hey guys... please check this link --> https://www.audiforums.com/forum/sho...=1#post1197128 just to do some background reading on this. long story short, at random times, when coming to a stop, the tranny feels like its sticking in second and then suddenly jumps down to first. the rpms dip down to like 4 or 500 and then jump back up to about 800. the car does a little lurch forward. everything sucks. any ideas on this? i have an 03 A6. also, it doesn't seem to ever do this when i'm in manual mode, only auto. any updates / ideas / comments / questions / suicide help line numbers?

 

This exact thing is happening to me, turned out that i have a slow transmission leak and i was low on tranny fluid. Just get a fluid change and it should fix your problem, hopefully you dont have a leak like me cuz they are saying i need to get the tranny removed to get it fixed.

 

I agree with makaveli, check the fluid and check for leaks.

 

OK, well, i drove to advance auto parts thinking i could get some fluid for the tranny, but before i went in, i decided to check the level just to see if it was low. to my surprise, i couldn't find a dipstick anywhere. so i came back on here and did some research and saw that the tranny has to be filled from the bottom, but i'm still not sure how to check the level. Any help with that one? Also, if the problem WAS due to low fluid, then wouldn't it also happen in manual mode as well?

 

I think you will not find a lot of answers on here when it comes to the CVT transmission. They are known for being problem prone, and as such, are generally avoided.

I would suggest taking it to a trusted transmission shop, or even the Audi dealer and have them take a look.

On a conventional automatic like in most A6's, when you place the shift lever into manual mode, it raises the line pressure in the transmission. My guess to why it does this is so that it can shift faster, but I have no idea why it does it.

You very well could be low on fluid, and your transmission shop or Audi dealer can solve that for you. Checking the level is not hard, but for the 100.00, you can have your fluid changed (not flushed). I'd just pay the 100.00.

EDIT: just finished the thread you posted above, I think you must understand the horrors of an Audi CVT (and to be fair, most CVT's are junk, IMHO). Mini uses/used them in the Cooper and they were known to last 40k, Nissan uses them in many of their cars and extended the warranty on them because of so many failures, GM used them on the VUE & Ion till '05 then stopped due to high failure rates, Ford used them on some Escape, Freestyle, 500 until '07 and stopped due to high failure rates.

BUT Toyota/Lexus use them on their hybrid cars and they seem very reliable. Oh and Honda too.

 

checking the level itself is a pain in the ***, if you get under it, find your tranmission and there will be a drain plug and a fill plug, the only way to check if your tranny is low is to open that fill plug, fill it up until it starts draining out, once it starts draining out its considered full. But per the book you should be monitoring your tranny fluid temp with a vag-com to make sure its within the temp to obtain an accurate fill. I had my tranny fluid changed, just the fluid not the filter or gasket for 250$, this place is known for being expensive but they do do a good job so i sucked it up. plus forgot to mention that you need a special pump to to get the oil up into the drain plug, blau parts sell it for pretty cheap.

 

Here in Minneapolis, I paid 150.00 for a fluid, filter and gasket change. They use generic esso synthetic fluid, which is what they use in all their Audi, BMW & Porsche cars. If I just have them change the fluid (every 30k) it costs 100.00.

 

wow... didn't realize i haven't posted here in over a year... but i think i may finally have the answer to this. apparently, there is a TSB for this exact problem that i pulled from an ALLDATA program. exact symptoms where as i'm coming to a stop, the vehicle lurches forward, the rpm's dip down to around 200, then come back up... and on rare occasions, i am unable to move after stopping and have to wait for the tranny to make up its mind to get in gear (which usually takes about 8-10 secs) so i can be on my way. Anyway, the TSB number is 370801, issued on 1/4/08, and the fix seems to be replacing the valve body in the tranny to the body with part number 01J-325-031-BC. This is not cheap and is not covered under warranty for the cars it affects (since they're too old) so i hope if you have this problem, you have an extended warranty that will cover it. mine runs out next year, which is why i threw everything i had at this problem recently. the dealer had me change the purge valve as well as clean out the throttle body... which helped a little, but did not resolve the issue. the car is at the shop now, and hopefully this will be the last time. will update again when i get the car back to let you all know how it went.