Transmission amnesia
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Joined: May 2004
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From: United States
Transmission amnesia
I have a 99 A6 2.8, 108k miles. In the last year or so, the car developed what I would consider an annoyance, but it may be a little more than that.
On rare occassions, and usually after recently starting the car, putting the car into reverse, then into drive, the car would seem to "forget" what gear it was in. When this happened, the car wouldn't leave first gear. Once I realized that it wouldn't leave first, I'd put it in park and then back to drive, and the car would behave normally. Eventually, I noticed that when the problem occurred, the LED display that indicates which gear the car is in, which normally indicates this by inverting the display of the selected drive, wouldn't show ANY gear as selected - none of the gears was inverted. Though I can't be certain, this problem may have been more common in cold weather.
So that's all it was until about a month ago.Once, it forgot which gear it was in after I had driven a few miles and was idling at a stoplight. Previously, it only happened after initially starting the car.
One other incident was far more unsettling, however. I was driving approximately 55 mph and the car forgot which gear it was in. The car felt as if it was losing power, and the display showed different gears illuminating only briefly. I tapped the shifter, and the car went into drive and stayed in drive. Thankfully, this has happened only once to date.
I took the car to the dealer, which took the shifter apart, but not in great detail. They did, however, look at the magnets, and checked to see whether the shifter appeared clean, free from spills, debris, etc. Based on what they say, it didn't appear justified to take the shifter apart in greater detail.
One last oddity. A few days ago, another driver pulled up beside me and told me my white reverse tail lights were on while I was driving in park. At the next light, I put the car in park, then back in drive, and the lights went off.
Any ideas? The reverse tail light incident makes me lean toward a computer problem.
Would it make sense to go to an Audi specialty shop, as the dealer was unable to diagnose it?
On rare occassions, and usually after recently starting the car, putting the car into reverse, then into drive, the car would seem to "forget" what gear it was in. When this happened, the car wouldn't leave first gear. Once I realized that it wouldn't leave first, I'd put it in park and then back to drive, and the car would behave normally. Eventually, I noticed that when the problem occurred, the LED display that indicates which gear the car is in, which normally indicates this by inverting the display of the selected drive, wouldn't show ANY gear as selected - none of the gears was inverted. Though I can't be certain, this problem may have been more common in cold weather.
So that's all it was until about a month ago.Once, it forgot which gear it was in after I had driven a few miles and was idling at a stoplight. Previously, it only happened after initially starting the car.
One other incident was far more unsettling, however. I was driving approximately 55 mph and the car forgot which gear it was in. The car felt as if it was losing power, and the display showed different gears illuminating only briefly. I tapped the shifter, and the car went into drive and stayed in drive. Thankfully, this has happened only once to date.
I took the car to the dealer, which took the shifter apart, but not in great detail. They did, however, look at the magnets, and checked to see whether the shifter appeared clean, free from spills, debris, etc. Based on what they say, it didn't appear justified to take the shifter apart in greater detail.
One last oddity. A few days ago, another driver pulled up beside me and told me my white reverse tail lights were on while I was driving in park. At the next light, I put the car in park, then back in drive, and the lights went off.
Any ideas? The reverse tail light incident makes me lean toward a computer problem.
Would it make sense to go to an Audi specialty shop, as the dealer was unable to diagnose it?
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