Audi MultiTronic Gearbox Problems

If you are experiencing issues with your Multi Tronic Auto gearbox, please read on. It’s a long post but there is some useful info which may save you time. If you’re thinking about buying an Audi with an MultiTronic gearbox registed between 2000 and 2005, do your research. By the way, if you don’t get anywhere with Audi and feel there is nothing you can do, log with WATCHDOG. Details on how to contact Watchdog can be found further down the post.

If you are or have experienced issues with you Audi gearbox, please leave a comment by clicking here. Your comments will be useful for other drivers and will also be passed onto Audi UK. You can also read the comments from other drivers.

My story:

I own an Audi A4 which experienced issues with it’s MultiTronic gearbox. The issue first started with a jerk/jump when setting off from the drive gear. I could still get by as long as I gently pressed the accelerator when setting off from drive. If you are experiencing the same, it’s going to get worse.

The car was approx 3 years old at the time of purchase. I took it into Audi (Bradford) for a check and they replied “You need a new gearbox mate, cost £4,000″. Now that’s a lot of money!

As I drove the car, overtime the gearbox started to jerk, jutter, rattle when changing gears. I started to search on the Internet and found that lots of drivers were experiencing the same issue.

A few drivers recommended replacing the gearbox oil. I booked the car in with Audi Bradford. Cost me around £180 for oil and labour. Waste of money, did not help at all. Would have been nice of Audi to say it’s not going to help. They obviously wanted my money. For your information the Audi A4 requires around 5 litres of oil costing approx £11 per litre. Audi will charge around £120 for labour. Please note, your problem may be related to the gearbox oil so changing the oil may help. Also if your gearbox makes rattling noises whilst driving, get the fly wheel checked. A brand new one costs approx £430! Also, Audi recommend you change your gear box oil every 40,000 miles but never mention it to you when you car goes in for a service!!!!. In my case, it was a gamble and I lost out.

Someone recommended contacting Audi head office in Germany. I did and they transferred my query to Audi Head Office UK. I received a reply from one of the managers who basically said Sod Off  and that there was nothing he could do. I was also told it was normal as my car was old and had done lots of mileage. I mentioned the car was only 3 years old when the issue first started to occur.

I decided to shop around for a refurbished gearbox. I contacted various companies around the UK but none in stock. One of them commented “I wish I had 20 of those, I would retire if I did”. Most said we receive calls from Audi drivers daily looking around for the same gearbox.

If you are thinking about shopping around for a refurbished gearbox, it’s worth having your gearbox code and part number to hand otherwise you may be sold the incorrect gearbox. You can obtain the codes from your local Audi dealer or by contacting Audi head office in the UK (Contact number can be found further down this post). Audi will ask for a chassis number so have this to hand. Be prepared for high quotations for a refurbished gearbox as they are not cheap! From my research, a refurbished gearbox can cost anywhere from £1400 to £3,000 pounds.

I decided to visit a nearby gearbox specialist Cleckheaton Gearbox Centre. The gearbox specialist centre took the car for a test drive and said my gearbox required refurbishing and the flywheel was also faulty which was causing the rattling noises (Both fitted with a 2 year warranty or 24,000 miles). They quoted me a price cheaper then the other garages i had contacted so I decided to go ahead. Guess what, whilst I was at the garage there were three Audi A4′s on ramps. All with registrations between 2002 and 2005. I asked the mechanic what those cars were in for. He replied “The same as yours, faulty Multitronic gearboxes. It’s a common fault, we get lots of these”. I mentioned to him Audi knowing nothing about this common fault. He replied “Of course they are aware”

I decided to contact Audi again and explained it’s got to be a common fault with Audi’s mainly built with Multitronic Gearbox from the year 2001 to 2005.  Again, Audi replied we have not had much complaints from drivers and are not aware of any problems. I also asked them to have a read around on the net and that they would come across thousands of drivers experiencing problems. I asked for a contribution towards the repair of my gearbox but again not willing to help.

From my experience and research it seems that when the car reaches 70,000+ miles the gearbox starts to cause problems. The issue may also occur with much lower mileage cars. This mainly occurs with gearboxes with a 6 plate clutch which Audi no longer do due to so many issues. They now only supply 7 plate clutch packs so they must be aware of the problem. Having spoken to transmissions specialists, they have said this should not happen and is a common fault which Audi should be aware of.

