Gearbox Malfunction Saga
06-22-2017, 02:30 PM
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Gearbox Malfunction Saga
Long story short: months back, I got my first "Gearbox Malfunction: You Can Continue Driving" warning at about 57k miles on my 2010 S4. I took it into the dealer in February and they said no TSBs apply, you need a new $14k transmission. On a side note, I've seen the warning ONCE since then, for about 4 seconds. The car drives and shifts fine.
I took it to a reputable independent shop for a diagnostic, and they said a new transmission likely won't solve the problem but that the G676 sensor module is the likely culprit. TSB 2032211/5 deals with the "Gearbox Malfunction" issue and they provided me with a copy of it and suggested I talk to the dealer's service center.
According to the dealer, I have fault codes P179E and P179F, the same ones that the indy shop found. However, for the TSB to apply, codes P0716, P171F, P0715, P2765, P0501, and P2159 must ALSO be present. I don't have those. They won't do a sensor module replacement - even if I pay - because the work can't be warranted by Audi since that "fix" doesn't apply to my problem. But, a new transmission would include the sensor module and the work would be warranted by Audi.
I'm stuck on what to do. I know there have been a lot of gearbox issues with the DSGs ... but has anyone had, or heard of only the exact codes I'm getting? Any other thoughts/suggestions? Thanks!
I took it to a reputable independent shop for a diagnostic, and they said a new transmission likely won't solve the problem but that the G676 sensor module is the likely culprit. TSB 2032211/5 deals with the "Gearbox Malfunction" issue and they provided me with a copy of it and suggested I talk to the dealer's service center.
According to the dealer, I have fault codes P179E and P179F, the same ones that the indy shop found. However, for the TSB to apply, codes P0716, P171F, P0715, P2765, P0501, and P2159 must ALSO be present. I don't have those. They won't do a sensor module replacement - even if I pay - because the work can't be warranted by Audi since that "fix" doesn't apply to my problem. But, a new transmission would include the sensor module and the work would be warranted by Audi.
I'm stuck on what to do. I know there have been a lot of gearbox issues with the DSGs ... but has anyone had, or heard of only the exact codes I'm getting? Any other thoughts/suggestions? Thanks!
06-24-2017, 12:01 AM
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2011 S4 69k miles DSG out of warranty, had Gearbox Malfunction, dealer said transmission was faulty internally, needed entirely new transmission for $14k. After a month of arguing got AoA to cover half of it and had new transmission installed.
45 days and 1200 miles later on NEW transmission had Gearbox Malfunction AGAIN. This time dealer said "circuit board needed to be replaced". Since circuit board was replaced, no Gearbox Malfunction yet but still shifts like ****, jerky 1-2 and 2-1, which is exactly what happened before it **** the bed the first time.
Got an attorney. Filed complaint with State's Attorney General. AoA said tough **** and ignored complaint.
Good luck.
45 days and 1200 miles later on NEW transmission had Gearbox Malfunction AGAIN. This time dealer said "circuit board needed to be replaced". Since circuit board was replaced, no Gearbox Malfunction yet but still shifts like ****, jerky 1-2 and 2-1, which is exactly what happened before it **** the bed the first time.
Got an attorney. Filed complaint with State's Attorney General. AoA said tough **** and ignored complaint.
Good luck.
06-24-2017, 07:47 AM
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Long story short: months back, I got my first "Gearbox Malfunction: You Can Continue Driving" warning at about 57k miles on my 2010 S4. I took it into the dealer in February and they said no TSBs apply, you need a new $14k transmission. On a side note, I've seen the warning ONCE since then, for about 4 seconds. The car drives and shifts fine.
I took it to a reputable independent shop for a diagnostic, and they said a new transmission likely won't solve the problem but that the G676 sensor module is the likely culprit. TSB 2032211/5 deals with the "Gearbox Malfunction" issue and they provided me with a copy of it and suggested I talk to the dealer's service center.
