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Tiptronic magnets - which is which?

14K views 12 replies 2 participants last post by  Gnits 
#1 ·
Hi!


Can anyone please tell me which magnet in the tiptronic switch is responsible for what function?


A longer explanation follows:


I'm having an issue with my tiptronic switch. I can switch between gears P, R, N, D and S, but whenever it try to put it in the semi-manual mode, it still stays in D (on the instrument cluster), and I can't actually switch gears manually.


Now, I've researched quite a lot on this issue, and it seems like the most common cause for this issue is some problems with the magnets on the transmission cover strip. I've taken mine apart, and noticed, that the square one, the magnet referred to as "-B- magnet" by the Touareg repair manual has broken off with a piece of plastic from the strip. Despite being broken off from the strip, it seems to have still stayed in its place, and most likely moved with the strip. Or maybe it didn't, or didn't do so exactly as it should have done.


Anyway, I've glued it back on with super glue, put everything back together, but shifting to manual mode still didn't seem to work. I've then taken everything apart again to check whether the magnet and the glued back strip plastic piece were still in place, and they indeed were. Because of that, I'm not sure anymore what could be causing the issue. In the worst case it could be, that the magnets aren't actually the problem, but some parts of the tiptronic electronics or wiring could have been damaged or non-functioning. But obviously I can't really diagnose that.


What I've been thinking is that maybe the issue isn't actually with magnet B (which is just some kind of a red herring, despite being broken off on a piece of plastic, which seems to have stayed in place), but with magnet A (the smaller, round one), which even though seems to be unaffected, but might be too weak or oriented in the wrong way. Of course I could only check that, too, if I'd have a replacement part, which I don't. And now I don't even know whether replacing the strip or even the electronics could solve the issue. I'd be probably ready to buy a new strip and cover assembly, which is just around $100, to gain back the ability to shift manually, but the electronics part is way above $300, and even after replacing that it could turn out that there's something wrong with the wiring harness, or who knows what. So, I'm trying to minimize the guesswork here.


Anyway, my question is: does anyone know which magnet is responsible for shifting between PRNDS, and which one is for shifting manually up and down? I've attached a picture of my transmission with the magnets, and marked them the same way as the manual does, with A (smaller, round one at the bottom) and B (square one, to the left from the lever).


Now obviously, if someone could confirm, that it's indeed magnet B (the one that broke off with a piece of plastic and has been glued back on by me) is responsible for engaging manual mode and manual shifting between the gears, then it would be safe to assume, that even though it's been glued back on, the position or something else is still wrong with that magnet, and that replacing the entire cover strip assembly with a completely new one would most likely solve the issue. However, if it would turn out, that the round magnet A, which visually didn't seem to have been damaged, is responsible for the manual mode, then it would be more likely, that the problem is caused by the electronics panel or some wiring not functioning properly, in which case I wouldn't even attempt a repair, because of cost and technical reasons.


So, the question stands: which magnet is responsible for the manual mode, and which is there just for the switching between PRNDS?


Any help greatly appreciated.
 

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#2 ·
Ah yes. I've replaced it just recently in January, after my magnet failed as well for the Tiptronic. The magnet in the middle which slides with the shifter is the Triptronic. The one at the bottom responsible for the P-N-D-S mode. Interesting models of Tiptronic magnets.

Careful when removing, and replacing. You can easily damage the circuit board at the bottom of the old casing. Make sure to approach it gently to evaluate all the connection/harnesses, and remove with minimal force as much as possible.
 
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#3 ·
Careful when removing, and replacing. You can easily damage the circuit board at the bottom of the old casing. Make sure to approach it gently to evaluate all the connection/harnesses, and remove with minimal force as much as possible.
You mean there's a circuit board also under the black strip with the magnets and the white plastic it slides on/over? I already had to remove the very fragile tiptronic sensor board from above the strip to uncover the magnets - but is there also one under that assembly?
 
