clutch lasted for just over 40k and only failed when i re mapped the car, the trouble is others have given up with 10k on them without a remap. Theres no way of telling whats left on a clutch without removing it. like you said, once it goes just replace it with a Sachs organic, this is what i did.
Did you have your seatbelt on when the handbrake wouldn't release? if not it won't release.
As for the engagement of gears, i think mine stays down in reverse. Could be that there is a weak spring or broken spring thats causing your problems.
It doesn't sound quite right, maybe worth getting it looked at.

 

[S32B]

Hey all,
So I owned a 1.4 TFSI 2015 COD manual for around a year and have recently changed it and bought a 2015 S3 manual with 32K on the clock (no engine modifications and will not have any engine modifications made ever)

I have driven it for around 3000 miles so far and its been fine, but just recently has started doing the following:

> You push down the reverse and put it into reverse and then once selected the knob pops back up again (I will try and do a video) Is this normal in a manual S3? My A3 never did this it always stayed down. The reverse gear is still selected and engaged its just the selector pops back up from its depressed position.

> On a few occasions (especially after using the stop start) I have engaged the clutch and selected 1st only for it to be in reverse. Very odd and no force on top of the shifter was required for this to happen. What is the cause? Is this a cheap part?

> On two occasions I have selected reverse and revved the engine to bite but the handbrake has not disengaged, any ideas?

> Finally is there anyway to test how much life my clutch has left in it, it seems OK, but reading on here it would appear at 30,000 miles I am on borrowed time now in relation to clutch life. Its pretty frustrating as I would expect a clutch to last for at least 50 - 70,000 miles. But I have budgeted in for a SACHS replacement.

Thanks for your help in advance and I look forward to your replies.

What month was it registered? if after October 2015 it's still under warranty, get them to check it out!
If before then where did you buy it from and what warranty did they give?

 

[Leevr]

Alright mate, the gear selection I'll keep you informed, as you know mines in for that issue. The hand brake release is an issue that can be semi cured by an ECU update but it has limited success. My clutch is slipping, and has done since 23700 and is on just over 25K now. As @Starry said he clutches are a curious choice for the S3. Most people on here seem to have issues from 7K upwards. There's been talk of it being a golf GTI spec clutch, thats not really man enough for the car, but some are lucky and some, me included are not. Dont bother trying to fight your corner to get a replacement either. Audi dig their heals in and bury their heads. If you do get them to take the clutch out, it'll be blued and it'll be your fault. Guarenteed conversation. No compromises.

 

[Matt Titanium]

Poor design. Reverse is too easy to select and the stick hasn't needed to be pushed down in either of the cars I've had, just an extra push to the left. Parking Plus and having the stereo turned up has reminded me on a couple of occasions. Never had any issues with the handbrake auto releasing, only when my door was not shut properly. FL doesn't need seatbelt to release.

 

[JonnyS3]

Pre face lift 64 plate manual here - even without my seatbelt in, my handbrake comes off no issues.

How are you guys seeing clutch slipping - high gear, load the throttle and see regs rise ? I don’t think I have noticed any slipping on mine and now on circa 35k.

I have noticed the odd time I’ve gone for reverse and got first but I put it down to my error.

 

[pop80_uk]

Hi mate, my clutch lasted for just over 40k and only failed when i re mapped the car, the trouble is others have given up with 10k on them without a remap. Theres no way of telling whats left on a clutch without removing it. like you said, once it goes just replace it with a Sachs organic, this is what i did.
Did you have your seatbelt on when the handbrake wouldn't release? if not it won't release.
As for the engagement of gears, i think mine stays down in reverse. Could be that there is a weak spring or broken spring thats causing your problems.
It doesn't sound quite right, maybe worth getting it looked at.

Yup seatbelt was on

I think something is definitely a miss then !

 

[pop80_uk]

What month was it registered? if after October 2015 it's still under warranty, get them to check it out!
If before then where did you buy it from and what warranty did they give?

