2016 A6 3.0T performance expectation of transmission and engine

[TallGuy]

I am mindful that the powertrain computer can learn your acceleration habits so I do try to push the car periodically. However, every 4 or 5th time that I step on it I notice the car will be very unresponsive, rpms and downshifting, just sort of hangs. Understand that there may be a little lag from supercharger, but should it be more than .5 seconds. Sometimes I can be in a delicate passing situation and the car just not move out. In one situation car just hung for a few seconds on 2,000 rpms before responding. Any comments on further drilling down on the cause before taking to dealer? Other non-turbo or superchargers I hit the gas, auto trans downshifts and goes reliably every time. Car has about 6,000 miles and has had the one year service. Thanks!

[13_C7_SC]

Have you tried putting the transmission in sport mode?

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[dc2002]

If I am in comfort mode i get similar type results if i have been feathering it for a while...

When i know i have to goose it good...onramp, right turn, etc. i just slap in in S mode and whomp on it...then grin....bigly...

[agent47]

If I am in comfort mode i get similar type results if i have been feathering it for a while...

When i know i have to goose it good...onramp, right turn, etc. i just slap in in S mode and whomp on it...then grin....bigly...
Right on. Happens with me also when driving easy. 50 miles of driving like a dbag and the transmission stays nippy for a couple of days or so. One thing I have noticed is that this happens more during hotter days, so maybe it has to do with the heat soak.


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[goalstar100]

I have the same problem as well.

Now, I usually drive in manual mode 95% of the time because I also have awe touring. I hate when in auto and trying to pass and it stays in a high gear. I get some drone and no response.


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[Chris@EPL]

A tune also really help this ;)

[zcd2.7t]

It's like the situation where the patient tells the doctor "It hurts when I do this", and the doctor responds "Then don't do that!" ;-)

I kid, but only a little. My guess is that there's nothing wrong with your car.

Every engine/transmission combo has its idiosyncrasies - the key (unless you're willing to try aftermarket programming for either the transmission or the engine) is adapting to, rather than trying to defeat or "fix" those idiosyncrasies. Yes, the transmission adapts to your driving style, but the programming isn't nearly as flexible or adaptable as the driver's actions can be. So, for instance, if you don't get the response you want with a certain amount of accelerator pedal travel, just push the pedal a bit further, and the trans will downshift and off you'll go. The trans will probably adapt as you do that more often.

I recall when people complained that the DCT transmission in the B8 S4/S5 didn't act like other (traditional) automatics transmissions they'd experienced, or even like the manual transmissions they'd used in the past... [rolleyes] I mean DUH - it's NOT a traditional (torque-converter) automatic, nor is it a manual, so why would it behave like either of those?

In the end, I'd suggest learning to work with the way the car works, to the degree possible...

[TallGuy]

Thanks for your responses. This has also happened in Sport mode. While I can appreciate learning the way the car works, it should just be able to do a "bat out hell" when I am passing a butane tanker on a two lane road with oncoming traffic a very safe distance away. If the car stalls out around 2K rpm and fails to accelerate it is a bad time to find out passing on the wrong side of the road. Far less sophisticated cars can handle mashing on the pedal and knowing what to do. For you "Star Wars" fans it feels a bit like kicking the Millenium Falcon not going into hyper drive. [URL="https://youtu.be/X-rkFaIPyL4"] Or for you "Dirty Harry" fans mashing the pedal and hoping for fast acceleration-is like "Are You Feeling Lucky". :)

[zcd2.7t]

...it should just be able to do a "bat out hell" when I am passing a butane tanker on a two lane road with oncoming traffic a very safe distance away. If the car stalls out around 2K rpm and fails to accelerate it is a bad time to find out passing on the wrong side of the road...

It CAN do that.

You're saying the car:

- actually fails to accelerate with the pedal to the floor or nearly so
- doesn't accelerate as fast as you'd like it to
- doesn't accelerate consistently

??

BTW - is the car modified in any way? Tune or Piggyback device to increase performance?

[TallGuy]

Thanks for response see below:

You're saying the car:

- actually fails to accelerate with the pedal to the floor or nearly so To the floor fails sporadically, maybe 20% of the floor
- doesn't accelerate as fast as you'd like it to When it accelerates seems fast enough
- doesn't accelerate consistently Slow acceleration or moderate generally no problem, to the floor see above

??

BTW - is the car modified in any way? Tune or Piggyback device to increase performance?[/QUOTE] No modifications

Some of the members are saying this is the the nature of higher performance powertrains. My concern is what is the secret sauce to make sure I have consistent performance in passing, or emergency situations.

Thanks,
Steve

[agent47]

Thanks for response see below:

You're saying the car:

- actually fails to accelerate with the pedal to the floor or nearly so To the floor fails sporadically, maybe 20% of the floor
- doesn't accelerate as fast as you'd like it to When it accelerates seems fast enough
- doesn't accelerate consistently Slow acceleration or moderate generally no problem, to the floor see above

??

BTW - is the car modified in any way? Tune or Piggyback device to increase performance? No modifications

Some of the members are saying this is the the nature of higher performance powertrains. My concern is what is the secret sauce to make sure I have consistent performance in passing, or emergency situations.

Thanks,
Steve[/QUOTE]
Secret sauce would be to drive in S mode all the time. I usually do that for long drives on the freeway. Instant power if you mash the pedal.

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[LINDW4LL]

Sounds to me like this is something with the transmission programming.

[SlickMachine]

I'm stage 2 and when my trans is in Comfort mode I feel like getting rid of it. I'm always in S.

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[dc2002]

OP what mmi drive setting do you use?