IMPORTANT
If you own an Audi with a Tiptronic or Multitrionic auto gearbox and are experiencing problems, please log a complaint with Audi UK so they get to know about this fault, and if you don’t get anywhere with Audi, report to Watch Dog . Watch Dog may take action if they receive a high number of complaints. If you are from outside the UK, you can email Audi Germany 

If you know of any other Audi drivers experiencing the same issue, please ask them to log a complaint so something can be done with these gearboxes. The more complaints the better.

Contact details below:

Audi UK: Tel: 0113 2059809 Fax: 0844 844 0512
Audi Head Office Germany –
Watch Dog – Click here
If you want to take it a little further contact Trading Standards -  Click here

As of 13/12/2011 – Roger from ECU Testing has kindly offered visitors of this site 10% discount, so if you are experiencing issues with your ECU and before deciding to pay a fortune for a brand new one, worth giving them a call. Quote discount code GEARBOX8 – For further details see - http://www.audi-gearbox-problems.co.uk/?p=216

If you are or have experienced issues with you Audi gearbox, please leave a comment by clicking here. Your comments will be useful for other drivers and will also be passed onto Audi UK. You can also read the comments from other drivers.

Goodluck

ECU Testing Offers 10% Discount

Roger from ECU Testing has kindly offered a 10% discount to visitors of this site. If you quote ‘GEARBOX8′ when you call, 10% will be deducted from the overall price. Many thanks Roger. I’m sure drivers experiencing issues with their ECU’s will appreciate the discount.

I was happy to write about ECU Testing based on a few good reviews from visitors on this website (See feedback below). I have not used them personally, but know of a few guys who have and feedback was very good. Before purchasing a brand new ECU, it’s worth giving them a call. They deal with most makes and models of cars, just incase you have other cars in the family.

For those who are not aware, ECU Testing specialise in testing and repairing ECU’s at the fraction of the cost of a new one.

See below feedback from visitors:  Original feedback from the below drivers can be found at http://www.audi-gearbox-problems.co.uk/?p=1

From Vic
Update on the wifes TT.
Sent ecu to ecu testing, repaired for a fraction of the price that Audi wanted for a new one.

From Chris
ECU testing – 1st class. Cheers Chris

From Pete Chatfield
 I would like to thank ECU Testing for the repair and swift turn around so the job was completed within 5 days

From R Puncheon
I had the ECU repaired at ECU testing. Joy of joys it was a smooth drive and a delight to drive!

From Jake
Today 24/6. Finally removed and have my ecu tested at ecutesting.com only to get a phone call just say my unit is fine and had been tested with no issues found.

Quote discount code  ‘GEARBOX8‘ for 10% off

For more info and contact details click ECU Testing

Posted on December 13, 2011 at 8:59 pm by admin · Permalink · Leave a comment
In: ECU Testing · Tagged with: , , ,

Gearbox Repair Companies

List of gearbox repair or refurbishment companies.

If you know of any companies you recommend, please let us know by commenting below.

Site bandwidth – Increase In Visitors

The website has been receiving an increased number of visitors since it was first built which eventually caused the site bandwidth to hit its maximum and brought the site offline for a couple of days. 

The site has now been upgraded to unlimited bandwidth so should not experience such issues again.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Posted on June 27, 2011 at 10:09 pm by admin · Permalink · Leave a comment
In: Website Announcements · Tagged with: 

Cleckheaton Gearbox Centre Review

Further to my post http://www.audi-gearbox-problems.co.uk/?p=1 and no help from Audi at all, i decided to search for a Gearbox Specialist to get my Multitronic gearbox repaired or refurbished. A few friends recommended Cleckheaton Gearbox Centre.

With the amount of money I was going to spend, it was a scary moment and there was no way of knowing whether the reviews were genuine. I decided to trust my friends as they had used them previously and said they were really good.

I decided to give them a call and was asked to bring my car in or they could come to me if my car was not drivable. The price I was quoted was cheaper then other gearbox specialists I had contacted and I was offered a courtesy car so I decided to go ahead.

The work included refurbishment of gearbox, replace flywheel and with a 2 year guarantee or 24,000 miles. Peace of mind! (If you find your car is rattling or jumping gears whilst driving it’s worth getting the flywheel checked out.) The state of the gearbox had messed my flywheel so had to be changed.

