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2012 Audi A4 transmission not smooth

32 messages,  Last post on Apr 03, 2013 at 11:53 AM

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What is this discussion about? Audi A4, Sedan

Messages Page 4 of 4

#23 of 32 Re: My 2012 A4 also has this tranny jerk [bigdadi118] by cuso1

Jun 05, 2012 (5:54 am)

Replying to: bigdadi118 (Jun 02, 2012 5:39 am)
I have owned 8 MT cars and 4 more if you count my son's Jetta and my wife's cars. Mine have been pretty diverse from a TR7, RX7, 318is, Volvo 850 and Chevy Citation (yes I did). I felt comfortable telling Audi service that I could equate certain jerking to poor clutching. I also get the tranny issues coming off a stop: the car will hesitate than the tranny finishes downshifting. As you said, it can't be duplicated, although I am starting to lean toward the notion that it occurs more often during damp weather. But the jury is still deliberating that one.

#24 of 32 Re: My 2012 A4 also has this tranny jerk [cuso1] by ctjfw

Jun 05, 2012 (6:19 am)

Replying to: cuso1 (Jun 05, 2012 5:54 am)
All-
 
An update...
 
I am coming up on my 5K mile service visit. Ahead of that, and in response to me reaching out to the salesman, the dealership had me come in to take a drive with the shop/service foreman. Before taking the drive, I described all problems to the service manager (customer service rep) and he explained them all away as intentional or expected. To my amusement, he did say there have been reported 'drivability' issues and complaints. I was a little turned off by the inability to address the real issue and instead cloak it as a 'drivability' issue.
 
Of course, when I drove with the service foreman, I could not replicate the problem. It was a but frustrating, as I know it exists and I experience it daily. He claimed the bucking and jerking is intentional and part of the Audi transmission design. He tied it to drivers' tendency to come to rolling, not full, stops. As someone who comes to a full stop, I guess I am paying the price for others' bad driving. So Audi has apparently engineered their cars to accommodate bad driving??? I am not quite buying that explanation.
 
I should note the dealer reps took the time to listen to me and were polite and non-aggressive. That is all fine and good, but I still want the car to perform better. Beyond the transmission issue, I find the car to be somewhat sluggish, 'growlier' and noisier than I expected, and have a rough idle.
 
We parted ways with both reps saying they'll note the issue in my file and possibly perform a software update when I bring the car in for the 5K service visit. I will tick over to 4K miles this week and will bring the car back in some time in the next two weeks. I have to say, I am not hopeful. If things don't get better, I think I will want to test drive one or two other cars on the lot to see if they perform the same way.
 
I'll offer another update after the service visit.
 
Oh...and I agree with cuso1, I find the bucking happens a bit more frequently during wet/damp conditions.

#25 of 32 Will change the gas station or brand help this? by bigdadi118

Jun 05, 2012 (11:51 pm)

I just had a tank of Mobil 93 octane and the car seems complaining. I will use Shell in my next tank.

#26 of 32 Adding oil between oil changes? by cuso1

Jul 17, 2012 (11:43 am)

My 2011 A4 has 19500. I had the 15000 service completed by the dealer. This morning that Add Oil light came on and the bell rang. I called the service manager at the dealership and was told that it simply needs a quart of oil. Say what? He said that this engine pulls hard so uses a lot of oil, and that I did pretty well with making it 4500 miles without having had to add any. Is this normal? It sure doesn't seem it to me. It's my first turbo, but not my first German car, or car with synthetic or first German 4 cyl. engine. But it's the first car I've owned that needed oil added, including at Triumph TR7!
 