According to the dealer, I have fault codes P179E and P179F, the same ones that the indy shop found. However, for the TSB to apply, codes P0716, P171F, P0715, P2765, P0501, and P2159 must ALSO be present. I don't have those. They won't do a sensor module replacement - even if I pay - because the work can't be warranted by Audi since that "fix" doesn't apply to my problem. But, a new transmission would include the sensor module and the work would be warranted by Audi.
I'm stuck on what to do. I know there have been a lot of gearbox issues with the DSGs ... but has anyone had, or heard of only the exact codes I'm getting? Any other thoughts/suggestions? Thanks!
I took it to a reputable independent shop for a diagnostic, and they said a new transmission likely won't solve the problem but that the G676 sensor module is the likely culprit. TSB 2032211/5 deals with the "Gearbox Malfunction" issue and they provided me with a copy of it and suggested I talk to the dealer's service center.
According to the dealer, I have fault codes P179E and P179F, the same ones that the indy shop found. However, for the TSB to apply, codes P0716, P171F, P0715, P2765, P0501, and P2159 must ALSO be present. I don't have those. They won't do a sensor module replacement - even if I pay - because the work can't be warranted by Audi since that "fix" doesn't apply to my problem. But, a new transmission would include the sensor module and the work would be warranted by Audi.
I'm stuck on what to do. I know there have been a lot of gearbox issues with the DSGs ... but has anyone had, or heard of only the exact codes I'm getting? Any other thoughts/suggestions? Thanks!
06-24-2017, 09:11 AM
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2011 S4 69k miles DSG out of warranty, had Gearbox Malfunction, dealer said transmission was faulty internally, needed entirely new transmission for $14k. After a month of arguing got AoA to cover half of it and had new transmission installed.
45 days and 1200 miles later on NEW transmission had Gearbox Malfunction AGAIN. This time dealer said "circuit board needed to be replaced". Since circuit board was replaced, no Gearbox Malfunction yet but still shifts like ****, jerky 1-2 and 2-1, which is exactly what happened before it **** the bed the first time.
Got an attorney. Filed complaint with State's Attorney General. AoA said tough **** and ignored complaint.
Good luck.
45 days and 1200 miles later on NEW transmission had Gearbox Malfunction AGAIN. This time dealer said "circuit board needed to be replaced". Since circuit board was replaced, no Gearbox Malfunction yet but still shifts like ****, jerky 1-2 and 2-1, which is exactly what happened before it **** the bed the first time.
Got an attorney. Filed complaint with State's Attorney General. AoA said tough **** and ignored complaint.
Good luck.
06-24-2017, 09:14 AM
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Audi won't even do the work to swap out *just* the sensor module - even though I'd be paying - since the TSB doesn't match my fault codes *exactly*. Therefore, it wouldn't fall under the 12 month/12k mile service warranty.
07-15-2017, 10:03 AM
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Update ... and Finale!
So I got my car back a while ago from a specialty transmission shop, but wanted to drive it around for a bit so as not to jinx it. Short story: it's fixed. No fault codes, no issues - electronically or mechanically.
Slightly longer story: the "Gear Position Sensor" was (very) sporadically faulty and sending incorrect information about the gearbox, yielding the "Gearbox Malfunction - you can continue to drive" warning. The transmission shop had dealt with other people's issues with this gearbox, but had not heard of this particular failure before. (I guess I'm just lucky.) They knew the mechatronic issue, but not this one as my car never entered into limp mode. Anyhow, the part itself was around $350, plus hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of bolts, seals, etc. ... along with Audi's gear oil ($400) and Audi's transmission fluid ($340) and the labor, brought the total to around $4,000. Of course, it's not exactly pocket change, but it's a helluva lot less than $14k+ for a new gearbox!
