Audi's MultiTronic Gearbox
Discussion
Got to be Phantom black with privacy glass - looks awesome on the road - not at all like a hearse.
Used to have an SMG gearbox in a BMW - very difficult to drive smoothly at first, but got better with practice. Think this is similar to Audi's Multitronic. Have to say though, in my humble opinion, you simply can't beat a traditional manual gearbox.
Used to have an SMG gearbox in a BMW - very difficult to drive smoothly at first, but got better with practice. Think this is similar to Audi's Multitronic. Have to say though, in my humble opinion, you simply can't beat a traditional manual gearbox.
Edited by Onetone on Wednesday 2nd August 17:25
Yes I have one in my 2002 2.0 petrol A4.
I wouldn't wholeheatedly recommend it, but it's not bad. It gets mainly used for crawling around town, so it’s much better for our purposes than a manual.
There is a very slight hesitation when pulling away from rest, you get used to it but it was a bit disconcerting at first.
When you rest your foot lightly on the throttle pedal it will sit at about 1500rpm all the way up to 50mph, when the revs start to rise. On a light throttle it will quite happily sit at around 3000rpm at 100mph. For higher revs (ie. faster progress) you need to put your foot at least halfway down the throttle pedal, very similar to kick-down in a normal auto. Basically the more you put your foot down, the higher the revs rise.
Floor the throttle and the revs rise to around 5700rpm and stay there all the way from rest up to the top speed (I guess that’s where maximum bhp is). It is a bit disconcerting to feel no gearchanges and a constant engine note from 0 to 100!
Moving from into P or R takes a bit of getting used to as it is a bit clunky taking up the drive unless you keep your foot off the throttle until you feel the drive being engaged.
The car creeps like a normal auto, but not as strongly so on steep hills you have to either use the handbrake or left foot brake to stop the car rolling back.
If you drive up a hill then it will raise the revs in order to generate more power without you having to move the position of your foot on the throttle pedal. It never does the same downhill though so I use the tiptronic gears to get some engine braking.
When coming to a stop, it sometimes feels like it going to stall (imagine not putting your foot on the clutch until the last minute), but it never does.
Basically the gearbox seems to be built for economy, for sporty driving you have to use the tip function. Later model have an S setting which I think will hold onto higher revs than 1500rpm all the time!
The tip function works like a normal tip auto with the revs rising and falling with road speed. Personally, I’d think it would be better if it made more use of the CVT eg. Gear 1=1000rpm, 2=2000rpm, 3=3000rpm etc etc
I can’t say if it does anything for fuel economy compared to the manual, but I get between 27mpg and 35mpg from a tank, depending on usage which is more or less the same as our previous manual 1999 A4 1.8.
I’ve read on forums that the gearbox works great with diesel engines, but the economy is a lot worse than manuals.
I wouldn't wholeheatedly recommend it, but it's not bad. It gets mainly used for crawling around town, so it’s much better for our purposes than a manual.
There is a very slight hesitation when pulling away from rest, you get used to it but it was a bit disconcerting at first.
When you rest your foot lightly on the throttle pedal it will sit at about 1500rpm all the way up to 50mph, when the revs start to rise. On a light throttle it will quite happily sit at around 3000rpm at 100mph. For higher revs (ie. faster progress) you need to put your foot at least halfway down the throttle pedal, very similar to kick-down in a normal auto. Basically the more you put your foot down, the higher the revs rise.
Floor the throttle and the revs rise to around 5700rpm and stay there all the way from rest up to the top speed (I guess that’s where maximum bhp is). It is a bit disconcerting to feel no gearchanges and a constant engine note from 0 to 100!
Moving from into P or R takes a bit of getting used to as it is a bit clunky taking up the drive unless you keep your foot off the throttle until you feel the drive being engaged.
The car creeps like a normal auto, but not as strongly so on steep hills you have to either use the handbrake or left foot brake to stop the car rolling back.
If you drive up a hill then it will raise the revs in order to generate more power without you having to move the position of your foot on the throttle pedal. It never does the same downhill though so I use the tiptronic gears to get some engine braking.
When coming to a stop, it sometimes feels like it going to stall (imagine not putting your foot on the clutch until the last minute), but it never does.
