Volkswagen Reviews

A VW dealership can carry out a test that will reveal whether there’s wear in the transmission’s clutch packs. Based on the result of this test, the question of whether the transmission is within tolerance or not should be pretty black and white. If you’re still not happy, have the vehicle independently inspected (your state motoring club is a good place to start) for a second opinion.

While you should not be fobbed off by the dealership, it’s true this type of transmission can take some acclimatisation on the part of the driver. We’re not saying you should have to learn how to drive again, but these dual-clutch transmissions can take a little technique if you’re to get the best from them. However, when a characteristic transitions into an actual problem, you need to be on top of it.

The dual-clutch transmission in your Touareg is a wet-clutch design and, therefore, much more robust than the dry-clutch version that caused VW so much angst when it was introduced many years ago. However, even the wet-clutch unit has been known to have its problems, and the symptoms you’ve described tend to point towards worn clutch packs or the electronics that control them.

Any time a dual-clutch transmission shudders or thumps, is cause to have it scanned to check the operation of these clutch packs. It’s also likely that a cold transmission will amplify these symptoms. A VW dealer can carry out this test and the results will give you a much better idea of what’s going on inside the transmission.

If it is a fault with the transmission, it should be covered by the new-car warranty. But make sure the dealer logs it with head office. That makes it a pre-existing condition so that, even if the warranty runs out, it’s still VW’s problem to fix as the problem first occurred during the warranty period.

This could be caused by any number of things. The engine might be struggling to run smoothly at low revs or small throttle openings, or you might have a fuel supply problem. Perhaps the engine’s idle speed is simply set too low. You might even have a broken or loose exhaust mount that is allowing the exhaust system to flail about at low revs when the engine harmonics set up the vibration to create a harmonic reaction. A broken or worn engine mount can also account for odd vibrations at different engine speeds.

But I’m also wondering if perhaps the problem is not with the engine at all, but something in the transmission. The good news is that your car used a conventional torque-converter automatic rather than the more problematic dual-clutch unit that some VWs used.

In any case, this sounds very much like a warranty problem, so take it back to the dealership and give Volkswagen a fair crack at making it right.