gvm

Hi, my car has a problem .. it feels like the transmission is not switching up/down gears at the right times. There are no error codes being captured from the transmission by the computer so the mechanic's advice is to try replacing the MAP Sensor ($AUD500 plus labour) and then rebuild the transmission if the new MAP sensor didn't fix it. No money back on the MAP sensor in this event though! My questions are
- my car has a sports rig; I think the transmission is one of those (I don't know the name) where the up/down changeover points are set by the computer according to the behaviour of the driver. How can I find out whether or not this is true please?
- from your experience, which is more likely to be the problem ... a bad MAP Sensor or a need to rebuild the transmssion? The car has not been driven hard, and has only about 100,000km on the clock.
TIA ... Greg (Melbourne, Australia)

turbo510

My '96 has the "self adapting" shift capabilities so your 2000 must also. I would tend to suspect the throttle position sensor, which you can check on your PC running VAG-COM. Earlier type automatic transmissions had a throttle linkage right to the trans, so more throttle delayed the shifts. Modern ones use the throttle sensor to tell the TCM, the transmission control module, what the throttle is doing, to help determine when to shift. I don't know about a MAP signal to the TCM, but if there is, that should be available on the computer too.

I am a big believer in cleaning electrical connectors on a routine basis. I have no doubt that some transmissions are fixed not by the $3000 rebuild, but because the critical electrical connectors are restored to working by the disconnecting and reconnecting that occurred because of the rebuild. My advice is to use contact cleaner on your throttle-body connector, the transmission connectors, and the TCM connector.