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Jetta Transmission Problems and Questions

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Comments

  • mrks307mrks307 Member Posts: 11
    I have a 2002 Jetta automatic. At 77,000 miles the tranny went. Replaced with extended warranty. At 97,500 miles tranny went again (downshift crazy) replaced with extended warranty. At 97,510 miles tranny went again (same problem) YES THE MILAGE IS CORRECT! I made it 10 miles out of the dealer. I think the torque converter went too this time. Loud crunch from tranny. I bought this car 3 years ago with 33,000 miles on it for $9,900. It has had $23,000 in waranty related repairs. It will be out of warranty in 2,500 miles. I'm screwed. Stay away from VW's!
  • mrks307mrks307 Member Posts: 11
    Tranny is a sealed unit. No dipstick. I have a 2002 Jetta automatic. At 77,000 miles the tranny went. Replaced with extended warranty. At 97,500 miles tranny went again (downshift crazy) replaced with extended warranty. At 97,510 miles tranny went again (same problem) YES THE MILAGE IS CORRECT! I made it 10 miles out of the dealer. I think the torque converter went too this time. Loud crunch from tranny. I bought this car 3 years ago with 33,000 miles on it for $9,900. It has had $23,000 in waranty related repairs. It will be out of warranty in 2,500 miles. I'm screwed. Stay away from VW's!
  • mrks307mrks307 Member Posts: 11
    Forget about the cable, you've got bigger problems. Your computer is bad and you have burned your tranny fluid probably taking the clutches with it. Tranny is a sealed unit. No dipstick. I have a 2002 Jetta automatic. At 77,000 miles the tranny went. Replaced with extended warranty. At 97,500 miles tranny went again (downshift crazy) replaced with extended warranty. At 97,510 miles tranny went again (same problem) YES THE MILAGE IS CORRECT! I made it 10 miles out of the dealer. I think the torque converter went too this time. Loud crunch from tranny. I bought this car 3 years ago with 33,000 miles on it for $9,900. It has had $23,000 in waranty related repairs. It will be out of warranty in 2,500 miles. I'm screwed. Stay away from VW's!
  • mrks307mrks307 Member Posts: 11
    VW was supposed to increase the cat converter warrenty from 80,000 to 120,000 miles on the 2001's. Hope that helps.
  • mrks307mrks307 Member Posts: 11
    Tranny is a sealed unit. No dipstick. I have a 2002 Jetta automatic. At 77,000 miles the tranny went. Replaced with extended warranty. At 97,500 miles tranny went again (downshift problems again) replaced with extended warranty. At 97,510 miles tranny went again (same problem) YES THE MILEAGE IS CORRECT! I made it 10 miles out of the dealer. I think the torque converter went too this time. Loud crunch from tranny. I bought this car 3 years ago with 33,000 miles on it for $9,900. It has had $23,000 in warranty related repairs. It will be out of warranty in 2,500 miles. Downshift I'm screwed. Stay away from VW's!
  • mrks307mrks307 Member Posts: 11
    Tranny is a sealed unit. No dipstick. I have a 2002 Jetta automatic. At 77,000 miles the tranny went. Replaced with extended warranty. At 97,500 miles tranny went again (downshift problems again) replaced with extended warranty. At 97,510 miles tranny went again (same problem) YES THE MILAGE IS CORRECT! I made it 10 miles out of the dealer. I think the torque converter went too this time. Loud crunch from tranny. I bought this car 3 years ago with 33,000 miles on it for $9,900. It has had $23,000 in waranty related repairs. It will be out of warranty in 2,500 miles.Downshift I'm screwed. Stay away from VW's!
  • mrks307mrks307 Member Posts: 11
    Yes it does.Tranny is a sealed unit. No dipstick. I have a 2002 Jetta automatic. At 77,000 miles the tranny went. Replaced with extended warranty paying. At 97,500 miles tranny went again (downshift problems again) replaced with extended warranty. At 97,510 miles tranny went again (same problem) YES THE MILEAGE IS CORRECT! I made it 10 miles out of the dealer's lot. I think the torque converter went too this time. Loud crunch from tranny. I bought this car 3 years ago with 33,000 miles on it for $9,900. It has had $23,000 in waranty related repairs in the last 2 years. It will be out of warranty in 2,500 miles. I'm screwed. Stay away from VW's!
  • mrks307mrks307 Member Posts: 11
    Tranny is a sealed unit. No dipstick. I have a 2002 Jetta automatic. At 77,000 miles the tranny went. Replaced with extended warranty paying. At 97,500 miles tranny went again (downshift problems again) replaced with extended warranty. At 97,510 miles tranny went again (same problem) YES THE MILEAGE IS CORRECT! I made it 10 miles out of the dealer's lot. I think the torque converter went too this time. Loud crunch from tranny. I bought this car 3 years ago with 33,000 miles on it for $9,900. It has had $23,000 in waranty related repairs in the last 2 years. It will be out of warranty in 2,500 miles. I'm screwed. Stay away from VW's!
  • mrks307mrks307 Member Posts: 11
    No! Tranny is a sealed unit. No dipstick. I have a 2002 Jetta automatic. At 77,000 miles the tranny went. Replaced with extended warranty paying. At 97,500 miles tranny went again (downshift problems again) replaced with extended warranty. At 97,510 miles tranny went again (same problem) YES THE MILEAGE IS CORRECT! I made it 10 miles out of the dealer's lot. I think the torque converter went too this time. Loud crunch from tranny. I bought this car 3 years ago with 33,000 miles on it for $9,900. It has had $23,000 in waranty related repairs in the last 2 years. It will be out of warranty in 2,500 miles. I'm screwed. Sounds like your Torque Converter is bad or your tranny computer.See if the fluid is burned. If it is put some tranny restore stuff in it and sell it. Don't let the buyer know wher you live. Stay away from VW's!
  • mrks307mrks307 Member Posts: 11
    Change belt between 60-75K miles. be smart change water pump at the same time. Should run between 250-450 dollars for both.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    But do tell us...have you had any transmission problems?
  • btravenbtraven Member Posts: 5
    My 1997 GLX also has only 65K and my mechanic thinks the transmission is going. I had to pay him $800 just to get the car current with its certification.

