CVT tranny problems...?

[tarzjdm]

hey guys I'm hating my a4 right now.... well here are the symptoms..

1.) There are times when the P R N D will be all highlighted and blinking on the display screen.

2.) The airbag light comes on and off.

3.) yesterday my car won't move at all. both D and R
I had to force it to go, it seems to me like the tranny was slipping.

4.) during cold starts I hear a whining noise when I turn the wheel

5) also during cold starts The engine sounds a little different/ sound to me like a blown turbo. (only when the engine is not on normal operating temp.)

my a4 has 95k 2003 CVT.
thanks in advance guys...

[kepone]

The flashing gear indicator almost certainly means you need a new TCU ( transmission control unit ).. this may solve your transmission problems altogether and it is a common problem with the CVT's, unfortunately the part is expensive, about $1200 from a dealership and about 3-4 hours labor to install. That should be your first step, if your transmission still has issues after that, the main culprits are the forward clutch packs and the valve body, but as i said, the flashing gearshift indicator almost always means a fried TCU on the CVT cars.

Whining noise when you turn the steering wheel on cold starts is most likely your power steering, check your PS fluid levels

Your engine should sound different on cold startups, your SAI system ( secondary air injection ) runs for the first 30 or 60 seconds on every cold start. If the noise goes away after a minute that is normal, if it stays for a while longer that is not normal.

[phantom b6]

I'm almost positive that it's your TCU. My car is currently at Audi right now getting it replaced. I had the exact same things happening. The only thing is I never had a problem with it in D. It only didn't want to work in Reverse

[tarzjdm]

WOW.. that Sh*t sucks, I just had my TB job done about 4 months ago and a month after that my axles needed to be replaced... and now this!! I just wanna drive my car off a cliff...

[phantom b6]

I just talked to Audi.. they said it's the sending unit, but the TCU needs to be replaced. My CarMax warranty paid the bulk of it.. I just have to pay ~$310:

$75 Copay
$140 Labor that the warranty wouldn't cover
$100 to have the TCU shipped within 3 days.. otherwise it would take 2 weeks

I was just like yup sure I'll pay because I'm just glad CarMax covered it without going down there and seeing the car and voiding my warranty

[tarzjdm]

I just talked to Audi.. they said it's the sending unit, but the TCU needs to be replaced. My CarMax warranty paid the bulk of it.. I just have to pay ~$310:

$75 Copay
$140 Labor that the warranty wouldn't cover
$100 to have the TCU shipped within 3 days.. otherwise it would take 2 weeks

I was just like yup sure I'll pay because I'm just glad CarMax covered it without going down there and seeing the car and voiding my warranty

Sick.. I have warranty from buyers choice.. I hope they cover it! How does your car drive after??

[eg6siR]

the main culprits are the forward clutch packs and the valve body.

just so you know, CVT tranny's dont have regular forward clutch packs and whatnot, they are nothing like your run of the mill automatic transmissions. and audi wont sell replacement parts for them either, they will make you get a whole new unit. this is common practice among automakers these days... especially ford, nissan, audi, toyota, and saturn(gm)

hopefully the new TCU/sending unit fixes your issue but i wouldnt count on it... those transmissions get damaged so easily when even a small sensor goes bad.. 5/6spd for the win!

[kepone]

just so you know, CVT tranny's dont have regular forward clutch packs and whatnot, they are nothing like your run of the mill automatic transmissions. and audi wont sell replacement parts for them either, they will make you get a whole new unit. this is common practice among automakers these days... especially ford, nissan, audi, toyota, and saturn(gm)

hopefully the new TCU/sending unit fixes your issue but i wouldnt count on it... those transmissions get damaged so easily when even a small sensor goes bad.. 5/6spd for the win!

Actually you are completely wrong, I know from personal experience ( with service receipts from Audi Melbourne ) that the CVT does have a wet forward clutchpack ( it is one of the few CVT transmissions that have it ), and also a Valve Body, which is also known as the Hydraulic Pump in the CVT's . The Forward clutch pack kit is about $1500, the Valve body kit is about $1200 from the dealership, and they do now repair CVT transmissions, not just replace them. They only replaced them in the first couple of years before their techs were trained, they did the same thing the first year the DSG's were out. My forward clutch pack assembly was already replaced last december under warranty and my valve body is acting up now, the dealers can now read codes from the TCU, and tell specifically which part of the CVT is malfunctioning, and co-incidentally they can also now tell when your car is chipped by getting torque readings from your ECU, ask me how i know. My TCU was also replaced under warranty shortly thereafter because the dealership messed it up while they were repairing the clutch pack, anytime the gearshift indicator is flashing, that indicates a TCU failure/problem on the CVT cars.