Registered early 2015, BUT I have purchased an audi extended warranty which started on the 1st October, so I am cover under that as I bought it from an Indy garage.

Its Suzuka grey with nearly every factory fitted option, so the price was a decider and the fact there does not seem to be any more Suzuka grey ones so a bit different.

I will speak to Audi in relation to the popping up shifter, my concern is they will blame the clutch and then refuse do do anything :0(

Thanks

 

[Leevr]

Pre face lift 64 plate manual here - even without my seatbelt in, my handbrake comes off no issues.

How are you guys seeing clutch slipping - high gear, load the throttle and see regs rise ? I don’t think I have noticed any slipping on mine and now on circa 35k.

I have noticed the odd time I’ve gone for reverse and got first but I put it down to my error.

Clutch slippage 5th and 6th under load. Normally does on the uphill dual carriage way a few miles from the house.

 

[pop80_uk]

Alright mate, the gear selection I'll keep you informed, as you know mines in for that issue. The hand brake release is an issue that can be semi cured by an ECU update but it has limited success. My clutch is slipping, and has done since 23700 and is on just over 25K now. As @Starry said he clutches are a curious choice for the S3. Most people on here seem to have issues from 7K upwards. There's been talk of it being a golf GTI spec clutch, thats not really man enough for the car, but some are lucky and some, me included are not. Dont bother trying to fight your corner to get a replacement either. Audi dig their heals in and bury their heads. If you do get them to take the clutch out, it'll be blued and it'll be your fault. Guarenteed conversation. No compromises.

Thank you, that will be really helpful, hopefully when I pop on the video you will see what I mean.

What are the symptoms of your clutch slippage?

My extended Audi warranty paperwork is clear, it does not cover friction material. So I wont even try, I have £1000 put aside for a SACHS clutch and release bearing, I hope the original flywheel can be used again. How long are they good for? (mileage wise)

 

[JonnyS3]

Clutch slippage 5th and 6th under load. Normally does on the uphill dual carriage way a few miles from the house.

Will need to check later but I don’t think my displays the symptoms. But I am getting itchy feet for more power in future so will need to factor in clutch

 

[pop80_uk]

Videos of what is happening when it is put in reverse.

Any help or ideas on how to fix appreciated!

https://www.dropshots.com/pop80_uk/albums/528057

 

[Leevr]

Videos of what is happening when it is put in reverse.

Any help or ideas on how to fix appreciated!

https://www.dropshots.com/pop80_uk/albums/528057

Don't see anything wrong with it after watching video clip. Mine goes in but does not come fully up. When I go to move I'm taking it that the forces acting on the transmission/ drivetrain shifts the mechanism allowing it to rise to the fully engaged reverse position.

 

[oli356]

I don't have a manual but it does seem odd that it pops up / moves to the right in reverse ...

 

[MikeParkin]

I’ve had mine for nearly 3 years from new and none of the above. Cars still great and been stage 2 for probably 2 yesrs.

 

[pop80_uk]

I’ve had mine for nearly 3 years from new and none of the above. Cars still great and been stage 2 for probably 2 yesrs.

What mileage is your car on? Is your clutch standard?

 

[pop80_uk]

Don't see anything wrong with it after watching video clip. Mine goes in but does not come fully up. When I go to move I'm taking it that the forces acting on the transmission/ drivetrain shifts the mechanism allowing it to rise to the fully engaged reverse position.

My old A3 1.4 when you pushed the shifter down into reverse it would stay down, I dont remember it popping back up, and certainly not as aggressively as mine does if it did.

So when you put yours into reverse it pops back up when you start to reverse?
I thought yours had gone in with this problem?

Thanks

 

[S32B]

Registered early 2015, BUT I have purchased an audi extended warranty which started on the 1st October, so I am cover under that as I bought it from an Indy garage.

Its Suzuka grey with nearly every factory fitted option, so the price was a decider and the fact there does not seem to be any more Suzuka grey ones so a bit different.