During the 3-day process, the transmission technician gave me the opportunity to see the work that was being done. He showed me all the parts, including the faulty sensor. He told me that the mechatronic unit is fine and showed no flaws, and all of the physical/mechanical components of the gearbox were in "great condition." Audi wasn't particularly helpful to me or them. It took them a few calls to find an Audi tech who was willing to help and send them a parts and ordering list of what would be needed. All the others just said to just replace the entire gearbox. The shop thought that was silly since there was nothing else faulty, or even in danger of becoming so.
Overall I'm very pleased to know that the solution is resolved. Driving it in comfort mode, it's shifting very smoothly to the point that the tachometer is the best indicator of gear changes. In dynamic, it shifts so quickly and aggressively, it doesn't allow me to forget how quick this car is! :-)
Thanks for reading.
Slightly longer story: the "Gear Position Sensor" was (very) sporadically faulty and sending incorrect information about the gearbox, yielding the "Gearbox Malfunction - you can continue to drive" warning. The transmission shop had dealt with other people's issues with this gearbox, but had not heard of this particular failure before. (I guess I'm just lucky.) They knew the mechatronic issue, but not this one as my car never entered into limp mode. Anyhow, the part itself was around $350, plus hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of bolts, seals, etc. ... along with Audi's gear oil ($400) and Audi's transmission fluid ($340) and the labor, brought the total to around $4,000. Of course, it's not exactly pocket change, but it's a helluva lot less than $14k+ for a new gearbox!
During the 3-day process, the transmission technician gave me the opportunity to see the work that was being done. He showed me all the parts, including the faulty sensor. He told me that the mechatronic unit is fine and showed no flaws, and all of the physical/mechanical components of the gearbox were in "great condition." Audi wasn't particularly helpful to me or them. It took them a few calls to find an Audi tech who was willing to help and send them a parts and ordering list of what would be needed. All the others just said to just replace the entire gearbox. The shop thought that was silly since there was nothing else faulty, or even in danger of becoming so.
Overall I'm very pleased to know that the solution is resolved. Driving it in comfort mode, it's shifting very smoothly to the point that the tachometer is the best indicator of gear changes. In dynamic, it shifts so quickly and aggressively, it doesn't allow me to forget how quick this car is! :-)
Thanks for reading.
09-09-2018, 11:26 AM
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Got similar issue with my vehicle, Can I drive for 300 Km
Hi,
I am am getting the same same error of “Gearbox Malfunction you can continue driving” , At present I am 300km away from the nearest service centre in a remote place. Can I drive the vehicle for 300km in this condition. Please help.
I am am getting the same same error of “Gearbox Malfunction you can continue driving” , At present I am 300km away from the nearest service centre in a remote place. Can I drive the vehicle for 300km in this condition. Please help.
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01-27-2019, 07:05 AM
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Had this in 2015
My 2015 post follows:
Had the Transmission malfunction: limited driving functionality message pop up for several months now with no degradation of performance until two weeks ago when suddenly I couldn't accelerate very well. I have APR Stage II, exhaust, intake, AK, and Eurocode Sways, with only 29,000 miles on my 2010 S-4. Followed NWS4guy's advice (thanks Neal!) and went back to New German Performance (they installed all APR aftermarket items) to re-flash to OEM stock. Took car into dealership who I've always had a great relationship with (and have always told to not plug in when being serviced and never was asked why), told them about the tranny malfunction codes and had my Audi service accomplished at the same time. Obviously I was worried about what I assumed was to be an imminent TD1 with accompanying hassle and lots of grief and money out of pocket. Wasn't looking forward to that at all. NO TD1! All covered under warranty. They didn't detect the tune. The service synopsis said the following: Customer has U12 PT VERF CUST EXTENDED WARRANTY FOUND FAULT DTC P17D8 with symptom code 8040 MECHATRONICS CIRCUIT BOARD FAULTY As per TSB #2030477/6 REMOVED SUBFRAME CROSS BRACE. DRAINED TRANSMISSION OIL. REMOVED ATF PIPING. REMOVED TCM CONNECTOR REMOVED TRANS OIL PAN. REMOVED MECHATRONICS UNIT. REMOVED BOTH CIRCUIT BOARDS AND INSTALLED NEW ONES. REINSTALLED IN REVERSE ORDER FILLED TRANSMISSION CLEARED DTS AND TEST DROVE VEHICLE. They also performed a 24AS update - ECM Software Update (FED - EMS). Not sure what that was. Anybody know? All in one day. On the road by 5:00 PM. Drove it a week to ensure codes didn't return. Tomorrow I'm going back to NGP to return my car to hot-rod status. Couldn't believe how slow it was after the re-flash to OEM stock. Went from Hot Rod to No Rod. I can't believe the difference. The big thing I wanted to get across is how the re-flash to OEM stock worked with no resulting TD1. Also wanted to hear from one of you geniuses what they feel about how my mechatronics was repaired. I assumed they were going to replace the entire unit, not just replace circuit boards. It certainly seems to have worked but I'm not as much of an Audi geek as many here on this board!
