2008
A3 Quattro 3.2
17,000 miles

I started getting the jerking in the transmission when starting from a stop (especially on an incline) and the hard "clunk" when the DSG shifted from 2nd to 1st when stopping. Took it into the dealer and told them I suspected the mechatronic unit had gone bad. They later confirmed that the TCU was the issue and would need to be replaced. The bad news was the part would take at least a month before it arrived.

Worse is I am being told that the car is okay to drive which I doubt. You can only imagine what damage is being done to the rest of the transmission due to the defective control unit. You only need to hear and feel that "CLUNK" from the hard downshift to know that damage is accumulating and will likely manifest itself as a failed transmission after the warranty expires.

Since this problem is not unusual I don't understand why a replacement part takes so long unless they are still mining the ore used to make the steel. This is the problem with automobile manufacturers today, they are run by accountants and attorneys. When car manufacturers were run by engineers they only cared about making the product right. They always knew that the money was secondary and would eventually take care of itself. The bean counters and lawyers only care about the bottom line and any kind of warranty service cuts into that.

If other people are experiencing this problem please file a complaint with the NHTSA and Audi Customer Care.

 

My dealer wouldn't offer me a loaner while we wait for over a month for the new part. They told me that the car is okay to drive with the faulty mechatronics unit. I complained to Audi USA Customer Care Advocate who contacted the dealer and got the same answer. No loaner, keep driving the broken car. I explained that I felt the transmission would be damaged if I kept driving it and wanted a loaner. I asked how confident they were about the car being okay to drive. Audi replied that they were very confident it would be alright. I then requested that they gaurantee the transmission for future failure caused by the faulty mechatronics unit. They said they couldn't do that. I guess that says alot about their confidence!

I bought a German vehicle to get away from the scumbag customer service that US manufacturers provide. I could have spent 60% less and gotten the same crappy service from Chevrolet or Chysler that I am currently getting from Audi. Audi service sucks!!!!

 

I too recently had a bad TCU, and its been over 1.5 months and no part yet. I had the same clunking you're getting, except when mine comes to a stop, the car goes completely neutral, the PRNDS starts flashing, and the car is immobile unless you power down the car and start up again.

Unfortunately, I'm out of warranty.

 

What the hell! This is happening to me too. I just purchased a 2008 A3 with only 7K miles, and off the bat we heard the same “clunking” noise when coming to a stop; acceleration was hesitant.
We brought the car to an Audi dealership, and they said they had to order from Germany this part … I guess it’s the control unit. What was supposed to take a week, turned into 3 weeks, then I was just told I now have to wait for a month and a half.. they said it’s a backordered part on “critical” alert. This must be a common issue for it to be on backorder.
The car was supposedly 300+ point check as part of their pre-owned certification; but still the dealership passed it onto me.. now I’m REALLY PISSED. …
I’m trying to reach out to a lawyer..... maybe this would be a good case for a class action suit.. so keep checking the forum.

ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS AUDI A3 TRANMISSION PROBLEMS, POST TO THIS FORUM!! We need to get some momentum going here, and put Audi on blast! I'm sure they monitor this forum, so reply if you have a similar issue.

By the way, needless to say, I would NEVER buy an Audi again.

 

Here's more info on this... some people, including me, submitted their issues to the NHTSA

http://forums.fourtitude.com/zerothread?id=4491208

 

Read my A8L saga here:

http://forums.audiworld.com/showthread.php?t=2755531

 

Don't forget that all te Auto Tranny's in GTI's are the same as your A3 transmissions. Hence there are alot of cars that run this tranny.

I love mine so far. Best shifting and festest auto I've ever had. 19K miles with no problems.

 

My 2006 A3 2.0T FWD, a CPO car with 55K miles, is now awaiting a new DSG Mechatronics unit. It was certainly driveable when I took it in, just rougher than it should be, noticeable in parking, slow traffic and hot weather. Shifts while driving at typical speeds (15 mph and up) have always been fine.

I didn't need to argue with the dealer at all (and I was ready to argue if necessary) about the need for the new Mechatronics. At best, I had expected that they would order the part, and return my car until it arrived. But they attempted a "Basic Settings" adjustment and said that made it worse - so not acceptable to drive.

Initially I was given a loaner from Enterprise Car Rental (a boat of a Mercury), but when it was apparent that I'd be driving the loaner for awhile, the dealer insisted I swap that for a proper car - a nearly new 2009 A4 2.0T Quattro Prestige model with lots of goodies ($45K MSRP, according to the window sticker I found in the glove box). So I'm certainly not complaining about my alternate transportation!

I'm well aware that this "courtesy car" is really a marketing tool, and a pretty darn effective, one, too. I certainly like the torque of the new 2.0 TFSI motor, smoothness of the Tiptronic transmission, back-up camera, better interior space and quality, etc. But I do miss my shift paddles. I'm amazed that this car, with the Tiptronic torgue converter and extra weight/drag of Quattro, gets nearly the same gas mileage as mine.

While I wish the problem had never happened, I'm not surprised that the advanced technology of the DSG will have some issues like this (that's why I got a CPO car), and I have absolutely no complaints about the treatment I'm getting from my dealer (Barrier Audi in Bellevue, WA) or Audi.

 

This is a follow-up to my last post on this thread.

It took 2.5 weeks for the Mechatronics unit to get here from Germany and be replaced. The result is excellent! And I have no complaints about the time it required.

All of my previous complaints regarding the transmission/clutches have been resolved. The car is now MUCH smoother at low speeds and from a stop. Engaging reverse is also improved - not surprising since I suspect that most of the Mechatronic changes affect the clutch engagement control - so parallel parking is easier when trying to creep forward or back.

Interestingly, it also feels like the clutch engages more 'tightly' too. The car seems to accelerate a tiny bit quicker, even without a downshift, but maybe that is the result of driving the 2009 A4 Tiptronic (very nice, but still not as fun as the A3) while my car was at the dealer.

My wife agrees that the car feels significantly more satisfying and fun as either driver or passenger. She had previously complained (as passenger) about the jerks every time when starting off from a stop.

 

My TSU was replaced and it drives better. I hope this didn't cause additional damage.

**** NEWS FLASH **** AUDI RECALLS

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