Dynamic is close to S but must have slightly less aggressive shifting....for example dynamic will go to 8th on Highway but S won't or will but it takes a while.

[BillBoost37]

Do you notice that the lag issues seem to happen at approximately the same speed/rpm? There is sometimes a dull spot in programming at certain throttle/speed/gear combinations. When it doubt... press the little switch at the bottom of the pedal travel for ..... GET ME THE HECK OUTTA HERE mode.

[gta7]

OP what mmi drive setting do you use?

Dynamic is close to S but must have slightly less aggressive shifting....for example dynamic will go to 8th on Highway but S won't or will but it takes a while.

Is this true on the 2016 3.0T? I drive in dynamic always so I wouldn't have known any difference between this and comfort.

I have had lackluster acceleration at times but not falling completely flat.

I definitely tend to drive in S a lot as it keeps the drone of the AWE away on the freeway but if I want to beet the guy off the light to take his lane or make a turn or I want to pass on the freeway I will definitely drop it in to S mode.

The oddest thing my trans does is driving down a 35mph hill it will often stick in a low gear and reg to 4K and won't upshift.

[zcd2.7t]

...My concern is what is the secret sauce to make sure I have consistent performance in passing, or emergency situations...

You just got the car, right? If the car isn't tuned, and there's no "check engine" light on, then I really doubt that there's anything wrong with the car. I guess you could have someone pull codes (if any) to check for issues, but otherwise, I'd drive the car a while longer to learn more about how it reacts in different situations and then go from there.

You might also ask another owner in your area to drive their car to compare....

[TallGuy]

You just got the car, right? If the car isn't tuned, and there's no "check engine" light on, then I really doubt that there's anything wrong with the car. I guess you could have someone pull codes (if any) to check for issues, but otherwise, I'd drive the car a while longer to learn more about how it reacts in different situations and then go from there.

You might also ask another owner in your area to drive their car to compare....

Actually have had car for 18 months. Due to circumstances beyond my control have not been able to hit the open road as much as I would have liked. Still under 6K miles. I was going to make an appointment to check this out at the dealer, but wanted some additional input to explain to them what my issues have been. No fault lights, etc. One additional question, when I took my car in for the one year service I did not the the lane sensors worked very well. I understand they require seeing decent contrast on road with the painted lines, but I noticed it would ignore a good deal of the time. The dealer stated the diagnostic showed no fault. I assume that is a limitation of the technology. On the other hand should I (or we) accept pulling codes or other diagnostics as the end of the issue, or the start of more investigation? So if they say the transmission-engine functioning fine according to computer do I just say OK or ask for a deeper look? Thanks for your very helpful responses.
Steve

[zcd2.7t]

...do I just say OK or ask for a deeper look?...

Good question. If there aren't any codes, then maybe ask a tech to ride with you or drive the car with you riding along?

In my car's case ('13 S6) there were newer versions of both the ECU and TCU software available, and though one dealer declined, another updated the software at no charge (under warranty) and with no problem. The updates made a big difference in my car, but you'd have to check around to see whether something similar is available for your car...

I rarely use the lane-keeping assist, but when I have, it's clear that the system's programming is nothing like as advanced as what you'd see on a more modern chassis. It mostly stops you from straying into another lane, but not always, which makes it not really that useful, IMO.

[TallGuy]

Set up an appointment for next week at dealer. Will let you know what I find out.
Thanks

[scottfree.sp]

So glad I found this ! I really thought I was having the same issues too, but now I think it is comfort mode, it's happened to me a couple times where I'm going to pass somebody and nothing happened, like one time was when I was just past the SF Bay Bridge toll booth, right after the lights where everyone merges, I was trying to beat everyone and went nowhere… I thought the transmission might be slipping or something but the next time I really paid attention and I did not feel like it was slipping, but just not going, it was very hard to replicate. In sport mode I cannot get it to do it.


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[TallGuy]

I have had this happen in comfort, sport, and normal. It is random, that is what really concerns me. If I knew ahead of time it would happen I would not try to pass a car, etc. Very unsettling never knowing. Will report back.
Steve

[TallGuy]

Got car back from dealer yesterday. Technician drove (independently) for 14 miles and could not replicate. However I find the problem random and indicated that. They performed transmission clutch and shift adaptation so it can relearn my driving style. Also, they added G17 Fuel additive incase of bad fuel or water (which I doubt). Driving fine now, but will take a while to see what happens. What do you recommend to make sure I train transmission correctly? Normally I am pretty sedate driver, but want to make sure I can have full acceleration 100% of the time, with no lag or stalling when I need it.

[agent47]

Got car back from dealer yesterday. Technician drove (independently) for 14 miles and could not replicate. However I find the problem random and indicated that. They performed transmission clutch and shift adaptation so it can relearn my driving style. Also, they added G17 Fuel additive incase of bad fuel or water (which I doubt). Driving fine now, but will take a while to see what happens. What do you recommend to make sure I train transmission correctly? Normally I am pretty sedate driver, but want to make sure I can have full acceleration 100% of the time, with no lag or stalling when I need it.
Just drive it in S mode all the time then. If you are mostly sedate in D mode, then the car will drive like that. If you want it to respond quick, drop it down into S and it will take off right away.

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[TallGuy]

Just drive it in S mode all the time then. If you are mostly sedate in D mode, then the car will drive like that. If you want it to respond quick, drop it down into S and it will take off right away.

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Yesterday driving in sport mode. Make right turn from light at about 5mph floor accelerated. Tach goes to zero, kept accelerator to floor for 2-3 seconds, zero or near zero on tach. Back off accelerator and engine responds. Taking in for 2 year service (6,000 miles) tomorrow. Only could get to do it once. Any suggestions??
Thanks