carfreak493

First off, for the most part the car has been incredible. Graphite grey over brown prestige w/ adaptive chassis, towing pkg, driver assistance pkg, black headliner. Has around 2800 miles now. So that ZF 8spd... It shifts very quickly with heavy throttle inputs and responds to the paddles very quickly. The problem is below speeds of 15 mph in traffic types of situations the car can get slightly jerky. It's not the gear shifts that are jerky, it's when ever you take you foot off the gas. Really only noticeable in the first 3 or so gears. Let's say you are maintaining speed at 10mph with a small amount of gas and then you start coasting to a stop by lettin you foot off the gas. A second later there is a jerky back and forth feeling almost like there is a good amount of drivetrain movement like in a manual car when you release the clutch too quickly. I feel like it might be due to the way the torque converter is programmed.I can also sometimes feel the torque converter actually locking and unlocking by pushin and pulling off the gas pedal in a rythmic pattern. I've driven other audis with similar characteristics. Anyone else ever feel something like this/ have any idea if this is something I should worry about. Thanks

RickObe

I have only noticed something similar when coming to a stop on a downward slope. Very rarely and not unusual compared to other cars.

Have you tried shifting to S vs D to see if that makes a difference?

carfreak493

Seems to do it less in S but I haven't been in a traffic low speed situation with it in S mode yet. Just frustrating because other cars with the zf8 speed that I've driven seem to be programmed better when it comes to smoothness. Our Q5 3.0t had a very similar characteristic and we brought it in a few times but they would always say it's functioning as intended.

discogone

carfreak493 - thank you for posting this information, I thought I was the only one who has experienced this.

My original post was here:
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/q7-.../#post24807600

I took my Q7 to the dealership last month and asked them to take a look at it, the lead technician drove the car with me and explained to me that this is normal for Audi cars. He said the downshift engine braking for Audi is always "harsh and noticeable" comparing to other brands, and that's why I feel the car shakes when I let go the gas pedal.

I did feel a bit comfortable after driving the Q5 loaner they gave me, which exhibited the same "shakes" (although it felt less severe probably due to Q5's lighter weight).

pcaddict66

I've noticed this in mine with just over 4,000 miles. For me it seems more noticeable in S mode. I've experienced similar feel in most modern computer controlled transmission cars I have driven but it has not been to the point of a major annoyance for me in the Q7.

larryV

I've noticed this on both of our current Audis with the 8-spd auto tranny when they were new. After the first few thousand miles, it mostly went away and has become smooth in all situations whether in sport mode or not. It could be the transmission adapting to the driver, the transmission itself "wearing in", the driver's brain becoming desensitized to the slight jerkiness, or a combination of all of these. Either way, I love this transmission. The ZF 8-speed is by far the best automatic-type transmission I've ever had in any car including BMW M, Mercedes AMG, with the exception of Porsche's PDK. It's no wonder Audi has chosen to use this transmission on the upcoming B9 S4 and S5, which formerly had the dual-clutch S-tronic in the B8 iteration. I'm glad the new Q7 and it seems the upcoming new Audi sedans and coupes will keep using it.

carfreak493

I would love for it to just be temporary. It's relatively easy to ignore as well, but once in a while there will be a pretty substantial jerk that gets me all nervous again that something isn't right. Also our 2013 q5 started off very smooth in the beginning and gradually got rougher and rougher as the miles went up. Especially in the cold. I will say the q7 is much smoother than the q5 was so that's good at least. Also we have a 2013 s4 with the duel clutch and while it can be a tad jerky in first gear when using very little throttle, it is by far the best transmission I have ever used. Smooth as butter 90% of the time and shifts are fast as lightning when going quickly. Like you said though, I would love for the q7 to get smoother with age. Time will tell!

Vaidookas

Noticed in mine 2015 Q7 3L TDI. Was really annoyed and asked my friend to test his identical 2015 3L TDI and it was super smooth with no issues whatsoever on low speeds. Gear box was just perfect. Both cars are 150k on the clock. Will try to do the gear box service and add nano particles to see if it will resolve the issue. Any one got it resolved?