Audi A4 TDI Quattro DSG - Hill Starts in an Auto - what am I doing wrong?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Wed 9 Oct 2013 14:14
Audi A4 TDI Quattro DSG - Hill Starts in an Auto - what am I doing wrong? - paul45

Hello All,

Came back from holiday last week and in avoiding some issues on the M23 I went through Reigate to join up with the M25. The traffic was very busy with lots of stopping and starting but as we started to go up Reigate hill I noticed a problem with the car on hill starts.

It's an A4 177 TDi quattro with DSG, and as I started to move off when the traffic allowed, as i switched my right foot from brake to accelarator you could hear a small crunch from the automatic gearbox.

I've never noticed this before, but having said that I don't recall having to do any "steep" type hillstarts since I purchased the car 6 months ago.

I reverted to the manual method of engaging the EPD and then then transferring to the power when I needed to move again, this still caused a few crunching noises.

I'm assuming that the car has hill assist, but my question is what do other auto driver BR's do in this situation. I'm assuming it is operator error on my behalf, but if there is an issue with the auto box I want to get it resolved if necessary.

Any commments gratefully received.

Thanks

P

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 9 Oct 2013 14:28
Audi A4 TDI Quattro DSG - Hill Starts in an Auto - what am I doing wrong? - Bromptonaut

An excellent illustration of why I regard electric handbrakes as satan's work. Ease the throttle down and release the handbrake as the TC bites.

May be a case for left foot braking, using the service brake to hold the car until 'bite' occurs.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 9 Oct 2013 15:45
Audi A4 TDI Quattro DSG - Hill Starts in an Auto - what am I doing wrong? - mustangman

I have a 2013 Tiguan with dsg, epb & auto hold. I have some sympathy with epb haters, & I certainly will hate it if it goes wrong.

However, if I use auto hold on a hill, as I open the throttle the car will pull away smoothly, not withstanding a certain dragging feeling. There is no particular sound or mechanical "crunch" at all, or any sensation of rolling backwards. ( I think the extra drag of the 4wd components helps somewhat )

I would recommend that you have it looked at by your dealer.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 9 Oct 2013 23:18
Audi A4 TDI Quattro DSG - Hill Starts in an Auto - what am I doing wrong? - csgmart

Agreed. Something no right here - get it checked by a dealer.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 9 Oct 2013 19:45
Audi A4 TDI Quattro DSG - Hill Starts in an Auto - what am I doing wrong? - gordonbennet

An excellent illustration of why I regard electric handbrakes as satan's work. Ease the throttle down and release the handbrake as the TC bites.

May be a case for left foot braking, using the service brake to hold the car until 'bite' occurs.

I couldn't agree more with you Bromp about EPB's..be a cold day in hell before i buy one.

The many times i've driven and close manoeuvered these cars especially on steep inclines (as my old job entailed) fitted with automatic clutches (either twin clutch or automated manual) i found them to be nothing short of useless, exacerbated ten fold by the EPB.

It was my experience that the cars concerend would not accept throttle input till the footbrake was released on most of these, so your sensible as always suggestion whilst the ideal solution here will not work because it can't, and vice versa touching the brake would cut power immediately.

One memorable time i had to put a A4 over a deck stop on the transporter deck, unfortunately immediately the other side of the stop the bonnet was within 2" of the deck above, so no room for error and precise control needed.

Had this been a manual or a real TC auto then it would have been simplicity itself as either transmission could provide infinitely variable and minutely contollable torque, however the biting point of the clutch on the car in question occured at the revs that the petrol turbo was coming on song, hence having to brake immediately it started to move which immediately cut the power...took me several minutes of failed attempts to do this simple manoeuver i'd done a thousand times before.

I can't recall the gearbox in question making any funny noises but then i wouldn't have heard it above my cursing.

I too would get it looked at by the dealer.

