CVT Transmission Problems??

[jjohnston]

I have heard that the CVT in the Audi A4 has problems. I've heard it tends to burn out early. Does anyone know this is a known issue, and about how many miles they actually last?

[Badger61]

Hi, ensure that you stick to the 40,000 mile oil changes for your Multitronic gearbox and all should be fine.

[AllWheelGrip]

yai heard bad things about the the early year B6s wit the CVTs they cant handle much power and TQ

[jjohnston]

Ok, mine is an 03. so that would be an early year wouldn't it? Basically my car has 62,000 miles on it. and if the trans goes out early, I would like to find something else before I have to pay to have that fixed. I don't notice any problems with it, but...

[Doz]

I did a fair bit of research into this prior to buying my A4. They do have issues with the clutch plates it seems to be the 2.5 tdi's which are worst. A company in Milton Keynes do a upgrade which basically involves fitting extra plates to help. There seems to be no rule on which box will fail and which ones won't Getting the oil changed every 40k is a must if you start to feel a judder when you pull away then best be prepared for the worst

[jjohnston]

All I feel when I pull away is... it feels like a manual trans. like 1st gear is enguaging slowly. I figure this is normal right?? Its strange, because if you give it too much gas too quickly before it completely enguages... some nice burnout action!

[llogique]

So, I've only got ~68K on my A4, and I've had this hesitation while accelerating for months. (I am the original owner on this car) In fact, I took it to the dealer last Fall - I had some sort of error message that my local shop could not decipher, and I wondered if it was related to the hesitation I was sensing. The dealer fixed the error message, but apparently did not address the hesitation. So, here I am months later, finally getting it back to the local shop to check out the hesitation. They tell me it is the CVT transmission going and that I'll have to take it back to the dealer - that maybe it is still covered under warranty. They estimated over $7K to replace the transmission. I checked my warranty book, and there does not seem to be any warranty coverage beyond the initial 50K, with the exception of some California emissions warranty extensions that mention the transmission and 70K miles. Does anyone have any idea if this should be covered under warranty, and if not, how much I am really looking at to fix this? Also, since when does a car not get more than 70K miles on a transmission?

[MDUBS]

I just purchased an 04 with the CVT on it. It has 55k on it and everything seems to be fine but I have also heard they are not the best transmissions. They dont handle power or torque very well. Maybe that is why the diesels are first to go. Looks like I am off to get the tranny fluid changed.

[llogique]

So, just to give you all an update...after posting this message, I did quite a bit of research and found that MANY people have experienced problems with the CVT transmission on the Audi. I was prepared then, when the Audi service dept. called to say that my "friction plates" were gone, and I was faced with a repair for $2450, and that this was not covered under the warranty. (Just as an aside, I found that many other car companies warrant the transmission to 100K miles.) When I confronted them with the fact that this is a known problem to Audi, and what did they intend to do about it, the service manager called offering to use his "good will funds" to cover the part ($800), leaving me with $1650 out of my pocket. I said that I appreciated his offer, but that I would call Audi directly. After speaking with the Audi rep, the Audi service dept. called back to say that they (collectively - the local Audi service dept. and Audi corporate) would cover $1450, leaving me with $1000. I also voiced concern that I would be faced with another part of the transmission failing in a few months. They say that they will warrant this part for 12 mos./12K miles, but that any other problem would not be covered. For now, I've decided to leave it at this...but to be sure, I will pursue this in the event that "other" parts of my transmission fail in the near future. I suspect that this is Audi's response to the crisis - rather than tell me the entire transmission needs to be replaced (to the tune of $6-8K), they have decided to "minimize" the impact by only fixing pieces and parts. I read about one person who apparently successfully sued Audi under lemon laws related to this problem. I suspect that will not be out of the question for me if this continues to be a problem. Of course, I could just go ahead and sell the car once this repair is done...but I love my cabriolet...and it's paid for. Anyway, stay tuned for more as this saga continues.

[JustWalk]

This is crazy. Throw an A3 into the mix. My car is waiting for a mechatronic control unit, but it's on backorder for weeks.
Other have the similar issue: Faulty Mechatronic (TCU) in DSG - AudiForums.com And one supposedly Audi Master Tech responded here: Audi A3 Transmission Problem? - Yahoo! Answers. If I were you, bring your car to the dealership ASAP before warranty passes. Get documentation to backup yourself in the future. Now I'm still driving my car, and I wonder if that will worsen or break other parts of the transmission (or car for that fact).

Where are the LAWYERS.. they should be looking into a case like this.. sounds like gross negligence on Audi's part, especially given that they know of the problem and other mechanical issues may arise from such a MAJOR issue.