I will speak to Audi in relation to the popping up shifter, my concern is they will blame the clutch and then refuse do do anything :0(

Thanks

I can't remember exactly how it works, but look up statutory rights rather than the warranty, something along the lines of you paty X amount for a product and expect it to last longer than it has (even out of standard warranty). I know a lad in work that is clued up on it all, but he's on long term sick at the moment so can't ask him

 

[Leevr]

My old A3 1.4 when you pushed the shifter down into reverse it would stay down, I dont remember it popping back up, and certainly not as aggressively as mine does if it did.

So when you put yours into reverse it pops back up when you start to reverse?
I thought yours had gone in with this problem?

Thanks

Initially my gear Stick would go into reverse and pop up to the same level as if it was in any of the fwd gears. For the past 1500 miles as I put it into reverse by pushing down, over and fwd it would sit lower down as if it is caught on a ledge or part of the reverse gate. On lifting the clutch it would shift slightly and pop up to the fully engaged reverse position. Never pops out of reverse and works 100% of the time. In the beginning it would clunk as it properly engaged getting my attention. I've also got the issue with it sometimes not engaging 1st and needing 2nd then 1st. I've been told over the phone that it's had an ECU update to cure these issue, which I'm dubious about and hopefully when I get the car back Monday, I'll get to speak to a technician who can shed some light on a supposed ECU update on a manual gearbox. When I bought the car from Audi a year ago the gear Stick when in the reverse gate came up when engaged and as such I've assumed that it was completely normal. From a start position you push down to get through the reverse gate, why once it's in and past the gate wouldn't it rise under the spring pressure that you initially pushed against to get it into reverse?

 

[MikeParkin]

What mileage is your car on? Is your clutch standard?

Just gone 18k and I have the Sachs 4 paddle clutch that’s been in from 8k.

 

[msdmjb]

My manual has 30k on it and original clutch is still fine, i will replace it when it is no longer fine as the car still works great.
Selecting reverse/1st etc never been an issue and quite a fan of the gearbox after it settled itself in, was a bit stiff early days.
If the car is under warranty and you can reliably replicate the issue then take it to Audi as your 1st port of call.

 

[pop80_uk]

Initially my gear Stick would go into reverse and pop up to the same level as if it was in any of the fwd gears. For the past 1500 miles as I put it into reverse by pushing down, over and fwd it would sit lower down as if it is caught on a ledge or part of the reverse gate. On lifting the clutch it would shift slightly and pop up to the fully engaged reverse position. Never pops out of reverse and works 100% of the time. In the beginning it would clunk as it properly engaged getting my attention. I've also got the issue with it sometimes not engaging 1st and needing 2nd then 1st. I've been told over the phone that it's had an ECU update to cure these issue, which I'm dubious about and hopefully when I get the car back Monday, I'll get to speak to a technician who can shed some light on a supposed ECU update on a manual gearbox. When I bought the car from Audi a year ago the gear Stick when in the reverse gate came up when engaged and as such I've assumed that it was completely normal. From a start position you push down to get through the reverse gate, why once it's in and past the gate wouldn't it rise under the spring pressure that you initially pushed against to get it into reverse?

Thanks again for the reply,
It would appear your reverse gear works now, how I my old A3 worked and how I thought my current S3 should work, so you push reverse down, put the car into reverse and it stays down (the shifter)
Where as mine you push down into reverse and it stays down until you start to move off and it pops up again with quite some force! (it stays in reverse gear so mechanically fine)
It would be useful to know what other manual owners experience and what "correct" should be.
Maybe in my old A3 it did pop back up but was just not so aggressive in doing it so I never noticed.

ECU update on a manual sounds very suspect! Unless they are changing some sort of electronic hydraulic switch position. I will definitely be in interest in their thoughts on that.

 

[Damo S]

Mines got 24k on the clock. The clutch doesn't slip during in gear acceleration but the revs drop very slowly between aggressive gear changes, especially in the higher gears. Each slippy change will be eating away the plate so it will start to slip sooner or later. I wouldn't bother going stage 1 on a stock clutch as all that extra talk will murder it pretty quickly.