Basically the gearbox seems to be built for economy, for sporty driving you have to use the tip function. Later model have an S setting which I think will hold onto higher revs than 1500rpm all the time!
The tip function works like a normal tip auto with the revs rising and falling with road speed. Personally, I’d think it would be better if it made more use of the CVT eg. Gear 1=1000rpm, 2=2000rpm, 3=3000rpm etc etc
I can’t say if it does anything for fuel economy compared to the manual, but I get between 27mpg and 35mpg from a tank, depending on usage which is more or less the same as our previous manual 1999 A4 1.8.
I’ve read on forums that the gearbox works great with diesel engines, but the economy is a lot worse than manuals.
I've done 52K in an A4 1.9tdi Multitronic, thats also been remapped to around 175BHP, Suiting the gearbox very well.
Overall, yes, go for it, its a cracking drive though the early ones take a little getting used to.
Up to 2004/2005, they all behaved much as has been described already, but this is changed on the later 2005+ multitronics. The new ones are programmed differently and simulate a 7-speed traditional auto, rather than having CVT behaviour. This means that instead of the revs rising to meet the power being demanded, staying there, and the speed catching up, the new boxes go through the full 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 gears (and associated revs changes) like a traditional auto. In reality this is 'faked' - its still a CVT box, but it panders to those who prefer a more traditional gearchange feel. Still very very smooth, but in my opinion the early ones are a better drive, once you are used to it.
As stated they all have this minor 'delay' on pulling away, for the same reason as DSG boxes. The multitronic has no torque converter (the tradional auto power-waster) but has conventional clutches (albeit electronically controlled). The minor delay is in the electronics feeding the power in.. no problem once you adapt your driving around it slightly!
A few older multitronics have had a warranty replacement to the clutch assembly - Audi have revised the 6 plate clutch to a new 7 plate version. On affected cars, if faulty, its evidenced by a jerky motion when coming to a halt, as the clutches are released. However, another fault can cause the same problem, and that is simply dirty wheel speed sensors, (which confuses the ECU when determinig that you are stopping and when the clutches need to be lifted) and resolved by a simple clean!
Dont be put off - these are great boxes and very few people have had problems BUT- if you are looking at older multitronic-equipped cars, it is VITAL that you check the paperwork - was the gearbox oil changed by 40K miles? It MUST be - and if not, Audi will not honour any warranty claims on the gearbox. this is really vital if looking at a s/h car. I wouldnt risk buying a multitronic equipped car without this 40k oil change. (note - this also applies to DSG and tiptronic audi boxes)
I had one problem with mine, which was not mechanical - simply an error message on the dash display caused by a sensor failure. Didnt affect driving the car at all, but Audi replaced the gearbox ECU under warranty, no more problem. (this was at about 45K miles)
Hope that helps!
Overall, yes, go for it, its a cracking drive though the early ones take a little getting used to.
Up to 2004/2005, they all behaved much as has been described already, but this is changed on the later 2005+ multitronics. The new ones are programmed differently and simulate a 7-speed traditional auto, rather than having CVT behaviour. This means that instead of the revs rising to meet the power being demanded, staying there, and the speed catching up, the new boxes go through the full 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 gears (and associated revs changes) like a traditional auto. In reality this is 'faked' - its still a CVT box, but it panders to those who prefer a more traditional gearchange feel. Still very very smooth, but in my opinion the early ones are a better drive, once you are used to it.
As stated they all have this minor 'delay' on pulling away, for the same reason as DSG boxes. The multitronic has no torque converter (the tradional auto power-waster) but has conventional clutches (albeit electronically controlled). The minor delay is in the electronics feeding the power in.. no problem once you adapt your driving around it slightly!
A few older multitronics have had a warranty replacement to the clutch assembly - Audi have revised the 6 plate clutch to a new 7 plate version. On affected cars, if faulty, its evidenced by a jerky motion when coming to a halt, as the clutches are released. However, another fault can cause the same problem, and that is simply dirty wheel speed sensors, (which confuses the ECU when determinig that you are stopping and when the clutches need to be lifted) and resolved by a simple clean!
