Audi DSG / S-Tronic - Mechatronic Unit

C

ChrisThomas

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Midrand
Hey,

Does anyone have some more info on this for me,

To my understanding, the issue I am having with my car is that when you are in traffic or pulling off slowly the car shudders and if you're going uphill the car kind of lunges forward with the slightest tap on the accelerator making it difficult in stop start traffic to manipulate.

I have seen that this could be caused by the mechatronics box failing which is a separate "computer" controlling the clutch pushrods?

Can this be diagnosed without taking the car apart? Reason I ask is because I do have a warranty on the car (maintenance plan ended in March) 3rd party so they would cover this as it isn't a wear n tear item such as a clutch pack, the car has a 100% service record with Audi, I need to check my books to see if the gearbox has been serviced at 60 000km, she's on 69 000km now.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.
 
Sounds like mechatronics, yes. It's a seperate computer, quite a common failure on the Audis and not a cheap fix. They should be able to diagnose by plugging it in to a diagnostics computer.

Take to Audi, get them to check it.
 
UrBaN963 said:
Sounds like mechatronics, yes. It's a seperate computer, quite a common failure on the Audis and not a cheap fix. They should be able to diagnose by plugging it in to a diagnostics computer.

Take to Audi, get them to check it.
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Awesome what a relief, got a mate who works at Audi he's gonna see if he can have the assessment done for me.

I still have 4 job cards open as I am waiting for parts from Audi under my maintenance plan that had expired. If this is the service I'm going to be receiving from Audi lord knows the wait I'll have to endure on this.
 
Suggestion - either try a different Audi, or speak to the Dealer Principal - he will move things for you. CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) is the major movement-maker for the service advisors and service managers, as that's where they get their incentives (read, bonuses). One low score will drop the whole CSI and they potentially lose incentives, so I would simply make a fuss and mention CSI to them.

Should get them moving, if they're being slack.
 
UrBaN963 said:
Suggestion - either try a different Audi, or speak to the Dealer Principal - he will move things for you. CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) is the major movement-maker for the service advisors and service managers, as that's where they get their incentives (read, bonuses). One low score will drop the whole CSI and they potentially lose incentives, so I would simply make a fuss and mention CSI to them.

Should get them moving, if they're being slack.
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Thanks man - much appreciated. My life is so busy lately I've honestly just not bothered which is so unlike me cause my cars are normally my baby.
 
FiestaST said:
What's the latest on your car story Chris? Your potential "downgrade". Are you keeping the A1 for the interim?
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thanks for asking, I don't know. Part of me says to just stick it out with the A1 if the repairs on the gearbox are going to not be as bad as I thought they were, maybe actually use my credit card for some of the medical bills and pay that off.

I've been offered "Max R145k" for my car which I just started laughing at given it's spec and low mileage. I also have a lot of other things on my plate right now and selling a car just doesn't seem like something I can manage right now either, so I am going to try my best to keep it and fix it rather for now.
 
If you are paying for it out of pocket there are ways to fix it without replacing the entire thing, especially if it's the pushrods themselves that need to be sorted out.

Can in many cases literally be a clean up and lube job to my understanding.

Unfortunately I don't know who you can go to in Midrand for that.
 
SauRoNZA said:
If you are paying for it out of pocket there are ways to fix it without replacing the entire thing, especially if it's the pushrods themselves that need to be sorted out.

Can in many cases literally be a clean up and lube job to my understanding.

Unfortunately I don't know who you can go to in Midrand for that.
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I've got a Warranty which covers the 'box for up to R25k should it be a fault, I was concerned it was the clutch packs as it shudders in 2nd as well and there is a tow bar on the car, so I thought maybe the previous owner was towing things that were too heavy and wore out the clutch packs prematurely. If it's the mechatronics I can have it replaced at an Audi certified workshop under warranty, but I obviously need to have it diagnosed... You know Audi, you'll go in for a oil change and come out with a new aircon compressor that you didn't know was "broken" lol.
 
So I went in today, after all the hassle I've been given, they still want me to pay R1500 just to diagnose my gearbox.

I see my mechatronic has already been replaced. I am going to try to fight with them on this to at least compensate given the full service history and previous fix.

2017-05-05_10-28-59.jpg
 
Just had my gearbox assessed by a 3rd party, they plugged my car in and it's clear that both my clutch packs are done. Slipping and at idle (after a 10 minute drive) clutch 1 is at 155 degrees and clutch 2 is at 135 degrees.

I called BMW dealer principle where I bought the car, very nice lady and she is going to see what she can do for me, as per the documentation I have from them, the clutch packs were checked and deemed perfectly fine for the warranty.

