Tipronic operation question
 

Hi All,

The user manual is kind of vague on how the tiptronic works so I thought I would ask everyone here. I have a 2004 A6 S-Line. The transmission behavior confuses me. I have read that it is a "learning" transmission that learns the habits of its driver and adjusts itself based on how it’s driven to maximize response. Is this true? I ask because two people drive this car. Me and my significant other. I drive fast, she drives "economically". I find that the car works great in D mode...shifting down earlier when I brake, quicker to get into a good rev range for turns etc. And then sometimes it feels like it’s babying me. I have to play the gas pedal more to get the performance out of it I’m used to. I suspect that it may be adapting to the girlfriend and then when I drive, it expects to be driven all gentle-like. This possible? Does it re-learn from scratch every time it’s started up or does it retain what it learned when it was driven yesterday?

Second question: I like sport mode but don't want it to hold the rpms at 3500 when I am on a straightaway for a couple of minutes. Sport mode is almost the opposite of D mode, it hates shifting UP. So I find myself using the Tiptronic manual mode often. And here is my question....any way to get it to STAY in first gear without shifting up at 2500rpm automatically? Holds every other gear just fine but will always shift me into 2nd automatically unless I shift down from 2nd…then it stays in 1st. Its, quite frankly, annoying as I have had two close calls turning left at an intersection. I will be creeping into the intersection and suddenly need to accelerate fast due to a car flying through that I never saw due to being hidden behind a turning SUV or whatever. The tiptronic will shift me into 2nd as soon as I start moving, realize I just floored it, then shift back down into 1st. Adding a precious second or two to an emergency "gotta go now!" situation. If the manual tiptronic mode would just stay in 1st every time until I tell it to shift up I would be in heaven as it would prevent the shift hesitation I don’t want when flooring it from 15km/h (the speed that the manual mode seems to shift into 2nd for me)...is this something I can have the dealer change for me or can it not be changed?

Thanks for your advice,

Frizzlefry

I find myself now always in sport mode. Even on my commute with alot of high speed highway. Seems it settles in the same place it would have if it was on D anyway. I mean as far as the higher highway gears when the RPM's settle down.
My manual will stay in 1st until the motor blows or I move it. Just can't get comfortable with that mode. I caught myself too many times forgetting and shifting late, RPM's screaming. Seems like a beating on the car.

The computer averages something like the last 100-150 shifts. So if you didnt drive it for a few weeks, it'll adapt to her driving.

As far as the 1-2 upshift, not sure if a vag-com can change that or not.

Yes, there is a way to use VAG COM to hold 1st gear in tip mode. It is known as the 00032 tip mod. You need a VAG COM to access the control module, then just recode the existing code with 00032 and you should be able to hold 1st longer while in tip mode.

BD is correct as usual, though I would warn you that for some models like mine, an 04 also, the code will be 01032, as stock was 01002. Your stock code should be 00002 OR 01002 so to make it easy just worry about changing the second from last digit from 0 to 3. It'll allow yuo to hold 1st and even get it to red line, not advocating it...