So, yesterday I got the dreaded "Fault Of The Engine Control Unit. Gearbox fault possible. No R-gear. Possible to drive on" warning on my 2018 Macan GTS that I just bought. It drives fine until it warms up, then it starts jerking, then begins skipping gear 4, then skipping gear 2 and 6, and finally the above light comes on and reverse doesn't work. There is a thread in here on this and other transmission problems: https://www.macanforum.com/threads/...possible-no-r-gear-drive-on-possible.115490/page-11?nested_view=1&sortby=oldest
But, I'd like to create a dedicated DIY for this problem as that thread is now 8 years old and over 500 posts. So, it takes a minute to read through it to glean the info to either do the repair yourself or point your indie in the right direction. From that thread, what you are going to experience if you roll your Macan into the dealer is a recommended $25,000 tranny replacement. If you roll into your typical indie repair shop, they're going to likely recommend a $5,000 new Mechatronic valve body, or some version of used or rebuilt Mechatronic in which the part cost is about $1,500, plus labor.
However, our resident tech expert, @VAGfan , describes in post #482 of the other thread a DIY repair that sounds relatively easy (especially if you have access to a lift) and inexpensive:
"The first troubleshooting step is to get the stored trouble-codes (DTCs) from the Transmission Control Computer (aka "TCU" or "Tiptronic Transmission Control Module"). PWIS and other Porsche capable scan-tools often list the TCU as a "Tiptronic", even though it is really a Dual-Clutch/DSG/PDK/S-Tronic transmission. The "Tiptronic" name is what Audi calls a conventional torque converter automatic transmission with electronic control and manual shifting features, and the scan-tools just used the wrong marketing name for it.
You could try pulling the Mechatronics out and just replacing the two "Circuit Boards", cheapest thing to try.
Audi B8/B8.5 S4 Quattro 3.0T Drivetrain DSG Transmission - 0B5398009F - Mechatronics Repair Kit 0B5398009F (0B5 398 009 F) (ecstuning.com)
Another forum member had issues only when the transmission warmed-up. It was fixed with new "circuit boards", which also contain the temperature sensor for the clutch fluid, and an RPM sensor.
There are many of these circuit board repair kits available on Ebay and Amazon. Some are much cheaper than the "real" VW/Audi kit, but they may work fine....
The next more expensive fix is to get a new or rebuilt Mechatronics unit (just the valve body part, not with a new TCU), and install the original TCU onto the new valve body. Then, no TCU programming is needed (to write the VIN into it (needed for the immobilizer).
But, you will need to run the full Mechatronics adaptations/calibration with your PIWIS.
Valve body (mechatronics) without electronic control unit, automatic transmission 0B5 (DL501) 0B5325025T 0B5325031N regenerated (maktrans.net) "
So, cheap & easy, right? @VAGfan, you have my attention.
![Image]()
Hopefully, @VAGfan will visit us to lay some DIY knowledge on us. If not, you're stuck with me through this journey.
So, first step, let's figure out what parts I'm gonna need. @VAGfan gives us a link to the ECS Tuning "Mechatronics Repair Kit", which carries a $610 price tag (ouch). He also says there are circuit board repair kits on eBay and Amazon for much cheaper. So, I'm going to check those out (and will report back). Plus, as long as I've got the Mechatronics unit out of the tranny, it sounds like there's some sort of filter - might as well replace that. And of course, new PDK fluid. So, off to eBay and Amazon I go.
But, I'd like to create a dedicated DIY for this problem as that thread is now 8 years old and over 500 posts. So, it takes a minute to read through it to glean the info to either do the repair yourself or point your indie in the right direction. From that thread, what you are going to experience if you roll your Macan into the dealer is a recommended $25,000 tranny replacement. If you roll into your typical indie repair shop, they're going to likely recommend a $5,000 new Mechatronic valve body, or some version of used or rebuilt Mechatronic in which the part cost is about $1,500, plus labor.
However, our resident tech expert, @VAGfan , describes in post #482 of the other thread a DIY repair that sounds relatively easy (especially if you have access to a lift) and inexpensive:
"The first troubleshooting step is to get the stored trouble-codes (DTCs) from the Transmission Control Computer (aka "TCU" or "Tiptronic Transmission Control Module"). PWIS and other Porsche capable scan-tools often list the TCU as a "Tiptronic", even though it is really a Dual-Clutch/DSG/PDK/S-Tronic transmission. The "Tiptronic" name is what Audi calls a conventional torque converter automatic transmission with electronic control and manual shifting features, and the scan-tools just used the wrong marketing name for it.
You could try pulling the Mechatronics out and just replacing the two "Circuit Boards", cheapest thing to try.
Audi B8/B8.5 S4 Quattro 3.0T Drivetrain DSG Transmission - 0B5398009F - Mechatronics Repair Kit 0B5398009F (0B5 398 009 F) (ecstuning.com)
Another forum member had issues only when the transmission warmed-up. It was fixed with new "circuit boards", which also contain the temperature sensor for the clutch fluid, and an RPM sensor.
There are many of these circuit board repair kits available on Ebay and Amazon. Some are much cheaper than the "real" VW/Audi kit, but they may work fine....
The next more expensive fix is to get a new or rebuilt Mechatronics unit (just the valve body part, not with a new TCU), and install the original TCU onto the new valve body. Then, no TCU programming is needed (to write the VIN into it (needed for the immobilizer).
But, you will need to run the full Mechatronics adaptations/calibration with your PIWIS.
Valve body (mechatronics) without electronic control unit, automatic transmission 0B5 (DL501) 0B5325025T 0B5325031N regenerated (maktrans.net) "
So, cheap & easy, right? @VAGfan, you have my attention.
Hopefully, @VAGfan will visit us to lay some DIY knowledge on us. If not, you're stuck with me through this journey.
So, first step, let's figure out what parts I'm gonna need. @VAGfan gives us a link to the ECS Tuning "Mechatronics Repair Kit", which carries a $610 price tag (ouch). He also says there are circuit board repair kits on eBay and Amazon for much cheaper. So, I'm going to check those out (and will report back). Plus, as long as I've got the Mechatronics unit out of the tranny, it sounds like there's some sort of filter - might as well replace that. And of course, new PDK fluid. So, off to eBay and Amazon I go.