Dont be put off - these are great boxes and very few people have had problems BUT- if you are looking at older multitronic-equipped cars, it is VITAL that you check the paperwork - was the gearbox oil changed by 40K miles? It MUST be - and if not, Audi will not honour any warranty claims on the gearbox. this is really vital if looking at a s/h car. I wouldnt risk buying a multitronic equipped car without this 40k oil change. (note - this also applies to DSG and tiptronic audi boxes)
I had one problem with mine, which was not mechanical - simply an error message on the dash display caused by a sensor failure. Didnt affect driving the car at all, but Audi replaced the gearbox ECU under warranty, no more problem. (this was at about 45K miles)
Hope that helps!
This thread on Audi-Sport.net (top site btw for all things Audi)
www.audi-sport.net/vb/showthread.php?t=8292
Includes a description of where the sensors are:
"Its very easy. At the front of the hub, just behind the brake caliper you will see a wire attached to the wheel speed sensor held by a 5mm hex bolt. Undo this bolt and the sensor will slide out. Clean it with a degreaser. I use autoglym. Replacement is the reverse of removal. Let me know how you get on."
I havent done mine yet, but it certainly sounds easy, and others on the thread say it worked for them!
Hope that helps!
I agree with virtually everything that Currymilkshake posted on 9 Aug.
I have been driving a 'pre owned' 2003 A4 2.5 td Cabrio for the past 18 months.
I've owned a number of different automatics but the multitronic beats the rest (the Honda is second best) and really suits this chassis/engine combination. In fact, in my experience, it would be a *** to drive with a manual box. Trying to drive in the tiptronic/manual mode is virtually impossible because the engine is so well acoustically insulated that you have to keep watching the rev counter to tell you when to change gear.
Mine has had the 7 plate clutch warranty replacement, after problems with a jerky take of from rest, which it has cured. Incidentally, does anyone know how you can just add one clutch plate? In my motorcycle experience they come in pairs.
I am a bit concerned about the oil change at 40k comments. My latest web browsing also finds reports of a need for the gearbox oil filter to be changed every two years as well - and mine wasn't...
I don't know if Currymilkshake has driven a 2005+ model but my reading of reviews etc. suggests that the reprogramming only gives 7 speeds in the tiptronic mode. In auto it's still seamless CVT.
I have been driving a 'pre owned' 2003 A4 2.5 td Cabrio for the past 18 months.
I've owned a number of different automatics but the multitronic beats the rest (the Honda is second best) and really suits this chassis/engine combination. In fact, in my experience, it would be a *** to drive with a manual box. Trying to drive in the tiptronic/manual mode is virtually impossible because the engine is so well acoustically insulated that you have to keep watching the rev counter to tell you when to change gear.
Mine has had the 7 plate clutch warranty replacement, after problems with a jerky take of from rest, which it has cured. Incidentally, does anyone know how you can just add one clutch plate? In my motorcycle experience they come in pairs.
I am a bit concerned about the oil change at 40k comments. My latest web browsing also finds reports of a need for the gearbox oil filter to be changed every two years as well - and mine wasn't...
I don't know if Currymilkshake has driven a 2005+ model but my reading of reviews etc. suggests that the reprogramming only gives 7 speeds in the tiptronic mode. In auto it's still seamless CVT.
Hello Multitronic fans,
I am new to this forum. I have owned an A4 1.8T multitronic since 2002 and have just bought an A6, 2.7 tdi multitronic.
The old 6-speed version worked in two modes, CVT when in Drive (D), six speed manual sequential fixed ratios when the selector is moved to the side (+ or -). The original unit had a six plate electronic clutch but was probably not strong enough for the big engines. I know someone who drives a 2.5 tdi multitronic (6-speed) who is on his third gearbox repair.
The new 7-speed version is stronger, with a 7-plate clutch and works in three modes, the first two as above (note that currymilkshake is wrong when he implies that there is no CVT mode) and a third sport mode (S - selector full back, D is one notch forward) that is automatic sequential fixed ratios. This sport mode uses higher enginer rpm and the fixed ratios means that the throttle response can be a bit faster.