#4 ·
Nope. You got it. The circuit board is for the standard shifter and Tiptronic as well as lighting. If you got through that fiasco, you're golden.
 
#5 ·
Yeah, that board was tricky for the first time, because its "wings" on the right side somehow got stuck in the slider's plastic cover (the one with the letters and the +/- on it), and when I tried to lift off the latter, some parts of the circuit board also went with it, bending the board. Luckily I didn't break it, and with some wiggling of the plastic part I could separate the two, and remove the plastic cover first, then the board itself, too. The next time I took the assembly apart, I didn't have that problem (ie. the board didn't stuck in the plastic cover).


I also did it without disconnecting the battery, which was risky in itself, even though I only worked with plastic tools. But I just had no time and appropriate tools to also disconnect the battery, which in itself is also probably an half an hour job, if not more.

Anyway, so, then if there's no circuit board under the strip and the white plastic it slides on, I guess there aren't other (open) electronics in there either. Is that right? Will then my only worries be not to break off the clips holding the white plastic assembly in place when replacing it with a new one, or is there anything else I should pay attention to when trying to remove that part?

Thanks for your help.
 
#8 ·
Glad it works. Mine was the same. It wasn't the spill, but just worn out. Drove me insane not to be able to use the Tiptronic in some areas of the back country and the mountains. $110 later, I have my fun. Freaking expensive parts. My other Shiftronic vehicles did cost far as much as this monster of mine.
 
#9 ·
I got mine for about $60, with taxes and s&h inclusive. And it was an genuine VW part, that came in original VW box, with all the barcodes. I guess it depends on which market you're in.

Too bad that most Touareg-specific parts aren't offered by third party OEMs, so we have to pay the original VW markup, even when installing it in decades old cars. But I'm not complaining. This wasn't an arm and a leg, after all. On the contrary: it was probably the cheapest repair I have ever had on this car. And being able to do it myself made the money spent even more worth to me. If for nothing else, but for the fact that I can now say, that I could conduct a repair on my car that's beyond swapping out the brake light bulb. :smile2:
 
#10 ·
LOL True. However, the fun just got started. My A/C compressor possibly finally took a dive at 61,000 miles. Looks like I'll be doing a full leak search, and possibly ripping the old compressor out to replace with the new one. $400 out the door.
 
#11 ·
Same thing here. A/C started acting up. Dealership refilled the system, but didn't find any leaks. Now, after a few weeks, I already got the dreaded "00445 - Loss of Refrigerant" code showing up the VCDS, again. However, the A/C still seems to work to a degree, and blows air that's even though not ice cold, but still cool.

So, I guess I have a very tiny leak somewhere, which can't be diagnosed by the dealership on premise. And the only thing I can do is to either have them top up the coolant every once in a while, or let them start swapping out parts, until the leak goes away.

I guess I will opt for the former for now, and hope that either the leak stays small to not need topping up often, or it will become big enough so they can find it. Otherwise, if they start swapping out parts, that will probably become very costly fast. Especially that not only the compressor, evaporator, but also seemingly simple things like the pipes cost a fortune in the A/C system.
 
#12 ·
We got similar issue. A/C blown cool air, refilled with R134a to the proper pressure and weight, and a few weeks later, the compressor is having a problem with sustaining cool air more than a few minutes, then hot air after. Pressure is all over the place.

I'm suspecting either a bad delivery system into the evaporator, or there may be puncture in the cooler near the radiator from notorious debris caused by tractor trailers around here. The total cost can go from $400 for the full compressor, to added $750 for the full replacement of piping and compressor, with $60 on refrigerant. Added labor, that can go as high as $1600.
 
#13 ·
Yeah, just what I need. I was already thinking where to shove all that surplus thousands of dollars I don't need. But now, thanks to the A/C system, I just might have found the solution for this problem of mine. Hopefully rather not. :smile2:
 
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