A4 B8 CVT Transmission Reliability Issues

[XM640]

I will be going in at the end of the month and will get them to check it out..

nm2003, yeh I would get the dealer to have another look based on my recent experience ....

I took mine to the dealer a couple of months ago as I had read that there was a recent software update available for the Multitronic - I was hoping that the update would smooth the takeup of the automated clutch when taking off.

It didn't - actually made it a little worse. So after complaining to the dealer, they had another look. This time, perfect! much smoother.

I spoke to the head mechanic and asked what they had done. He indicated that there are some 'adjustments' that they can do, within preset thresholds apparently.

5000km later it is still working brilliantly, though a deft foot is always necessary when wanting to take off quickly.

[DougC]

nm2003, yeh I would get the dealer to have another look based on my recent experience ....

I took mine to the dealer a couple of months ago as I had read that there was a recent software update available for the Multitronic - I was hoping that the update would smooth the takeup of the automated clutch when taking off.

It didn't - actually made it a little worse. So after complaining to the dealer, they had another look. This time, perfect! much smoother.

I spoke to the head mechanic and asked what they had done. He indicated that there are some 'adjustments' that they can do, within preset thresholds apparently.

5000km later it is still working brilliantly, though a deft foot is always necessary when wanting to take off quickly.

I find that with mine, I have to be very gentle with the throttle when starting off otherwise the transmission will grab and the car will launch with very rapid acceleration (one has to be careful in heavy traffic!). Is that what you are referring to when you talk about having to have a deft foot?

The point I was making earlier is that it is difficult to know what 'normal' is unless you are afforded the opportunity to drive similarly spec'd vehicles to compare their behaviour.

[XM640]

[QUOTE=DougC;361548]I find that with mine, I have to be very gentle with the throttle when starting off otherwise the transmission will grab and the car will launch with very rapid acceleration (one has to be careful in heavy traffic!). Is that what you are referring to when you talk about having to have a deft foot?

The point I was making earlier is that it is difficult to know what 'normal' is unless you are afforded the opportunity to drive similarly spec'd vehicles to compare their behaviour.


This is a good point and suggests that this apparent small amount of 'adjustability' in the CVT's automated clutch can create variations in how it operates from car to car.

I really appreciate the technology in this gearbox but it has it's foibles. I find to avoid the clutch grabbing to quickly when starting off, I depress the throttle gently till I feel the clutch takeup, then go for it. Totally agree, this can require patience in traffic.

... and (to get back on topic) hopefully the unreliability issues are of the past, and I have also read that this has been pushed by a dissident minority. Reality is that in the B8 the 2.7 TDI is pushing 400nm thru it, so one has to presume (err hope?) it has been substantially beefed up over the B7 and earlier models.

[DougC]

[QUOTE=XM640;362493]

I find that with mine, I have to be very gentle with the throttle when starting off otherwise the transmission will grab and the car will launch with very rapid acceleration (one has to be careful in heavy traffic!). Is that what you are referring to when you talk about having to have a deft foot?

The point I was making earlier is that it is difficult to know what 'normal' is unless you are afforded the opportunity to drive similarly spec'd vehicles to compare their behaviour.


This is a good point and suggests that this apparent small amount of 'adjustability' in the CVT's automated clutch can create variations in how it operates from car to car.

I really appreciate the technology in this gearbox but it has it's foibles. I find to avoid the clutch grabbing to quickly when starting off, I depress the throttle gently till I feel the clutch takeup, then go for it. Totally agree, this can require patience in traffic.

... and (to get back on topic) hopefully the unreliability issues are of the past, and I have also read that this has been pushed by a dissident minority. Reality is that in the B8 the 2.7 TDI is pushing 400nm thru it, so one has to presume (err hope?) it has been substantially beefed up over the B7 and earlier models.

Thanks for that. I too hope that the problems have been overcome since the earlier models, and your point about the transmission being designed to cope with 400nM certainly gives some hope.

[robtt09]

Interesting thread.I have an "ordinary"auto on my 3.00tdi and am very pleased with it.Certainly compares well with auto on my previous Merc which was a 7 speed transmission.The sport function is very good and makes a big difference to the way the car drives.I wonder what the proportion of manual to auto is on this forum? Merc were nearly all auto.

[nm2003]

FYI, I have the car in at the dealership both today and tomorrow, to fix a number of issues with the B8, including the issues originally mentioned with the multitronic.

Before leaving the dealership, I asked the service guy whether there are two versions of the multitronic, one for the 1.8T and another for the 2.7. He stated that the multitronic on both the 1.8 and the 2.7 is the same and that you cannot compare the B8 multitronic to the one in the B6 or even the B7. The one in the B8 is far superior.

On the way to work, in the loan A4 B8 1.8T they gave me for the two days, which was a different to the last loan B8, also has very smooth, and had instant response off take off, not like mine

BTW, I called the dealership before I went home for the day, and asked how the car was going. They hadn't got around to looking into the multitronic yet, as they were replacing the tinting on the car, due to poor radio reception. They will be looking at it tomorrow, along with a number of other issues, but the guy that went for a test drive did notice that the multitronic was not as responsive as it should be.

Fingers crossed they adjust the multitronic to behave like the two loan cars. If they do, I will be very happy

[DougC]

FYI, I have the car in at the dealership both today and tomorrow, to fix a number of issues with the B8, including the issues originally mentioned with the multitronic.

Before leaving the dealership, I asked the service guy whether there are two versions of the multitronic, one for the 1.8T and another for the 2.7. He stated that the multitronic on both the 1.8 and the 2.7 is the same and that you cannot compare the B8 multitronic to the one in the B6 or even the B7. The one in the B8 is far superior.

On the way to work, in the loan A4 B8 1.8T they gave me for the two days, which was a different to the last loan B8, also has very smooth, and had instant response off take off, not like mine

BTW, I called the dealership before I went home for the day, and asked how the car was going. They hadn't got around to looking into the multitronic yet, as they were replacing the tinting on the car, due to poor radio reception. They will be looking at it tomorrow, along with a number of other issues, but the guy that went for a test drive did notice that the multitronic was not as responsive as it should be.

Fingers crossed they adjust the multitronic to behave like the two loan cars. If they do, I will be very happy

Way to go .... keep us posted. Hope it all works out for you!

[nm2003]

Got the car back today for the dealership.

They stated that they performed a software adaption on the CVT, and stated that the car will be in drive learn mode for around 100kms and to drive the car enthusiastically, for the next 100kms.

So far, I have noticed that in D mode, it appears to be smoother. But, in S mode, it revs out more than I would like, and in M mode, gear grabs initially, revs drop and then it accelerates.

I am not convinced that the CVT is working 100% like the loan cars did, but the guy said that I need to wait till after the 100kms is up, and learn mode completes its process.

[DougC]

Got the car back today for the dealership.

They stated that they performed a software adaption on the CVT, and stated that the car will be in drive learn mode for around 100kms and to drive the car enthusiastically, for the next 100kms.

So far, I have noticed that in D mode, it appears to be smoother. But, in S mode, it revs out more than I would like, and in M mode, gear grabs initially, revs drop and then it accelerates.

I am not convinced that the CVT is working 100% like the loan cars did, but the guy said that I need to wait till after the 100kms is up, and learn mode completes its process.

I guess it's now a case of "hurry up and wait!". I am beginning to get the distinct impression that the tolerance range on the CVT ECU is way too broad and this is what accounts for the variances in performance of this transmission from one vehicle to another. Anyhow, please keep us posted on progress over the next couple of days. Hopefully, you will find that things turn out positively, but I guess only time will tell.