Personally, I find that the CVT is brilliant and I use the manual mode only going steeply downhill for additional engine breaking. In CVT mode, the engine rpm rises gradually with acceleration mainly to help convince you about how fast you're going, while at the same time the gear ratios are changing smoothly and continuously. As you take your foot off, the rpm gradually reduces. The multitronic kicks down quickly for overtaking. The driver senses a relationship between accelerator position and engine torque throughout the speed range so there is nothing unintuitive about driving it. I found at least on the old CVT that full lock situations at low speed (in supermarket car parks) can be a bit odd. I also found a stronger jerk going in and out of R with the new motor that suprised me a bit.
F
I am new to this forum. I have owned an A4 1.8T multitronic since 2002 and have just bought an A6, 2.7 tdi multitronic.
The old 6-speed version worked in two modes, CVT when in Drive (D), six speed manual sequential fixed ratios when the selector is moved to the side (+ or -). The original unit had a six plate electronic clutch but was probably not strong enough for the big engines. I know someone who drives a 2.5 tdi multitronic (6-speed) who is on his third gearbox repair.
The new 7-speed version is stronger, with a 7-plate clutch and works in three modes, the first two as above (note that currymilkshake is wrong when he implies that there is no CVT mode) and a third sport mode (S - selector full back, D is one notch forward) that is automatic sequential fixed ratios. This sport mode uses higher enginer rpm and the fixed ratios means that the throttle response can be a bit faster.
Personally, I find that the CVT is brilliant and I use the manual mode only going steeply downhill for additional engine breaking. In CVT mode, the engine rpm rises gradually with acceleration mainly to help convince you about how fast you're going, while at the same time the gear ratios are changing smoothly and continuously. As you take your foot off, the rpm gradually reduces. The multitronic kicks down quickly for overtaking. The driver senses a relationship between accelerator position and engine torque throughout the speed range so there is nothing unintuitive about driving it. I found at least on the old CVT that full lock situations at low speed (in supermarket car parks) can be a bit odd. I also found a stronger jerk going in and out of R with the new motor that suprised me a bit.
F
Edited by firstfloor on Thursday 5th July 11:12
Edited by firstfloor on Thursday 5th July 11:20
I've got an A4 TDI Multi and it is the best auto gearbox bar none i have driven. I've also driven a petrol version and have to say it was not good. The diesed suits this gearbox best.
Speaking to Ed at APS, he said the box is quite reliable if serviced correctly and not used on a trackday as some of his previous customers have done.
Speaking to Ed at APS, he said the box is quite reliable if serviced correctly and not used on a trackday as some of his previous customers have done.
Narvanath said:
I'm looking at getting a new A6 avant 2.7TDI with most of the options.
I can't decide on a colour though... they all so gooood.
My A6 (Le Mans) is Daytona Grey....looks fantastic, its the only volume type car I've had that gets comments from people in car parks and garages etc for its looks! Not the best photos but here it is.I can't decide on a colour though... they all so gooood.
I have a 3.0 sport Cab with Multi And its the best auto Ive ever driven !! At least I think its a Multi ? I can detect gear changes like a normal auto and it kicks down like a normal auto ! Was there more than 1 auto option IE normal auto or Multitronic ?? Either way the box is simply awesome ! smooth with no jerks and makes the car a real joy to drive !
I have a Audi A4 1.8T 2002 with a Mutitronic CVT gearbox (Automatic. I have had the Automiatic Gearbox oil chnage at 40,000 and 80,000 miles respectively, however I have found now that it has done 124,000 on the clock I am seing a slight juddder under 2,000 Revs. So when I take of from standstill if the car is under 2,000 rev it will judder slightly so as to jerk and you can feel it. Above 2,000 revs this is fine and you cannot feel the jerking. I have a feeling this is an issue with the Gerabox but not sure what it is, and how much it would cost? Also not sure if this is covered by Audi dealer as a recall job as I have been told that this is a fault with the manufacturing of the part??? Has anyone else had any similar problems with their gearbox and know what to do to fix the problem and how much it costs?
We are on our 3rd multitronic, best CVT ever in my opinion.
These guys are probably better than audi at repair work and quite reaonable too.
http://www.inde-tech.co.uk/multitronic.html
These guys are probably better than audi at repair work and quite reaonable too.
http://www.inde-tech.co.uk/multitronic.html
I stand by to be slated here, but My opinion is a valid one too.
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)
I surely cant be the only one who thinks this.
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)
I surely cant be the only one who thinks this.
Edited by Tame Technician on Sunday 10th August 21:57
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