Hi. 1999 A6 Avant with peculiar transmission problem.

In auto mode, high gear (4th or 5th), low rpm (1200) if I slowly add throttle, the car hunts between present and lower gear, shuddering back and forth between the gears. If I boot it, car downshifts properly. Feels like damage is being done. Dealer says car is fine!

In manual mode, tranny works fine.

Any ideas? Love the car. 250,000 km.

Mike

 

Find someone with VAG COM - it can tell you for sure - probably what the dealer did I would think. My '98 A6 does this on occaision - more when it is cold - but only once in a while. You do have fairly high miles and I would think you might need a tranny pretty soon. Reading other forums this sound reasonably normal too.

 

try going in for a tranny service... not sure if they do those on tiptronics... ie tranny filter change and transmission fluid change...

 

^^^ That's what I would do before replacing the tranny.

In fact, for the cost of dealership trans fluid and filter change... you could buy Bentley Manual (trans fluid replacement procedure documented), VAG-COM (to read fluid temp, not required but useful for setting proper fluid level the first time), new filter and pan gasket, a hand fluid pump (trans fills vertically from underneath) and few jugs of new Audi Trans Fluid... and you would still have change left over for beer!

 

Not to mention you'd have a VAG-COM that you can keep using as well as a manual and the satisfaction of doing something.

However, that shows why you shouldn't go to the dealer for stuff like this. Find a nice indy shop in your area that'll do a good job for a significant savings over the dealer.

 

Actually these trannies are supposed to have a "no service" clause. With the kms. you have I would not change the fluid if it were never done before!! Sometimes changing the fluid so late in its life could do more harm than good. It would be a bit of a gamble as you don't know what is being dislodged when you change the fluid. Gunk might be holding thing together. You read in other forums that it is about 50/50 split if the tranny fluid should be changed or not. I had mine chnaged awhile ago - '98 A6 with Tip and 90,000 kms. The mechanic showed me my old fluid - looked quite good - showed my filter - looked great! It cost me 1/2 what the dealer was going to charge me and I thought it was well worth knowing and now I know the fluid will last a very long time!!

Did the dealer give you a print out of the VAG COM report?? It might tell you something.

 

The other way of thinking of it is this: it's probably gonna die, so at least try and save it first. It's not going to get better on its own. Lots of people report good success in having their tiptronic fluid changed, even when the mileage is high.

Excellent writeup here:taligentx.com: Passat - ATF & Filter Replacement

 

Thanks for all your tips.......No independents to choose from here in Peterpatch.....third time I took it into the dealer, they said I should put premium unleaded in, to cure what was only a "random misfire"! (Check engine light came on about same time, dealer reset it each time we brought the car in). Of course, premium fuel is all we ever feed it.

So, rather than argue with the dealer a 4th time, I changed the spark plugs to Platinum 4 Bosch jobbies, and the car now runs as it should! Misfire felt exactly like the transmission hunting between two gears.