    I was thinking of selling the car anyway, but now I don't know how to advertise it?
  • btravenbtraven Member Posts: 5
    My mechanic thinks my automatic transmission is going, and I see from this forum that's a common problem, even when the car has low mileage. I just spent $800 on the car and could barely manage that. I'm a cyclist and don't need the car very often; I joined Zipcar too. Anyway, is it possible to replace the auto transmission with a manual transmission in a 1997 Jetta GLX?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    it would be cheaper for you to just go buy another '97 Jetta with a stickshift. You can get a clean low mileage one for around $2500. By the time you buy a manual transmission, do the conversion work, scrounge up all the parts, and pay for a real expert to do it, you'd be way in the hole.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    My kid may be selling his 1997 Jetta with a manual soon and that is about the price he's figuring on...that is if he has to sell the super-charger he put on it separately.
  • javyescojavyesco Member Posts: 1
    I have a similar problem with my 07 VW Wolfsburg edition. The day after bringing it to the dealer for a 15,000 mile tune up (car is actually at 14,600) my clutch blew out. The first thing VW technicians would like to believe is that the driver does not now how to operated a manual transmission vehicle. In my case this is the second car I have owned with a manual transmission. I never had a problem with my first car so why would I have a problem now in a brand new one; and my clutch going a day after it was serviced and road tested is extremely odd to me. I was hit with a 2,100 quote to fix my car for those parts only and was advised that more issues may be found after further evaluation. After back and forth with VW they finally decided to cover the part under warrenty. However after a week the car would make a weird grinding noise when shifting into 1st gear from a stopped position. A few days after this started I was unable to shift into second gear, all other gears work fine including reverse. This seems to be a gearbox issue now. Has anybody else experienced these issues with their clutch or gearbox? I know it is not typically for a clutch to go so early but what about the gearbox, shouldn't it have been evaluated also for any issues?
  • gbagbygbagby Member Posts: 4
    Hi, what type of Jetta did/do u have? I have a 2000 Jetta VR6 with a tranny issue. I had it rebuilt 20k miles ago and 3rd gear is slipping and jerking like the other tranny did at 109K(original). Can't believe my car's trans has been ruined because I have codes on car computer and it cannot perform basic reset function.

    Also who fixed your wiring harness? Name, address, number would be greatly appreciated. Not wanting to spend 2-4K again. Thanks.

