# Manual, tiptronic, multitronic...



## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

The Audi I am looking at comes with either a manual or multitronic gearbox. Now I've always had a manual so an autobox really appeals to me. Its just about reliability really - will the multitronic be as a reliable as a manual? The car I am looking at has 90k on the clock if that has any bearing.

Also, whilst on the subject what is the difference between tiptronic and multitronic? It seems that all the Quattro's tend to come with tiptronic and all FWD's come with the multitronic. 

Any help would be appreciated.


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

on audi's the multitronic is a cvt box, the tiptronic is a normal auto with torque convertor, out of the two the tiptronic is a better gearbox. The multitronic comes as either 6/7 or 8 speeds i think. Make sure it has had the fluid changes at the required intervals which i think is 40k, the multitonics do have a high failure rate.


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

SteveTDCi said:


> on audi's the multitronic is a cvt box, the tiptronic is a normal auto with torque convertor, out of the two the tiptronic is a better gearbox. The multitronic comes as either 6/7 or 8 speeds i think. Make sure it has had the fluid changes at the required intervals which i think is 40k, the multitonics do have a high failure rate.


Thanks. That's put me right off the multitronic then. I don't fancy a manual and the tiptronic tends to come in the more expensive Quattro's only.

The car I've been looking at is a one-owner and has full Audi Service History so hopefully the oil would have been changed at 40k.

Thanks for the input mate.:thumb:


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

If you have driven the multitronic and like it and its had the oil changes you should be ok, I think its mainly the ecu that fails and i'm sure its kept within the gearbox. Have a look on audi sport net, I didn't like the way the revs would stay the same but the speed would rise when i drove an A4, then again i didn't like the DSG either. Have a look at A8's, I was watching a nice one on ebay the other day for £9995, 3.0 TDi quattro.


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## DiscoTD5 (Feb 12, 2010)

I've just bought a A4 with Multitronic and have to say it is one very nice box to drive, you dont notice the changes and always seems to be in the right gear at the right time. They do appear to have a high failure rate but as said make sure they have an oil change at 40k but that doesnt gaurantee faults.

The actually problem from what i can see is the clutch system in the box tha fails not the box itself, it uses some sort of 5 paddle system and replacements are 6 or seven. Petrol also seem the better engine as it seems it doesnt like huge torque levels of the diesels which have the higher failure rate.

Drive a couple and see what box you like before you buy, you may well be suprised. Also there was an option to have multi tronic controls on the steering wheel..


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## Laurie.J.M (Jun 23, 2011)

Multitronic is the same as a CVT, i'd stay away as there not that great, it's a bit like a twist and go moped transmission, the harder you push the accelerator the higher it revs basically. On a larger, more powerful engine it might work quite well since you don't need to push the pedal as hard and that means less revs which means good refinement but on a small engine you have to work it harder which just means it make bloody racket all the time. When they say it has seven gears it doesn't they're just virtual, computerized steps in the transmission which mimic proper gears. 

Tiptronic is the same as any other automatic and the better of the two chocies, most have a manual override so you at least choose what gear you want which can be handy when going up a steep hill as you can lock it one gear rather than the car constantly changing up and down. If you can get one the best is the S-tronic which is Audi's version of the DSG gearbox.


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

I have a 2009 A3 2.0 TDI 140bhp *S-tronic* which is essentially another name for tiptronic. I love it and have never had any issues however the oil change previously mentioned is extremely important.

It's generally an extra £200 on top of a normal service even if you go to an indepentant. It's a fairly easy job but it required *8 litres *of gearbox oil!

Audi actually suggested I might want to skip it and do it later when I took it in for it's 2nd service.

I know a couple of owners who didn't even know it needed done and when it was main dealer serviced it wasn't even mentioned.

If it hasn't been done I'd stay well clea. Remember it's not included in a standard service.

I love my s-tronic. It's got steering wheel levers and sequential on the gear lever but it's in auto most of the time. You don't need to flick between modes on mine. In auto mode if you flick a lever it changes gear - great for extra engine breaking. If you don't use the lever for a few seconds it goes back to auto mode.


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## Energy Lab (May 10, 2011)

Having now owned 3 S-Tronic/DSG Audis, the main problem to look out for is failure of the Mechatronic Control Module.
This has gone on 2 of my cars, and is expensive (usually around £2k-£2,500) if out of warranty.

Symptoms of impending failure are juddery (like it's going to stall) when crawling in traffic, and jerking whilst pulling away from a junction etc.

Despite these problems I've experienced, I wouldn't drive anything else but an S-Tronic these days.