The guys did a great job with my car, the car drives great! No more jerking, jumping gears, rattling! All gone. Feels like its just come out of the showroom.

If you’re experiencing problems with your gearbox and looking around for a gearbox repair specialist, it’s worth giving Cleckheaton Gearbox Centre a call. See details below:

Address
Cleckheaton Gearbox and Clutch Centre,
Unit 1c
Morley Carr Business Centre
Morley Carr Road
Low Moor
Bradford
BD12 0RA

Phone: 01274 600008 or 01274 865333

Website: http://www.cleckheaton-gearbox-centre.co.uk/

I’m still not happy with Audi, they could have been more helpful, especially when it’s a common fault!

Posted on January 10, 2011 at 8:43 pm by admin · Permalink · 11 Comments
In: Cleckheaton Gearbox Centre · Tagged with: 

Message To All Audi MultiTronic Drivers

For those drivers experiencing problems with their Audi MultiTronic or Tiptronic gearboxes and have had no help from Audi, please report to Watch Dog. The more complaints the better as Watch Dog may take action. It seems that the issue is mainly occuring with Audi cars registered between 2000 – 2006. For feedback from other drivers see http://www.audi-gearbox-problems.co.uk/?p=31

Report your problem to Watch Dog by clicking here

Also, contact Audi UK head office as they seem to think there is no problem, as drivers are not reporting the issue.

Audi Head Office UK: 0113 2059809

Outside of the UK:

More details on my story can be found at http://www.audi-gearbox-problems.co.uk/?p=1

Audi MultiTronic Reviews

Feedback for Audi’s built from approx 2000 to 2006 with MultiTronic Gearboxes.

Feedback 1

“MULTI-TRONIC IS THE SINGLE WORSE GEARBOX I HAVE EVERY HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO DRIVE AND WORK ON.
Is the only gearbox in Audi’s that has any kind of reliability problems, all the others are fine, DSG is a bit iffy. But please dont listen to any of the above posts, do your self a big favor and get a manual gearbox, if you simply must have auto, make sure its a quarto with tip-tronic.
I work on Audi’s for a living, and I can tell you with have nothing but trouble with these, and they don’t even drive very nice when they are working, which usually isn’t for long. ECU replacement is common, valve body not so much, modified or replacement clutch packs/input shaft assy is a daily occurrence, and complete box failier + replacement is pretty common to, and they cost £5000. (thats more than the cars worth is its a 53 plate A4 for example)”

Feedback 2

“The delay pulling out at junctions is a health hazard to…

Feedback 3

I sell audis for a living and wont sell Audi Autos unless under manufacturers warranty for all of the above.
local gearbox rebuild place wont repair them as they have to give a 12 month warranty and they dont last that long
there advice was if you want an auto by a bmw or Merc.

Feedback 4

The worst auto gearbox Ive ever driven and half of the cars Ive sold with one have gone on to have serious ££££ problems(which Ive had to pay the bill for)
Unless covered by a good warranty DON’T TOUCH ONE WITH A BARGEPOLE!!…

Feedback 5

I’ve been the owner of a 2002 A6 2.5TDi CVT for just over a week now. I wish I could say proud owner, but all I will say is that this will definately be the LAST Audi I buy! It took 3 days for the Multitronic gearbox to start playing up and today I have just ordered a replacement! My car has a full Audi service history with all the required maintenance done when it should have been. I wish I had done more research on the subject of this gearbox, but to my cost I didn’t. Every gearbox specialist I have spoken to have said that this is the most expensive and most unreliable gearbox they have had to rebuild.

Feedback 6

I’ve just taken delivery of a brand new A6 Avant 2.0 Tdi Multitronic. My first Audi after a string of faultless BMW’s and Merc’s, most with big engines and all with auto boxes, the last being an E280. Now I am pretty worried about the gearbox having read this forum. The delayed response from standstill, at junctions etc. is bad…very bad. I thought it was missing a gear or trying to pull away in 2nd but now I see that this is a ‘feature’ of the box.

Feedback 7 from staff member at Audi

Hi I’m and Andi tech. By that I mean I am a service technician at an Audi centre.
Audi, in fact all manufacturers, dont really listen to what people (there customers) say, they defiantly don’t listen to us techs. When we see the same fault all day every day, it takes about a year before the modified parts or remedy become available.

