michael Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 I've been using an A6 for the past week, I was planning to keep it for a bit but I seem to have broken it It's got the awful Multitronic gearbox setup and over the past few days it's had a small judder when accelerating, today the small judder got bigger. I was just pulling off a roundabout next to work and onto a fairlly fast dual carriageway, I was in the right hand lane and put my foot down a little.... judder, judder, bang, revs....... revs........ revs...... no drive..... stop. Engine runs OK but when you try to shift it makes 'interesting' noises So there I am, outside lane of the road, in view of the office with a car that has totally locked up, shifter won't move, wheels won't turn. Called lease company to arrange recovery and was told it would be 3 hours! (Thanks AA!) Within minutes a police bike appeared (lots around due to Leeds festival) and he started going off on one with me for not ringing them, road was quiet, people weren't being held up and I was furiously trying to arrange an alternative tow. Him: "How long have you been in the police?" Me: "Eh?" Him: "Well you seem to think you are qualified to decide if this is a hazard or not" Me: *icy glare* Anyway Mr Knobby called a recovery company who arrived in 30 minutes, it cost me £200 to have the car moved 1/2 a mile or less and now I have no means of getting into town for a meal unless my replacement appears in the next 30 minutes. Sometimes it's nice to know you have a reliable Toyota waiting for you at home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Him: "How long have you been in the police?" Do they get special training in sarcasm before they're let out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedM Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Will you employer give you the £200 back? I'm assuming it's a company car type thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted August 24, 2006 Author Share Posted August 24, 2006 Do they get special training in sarcasm before they're let out? The recovery guy knew of him "he's biggest ar5ehole in West Yorkshire police" - I had to laugh. In fairness he was efficient and got the job done, also made waiting slightly less scary because the sight of a police bike slows traffic, a stationary car with hazard lights and warning triangle seems to encourage madness He did have a bit too much attitude though, it wasn't as if I'd chosen to park there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorin Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Well if you didn't drive like a nutter everywhere... Will you get the £200 back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted August 24, 2006 Author Share Posted August 24, 2006 Well if you didn't drive like a nutter everywhere... Normally, you can't in this thing, the gearbox prevents it. Will you get the £200 back? Aye, it just means I have to go through a huge claims system and fill out some paperwork. Crappy car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class One Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Do they get special training in sarcasm before they're let out? No. Its an acquired skill! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedM Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 No. Its an acquired skill! Wouldn't it be money better spent to train you lot in how to catch real criminals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 You sound awfully chipper about it! It's nice when it's not your car isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamanC Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 some coppers are arseholes! seriously! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrickTT Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 I know its not your car so you probably dont care, but heres a little bit of info on the audi multitronic box: Drive is by means of a multi link metal chain, not the more usual rubber belt found in most CVT gearboxes, and it has no torque converter. Instead there are 2 wet multiplate clutches, one for forward and one reverse, which are hydraulically activated. Audi intended these to last the life of the car, but depending on how you drive, they can wear out in as little as 30 - 50k miles. It is possible to strip the gearbox and change these, just like a normal clutch, but here's where it gets interesting; As the clutch plates wear the electronics compensate for the thinner clutch plate, but when they are replaced you cannot reset the electronics to allow for the new, thicker, plates. The only way to get the box working again is to fit a new gearbox ECU, costing about £2000 on top of the cost of stripping the gearbox. Audi charge around £4500 for the complete job, or around £3000 from an independant specialist. However, if you drive a US spec Audi, due to the American freedom of information act the software for the gearbox ECU has to be made available, therefore Audi made 2 versions of the software, one for the US market and one for the rest of the world and they are not interchangable. Bet you're glad its not your car now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedM Posted August 25, 2006 Share Posted August 25, 2006 Blimey! That's appalling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted August 25, 2006 Author Share Posted August 25, 2006 Crikey that sounds like a fun job, I did have a bit of a search but couldn't find a great deal about faults. It's a lease car so on top of the 2 visits to Audi already to find the cause of odd gearbox issues (and a previous £1000) bill for something or other I'm sure they will be chuffed to bits, especially as it's only got a month left on it's lease Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 My boss has had 2 A4's both have had a fiar few things go wrong, so much for German relaiablity! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_SWZ Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 We did some contract work for a recovery company and you wouldnt believe how many audi's have reliability problems. Including the TT. Not the Audi I remember Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted August 26, 2006 Share Posted August 26, 2006 you wouldnt believe how many audi's have reliability problems. Including the TT. Not the Audi I remember I always thought they were bomb-proof (my old Audi 80 GLS was! )... ..until my other halves step-dad blow up his A8 auto box... and he is Mr careful when driving... the car needed a whole new box fitting!? on a 4 year old £50k car?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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