Audi A5 Forum & Audi S5 Forum banner

1.8T clutch 'vibration'

3K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  micdw 
#1 ·
After about 4000mls I noticed problems with my clutch. Generally it seems to be transmitting every bit of engine/gearbox vibration up the pedal when changing gear.

Occassionaly when the clutch disengages at the biting point, there is a horrible feeling I can only describe a a 'graunch', almost like a metal on metal scraping feeling. It seems worse when cold but the vibration is there most of the time, more so when changing gear at higher rpm.

It's been back into the dealer. When I picked it up I was pleased to hear that they had fixed my clutch vibration with a software update........

....only of course that appears to have been complete twaddle.

Anyone else's clutch less 'refined' than they expected, or as I kind of hope, everyone else's is just doing what a clutch ought to and there is something wrong with mine ?
 
#3 ·
Mine seems fine at the moment and I've done about 8,000 miles.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I think I know what you mean and have the same thing, but its been like it even since I got the car. Floor it in 2nd, go all the way to redline, change to third and you get this weird like transmission noise/jerk, not sure how to describe it. Does it in every gear when I go to red line. I dont get any feedback or vibration though from ther clutch pedal.

My car had a good work out this morning drove up to peterborough and back, red lining it pretty much all the way. Had 400miles in the tank this morning, showing 120miles now!! lol Doesnt half drink when you give it some.

EDIT: Oh and another thing, does anyone find it stupidly jerkyin first and second early in the morning?
 
#5 ·
Gearbox seems ok in the morning but I never go over 4000rpm for about 10 mins - so not tried a quick change through cold oil goop !

The best analogy I can make at the moment is that some part of the clutch mechanism is making direct contact with the gearbox housing or something - and transmitting that vibration straight through the pedal.

The dealer techs have driven it and some can't feel the problem but I think it's cos they are wearing workshop boots - wheras I wear normal shoes or sometimes driving style shoes with thin soles and it def doesn't feel right.

Master tech in the garage thought he could feel something, so after they speak to Audi in Germany it's going back in, he even mentioned new clutch so we'll see. I just live in fear of the 'we can't find anything wrong with it so we're not going to do anything else' impasse.

Need to go drive another one for comparison I think.
 
#6 ·
Mack

The symptoms you describe are very similar to mine. I can feel a rumble/vibration/roughness through the pedal - not a large vibration but enough to notice it. It feels like a bad through-out bearing, but it seems it is worse at high revs and under load. If you rev you Engine to 4000 in neutral (stationary) and just press on the clutch pedal you might be able to feel the vibration. On my S5 its not noticeable unless its on load.

I have posted a few comments about this in other posts. It seems that the clutch mechanism's have more than one type of fault - most complaints seem to be related to a sticky release mechanism making the clutch engagement feel vague.

I am up to 5500 miles now with no change since I noticed the problem at 100 miles - so its not getting worse, nor better.

I just checked also for latest TSB but nothing on the clutch. Sooner or later Audi will have to release a TSB and come clean with the fix.

As for the S5 - I love it. Only two major gripes...a) the clutch and b) the paint which has excellent scratch resistance but lousy chemical resistance - bird droppings on the surface for as little as 30 mins will etch the clear coat.

I am due for the first service and will bring up the clutch issue - I'll post anything I can find out.

Good luck.

ps; I assume S5 and 1.8T Gearboxes are the same - the clutches may be different (2 types are in use)
 
#7 ·
Interesting, from new, my 1.8T clutch feels abit strange, I get it after a journey or when sitting in stop start traffic, It seems a little notchy when letting it up. Nothing wrong with the actual bite of the clutch but just below the bite point, it feels as if the fingers 'spring' within the cutch arent moving perfectly smoothly. Have not even mentioned this to the dealer as I am having such handling problems that this is a minor detail.
 
#8 ·
SDS - Mine is very much the same. Most noticable in 3rd and 4th when accelerating, and you can feel it when you press the clutch fully to the floor and rev the engine. When cold sometimes changing out of 3rd feels like metal on metal, and you can feel it through the gearstick.

Waiting for my dealer to get back to me after they have spoken to Germany. Drove an Vauxhall Astra hire car last week and it had a better clutch & box than my Audi.

Mic - same here, the master tech at the dealer could feel that too, little steps in the pedal travel that feel like an unlubricated spring. Oddly enough that seems worse after a long drive when everything is warm ?

Thought I had another fault this morning - sound like a clock ticking from behind the dash, almost as if something had jammed in one of the motors that power the air distribution vanes and it was constantly trying to cycle. Thankfully it seems to have been a one off - so far - like I need another mystery fault !!!!
 
#9 · (Edited)
Well glad somebody else is picking this up. Its not good enough for an expensive car. I know what dealer will say to me though.... Cant find anything unusual with it.

My car is drifting all over the road on poor surfaces, has a metallic noise at left front wheel, has a small amount of freeplay at left front wheel, kicks back through the steering when accelerating with left front on rough surface and also has freeplay at the steering itself but .... they can find nothing wrong with it! Currently waiting on written report for independent engineer. The worrying thing is, the metallic noise at the left front was in another new car at the dealer while not in a different one inspected by engineer and steering freeplay was in one of two I checked at dealer so seems like crazy build issues going on.
Interestingly, i complained when car was 2 weeks old of handling problem coming from steering/left front suspension and since then all of the above have been found so obviously not imagining it and regardless of whether some other car have these problems or now I would expect it fixed but they just say ... sure its in a new one here so your car is perfect. Im getting my stuff together now when final report arrives and visiting solicitor for advise
Oh yes, 3rd gear is a bit notchy/crunchy on my car. anyone get this?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top