Feedback 8

My 2002 2.0 petrol A4 has been sitting on my drive for the last 6 months because of a fault on this box. I was very happy with the car until one day in april I drove into my works carpark selected reverse and the engine gust reved and didn’t engage.

Feedback 9

2.5TDi with a multitronic. I’d walk away regardless.

Feedback 10

Hi Guys
As new to this forum I have been reading with interest the comments re ECU. Having just reported the problem and had a claim ‘bounced’ by a Warranty Company desite all servicing being carried out on time and because I only just missed the 40k oil change. This will be my last multitronic Audi although it hasn’t put me off Audi as I’m about to buy my forth one in a row except it will be manual. All the symptoms as described by Tame Technician appear to be true so be warned it will cost in the region of £1000 to have it replaced so ensure you change that oil on time.
Thanks for listening.

Feedback 11
Don’t touch with a very long barge pole!!! Check out the Audi forum ‘A4 B6′ or similar models, you will find over a hundred or more threads of failed mulitronic gearboxes. They start failing at as little as 24,000 miles. Audi are less than helpful in a lot of cases. Bills range from £1500 to £7000, depending on fault. The slight judder when pulling away is an early symptom of things to come. There doesn’t seem to be any cheap answer, those that have replaced one faulty part are then greeted with another expensive fault shortly after. My own, serviced by Audi since new, had the gearbox control unit replaced under warranty 20 months age. Gearbox Serviced by Audi 2 weeks ago, covered 140 miles, now total gearbox and gearbox control unit failure (2003 – 80,000 miles). Audi don’t want to know. Audi are aware of the faults but won’t recall and repair, as you would expect from a quality maker like Mercedes or BMW etc. It really is an issue that requires a group action to resolve.

Feedback 12
Our 2004 A4 2.5tdi with the MT ‘box started the dreaded judder so with it coming due for sale, I took it to Audi and they said it needed the 7 clutch upgrade. They then quoted me £1380 for the work…….

I politely pointed out that Audi knew full well about the problems with this setup WAY before my warranty ran out and yet they kept schtum about it. My Gearbox oli was changed on schedule at 40k and I suggested they talk to audi and get back to me.
Between dealer (not the supplying dealer I hasten to add) and Audi UK they picked up half the bill and the original diagnostic costs which left me with £600 to pay which I thought was fair enough.
Its WELL worth playing hardball with the dealer, do your homework and walk in confident and let them know that you know what you are talking about.

Feedback 13

My first problems began very early on. The gearbox always suffered the lag when pulling away from T junctions etc (scarey)! Also it had a clunk when pulling away. Lost count of the times i took it back to Audi, eventually at 25k miles they changed the gear box oil, shortly after that the input shaft, shortly after that the clutch etc etc etc. At around 40k miles the car was almost un driveable it had a terrible judder and made a horrendous noise when pulling away, and felt like you had driven down a huge pothole. spookily just after the warranty expired (about two months) they finally said that it needed a complete gear box! Guess who they wanted to pay for it? you’ve got it! I managed to convince them that I had no intention of paying for a fault that I had been reporting for about a year and a half! They eventually agreed that the repair would be carried out under warranty, I paid £50.00 toeards a new 2 year parts warrant (not really sure why) Just out of interest they managed to mess up my sat nav while they were repairing the gear box but thats another story! Anyway, new gear box has now done 38k miles, so not due gear box oil change yet, but it has now failed again! engine just revs car wont move lights on dash flash wildly like something out of saturday night fever. Ringing any bells anyone? it had a 2 year parts warranty which expired in october 2008 -great! Audi have said it needs new gear box control unit and hydraulic control unit which will be £2000.000!

Feedback 14

Audi A4 T Sport cabriolet multitronic. 2005, (not latest shape). 29,000 miles only. No reverse gear, lots of flashing lights. Warranty expired 1 year ago. New ECU required at £1000 plus, with a warning it might require a new gearbox also! Goodwill a possibility to be confirmed/denied later today.