Since the above I haven’t had a Mech problem. Worked like a champ. Maybe I got lucky. Hope so. I’ve ownwd the car since new (2010 S4) and have dealt pretty much with all the “normal” issues associated with this model. Let me know if you want to chat about it. Wayne
Had the Transmission malfunction: limited driving functionality message pop up for several months now with no degradation of performance until two weeks ago when suddenly I couldn't accelerate very well. I have APR Stage II, exhaust, intake, AK, and Eurocode Sways, with only 29,000 miles on my 2010 S-4. Followed NWS4guy's advice (thanks Neal!) and went back to New German Performance (they installed all APR aftermarket items) to re-flash to OEM stock. Took car into dealership who I've always had a great relationship with (and have always told to not plug in when being serviced and never was asked why), told them about the tranny malfunction codes and had my Audi service accomplished at the same time. Obviously I was worried about what I assumed was to be an imminent TD1 with accompanying hassle and lots of grief and money out of pocket. Wasn't looking forward to that at all. NO TD1! All covered under warranty. They didn't detect the tune. The service synopsis said the following: Customer has U12 PT VERF CUST EXTENDED WARRANTY FOUND FAULT DTC P17D8 with symptom code 8040 MECHATRONICS CIRCUIT BOARD FAULTY As per TSB #2030477/6 REMOVED SUBFRAME CROSS BRACE. DRAINED TRANSMISSION OIL. REMOVED ATF PIPING. REMOVED TCM CONNECTOR REMOVED TRANS OIL PAN. REMOVED MECHATRONICS UNIT. REMOVED BOTH CIRCUIT BOARDS AND INSTALLED NEW ONES. REINSTALLED IN REVERSE ORDER FILLED TRANSMISSION CLEARED DTS AND TEST DROVE VEHICLE. They also performed a 24AS update - ECM Software Update (FED - EMS). Not sure what that was. Anybody know? All in one day. On the road by 5:00 PM. Drove it a week to ensure codes didn't return. Tomorrow I'm going back to NGP to return my car to hot-rod status. Couldn't believe how slow it was after the re-flash to OEM stock. Went from Hot Rod to No Rod. I can't believe the difference. The big thing I wanted to get across is how the re-flash to OEM stock worked with no resulting TD1. Also wanted to hear from one of you geniuses what they feel about how my mechatronics was repaired. I assumed they were going to replace the entire unit, not just replace circuit boards. It certainly seems to have worked but I'm not as much of an Audi geek as many here on this board!
Since the above I haven’t had a Mech problem. Worked like a champ. Maybe I got lucky. Hope so. I’ve ownwd the car since new (2010 S4) and have dealt pretty much with all the “normal” issues associated with this model. Let me know if you want to chat about it. Wayne
02-28-2019, 03:19 PM
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I have the "Gearbox Malfunction: You Can Continue Driving" two days ago, but I feel nothing wrong, car shift smoothly, but I stopped the car since the error message and make an appointment for next saturday for diagnostic, the car has 41k and need the transmission service, I hope that is just that.