Smoothness of gear change

[Stuart6587]

Having had my RS6 two weeks I have covered 200 miles, the car having had a full service including new gear box oil before I took delivery. When I initially drove the car on a test drive before buying it about 45 miles and the gear changes in D were relatively smooth, albeit not in comparison to a Jaguar I had previously, i.e. in a Jag you don't notice the gear change but you do in the Rs6.

However, the last two days the gear change seems to have changed and there is now a hesitation or slight lurch (difficult to describe exactly but if you were in a manual car its a bit like taking your foot off the accelerator before you apply the accelerator again after using the clutch) between changing gears going up the gears, ie. 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 4, etc.

The car is due for a 30 day check up with the Audi dealer in another two weeks and I am sure they can look at it on the Vag-Com (someone I am sure will tell me if I am wrong but this is what I think I have read from other posts that can be checked).

It is not a huge difference in the gear change but noticeable and I was just wondering how smooth the upward gear changes generally are - and I am considering here just gentle driving at normal speeds rather than with a heavy right foot ?

[chriswebb9]

Hi Stuart,

It's possible you've been spoilt by your Jags, as I'm a tad disappointed with the way my gearbox behaves, as well.

It would be nice to meet the engineers / designer of the box and give them a chance to explain themselves, or give them a good talking too ;0)

There is a slight hesitance on times, I feel like my gearbox is constantly being defiant, as even when I put it into tiptronic via the lever being moved to the right, it will still only go up a gear when it's ready. This is daft, as a V8 lump should pull in top from idle really. I drove an RS4 V8 last year and you can put that in 6th at 30mph and it pulls lovely. Yet, the RS6 will not even go into 4th until you do about 40mph+

Here are a few scenarios I get;

1. After teasing her into 5th at say 50mph to try and save a drop of fuel on my single A road run each day, she loves to quickly drop down a gear as soon as the throttle is released even slightly.

2. During progressive acceleration from say 40 off a roundabout, if I click it up a gear on the paddle, the car is already making it's own decison to go from 3rd to 4th and thus from my input as well it does go to 5th leaving me with an engine sound an tacho behaviour like I have a slipping clutch, or that it's trying to ride 5th, but wants to do something else. So if I then press the throttle down to go quicker, it jumps back down 1 or even 2 gears sometimes to get back into the swing of things!! There really are times when I just want a proper manual, or for the paddles to do exaclty what I WANT regardless of whether I know what I'm doing or not.


In short, it's by no means a perfect gearbox, in fact, it's an old-ish design now (mid 90's tweaked to be used for the RS6) and it's not in the same league as other manufacturers efforts. The new BMW 1 series is the best I've tried recently, it's undetectable on going both up and back down the gears and makes me feel short-changed with the RS.

You may have seen Richard Hammond driving the new Blue RS6 V10 on Top Gear a while ago (try YouTube, or repeats of Top Gear on the Dave channel), he commented about the gear changing performace breifly whilst driving it down the Alpine roads, so it sounds like even the new box is a design or cost compromise.

However, despite all the whinging, there are times when it's driven with a bit more conviction that everything works at it's optimum.

On a final note, I've been noticing that many RS tuners remap the gear selection program on the gearbox. There are 1 or 2 comments on some of the other forum sections, which lead me to believe that the tuners have sorted out the gear/speed selection process. This may in turn help with how and when the box changes gear under power and thus make it potentially a more positive and smoother change.

I tend to plant the throttle when overtaking on A-roads, as I have to avoid oncoming traffic on the horizon coming the other way. When I do this, the car seems to change gear under full load near the rev limiter as smoothly as when I pootle round town. So there's no ideal way of trying to drive round the problem as far as I can tell, but the speed limits in 30, 40 zones certainly give the car something to dither about, as it wonders what gear to choose.


I would imagine that your Audi dealer would be able to confirm the parameters and overall performance of the box for you.

If you feel a bit cheeky, you could test drive another RS6 from a dealer and make a few comparisons as to whether your car is behaving properly?


Regards,
Chris Webb

[SteveCuz]

I spoke with Audi yesturday as I plan on getting my gearbox oil ad filters changed. Will be interesting to see what the changes are like afterwards but mine are smooth enough. Drove a new A8 4.2 V8 for 2 weeks and that really spoiled me for comfort and smoothness. You have no sensation of the change at all. However I missed the power and have been smiling since I got back into my car on Saturday!

Anyway I spoke to Audi about the gearbox and the fact I thought she sometimes hesitated etc and they say it is a "characteristic" of the gearbox. The gearbox remap interests me but I would be so worried it could be used as a get-out clause should I need to claim on my warranty.

Steve

[tartan_rob]

Get the box remapped and then you can do 5th from about 28mph....

[Stuart6587]

Steve/Chris thanks for your comments.

"Hesitates" that's the word I was looking for !

However, it does this in every gear in Drive now and didn't a week ago.

I would be interested to know how others find their gear change in D on a light throttle, i.e. a smooth gear change that is not noticeable or is it noticeable.

Perhaps I am paranoid having only just bought the car and concerned re gearbox issues and having a noticeable change within two weeks of owning it.

[Rupert]

Where int he country are you? Maybe someone local could allow you to compare cars?

[turbonutter68]

Hi Chris.
It seems we have something in common as my car drives pretty much as yours does.Hoping to get a remap soon and soon how it improves.
On another note I think we are the only ones on here in South Wales (I'm in Swansea) as I asked recently and it seems Grizz was closest then. Hardly worth suggesting a South Wales area section as only you and I would turn up!! Still, nice to know it's not just me anymore.

All the best, Tim.

[MoRS6+]

These hesitant symptoms are definitely not a 'characteristic'. My old D2 S8 had a problem with the gearbox and it had about 55k on the clock. It hesitated quite a bit, especially in 1st and 2nd and if I thrashed the car on a hot day, the hesitation would become a non-gearchange. So that is why I chopped in the S8 for the '6+. Not very helpful I know, as I never found out what the problem was.

The gearbox on the 6 is in a different league and I would hope so because it only had 9k on the clock. The gearchange is flawless with no hesitation whatsoever (now on 16k), so it sounds like you might possibly have some kind of problem.

If they just did the gearbox service and it was ok at first, then it could be that the gearbox oil could need topping-up, something that whoever did the gearbox service needs to check for you. The best place to ask about this is in the D2 A8/S8 section over on tyresmoke forum, as there are many gearbox experts on there who have answered countless posts about people with gearbox troubles, myself included, albeit on the S8/A8.

I would get the gearbox sorted first before even contemplating a remap. Also, I wouldn't drive it too much just in case the gearbox oil is low.

[SteveCuz]

Stuart,

Any further forward? I had my gearbox oil and filter changed today and already notice a big difference. It will be interesting to see how it is in a months time. I know you said the oil has been changed so maybe get them to check the levels. Was it done by Audi or someone else. I took mine to Audi as I have heard some stories of it not being done correctly with dire consequences!

Steve

[Stuart6587]

Steve,

The car is going back to the Audi dealer next week for its 30 day check up which will include checking out the gearbox,s oI don't know at present what the issue is as yet.

Stuart