The TCU will most likely solve his problems outright, unless other parts were damaged while the TCU was acting up.

[tarzjdm]

Ok.. I called my warranty insurance (BUYERS CHOICE, Sh*tty warranty! won't cover sh*t)today and they said that if all those stated parts are inside the tranny then it might be covered. Im just hoping that they cover it.. so I can save up for some Mods!
thanks for the help guys!!

[tarzjdm]

quick question guys!!! The TCU is an internal part right? (inside the TRANNY)??? because my warranty said that they won't cover it because its not a internal lubricated part!!
my car is driving me crazy!! thanks guys!!

[phantom b6]

The TCU is inside the tranny -- I just had mine replaced and it was a total of $3100. I paid $360 with taxes

[tarzjdm]

The TCU is inside the tranny -- I just had mine replaced and it was a total of $3100. I paid $360 with taxes

WOAH!! $3100... I'm going to call my warranty tom. thanks Phantom b6!!!
they better cover it... does anyone here have the same type of warranty??
it's (BUYERS CHOICE)....

[kepone]

The TCU is inside the tranny -- I just had mine replaced and it was a total of $3100. I paid $360 with taxes

$3100 seems really high, the part is about $1400 from the dealer and it is 3-4 hours to install it- $1800-2000 tops is what a dealership should charge you for that. I did not think it was actually inside the tranny either? I thought it was outside of it in some really hard to reach place that requires dropping the transmission out to get to it. I am fairly sure there is an external harness that plugs into it.

Whether or not it is internal though, it is a mandatory part of the transmission, and without it the transmission cannot work. It should be covered under any powertrain warranty, it is no less important than a clutch pack or valve body, the CVT cannot function properly without electronic aid.

[tarzjdm]

That's what i thought too.. but that stupid warranty refused to cover it. Ill call tom.

but seriously, My a4 has been giving me problems since day 1. As of now I'm just hating that P.O.S. car!... Once a problem is resolved another thing pops Up. I can't even start modding.. I don't really know what to do with the car anymore....
should I just trade it in for like a 1999 M3??

[GermanAudi]

How often does this occur with our CVTs? Does Audi offer a warranty for this? Are we all doomed to pay $2000+ to fix this when it does go out?

[kepone]

That's what i thought too.. but that stupid warranty refused to cover it. Ill call tom.

but seriously, My a4 has been giving me problems since day 1. As of now I'm just hating that P.O.S. car!... Once a problem is resolved another thing pops Up. I can't even start modding.. I don't really know what to do with the car anymore....
should I just trade it in for like a 1999 M3??

That's how I feel about my A4, i bought mine with 32k miles on it, a full service history, a clean carfax report, and no scheduled services had been missed.. the car had been meticulously maintained, and it still breaks constantly. Every paycheck something new breaks, Audi hates to cover stuff under warranty too. This is the absolute worst vehicle i have ever owned, bar none. I don't even know what to do with it either.

[tarzjdm]

How often does this occur with our CVTs? Does Audi offer a warranty for this? Are we all doomed to pay $2000+ to fix this when it does go out?

Hey your from Sd too! well luckily my warranty covers the TCu and 4 hours of labor for the tech. BUT today the tech installed the tcu and all the other stuff for the replacement and guess what? it's still F*c#ed up! Ill find out tomorrow! Btw, I've been waiting for about 2 weeks now!

[tarzjdm]

That's how I feel about my A4, i bought mine with 32k miles on it, a full service history, a clean carfax report, and no scheduled services had been missed.. the car had been meticulously maintained, and it still breaks constantly. Every paycheck something new breaks, Audi hates to cover stuff under warranty too. This is the absolute worst vehicle i have ever owned, bar none. I don't even know what to do with it either.

EXACTLY!!

[NoUDont]

I have the 02 CVT with 74k and have the 10 second pause from Park to Drive, Reverse to Drive and the life threatening Brake to Drive (try making a right or left hand turn when you are not sure the car is going to go anywhere...scary shit). Im pretty sure its the clutch packs. My wife refuses to drive the car, can't blame her.

Honestly, the car would be a dream without this issue. I just dont know if i want to spend $1500+ to fix it with the TB change around the corner..no warranty (im a dumbass).