 

[Leevr]

Mines got 24k on the clock. The clutch doesn't slip during in gear acceleration but the revs drop very slowly between aggressive gear changes, especially in the higher gears. Each slippy change will be eating away the plate so it will start to slip sooner or later. I wouldn't bother going stage 1 on a stock clutch as all that extra talk will murder it pretty quickly.

Have you removed the clutch pedal spring. Should/ maybe help with the clutch action.

 

[Damo S]

Ah, No I havent. Does that prevent the clutch release from happening quickly? Might solve the problem

 

[Leevr]

Removing it apparently allows the clutch pedal to get fully up and engaged quicker. Preventing what I'm led to believe is the common slippage on gear engagement. There are more knowlegable people on here that are in the know. I think @MikeParkin has done it.

 

[MikeParkin]

Removing it apparently allows the clutch pedal to get fully up and engaged quicker. Preventing what I'm led to believe is the common slippage on gear engagement. There are more knowlegable people on here that are in the know. I think @MikeParkin has done it.

Yes I’ve done that mod and it’s much better, there’s also a clutch delay valve mod if you look about it’s somewhere and I think that may solve some issues.

 

[Damo S]

Cool, thanks

 

[Michael Paul shields]

Hey all,
So I owned a 1.4 TFSI 2015 COD manual for around a year and have recently changed it and bought a 2015 S3 manual with 32K on the clock (no engine modifications and will not have any engine modifications made ever)

I have driven it for around 3000 miles so far and its been fine, but just recently has started doing the following:

> You push down the reverse and put it into reverse and then once selected the knob pops back up again (I will try and do a video) Is this normal in a manual S3? My A3 never did this it always stayed down. The reverse gear is still selected and engaged its just the selector pops back up from its depressed position.

> On a few occasions (especially after using the stop start) I have engaged the clutch and selected 1st only for it to be in reverse. Very odd and no force on top of the shifter was required for this to happen. What is the cause? Is this a cheap part?

> On two occasions I have selected reverse and revved the engine to bite but the handbrake has not disengaged, any ideas?

> Finally is there anyway to test how much life my clutch has left in it, it seems OK, but reading on here it would appear at 30,000 miles I am on borrowed time now in relation to clutch life. Its pretty frustrating as I would expect a clutch to last for at least 50 - 70,000 miles. But I have budgeted in for a SACHS replacement.

Thanks for your help in advance and I look forward to your replies.

Awrite m8 i have the same problem with my clutch and gear stick. Glasgow audi are trying to say a should get a cluch bleed and new fluid put in it and are wanting to charge me £100 for doing that. I dont thing this is going to solve the problem

 

[pop80_uk]

Awrite m8 i have the same problem with my clutch and gear stick. Glasgow audi are trying to say a should get a cluch bleed and new fluid put in it and are wanting to charge me £100 for doing that. I dont thing this is going to solve the problem

This is interesting,
What mileage is your car on?

 

[pop80_uk]

So a little update
Ive been to Audi this morning and had my S3 looked at by a master technician, here is what happened:

Gear selection has now got the stage where sometimes I need to raise and dip the clutch to allow me to find 1st gear, it can find reverse without doing this but not 1st. Its only happened a couple of times but my understanding is that this is not a good sign at all,

I managed to replicate this with the master technician sat in the car, his reply "this is normal" hmmm.

Next we went out for a drive, tried every gear, every test he could think of and the clutch did seem fine. So clutch seems OK.

Got back to Audi and master tech said, "maybe its the weather" I asked him what he meant and he said Audis drive differently in different weather. I tried hard not to laugh. His conclusion nothing they could do.

I thought on the way back about how the box behaves and its at its very worse when cold. So maybe the wrong gearbox oil has been used, or maybe it needs a change.

Something is not right though, I will not be happy until its sorted.

