Intermittent shifting problems -need real advice
I have a 2006 Jetta 2.5 special edition automatic with the tiptronic shifting, with 145,000 miles. I have been having an intermittent shifting problem. For years now. I’ve taken it in multiple times to different mechanics including the dealership and a transmission specialist. They continue to fix a crapload of other problems and continually do NOT fix the problem I do have.
The problem has escalated and I’d like advice from people who aren’t just going to charge me thousands to not fix the problem.
- It started out with just occasional rough shifting usually going from 3rd to 4th.
- At times, specifically when I’d been a bit lower on gas it would have problems starting after I refilled the tank. (I don’t know if these problems were related, but they started at the same time. I have not noticed this hesitation in starting recently however so that might have been related to something that did get fixed)
- A little over a year ago, after driving highway speeds I pulled off into a town and it shifted Very rough, I think around 3rd and 4th gear. It was rough enough I first thought I’d been hit.
- After driving another 150 yards or so it suddenly shifted out of gear completely. I pulled over and it then started working again. I took it in to a transmission shop. It seemed to fix it, though I didn’t drive as much, very rarely on a hwy over 2 miles.
- The weather got hot again. And it happened again. Only after driving a distance at highway speeds and then slowing down to stop and go traffic.
- It will get stuck in gears (3 & 5 usually, recently 1st) or stuck out of gear. Sometimes if I switch to the tiptronic shifting it helps for a little while. Usually when I pull over and put it in park it’ll reset and I’ll at least be able to get somewhere I need to be. After it sits for a while, it drives fine again.
- The heat makes it worse, I have never had it happen when it’s cool. But that might just be coincidence with timing… but a few times very recently I’ve driven it in cooler weather I’ve had 0 problems.
- The display showing which gear I’m in will also malfunction, sometimes, even when it does start shifting again. All the letters will be highlighted and either the displays won’t have any number or it’ll get stuck on one.
- The check engine light was on recently. I took it in to a local mechanic and they said there was an O2 sensor problem, which was suggested by a mechanic friend when this originally started happening. I keep suggesting these getting replaced only to be literally refused. There were a few other items that came up. I was told I had to take it to the dealer. Apparently the dealers code reader came up with completely different things. They replaced what they came up with and didn’t listen to me about the shifting problem. The check engine light did go off.
- I drove it a distance this weekend. It had problems when I got into town. The engine light came on again. I drove back home the next day, no problems. I got gas after it being pretty much on empty, the engine light was off after I filled up.
- Just today I drove it only 20 min away, but on the hwy. I got to where I was going with it getting stuck in 3rd. When I started it back up hours later (usually plenty of time for it to work again) it didn’t shift into gear at all, and the display did it’s weird highlighting thing.
- Please someone give me a real answer to what is going on. Was the transmission place just bad? Is it caused by something else? I need to get this fixed!
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