    Greg
  • gbagbygbagby Member Posts: 4
    Hey there, I have a 2000 Jetta VR6 w/similar issue. Jerks from 3rd to 4th gear. Did u ever find out what was causing your problems? I had mine rebuilt 20K miles ago and now it's doing it again.

    Greg
  • gbagbygbagby Member Posts: 4
    Hi, I have a 2000 Jetta VR6 and my rebuilt trans is jerking between 3rd/4th gears after only 20K miles. The first tranny went out(did the same thing) at 109K. Is it really the transmission?!!! Or just the tcm?

    Throttle Control Module? TCM...? Did u do the work yourself? Any help would be greatly appreciated. All mechanics are saying to rebuild.

    Greg
  • gbagbygbagby Member Posts: 4
    Hi, I have a 2000 Jetta VR6, did u get an answer or get your car fixed? Any help would be great! I've already had trans. rebuilt once only 20K ago!! For it to be ruined is hard for me to believe. It's jerking from 3rd to 4th again. Like the original did at 109K miles. All mechanics I speak w/say replace or rebuild.

    Greg
  • dkg092008dkg092008 Member Posts: 1
    Hi everyone. I need some major advice on what I should do. I am looking for anyone who has had any similar issues as I am having now.

    I have a 2008 Jetta and I have not had it a year yet and already having problems. About a week ago, I got an oil change at the dealership I bought it at. and then yesterday I pull into my garage, pull up the emergency break and the rpm's go up to 4500. So I let it back down and the rpm's went back down. I lifted it back up and then the rpm's went up to 3000 and then slowy went back down although I left the e-brake up. I thought to myself...wieird...but ok I will take it in to get checked out. Mind you, I had no problems. Everything drove normally...UNTIL. I go back out to the car to get the dealership number and find that there is oil all over my garage. I looked under the car and what I see is that the oil drain plug is missing, nowhere to be found, and no oil everywhere. I automatically called roadside assistance and they informed me they and towed the car to the dealership I bought it at. The next morning I call them to check and see what the deal is and they told me that I have a cracked transmission and that I need a new one and and that my oil pan is ruined also. I asked them why in the world this would happen and they told me that I MUST have hit something and "just not noticed it". When I know for a fact that I hit NOTHING. I went to go look at the car myself and see the damage. It was in their back car yard so they jacked it up with a floor jack and I saw that it had been cracked and they showed me a scuff mark where they said that this happened from. There was transmission fluid all over the ground and I specifically remember that in my garage, it was definitely oil, not purple transmission fluid.The guy there swore to me that I must have hit something and not noticed it. He kept sayin, "Call your insurance. They will cover it." And I said no. This is crazy. I don/'t believe you one bit. The car is still sitting there in the same spot.

    I am so weirded out by this. I have talked to a few mechanics I know, not VW mechanics, but still certified mechanics, and they have all told me that they have never heard of this in their life. That in order to crack a transmission you have to hit something very hard and that you would definitely know you messed something up. I drove normal...no problems at all. Not a sound, not anything.

    So with that said, has anyone got any advice for me. Please help. I am so frustrated because I know I didn't cause this.