 

[MikeParkin]

What’s the shifter like on the top of the box? Need to take your air box off but there could be something up with that.

Unless.... it’s been to windy and that’s what’s affected the gear change? Or Rain ? Haha

 

[Leevr]

The fix on my gearstick has been done. Turns out as I expected, being told its had an ECU update to cure the issue was a crock of horse manure. Manual box. The fix is a simple cable adjust. They have this fault already logged in their archive of issues. It goes into reverse, 1st perfectly and cold 2nd gear a lot better now. I did ask them about my warranty as it's now run out. And they've said they didn't do this particular job under warranty. I have myself taken out another Audi extended warranty before this one ran out and they've assured me that if it re emerges I'm covered. Time will tell. But all in all I'm happy to have my car back and getting shot of the awful Q3 auto.

 

[cowley]

Glad you've got your car back and it's fixed ,mine threw a hissy fit yesterday trying to reverse park . Reverse gear was nowhere to be found tried 1st and 2nd exactly the same just wouldn't go into gear . Turned engine off and after 3 or 4 attempts it went into reverse. Just spoke to Audi specialist and hoping to get it booked in asap

 

[pop80_uk]

The fix on my gearstick has been done. Turns out as I expected, being told its had an ECU update to cure the issue was a crock of horse manure. Manual box. The fix is a simple cable adjust. They have this fault already logged in their archive of issues. It goes into reverse, 1st perfectly and cold 2nd gear a lot better now. I did ask them about my warranty as it's now run out. And they've said they didn't do this particular job under warranty. I have myself taken out another Audi extended warranty before this one ran out and they've assured me that if it re emerges I'm covered. Time will tell. But all in all I'm happy to have my car back and getting shot of the awful Q3 auto.

Thanks for the update, and glad yours is sorted.

Did they say what they adjusted?
As far as im aware the cable is fixed and there is no adjuster on it?

Did you get a job sheet?

Really interested

 

[Leevr]

Thanks for the update, and glad yours is sorted.

Did they say what they adjusted?
As far as im aware the cable is fixed and there is no adjuster on it?

Did you get a job sheet?

Really interested

As far as I'm aware after speaking to the technician that did the work. The gear Stick is held in a present position and he said the cables were adjusted. I've used the car over the weekend and gone into reverse multiple times and it been spot on each time. My only issue now that's not related is that they said to me that i'd reported that my screen mists up constantly, which I didn't report at All and it's never listed up in the year of ownership only for them to replace the humidity sensor and now it mists up every time I get in. I'm going to see how it is over the next few weeks as the temp has changed and different temps inside and out can effect it. But it's an absolute pain when the screen totally mists over now and hasn't done previously.

 

[RGBARGEE]

Hey all,
So I owned a 1.4 TFSI 2015 COD manual for around a year and have recently changed it and bought a 2015 S3 manual with 32K on the clock (no engine modifications and will not have any engine modifications made ever)

I have driven it for around 3000 miles so far and its been fine, but just recently has started doing the following:

> You push down the reverse and put it into reverse and then once selected the knob pops back up again (I will try and do a video) Is this normal in a manual S3? My A3 never did this it always stayed down. The reverse gear is still selected and engaged its just the selector pops back up from its depressed position.

> On a few occasions (especially after using the stop start) I have engaged the clutch and selected 1st only for it to be in reverse. Very odd and no force on top of the shifter was required for this to happen. What is the cause? Is this a cheap part?

> On two occasions I have selected reverse and revved the engine to bite but the handbrake has not disengaged, any ideas?

> Finally is there anyway to test how much life my clutch has left in it, it seems OK, but reading on here it would appear at 30,000 miles I am on borrowed time now in relation to clutch life. Its pretty frustrating as I would expect a clutch to last for at least 50 - 70,000 miles. But I have budgeted in for a SACHS replacement.

Thanks for your help in advance and I look forward to your replies.

I had the self same problem with a 2014 model S3. So frustrating as I rarely felt confident that I was in first.