Feedback 15

no you are not alone on what you say about multitronic gearboxes.as i found out to my own mis fortune .i purchased a a4 2.4 se 6speed multitronic automatic on a 53 plate and had i knowen what i now know i would have bought a manual.as the box on my audi is now kaput and a replacement if fitted by audi is £4,400+vat and at £121.71 per hour .which works out to be a seven to 10 hour jobtakes the cost of replacement close to £8,000 more than the cars worth .at the moment i shopping around with salvage and recondition

Feedback 16
A4 3.0, under 35k miles, full service history. Suddenly lost all gears with no warning. Reading through posts and thinking back I recognise some of the symptoms that I have experienced over time – even when it was well within warranty – juddering on pull off, problems getting reverse. Just didnt realise seriousness at time

Feedback 17
Juddering is just the latest problem. Preiously had the ecu go wrong. Let me know how you go as I am keen to get Audi to pay for the bulk of a new gearbox – I think without doubt something that has been well known about for a while. The problem is only going to get worse as all the 02,03 and 04 cars start to hit the dreaded 60-80k miles

Feedback 18
I am waiting to collect my B6 A4 (04 registered)from the auto. gearbox specialist, and will be £2650 poorer. This chap has been in the game for years,and has had to repair loads of these boxes. The 7 piece clutch replacement was produced by Audi to get over their warranty claims, but this does not cure all the problems. Dirt in the box wrecks plastic components, and thrust bearings have to be replaced as well.

Feedback 19

The gearbox was replaced within 500 miles of me owning the car [mileage now at 37900 and gearbox number 2,] under warranty and then warrantied again for a further 2 years. The car has now done 58k and the box has failed again within warranty period which runs out in august, flashing dash etc etc.
now on my way to a 3rd gearbox. Ive booked it in to my local dealership.

Feedback 20

i’ve recently purchased as Audi A4 cabriolet 2.4 multitronic on a 52 plate a high miler at 98k miles. I’m starting to think I have issues with the gearbox, ther’s a judder or slight hesitancy when aceelerating from low revs but not from pull away. servive history says gearbox oil changed at 40k period but not since then.

Feedback 21

have just been told by my local Audi dealer that I need a new gearbox and they will pay half of parts and labour. It will therefore only cost me £1950! It’s the fatal combination….Sept 2005 model A4 Avant, 2.5 TDI + MT box. 51,000 on the clock but started juddering at about 46k.

Feedback 22

personally I call them multi chronic. Or multi failure.

Feedback 23

wonder if I could get some help on the backgrounds of the Multitronic Gearboxes. I bought and A6 3.2 Quattro direct from Audi Dealership in January 2007. (O5 Plate). In August this year whilst driving, the car started shuddering violently and smoke poured out of it. Had to have it lifted onto a truck to get home. Anyway, Audi took it in and started all the “out of warranty nonsense” but told me it needed a new gear box and it would be £5500. I am arguing the toss with them as the car is automatic and has only done 34000 miles. The dealership cannot tell me why it needs a new gearbox so I having to pay £600 for an independant specialist to report on it after they strip it down as there is no way this is through wear and tear etc and I have been told by specialist that it is definately a fault with the manufacture.

Feedback 24

well I’m definitely put off multitronic.

Feedback 25

The AA warranty would only cover £35/hour labour leaving me to pick up the tab. I’ve put a call out to Inde-tech with a view to them doing the job as their labour charges are closer to the figure the AA Warranty will cover.
To be honest, it’s a lovely car and I’d hate to go through the hassle of selling and buying a new one. Having said that, I really do not want the multitronic failing on me and being asked to cough up £4-5K as many people have commented here.

Feedback 26

Surely electronics should be covered by manafacturer and Audi should be representing its suffering public by getting the original supplier to pick up the cost of a part which is giving the Audi brand a bad name.

Feedback 27

With the multitronic gearbox I think its not a case of ‘if’ it will go wrong,but ‘when’ it will go wrong!

Feedback 28

I’ve got a 3.2 multitronic, I don’t have a problem with it creeping forword as such.
I seem to have nervous moments with hill starts. I pass the same T juction daily, which is on a hill and is always busy. My multi does not like moving slowly in traffic going up. Stop starts going uphill makes the gearbox very erratic. Sometimes pulling out, the revs drop and the engine seems like it’s going to stall, then as you put more power on, it comes back to life and shoots off the line. Very scary experience.

Feedback 29

I have a Audi A4 Cabriolet 3.0 V6 that has covered 101,000 miles and have now had three gearbox’s.
1st box 74,000 miles warranty
2nd box 76,000 miles warranty
3rd failure 101,000 miles Audi will not pay, they have told me it is a total gearbox failure due to engine management light being on for one week and driven twice.