    Thank you very much for letting me vent and for reading this.
  • razor111razor111 Member Posts: 8
    I take it you have an automatic if you saw pink fluid at the dealership parking lot. The dude must not have tightened the drain plug for the oil or something. I'd stay away from that dealer after you sort this all out. I got a 2002 jetta. Unfamiliar with the 2008. i got a manual anyways. This does sound wierd. To crack a tranny, you do have to hit something hard. my guess and if you say you didnt do anything abnormal on the way back, i'd say the dealer is lying (what a surprise!) and they are avoiding to admit that they did something wrong. YOu know, i had a stripped drain plug from my oil pan 4 years back and i only brought it to the dealer to get my oil changes. i moved out of the area that i lived in and a new vw dealer noticed it and told me that the whole oil pan needed replacement($300). i got on the phone and i demanded to speak to the owner of the place that did it and sure, i did and i swore it was one of their mechanics and complained on the phone and demanded them to reimburse me for the costs until they finally did. what was funny, was that the vw dealership that noticed it was acctually on my side. They told me only and idiot would overtighten a vw drain plug because they have aluminum oil pans and you can strip the plug right out of them. I am glad that I moved away(from the area that the dealership did that to my car) and took it to a new place. Some of these mechanics out there don't care what they do to other peoples investments as long as they get a check at the end of the week they're satisfied. The dealer will try to deny every bit of it. Stick to your arguement. If you know you didnt do it then theres no way you should repay it. I would look closely to where the crack is and look for other visible damage around the other parts and the frame because if just the tranny is crackedin one place then its hard to hit something like a curb or whatever, I doubt you aimed for anything in the road going home. If it is a crack that is totally isolated from anything else and there is no other damage, i would tell them that their mechanics did soemthing when they were trying to raise your car up to do the oil change under neath it. maybe the joe-shmo mechanic used a lift for the first time in his life. Maybe the mechanic ran something over in the shop. Good luck with your claim. My advise is to explain your dissatisfication/disapointment in volkswagen. You really need to prove your best that you didnt do it and you need to have physical proof. Is the crack all alone from everything else with no damage anywhere else? its kinda hard to run something over in the road that big or hard and not have any other damage whatsoever anywhere else. good luck
    also, i am not that familar with the ebrake but i do know that the unit is totally separate from the transmission. i do not know the relation to each and why rpms would increase as a result of lifting up on it. i dont think the ebrak cord would run close to the transmission and if you pulled it, would it crack. yea, i know that doesnt make any sense whatsover, so i dont know what happened in your garage at all. i can definitely say that the drain plug was either loose or stipped and fell out right at the time you pulled in. i dont know how you made it to the dealer ship with little to no oil after that. (what did the car do or sound like on the way back?)and then the tranny decides to let loose all of the fluid at their parking lot is totally beyond what i understand.
    The best thing you can do to save your own butt is if you think you'll look stupid checking what they did to your car right in their own parking lot, then drive half a block away and check under the hood/car to see if everything is tightened.(ive done it b4).Some of these people out there can take apart an engine, but they dont have an ounce of common sense, like proper tightening or whatever and then you have a problem on your hands because of someones stupid negligence. tc
  • engruneengrune Member Posts: 2
    i have 2003 jetta wagon 1.8t automatic that has 95k on it.
    1)i thought it was time to have the ATF changed, which my mechanic is doing right now.
    however, he tells me that to change the transmission filter, they have to take the entire transmission out, which will cost me $750. is the filter really that impossible to get to?
    2) also, he gave me the option of a basic drain/refill or a power purge. the latter is a lot more expensive, but is it worth it, considering this is the first time i have had my ATF changed and the fluid was pretty nasty and black.
    3) turns out this particular tanny fluid is practically impossible to get a hold of and it costs $32/quart. is it true that only 1 particular liquid works for this vehicle?
  • razor111razor111 Member Posts: 8
    changing the atf fluid without changing the filter is a no win situation. that filter has all the crap that was circulating throughout the fluid. putting new fluid in there would just contaminate it without changing the filter. you would change the oil filter when you change the oil , right? I think you could buy your own fluid at a auto parts store that is cheaper than the one at the dealer. ask them to put in the fluid you bought instead. most places should do that. i know firestone does that. buy oil you want put in and they'll do it instead of theirs. just make sure the atf fluid is designed for VW trannies. ask the attendant, they should help you. I dont know about taking the whole tranny out. i think that is a load of crap. i was able to unbolt the old filter on a pickup i owned years back. never had to drop the tranny.cars these days, especially auto transmissions i dont know, just search on the internet. if you find out that instructions on the internet tell you you dont have to, you know that dude is lying to you. go somewhere else. believe it or not, tranny service is not included on regular maintenance intervals which i think is the most ridiculous thing. if they made tranny fluid last forever, then why are we changing our oil every 3 months/3-5K miles. all car manufacturers want to hit your wallet when it comes time to fix the tranny(because we neglect it). i changed the fluid in my manual 3 months ago, it has 73K miles on it. believe me i noticed the better shifting myself. the gears went in a lot smoother. its better to go all out now to change the filter if hes right while your paying for the labor to drop the tranny than to pay repairs later. this is why they call this stuff preventive maintenance.
  • engruneengrune Member Posts: 2
    thanks for the tip. it makes sense. i guess i was just somewhat reluctant to fork out the money. i will try to figure out whether in fact i need to take the entire tranny out to change the filter.
  • razor111razor111 Member Posts: 8
    no problem. I learned this by reading a book called "drive it forever" by bob sikorsky. it has great tips and advice for taking long good care of your car. good luck.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    They use an expensive synthetic fluid. I believe VW says it does not need to be changed, unless there are problems occuring with the transmission. I don't know that the color means a whole lot.
  • razor111razor111 Member Posts: 8
    hey whats going on?
    did some research for you. i did because i dont want to see vw rip somebody off and i want to pass some advice on. Dont ever go to a dealer for transmission work. i was reading through my vw jetta repair manual which i purchased from pepboys and it doesnt say anything about dropping the tranny to replace the filter. i kinda new that already, but just wanted to make sure. they are yanking your chain. if i were you i'd take back your car if it aint too late, or have them finish it, but tell them you researched and you now have proof that they dont have to drop it. go buy the book at pepboys for $20 and show them, thats bettter than $450 or whatever they told you. i had to pull vw arm to get them to change my manual tranny fluid(at 70,000miles), and i'll never ask them again because theres just something about dealers and refusing to change atf fluid for preventive maintenance. i dont get it, the manual is way more easier, just drain and fill. i dont have the luxury of a lift, otherwise i'd do it myself. maybe next time i'll crawl in wierd positions and do it myslef. Go to firestone or a Tranny place. stay away from volkswagen when it comes to the tranny.
  • razor111razor111 Member Posts: 8
    also,
    you should replace the fluid if its any color other than pink or redish-pink. Brown or dark, black fluid should be removed. I'm trying to get my wife to do it on her car(mazda 3), but she'd rather have the warranty take care of it when the tranny blows, but i'm not to confident of the warranty taken care of when that time comes. Her tranny fluid is black. Already seeing signs of it not working properly because it doesnt like to shift down on its own on the up-hills when road conditions call for it. as far as the synthetic goes, thats good stuff, but more expensive. nowadays, synthetic should be used for almost anything with some exceptions.
  • annecohenannecohen Member Posts: 2
    Leased a 2008 Jetta in Kingston, NY Feb of 08. Now has 58K miles on it. Automatic transmission. Tranny failed yesterday without warning. Towed to tranny shop. Said it has a Gear 2 incorrect ratio problem and I must pay $4K to replace the transmission.