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## MrBoJangles (Feb 18, 2011)

What year are you looking at? Multitronics have no known problems post 2006. Before then they are susceptible to clutch wear and ecu failure, both 1k to fix. Tiptronics of any age are bulletproof. However... Drive a multitronic and then atiptronic and you will fall in love with one and HATE the other. Which way round depends on your driving style. I have an A6 with multitronic and I love it! Press the go pedal and woosh, it just goes with no perceived gear changes. It's quite surreal. 

What you go for depends what you want to spend. My clutch pack needed replacing at 166k but nothing else has gone wrong and its now at 180k. Mind since brand new it's only ever been driven on lomg runs. I think it's the stop start nature of some people's driving that wears them out. As said though, this is only on older models, the newer ones have no known problems.


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

The car I'm looking at is on an 06 plate although there is also an 07 plate for not much more money. It also states that it is a 7-speed multitronic if that means anything. 

I'm sure my uncle had a tiptronic on his 2003 Audi A4 which allows you to also change the gears manually by pushing the lever left each time you want to change. Is that right?


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## OvlovMike (Jul 19, 2011)

There are some inaccuracies in this thread.

All:

S-Tronic (DSG, to old folk), Multitronic and Tiptronic are all different forms of (Audi) transmission, by their current marketing ********.

S-Tronic is the one that falls to bits on a regular basis unless you breathe in the right direction and someone did all it's maintenance previously. Mechatronic is usually the fault, part is well over a grand before you even think about fitting it. And they're coded to your car, so you'll be without for a week, typically.

Multitronic (as has been said before) is essentially an electronically-stepped CVT gearbox. It's an 'acquired' taste - not one for me but others like it. Automatic Fiestas and Micras used to have it, in the 90s. Says enough for me, really. The stepping is done by a gearbox controller to make it 'feel' like it's got 7 gears when you want to play with the stick, most of the time though as has been said the revs go up, then the car goes faster and increased revs make it accelerate quicker, but the revs only drop when you stop accelerating. Really bizarre and difficult to describe.

Tiptronic is what people used to know as an Automatic transmission - torque converter and all.

Of all of them, I think I'd rather walk. The DSG is a phenomenal idea but all too often people got bitten by it and then you had an argument and a half with Audi's legedarily crap customer services. Unless you have a good dealer (and very good) by you, I'd avoid it like the plague. All of which won't suit a 2litre diesel, IMO - the lumps are too agricultural and peaky, auto boxes are best on big, lazy engines.

As I said, my opinion, but hey.


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

hotwaxxx said:


> The car I'm looking at is on an 06 plate although there is also an 07 plate for not much more money. It also states that it is a 7-speed multitronic if that means anything.
> 
> I'm sure my uncle had a tiptronic on his 2003 Audi A4 which allows you to also change the gears manually by pushing the lever left each time you want to change. Is that right?


I think you can get the paddles on the multitronic box, big output/hi torque use the proper auto boxes the multitronic and dsg/stronic are not the best, i hated my dsg with A3 TDi,


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## OvlovMike (Jul 19, 2011)

I wouldn't run a CVT box on a diesel, but there are people who have them and they haven't left components on the M1. Whichever way, make sure you have a (good) warranty, and a good dealer. My local made all the right noises, but never actually did anything about my failing mechatronic. I ran for the hills, straight back to Volvo.


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

Shall I just look for a manual then? I just thought the idea of an auto would be great in town driving where the car would spend most its life.

I did another trawl on AT and found one for a little more money which is a 3.0l Quattro with the Tiptronic on £105k miles. I know fuel economy is going to take a huge hit compared to the 2.0l diesel but if it means it is the better car long term, then so be it. Here is the ad (albeit the tax is going to be £400+)...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...di/page/2/radius/60/postcode/ws11tp?logcode=p


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## OvlovMike (Jul 19, 2011)

3litre V6 diesel is a good lump, and the proper auto box it in works well. If you're after an auto, the bigger the engine the better it'll be.


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

OvlovMike said:


> 3litre V6 diesel is a good lump, and the proper auto box it in works well. If you're after an auto, the bigger the engine the better it'll be.


So the bigger diesel engines are more suited to the autoboxes and the smaller diesel engines are more suited to the manuals. That makes sense. And the tiptronics are better than the multitronics overall.

Thanks.


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## MrBoJangles (Feb 18, 2011)

Absolutely. I have a v6 2.5tdi and it suits the multitronic well. 