FML.
 
Last edited:
I know this thread is not really important, I just want to log my experience in case somebody else comes across the same issue.

Audi has honestly been, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst car manufacturer I've ever dealt with, and when I had my VW, I had a similar experience. I have still not received feedback, this has been escalated to Audi customer care, dealer principle, nobody cares.

BMW (Cedar Isle) where I bought the vehicle however, is a different story.

I phoned them and asked to speak directly with the dealer principal. Erika is kind and very understanding and does not come up with excuses like most. The next day BMW had taken my car, given me a pretty new 116i as a loan car, and they are going to do the best they can to sort me out. I may be alone in this, but every VW we've had (my mom had them for about 25 years, I had a vivo, my brother a polo, and my sister the same vivo) - when we've had any problems, still under warranty, the service has been shocking, and Audi is clearly no different.

Based on this alone, should BMW offer me a similar spec 1 series, where my payments are the same I'll take it, as I don't have the energy to fight with deplorable dealerships. With my Fiesta I had fantastic service from Ford, Peugeot was great, Opel was brilliant, VW & Audi - horrific.
 
Update:

BMW Cedar Isle have been really great so this is no shade towards them...

They gave me my car back on Thursday, and no luck.... They said they took it in to a specialist (I've asked for receipts, and a full breakdown of what was done - I like to file things for my cars...) the specialist has advised them that my clutches are not slipping, they are fine, so they "repacked" them - and it should be sorted.... Well... it's a bit better in the sense that it doesn't shudder and clunk into second, but it's still very jerky and shuddering in 1st and 3rd (clutch 1) - so the clutch in my opinion, is still slipping..

Another thing is that there is something amiss in the front end, the steering also wobbles when you go around bends, and if you take a corner with a bit of gusto, the whole front end seems to shimmy about - I reckon that the control arms or the cvs are gone, I did mention this to the dealer but they obviously haven't done anything about it...

I emailed them on friday and the sales lady told me to take the car in on saturday to the sales manager, but I got stuck in the traffic there in fourways for 2 hours almost and had another appointment, so I wasn't able to make it,

The sales lady phoned me this morning, they've had a meeting and they are trying to see what they can do for me, so I await their feedback on this issue... I've lost faith in this car, and it's not like it was cheap... So we'll see....

But lesson learnt, test drive a car properly, throw it around a bend, sit in traffic, take it on the highway and all that before you buy!
 
... and have the car sent to the AA for independent testing even if the dealer claims they do 50 point test. Paying the R500 or so is well worth any future headaches.
 
I too, have found that BMW's customer service is exceptional.

The DCT gearbox in our 116i gave up. I'd booked the car in for a service and noted a "turbo whine" under load, on Saturday. I got a call on Monday saying that 2nd gear is no longer good enough and they must keep my car until Friday. The Friday before Christmas nogal, I'd spoken to the Service Manager and raised my concerns as a gearbox change is not a small job and asked for a loan vehicle over the festive season as my Corsa doesn't have the space required for our CP son's equipment and Christmas gifts etc. All I got was compassion and assurance that should the car not be ready, we'll have a loaner.

There were constant updates between the Monday and Thursday with status updates. On the Thursday I got a call asking us to come collect our vehicle. I've never been more impressed.
 
KingMikel said:
I too, have found that BMW's customer service is exceptional.
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100% - We've had BMW's in the family for years, my mom has a 2009 116i and have serviced it twice at the Midrand branch and it's been hassle free, my sister has had many BMW's and they've been great. I'm hoping they pull through for me, but thus far they've been a delight to deal with and are on top of things, Audi on the other hand I will not even get started on how horrific they have been. I still cannot believe it.
 
Update and some advice needed:

So BMW has been great so far, but they have not been able to fix my car, their "specialist" (whom I still don't know who it is as I've asked for the invoice about 4 times and still don't have it) has said that my car is fine. So then they said that they had an A3 coming in and it should be a similar price, so they gave me the car for a week to test out, and surprise surprise, the same 7 speed S tronic gearbox was a delight, and I got stuck on beyers for 2 hours on Tuesday, not a shudder or a clunk at all...

Anyways so it turns out the car will be too pricey for me right now, so they have offered to take my A1 to another specialist of my choice and they'll give me another loan vehicle whilst it's being sorted...

I only know if Geartronix in Randburg but I can't find enough info online as to how reliable they are, but when I took my car to them a few weeks ago the service was pretty good.

So, does anyone know of a reputable company that can fix my A1?

Thanks a mil,
 
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