We have customers who complain about the 8 speed automatic versions of the VW Amarok 2.0 TDi and 3.0 V6. The issue they encounter is the torque limiting in reverse gear preventing the gearbox from overheating. When they get stuck in sand or mud, the torque is limited preventing the driver to successfully get out. Is it possible to change the torque setting for reverse gear as customers don't want to do ECU software upgrades that will void the warranty.
VW Amarok 8 speed automatic
- Thread starter Ozpumba
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I don't remember seeing an Auto-Scan from an Amarok with the 8 speed auto as (I believe) they're not sold in many markets, without an Auto-Scan it will be very difficult (impossible?) to answer your question.
Thanks for the reply. You are correct that the Amaroks are only sold in a few countries. I was hoping that someone from those countries with access to VCDS would be able to shed some light. We have our own scan tools and was looking at getting the VCDS specifically for this application but if it can't do what I need it'll be a waste of money.
I don't see a winch being the solution. A sky hook is the preferred solution if reasonable torque can not be applied to reverse gear. A software update should suffice and be available if enough people voice their displeasure with VW and/or the trans maker.
You make a valid point but alas, VW is not open to the suggestion as they say customers are prone to abuse the auto in difficult situations. It comes down to driver training and everything associated with knowing what to do before you get stuck. VW will also void the warranty on the gearbox if an ECU software/tune was done. We do a chip upgrade (www.performancetune.com.au) and it doesn't void the warranty. It certainly helps a lot with the issue but doesn't solve it. We would like to increase the torque setting by 20% which would allow customers to extract the stricken vehicle on it's own much quicker without undue heat buildup.
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There's nothing about an auto trans reverse gear that should heat up much faster than a forward gear, and you're usually not in reverse long enough for heating to be a concern. Do you have authoritative information from Volkswagen that it's limited due to heat? Or even that it's limited? I could believe there might be some weight/cost-engineered components in the transmission or driveline that might not be able to handle full-torque reverse, particularly if it's towing at its full rating, but it wouldn't be due to heat. And overriding it could potentially be "bad" for any duration.
We supply our performance products to many local VW dealers so we are on first name basis with a lot of people at every dealership. We consult with them almost daily and have discussed the issue at lenth due to customer complaints. I have seen the technical brief from VW and that is what they claim: "torque limiting in reverse is set to prevent the automatic gearbox from overheating".
This is set by default and have no relevance on forward gears.
We have quite a few customers who tow heavy loads who never venture off-road. After fitting our performance products they were able to reverse heavy laden trailers up steep building site embankments and drive ways where previously this was impossible - the rpm would rise without any movement backwards.
The problem is still when getting stuck off-road. Torque will be significantly cut in reverse gear making self-extraction virtually impossible. Many customers fear the ridicule of getting stuck in soft sand and mud. Forward is never a problem.
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