Feedback 30

First the good stuff: I love it. The Multi is a real piece of genius, and allows the engine either to get the best economy (a tankfull seems to last forever) or respond to a quick bit of throttle. A sharp push on the pedal gets the revs up as much as you need, and if thats not enough the kickdown really does it. In traffic light grands prix I use the manual option just because it feels good, and it leaves most cars at the lights.

Now the not so good. Sometimes there is a slight judder or shimmy when driving between 15 and 30mph and accelerating on light throttle. Then cruising at light throttle at 30-45 the drive seems to slip slightly and the revs go up slightly every few seconds. It seems like the hydraulic pump pressure is too low at that speed/throttle setting and the ECU needs to be reprogrammed, but I dont know if the ECU is reporgrammable? I dont think the gearbox is going as medium/full throttle is brilliant; no slip or other problems.

Feedback 31

The Quatro Tip tronics are generally bullet proof, unless your talking well over 120k miles. Then we have had one or two go wrong.

Feedback 32

I got my car back last night from the transmission repair place, they replaced the valve body, and the car is drivable again (doesn’t stall, rev at random levels or stutter on take off).

But the original issue still remains where it would judder/bang on slow acceleration once warmed up and also having a bit of trouble engaging into reverse.

Feedback 33

I just found this thread when googling multitronics and was hoping for some advice. I just bought an 2.0 TDI A6 with one of these boxes. 07, 60k miles and, all in, a very nice motor. I’ve driven diesel audis for years with very few problems but this is my first auto. Test drive was fine and it came with full audi service history and years warranty…..
But (and there always seems to be a but in these postings) a few hundred miles in I’ve started to notice an ocassional very slight judder on coming to a complete stop and when moving off with light acceleration (1-1500) but not when braking harder or pulling away with harder acceleration. Particularly when the car is cold .

Feedback 34

had Multitronic on my last A4 cabriolet. Bloody appalling thing. It kept effectively stalling, the only way I can describe it, and then all power would go, as you were moving along a complete shut down. This would last for 30 seconds to a minute before it could be re-started.

Feedback 35

thinking of buying a a4 tdi sport 2004 auto 130k, the car seems to stall/cut out when pulling away sharply , however if you pull away slowly its seems to be fine

Feedback 36

have had an Audi A4 2.5 Diesel Multitronic from new (2002). I have followed all Audi main dealer reccomendations and serviced the car accordingly. The gearbox oil has also been replaced at 40000 and 80000 miles. However, after just over 106000 miles, the gearbox judders really badly. I have been told that the diagnosis/repair is likely to cost upwards of £2000.

Feedback 37

had a lovely 2.5 tdi A4, was a great car until the shuddering began, i shopped around and after most peoplke told me they would even touch it, i found a specialist, where they overhauled the box for £2200, with 1 years warrantee, i should have released 1yr warantee is code for RUN!!!! but i liked the car so much i kept it , and 13 months, not even 10,000 miles later!! it started again!!!!

Feedback 38

Another tale of multitronic woe! My 57 plate A4 2.0 TDI developed a problem at only 15000 mls. From a cold start, even under gentle acceleration, it selects a gear ratio that is too low for the speed and then holds it for too long before changing up ie revs go up to around 2.5K and stay there before a gear change. This behaviour persists for about 30mins unless I stop and restart the engine, in which case the gear change reverts to normal.
The dealer eventually accepted there was a serious problem and, under warranty, changed the gearbox and ecu. It made no difference at all, but the dealer claims that the new gearbox ‘must’ have cured the problem.

Feedback 39

having picked up my 2004 A6 on Saturday (19th October 2010) I was greeted by the delights this evening of what seems to be described as the PNDRS flashing lights of death. The car has literally just hit 70k miles, so is not that old in terms of what I gather is Audis remarkable reputation for long running cars.
I have also noticed in the last day or 2, that when selecting reverse, there is quite a substantial delay (2 – 3 seconds) in the car actually moving anywhere. Do you think this is part of it, or is this just a normal?

Feedback 40

I’ve had an A6 for the past 4 years, love the car. Noticed a slight knock on low acceleration last week, was advised not to drive it and have now been advised of a £5,700 +VAT bill as the multitronic gearbox is ‘beyond repair’ at 60k.