To be honest, automatics are pretty much a ticking time bomb. If you want ultra reliability go for an older 1.9tdi and spend the rest of your money on hookers. That's what I would do,


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## OvlovMike (Jul 19, 2011)

Indeed. More and more manufacturers are trying to make their 2.0 diesels drive more like petrols so that the 'mass market' buys them, however for the lazy cruiser you cannot beat a 5- or 6-cylinder diesel upwards of 2 litres. I've got a 2.4 litre diesel 5-pot Volvo, and it's so much more relaxing to drive than my partner's (still entertaining, mind) 4-pot 2litre.

The V6 diesel in the Audis are such smooth rides. Both the 2.7 and 3 litre I drove down the autobahn at upwards of 120 having a conversation at normal speaking volume with the passenger, like we were in traffic.


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## MrBoJangles (Feb 18, 2011)

Oh, if you get an a6 put some money to one side and get Koni FSD's. The stock suspension is awful! The koni's make it lovely though.


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## OvlovMike (Jul 19, 2011)

If you get an Audi of any description, put some money to one side. It WILL go wrong and it WON'T be cheap.


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## MrBoJangles (Feb 18, 2011)

As long as they are looked after they are OK. It's when they aren't they go wrong. I have an a4 and a6. A4 has 104k on it now and has only ever needed suspension links and a new exhaust. A6 has nearly 180k now and has only needed turbo re-con and a new air mass meter. Both been properly maintained from brand new.


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## OvlovMike (Jul 19, 2011)

My old TT had everything it could ever ask for - the best of the best, including servicing over and above Audi's basic requirement - it still managed to lunch through it's 4WD system and the gearbox spat it's dummy out.


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## MrBoJangles (Feb 18, 2011)

Ah no! Expensive


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

OvlovMike said:


> If you get an Audi of any description, put some money to one side. It WILL go wrong and it WON'T be cheap.


That's wierd. I've heard the same thing about BMW's, Mercs, Ferraris, lambos, porsches, volvos, vauxhalls, volkswagens, seats, fiats, alphas, kias, fords, toyotas, peugeots, citroens, tvrs, jaguars, nissans, mitubishis, hondas, suzukis, saabs, mgs, chevrolets, hyundais, subarus...

Nearly 60k trouble free miles on my 30 month old A3 with that s-tronic gearbox, you know the one that falls to bits on a regular basis unless you breathe in the right direction and someone did all it's maintenance previously. Mechatronic is usually the fault, part is well over a grand before you even think about fitting it. And they're coded to your car, so you'll be without for a week, typically.


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2913895.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2918247.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2913906.htm

hmmm, i'd still consider an A8  to be honest whilst the multitronic does have bad press if you are happy with the way it drives then just go for it, buy an after market warranty for piece of mind, anything can go pop at anytime.


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

SteveTDCi said:


> http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2913895.htm
> 
> http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2918247.htm
> 
> ...


Yeap - I'm gonna have a look at the 2.0l multitronic as it ticks every box and is well in budget (S-Line, full black leather, full screen satnav, FSH etc etc).

A8 - mmmmmmmmmmmmm. But I've finally decided on a car so don't tempt me with anything else please.:lol:


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

grantwils said:


> That's wierd. I've heard the same thing about BMW's, Mercs, Ferraris, lambos, porsches, volvos, vauxhalls, volkswagens, seats, fiats, alphas, kias, fords, toyotas, peugeots, citroens, tvrs, jaguars, nissans, mitubishis, hondas, suzukis, saabs, mgs, chevrolets, hyundais...
> 
> Nearly 60k trouble free miles on my 30 month old A3 with that s-tronic gearbox, you know the one that falls to bits on a regular basis unless you breathe in the right direction and someone did all it's maintenance previously. Mechatronic is usually the fault, part is well over a grand before you even think about fitting it. And they're coded to your car, so you'll be without for a week, typically.


You are right mate. When I was about to buy my Civic Type-R and Subaru Impreza I was alerted to horror stories on various forums and I have to say in the 5 years combined time of owning both, they only required servicing and fueling and gave me no serious problems. No turbo rebuilds, no overheating, no intercooler problems, no slipping clutches - absolutely nothing.


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## GJM (Jul 19, 2009)

Came across a few 2005/2006 A4 Multitronics in Petrol form, all with the oil changed every 40k and the service prints never showed much in the way of issues.

I think there was one that had a thrust sensor replaced closer to 100k but don't think there was a huge cost against it.

I think it's a great box, mind no autobox is good or cheap if it does go wonky

You can use the lever to go up and down the box, it also has a sports mode.

I dont like the DSG and have seen a few issues with them, so have the yanks, as they a better at moaning than us the warranty period has been extended to 10years


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