irenesbob

Two possible casuses: 1) Some automatics stay in 2nd when you stop, then when you hit the gas they quickly downshift to first - this sometimes is felt as a lag or jerk in initial acceleration. I believe Audi's shift down to first when stopping, but they stay in second way down almost to the stall point, then the quick second-to-first downshift causes a little shake and eventually the idle comes back up, as another poster said; 2) I have a 2008 B7 A4 with 2.0T and Tiptronic (automatic). My transmission was advertised as being "adaptive", in that it observes your driving style over time and then adapts the shift points, etc. to match your style of driving. This takes time and a lot of miles. When I first started using the paddle shifters it took forever for the transmission to return to D; now it knows I am generally a smooth, even throttle kind of driver and goes back to D in half the time it used too. Interesting feature! I like to throw it a curve every once in a while and just mash the loud pedal lol! I think the Tip in the B8's does the same

userbbc

For some reason, can't find the posts that may be relevant to this topic. As I recall, the transmission shifts into neutral when the vehicle comes to a stop to save on gas. You'll notice that with certain stop/go combinations/timing the vehicle will lurch a little as it suddenly engages the transmission after it has just released it (you have to almost try and confuse the transmission to do this).

At first, this annoyed me quite a bit. However, after some further driving, I both hardly notice it and have unconsciously adopted smoother driving habits where the sudden "lurch" never occurs (however infrequently it occurred in the first place). As I recall, if you leave the transmission in Sport mode, you won't get the "stall" sensation that you are describing since the transmission uses a different program and "possibly" disengages the transmission at a different time or not at all.

ammo_collector

I had a Cayenne Turbo where it would go into 1st only if PSM (stability management) was off. Turning off PSM resulted in a slight kick before stopping. In normal operation, it would stay in 2nd and leave from a standstill in 2nd to smooth out acceleration.

In my B8 Avant, I think it's a the tiptronic going into 1st right before a stop. I guess staying in 2nd is out of the question for a 4 cylinder engine. Still annoying for a $44k vehicle.

userbbc

Seems like a less than emphasized feature, but here's a comment on transmission disengage when the foot is on the brake.

http://www.autotrader.com/research/a...09-audi-a4.jsp

"The six-speed automatic has a new feature to disengage when the car is in Drive but a foot is on the brake, to save fuel, wear, and the creep motion idling automatics want to do."

Halawala

Thats just break in Period stuff, I had that too, then the car learned how I drive and now it just does what I think it to do, no hands or feet required! We are one!

Kidding aside... at 3000 KMs, or around 2200 miles it should be good.

Buckeye96

I just turned 2k miles. It the slight shudder is still there but is not as pronounced as it was in the past. I did notice that the transmission likes to hold 2nd gear as long as possible, which is fine for a slow stop. The shudder comes on more when it is a panic stop.

will_ucf

The problem has been corrected. I took it into the dealership over the weekend and they advised that it was a software issue. They updated the software on the car and it no longer does the studder motion right before a stop. I did notice that the car was holding 2nd gear until a second or two before coming to a complete stop and then downshifting to 1st gear, giving it the sensation of a stall point (studder in the car). Runs much better now. Thanks everyone!

altecdell

You actually got a software fix for it? That's great to hear. I've experienced a similar issue in my S4 s-tronic. It's fine at highway speeds but a nightmare in slow/heavy traffic. Transmission is very jerky and has that lurching effect. I notice the studder motion before stopping happens most in "Dynamic" mode. Don't feel it in Comfort or Auto. Anybody else out there with these issues?

vm_avant

Audi issued a TSB on Aug14,2009 stating Harsh2-1 shift with Automatic gearbox on both A4 and A5. They fixed my A4 Avant yesterday by performing the suggested software update for the transmission control unit. My car is fine now when coming to a slow stop. This doesn't, I believe, address the issue that many here have described of jittering at higher speeds. This was just a problem with shuddering and downshifting at low speeds or a stop. Hope this helps.

SFV A4

My 2003 A4 CVT did this for years. One attempt from the dealer made it much better, but it was still slightly there. They did reprogramming with the computer for the improvement.
Don't let two problems spoil the experience for you. The A4 is an amazing car and once you get these things hammered out, you'll enjoy it thoroughly.