Edited by gordonbennet on 09/10/2013 at 19:47

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 9 Oct 2013 23:08
Audi A4 TDI Quattro DSG - Hill Starts in an Auto - what am I doing wrong? - csgmart

"I couldn't agree more with you Bromp about EPB's..be a cold day in hell before i buy one."

Well, I guess I am in a club of my own here. I have 2 automatics one with hill start/assist (VW Tiguan) and a Merc SLK with a 'hold' feature. Both work incredibly well on hills and in any condition in fact.

I really do not understand the problem people have with them. You drive along and when stopped the 'handbrake' is automatically applied. When you want to drive off simply press the accelerator and off you go - no fuss or bother at all. Couldn't be simpler.

Can someone explain to me exactly what the issue is because I find both cars I own to be an absolute pleasure to drive because of this feature. I can understand a manual car would be 'interesting' but for an automatic car it makes perfect sense.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 10 Oct 2013 00:26
Audi A4 TDI Quattro DSG - Hill Starts in an Auto - what am I doing wrong? - Avant

I think that the issue a lot of people have with EPBs is that they are an answer to a problem that doesn't exist. I can't remember anyone complaining on here about a mechanical handbrake.

People also object because you aren't given a choice: car makers impose it on their customers whether they like it or not. If you could see the amount of places for oddments in my Octavia estate you wouldn't long for extra space on the centre console - which is one of the arguments in favour of EPBs.

That said, I was quite impressed when test driving a Golf GTI by the way that the EPB came on when you stopped, off when you started. What I didn't have the opportunity to try, and should have, was what happens when you're in very slow-moving, stop-start traffic going up a hill (Guildford and High Wycombe spring to mind).

The Mark 7 Golf is too new, but I've read recently about EPB problems being quite common with Passats. Not a good sign....

It would be interesting to hear from anyone who is as happy with EPBs as csgmart is, but has a manual rather than an automatic.

Edited by Avant on 10/10/2013 at 00:29

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 14 Oct 2013 16:23
Audi A4 TDI Quattro DSG - Hill Starts in an Auto - what am I doing wrong? - paul45

I must also be in the small club that likes EPB's, once I've got used to them on manuals as well as my automatic.

I sought out a steep hill this week and used the EPB and then switched my foot over to the gas, car set off easily, without rolling back and without crunching. I think my problem was not using the EPB and relying purely on the footbrake. As people have pointed out though, one for me to bring up with the dealer when I'm next passsing by.

Thanks for the all the tips.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 20 Oct 2013 12:30
Audi A4 TDI Quattro DSG - Hill Starts in an Auto - what am I doing wrong? - Ordovices

VW passat motors are around £200, you don't have to buy the whole caliper.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 20 Oct 2013 22:50
Audi A4 TDI Quattro DSG - Hill Starts in an Auto - what am I doing wrong? - Mr Fox

Renault Scenics & Grand scenics 04 onwards have a frightful arrangement that the cables wear and the thing stops working, the cables can't be replaced, they are part of the motor, and that costs £ 650+ and can only be bought from a Renault dealer as it has to be coded to the car's computer.

We had a lovely grand scenic and it had to go because this thing was imminently about to fail, along with various other gizmos like the keyless entry, the dashboard, although that got replaced.

Now have a Ford Mondeo estate in its place.

Regarding the original observation about the Audi, I have a Passat CC with DSG, this has the hill hold system and its perfect! absolutely relaxed and works seamlessly so I think you have a problem.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 22 Oct 2013 09:33
Audi A4 TDI Quattro DSG - Hill Starts in an Auto - what am I doing wrong? - Hamsafar

My VAG EPB motors are nearly 8 years old and 205,000 miles and still work fine.

These are proper ones that screw a piston into the hollow hydraulic piston, rather than a motor that applies a conventional cable-operated brake. No more only works properly on one side and annual adjustments.

I would never consider a car with an old fashioned stick and ratchet brake.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link