09 v8 r-tronic clutch problem pls advise

[keyserSoze]

Hi guys,

Had my 2009 v8 for 6 months now and absolutely head over heels in love with her. Such an amazing car, and added serious notches to the bed post (joking!!).

But now I have a problem which some of you may have experienced. Changing gear in Auto from 1-2-3 it makes a quite harsh shifting clunk. I know you get that jult if you floor it as standard. But this is a sound that wasnt there before and my friends 2008 is not producing this noise. Above 3rd gear you don't hear it and everything is smooth. Its still driving fine, performance no issue and if you drive slowly in 1-2-3 you don't hear the sound much.

My worst fear is this is going to require a clutch replacement, and in Dubai I'm looking at $8000. Something that could really hurt coming up to christmas for a 28 year old single guy!

Has anyone had the clutch go? What happens, do you get a read-out or does it just breakdown or is it something that just happens gradually and then when servicing the wear % is high?

Its booked in at Audi here a week today. I just want to have enough information behind me unless they try to put a big bill that I may be able to avoid. Its under warranty with 50,000kms on the clock used as a daily driver.

Appreciate your help with this guys.

[KfabR8]

First off, love the screen name - I guess you'll be someone that nobody will ever realize they've met. That's one of my favorite movies.

Second, can you please put your location in your profile? It helps with questions that may be particular to a market. (and yes, I realize you're in Dubai by your post) Thanks.

As long as the car's not hit Audi's warranty cut off, it should be covered. I realize it's a wear item, like brakes/pads, but it's also drive train, which is usually one of the "more" covered aspects of what Audi takes care of.

8K seems awfully steep for clutch replacement. It's a fairly time intensive thing to get to, as you have to remove pretty much all the rear end of the car (see Desperado's muffler posts and you can see about 90% of the stuff that'll be removed off of his), but it's actually quite a simple thing to replace. Parts would (should) be the least of the costs involved.

[stella polare]

love it

[keyserSoze]

Good news!!!

Dropped the r8 into audi yday and they called in the afternoon to say no clutch problem. But they check the software and adapted the gearbox. I'm not really sure what that means. Did they do any manual work on the car or was it just software?

The car was making a big clunking sound when shifting gear, and power was not being given to the engine like before. Will be interesting to see what the full report comes back with!

But I'm just very happy no large clutch bill ahead of xmas!!!

[keyserSoze]

So i got the car back and all the clunking has gone, and the gears are shifting fine now, like as new. Does anyone know how and why the software needed adapting for the gear change? They said they did 100 gear changes and adaption to put it right. Very strange if you ask me. How can it forget how to change gear!?????

[M3R8]

I don't know about the adaptation of the gear box. But just by watching what absolutely insane process it is to have the car learn new tire pressure sensors is, nothing will surprise me anymore.

[SebringSilver]

So i got the car back and all the clunking has gone, and the gears are shifting fine now, like as new. Does anyone know how and why the software needed adapting for the gear change? They said they did 100 gear changes and adaption to put it right. Very strange if you ask me. How can it forget how to change gear!?????

There is a TSB (technical service bulletin) for the R-tronic models from 2008 and 2009 that updates the transmission control unit. The code is 24R4, and it makes for smoother shifts in both Auto mode and Manual mode. If that's what your dealer did for you, it could well explain the improvement you've noticed.

[keyserSoze]

They actually did the updates on the last service, and i definitely noticed the change in shifts. Thats not what I experienced recently. This clunking and erratic changing was not normal and the adaption definitely fixed it. Just wondered if anyone else had experienced this

[ignomini]

Just guessing, maybe they needed to adjust the actual linkages which control the shifting mechanism.