Feedback 41

If you’re thinking of buying an Audi with a Multitronic Gearbox, BE VERY CAREFUL, indi dealers are very reluctant to take them Part Ex as they know how much trouble they are. It will break and it will be expensive and don’t expect Audi to be sympathetic, in fact, Audi dealers still make money from your misery! Audi are fully aware of the faults with this gearbox, they are also fully aware that the 7 plate mod is also prone to failure but will happily charge loads of money to do the work and then not honor warranty. (yes, you could say I’m a bit peeved!)

Feedback 42

Have an A4 1.8T with multitronic gearbox, bought brand new and only 3 years old (3 months outside warranty) with normal mileage….last week noticed that car seems to be missing/blipping, like gears slipping, especially when pulling away or going up hill. Booked it into my regular Audi dealer to get it checked out…
Mechanic knew exactly what it was immediately…something wrong with the Mulitronic. Diagnosis – needs new gearbox!!
How can a 3 year old car, costing best part of £30,000 need a new gear box after 50,000 miles…???
Feedback 43

A4 3.0 cabriolet with a multitronic gear box just gone in for service at 67,000 miles and just less than 3 years. gearbox had started juddering slightly just after setting off setting of – again as though gearbox was slipping. OK at speed though. Told you need new gearbox (told there was metal filing in the gearbox oil!) as I had done more than 60,000 miles it could not be done under warranty after some negotiation with garage and Audi cost to me for replacement down to ~£450 – perhaps I shouldn’t be apying for anything. I am with you as this is not right!

Feedback 44

April ’07, mileage 61599. Juddering at slow speeds, taken into Taunton Audi for diagnostic check, gearbox found to have defect in the input shaft. Part replaced – cost £1846.25

Feedback 45

I have owned my 2.5 TDi 2003 from new and love this car. But I am now on my THIRD Mutitronic box. The original failed at 90,000 miles resulting in no drive in the fast lane of the motorway, the second one lasted for 70,000 miles, failing at walking pace whilst making a 3 point turn, and the latest one has now done just 20,000 miles and is starting to exhibit the jerkiness referred to in the above very interesting submissions.

Feedback 46

Hi Just joined the forum having had a very bad experience of my 05 Audi A4 Automatic, just out of the garage March 2010 having had to get a reconditioned gearbox, cost me £2700. Just today the gears light started flashing on the dash. phoned garage and the ECU is now giving problems that is the computer, have been quoted £1300, was due to trade the car in at the weekend deal had been agreed. I would be pleased to have an update from you on the Ombudsman, Consumer watchdog etc.

Feedback 47

I recently bought an A6 2.5 TDi with the multironic gearbox. When I test drove the car it run perfectly. However, after I got it home (all running gear well warmed over a 30 mile journey), I noticed the gear changes were not smooth and jerky.

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 have a lot of experience of juddering CVT with my Audi. Last autumn my Audis CVT started juddering just only at low speeds. At last, I took my car to a local Audi Service and they told me immediately, that the problem is multi-plate clutch which has been worn-out. Unfortunately, the warranty period was expired a few months earlier but they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse; Total costs, of replacing old clutch assembly to a newer one, would be about 2000 Euros and my share would be about 1000 Euros.

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I am new to this forum business but after dealing with a very expensive and unhelpfull audi dealer in milton keynes felt i had to share my find with some people who may find it useful.My a6 2.5 tdi multi started making a rather annoying juddering when pulling away and after going to the said dealer was told i would need an ‘input shaft’{whatever the hell that is}and it would cost around £1500.00.

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Just to update everyone, I finally gave up and went for a new gearbox back in the Spring. Cost a load, but at least it all works now!

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I had the same issues with my 2004 A8 with a multitronic box.
Basically after my Audi dealer twice diagnosed the wrong fault they eventually replaced the clutch plates which cured the problem (mine juddered when pulling away).

I did get Audi UK involved and they made a goodwill gesture after lots of complaining/threats from me, even though the car was out of warranty and had done 100,000 miles, and I ended up parting with £950.00.

Source: Audi Sports Forum
Source: Audi Forums
Source: PistonHeads Forum

If you’re experiencing problems please see http://www.audi-gearbox-problems.co.uk/?p=1

Posted on December 28, 2010 at 10:10 am by admin · Permalink · 22 Comments
In: Audi GearBox Feedback · Tagged with: , , , ,