    I cannot imagine this happening to a car that's so new. Any suggestions? Who do I contact for help?

    Took to the dealer who claims we hit something but transmission shop says that isn't the case.

    I'm beside myself with this news and need advice. Thanks for any info.

    Anne :mad: :sick:
  • bvdj84bvdj84 Member Posts: 1,724
    Your warranty up at 36k?
  • annecohenannecohen Member Posts: 2
    Probably. I would have to check the paperwork, but I imagine I had nothing more than the standard warranty.

    What I find really ODD is that the dealer claims I hit something and the transmission guy at the tranny shop says I probably did NOT hit anything. He said yesterday on a second call that he thinks the computer software in the car held the clutch down until it burned up all the transmission fluid because it was all burnt up in there, ie, no fluid and it was all ashy and burned.

    I figure EITHER VW owes me or I will have to report it as an accident and have insurance pay for it. I don't know what else to do cause I sure do not want to part with $2400 to $4000 for a new transmission.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    VW's power train warranty is 5 years/50 K mi
  • jettajettajettajetta Member Posts: 1
    I have a 98 Jetta Wolfsberg Edition with just under 100,00 miles that I have owned for a year and a half.
    I just had the clutch replaced a week ago-today while I was driving I attemped to shift gears I think I went from 3rd to 2nd and the trans went out on me. Completely undrivable now!
    Does any one know if this could be caused by the clutch being installed incorrectly?
    The mechanic says the trans has to be "rebuilt"
    I don't want to put any more money into it and am wondering if I'm being ripped off
    Please help!
  • luckystar1luckystar1 Member Posts: 6
    I have a 2004 Jetta TDI with 5 speed Automatic.
    My transmission will not shift out of first gear until it reaches about 150 degrees temperture. The dealer states its something internal and wants me to replace it for 4400.00 for a new transmission. They can't explain why it operaters without a hitch when it reach operating temp. Anyone had this problem? Should I put in a new one and be done with the problem?Can anyone shed some light on this problem?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    well presuming the dealer has done a complete diagnostic and can find no external or electrical reason for the shift delay, I would speculate that some seal is too hard and needs to soften under high temperature, or some valve is sticking until warmed up----so you have a hydraulic blockage (in the case of the valve) or hydraulic bleeding (in the case of the seal). Just a WAG here.
  • luckystar1luckystar1 Member Posts: 6
    Yes they did all there checks and came to that conclusion.. Is there any way to change the fluid as this transmission has 225K. Just hate to chage it if it runs perfect when warm.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Sure you could try a transmission fluid and filter change
  • luckystar1luckystar1 Member Posts: 6
    The dealer states it is a sealed unit and neither can be changed. Is that fiction?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    It can be replaced but you need to know the right procedure and have the correct tools to supervise the re-filling. The fluid is "lifetime" but that doesn't mean you can't do it. How would they ever fill a rebuilt transmission in that case or add fluid after a cooler line leak? As I remember, the fluid is quite expensive and it takes about an hour labor to do it, so you might be in the hole couple hundred bucks.
  • luckystar1luckystar1 Member Posts: 6
    Thanks for that. 200.00 is better than over 4K. It might not work but it worth a try.
  • razor111razor111 Member Posts: 8
    I know whatthe problem is. Maybe you waited too long to change the fluid.