Thanks.
Cuso

#27 of 32 Among those with transmission issues... by danstr1

Jul 20, 2012 (6:50 am)

I recently purchased a 2011 Audi A4 with only 8k on it. I was a little leary at first wondering why someone would have traded in a vehicle that new at a Benz dealership. I'm afraid I'm finding out why..... Overall, I really like the car. However, I have the exact same isses with the lurching/hesitating transmission. This occurs in traffic at low speeds. I live in a major city with an in town commute so I primarily drive the car under these conditions which makes it very frustrating. I too have noted it being worse during wet driving conditions. Car seems fine under normal driving conditions where you can hit the gas and go but not in the stop and go. I've not taken it to th dealership yet but will be doing so shortly.

#28 of 32 Re: Among those with transmission issues... [danstr1] by cuso1

Jul 24, 2012 (5:32 am)

Replying to: danstr1 (Jul 20, 2012 6:50 am)
Thanks. I'll be curious to hear what your dealer has to say about it. The car is a delight when it's running properly.

#29 of 32 Re: 2012 Audi A4 transmission not smooth [hpmctorque] by sonis

Aug 09, 2012 (2:55 pm)

Replying to: hpmctorque (May 04, 2012 2:53 pm)
Dear All frustrated Audi A4 drivers-
 
I had the same issue on my 2011 Audi A4- a very frustrating and irritating drive in "bumper to bumper" traffic; took it to dealer multiple times (who always said that the car is driving 'according to factory specifications'). After multiple compaints they performed a readaptation-but the car reverted back to same tyranny issue within weeks.
 
Complained to Audi of America- they instructed the dealer to perform a software update- TSB 2029305/2. After this update done in June 2012 (after 1 year of constant complaining), the drive and shifts are much smoother, though I still feels little lag and jerkiness occasionally-but definitely not as bad as before. I think this TSB partially fixes the problem.
 
I have read on other forums that this problem exits in 2012 A4 also- so it is related to the 8 sp transmission. Also, the dealer will perform the update only if you complain to them about the issue and specifically tell them to perform this update, as it may not show up on their service bullettins.

#30 of 32 Re: 2012 Audi A4 transmission not smooth [hpmctorque] by escortowner

Oct 31, 2012 (7:27 pm)

Replying to: hpmctorque (May 04, 2012 2:53 pm)
OK I was at the dealership today and I mentioned something similar and the tech mentioned something interesting about the transmission. He said that in 2010 Audi redesigned the transmission and one of the things they did was make it so the transmission disengages from the engine when you are breaking. It is a fuel economy move. In my case I notice it most when I am driving, the slow the pick back up again (like over a road hump). He suggested I try it without breaking to see. Supposedly the car is supposed to learn your characteristics, but I doubt it because it has been 5000 miles.
 
That being said, I think it is design issue to improve fuel economy.

#31 of 32 Re: Adding oil between oil changes? [cuso1] by rrocks

Nov 03, 2012 (12:40 am)

Replying to: cuso1 (Jul 17, 2012 11:43 am)
I recently had the oil light go off at 12K with q 2012 A4 Quattro. I've read on the forums and elsewhere that this is very common. I also have a vague memory of a consumer lawsuit moving forward on this issue. It was a bit of a nuisance but not a big deal for me. It's nice to open the hood and pour some oil into the car. But if it happened more often -- say every 2K - I would not be happy. Some people are very bothered by this. We'll see if it needs oil after the 15K service.

#32 of 32 Re: 2012 Audi A4 transmission not smooth [escortowner] by cuso1

Apr 03, 2013 (11:53 am)

Replying to: escortowner (Oct 31, 2012 7:27 pm)
Here's an update on my transmission issues. The dealership performed a software update. The receipt noted: TSB 2032812/1 and TCM 37352599. The dealership said it would take between 200-300 for it to work through, during which time it may have funky shifts. That was accurate. More around 500 miles the abrupt and harsh shifting, primarily downshifting, seems to have pretty much fully gone away. I still get an occasional hard (vs. harsh) double down shift upon acceleration. It occurs maybe once / week vs. a couple of times / day and is not anywhere near as abrupt as it used to be. The hesitation coming off stop or yields is a tad better but not a lot. So, overall there is a decent improvement.

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