B6 Manual hard shifting 1-2
 

2003A4 w/ 102k, dealer serviced including oil changes, recently bought from original owner. He is a straight-up, conservative type who imo would not have abused the clutch intentionally or unintentionally. He would have tried to do everything necessary for the car.

The 1-2 shift cannot be rushed. It does not grind, the clutch has good action and does not slip. Nonetheless, I can feel the tranny move into gear past a kind of "hump." Double-clutching has no particular effect. I'm in CT, and it got down to 30° last night ( the car is in an unheated garage). This morning, the 1-2 shift was hard enough that I went directly to 3 until the tranny warmed up. I have not checked the fill of the transmission, but have an appointment on Thursday with a known-good independent German service shop.

If it were a non-hydraulic clutch, I would say it needs adjustment. But it is. Perhaps one of the cylinders? They'll probably change the transmission fluid using OEM, unless I tell them differently. So question #1: is there a superior aftermarket product like Mobil 1? Question #2 is could it be the clutch itself? The problem is a lot like what presented itself on my son's Altima. He said he had trouble putting it into 1st. I removed the thick floor mat he had placed over the factory mat, which allowed the clutch pedal to fully depress. Unfortunately, that's not my problem.

You have 102K on the clutch? I would say you need a clutch. I bought my A4 with 107K on the clock and the clutch had just been replaced.

Anyone else?

Changed the tranny fluid
 

I had the fluid changed using Audi brand. They said the car seemed fine, but they didn't drive it in the morning when it's cold. The service people said a clutch is in the future, but not needed yet. I gather they based this on the pedal position when it grabs.

Here's what happens. I live in CT, and it's been relatively warm at night, but getting steadily colder. When the car is cold, the shift from 1st to 2nd is hard enough that I go right to third. Subsequent shifts to higher gears are ok. After maybe 2 miles, the 1-2 shift is better, and after about 8 miles of suburban driving it's "fine," but even then you will bang that 1-2 at your peril.

My question is, is this a clutch problem or a tranny problem? I remember in the 70's I had a Pantera with a transaxle where on cold mornings I had to drive in 2nd for awhile until it warmed up, but with modern synthetics this shouldn't be an issue, but it is. Perhaps the clutch is just worn enough to where it's starting to be a problem? Or the synchros on 2nd are just worn enough to be problematic in the cold?

This is really only a 1-2 problem. Other gears are pretty good.