    No fluid is lifetime. No matter who tells you it is cuz it aint. do you change the oil regularly? well why wouldnt you change anything else in the car.
  • luckystar1luckystar1 Member Posts: 6
    I think u are right on. The problem lies with the dealer. Every time I
    brought it in for oil changeor service they told me it was not necessary
    to change it. I am going to do a change and hope it does the trick.
  • 01tdi01tdi Member Posts: 16
    I would have the Valve body in the transmission looked at. It works about half the time and does not work about half the time and it is an expensive part. However sometimes it runs rough and makes the car shift funny, especially in older cars. When the fluid warms up it makes everything operate smoothly. Just something you can look into.

    It is tough to find a decent VW mechanic, I hear horror stories about the dealerships all the time. When I live no one will even touch a VW. I know it costs about 300 bucks to get a filter and transmission fluid changed for my 01 Jetta. Good luck
  • drckoldrckol Member Posts: 1
    Many 09 Jettas with auto trans. are being recalled due to a temp. sensor problem. It causes the car to go into neutral at speed. This happened to me when I had 11,000 on the new car, endangering my wife and young kids. The car was towed to the dealer who said that they were not authorized to go into trans. because VW of N. America did not authorize it. The car was only broken for 70 min. and when the tow truck got car to dealer it was working. Now there is a recall for this specific reason and they will not look at mine because my VIN is not in the "AFFECTED" group. I am mad as hell. It happened to me but VW will do NOTHING! Other people have this problem too. They only will service cars with certain VIN nos. VW is despicable in this case. Read more. Dr. C. Kolodny
  • luckystar1luckystar1 Member Posts: 6
    Well changed the transmission fluid. Now no warm up needed. Shifts like new. I trusted that dealer to do right by me. Did all the service work there for five years. VW is going to get a letter from me. Won't do any good but make me feel alot better. Three hundred to do a flush and change. Better than 4400.
  • 65strad65strad Member Posts: 1
    Got my 2009 Jetta SE with 2.5 and Tiptronic trans a couple of weeks ago and realize I made a very good purchase decision. Quality build and lots of value for the buck.

    Gave my daughter my 1999 Jetta Wolfsburg (I'm original owner) w/std trans with 189,000 miles and it looks great and runs great!

    Here is my question for those of you that know your tiptronic trans:

    When I preparing to stop lately, I move into tiptronic from drive while moving, and downshift to use the engine to decelerate vs.immediately applying brake pedal pressure to extend the brake pad life particularly since this is an "automatic" trans. Is this a sensible thought? It seems to be, as a primarily std trans driver (downshifting) I tend to drive my VW's for the long hall and want to this one to run for the long haul as well.

    Thanks in advance for any feedback to those of you that have experience with this transmission.

    Tom
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    I'd rather wear out my brake pads than the transmission, so I'd not downshift.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    My rule is "don't select a gear unless you need it to do something important".

    So braking on the way to a stop light doesn't quality, whereas braking to hold the car back on a very steep decline might be important, or heel and toe-ing on a race track might be important.
  • drmail3000drmail3000 Member Posts: 5
    My 1999 Jetta with automatic transmission shifts well in lower gears but doesn't go from 3. gear to 4.gear with the consequence that I run higher RPM's and higher fuel consumtion. Any idea is appreciated
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