Audi A3 2.0D 14 plate - 6 speed DSG Issues

[brendondoubleu]

Owned from new. Main dealer serviced for the first 3 years. Last 4 independents.

83k miles. On almost being home today I inititally got a gearbox malfunction - R isn't available. Very jerky but gear change working.

Message then changed to malfunction and no gears available. Switched off and left for a few mins. I managed to get it to limp home with a bit of kangaroo'ing and a mixture of the above.

Having looked it seems that these are prone to failure but usually with high mileage and/or over 5 years of age. So this one 7.5 years old but not particularly high mileage. Obviously main dealerships are mega expensive but I do have funds available to do this the right way so I am seeking advice about who to use for such a job in the South West area.

Many thanks in advance.

[SteBrown91]

The 6 speed box is pretty reliable in later cars - the gearbox is essentially the same as fitted to the mk1 TT and Mk5 golf gti so has been refined and updated over the years. However, they are only reliable IF they have been serviced to schedule. It must be done every 4 years or 40k so yours should be close to its 2nd service now. Has it ever been serviced ?

[brendondoubleu]

Thanks for your reply

It was last done earlier this year. Would have to check the docs for previous services to confirm.

Error messages have now gone but will obviously pursue someone to have a look.

Anyone dealt with Bristol Gearbox centre ?

[anonymous-user]

May not be relevent but I crapped myself recently after I had DSG issues too. (6speed 2011 mk6 GTi).

I put the car in P, let a passenger out and then moved the selector back to D. It changed on the MFD, and would inch forward but then refused to move under its own power.

I looked at the drive shafts, CV boots etc and it all was fine. An hour of trying to diagnose the issue and I was truly stummped. A lot of gear selection moving forward and backward and it just didn't feel right. Not a proper click as normal. The car broke down right outside a garage and they were saying looks like clutch pack or mech unit failure. I had picked the car up a day before from a 4k engine rebuild.

Luckily a friend from work popped down and could hear in the engine bay something which I didn't spot. When using the gear selector there was a noise from the engine bay. The car was rocking like it was still in park. It turned out to be the gear selector cable on top of the gearbox. It had popped out of place. A couple of cable ties held it temporarily and now a metal washer has fixed the issue.

[TedStriker]

Get it scanned, it will probably have a code relating to failure of one of the valves in the mechatronics unit. They aren't particularly hard to swap out and you don't need to remove the gearbox to do it. I had similar on a 2004 Golf GT TDI and fixed it with a valve from a 'spares or repairs' mechatronics unit I got off ebay for not much money.

[zasker]

I used MILTA technology when I had an issue with a 7speed DSG. Way cheaper that main dealer and sorted the problem in a couple of days. Will even collect the car for a reasonable fee and are based not far from Bristol.

[Dr G]

I'll 2nd Milta in Bristol.

They know their onions and pricing is fair.

Unfortunately fixing these gearboxes is all too often an exercise in throwing parts at them rather than proper diagnosis and repair.