Have you ever heard of ‘mechatronic failures’? It sounds like something out of The Transformers, but actually a mechatronic unit is the electro-hydraulic ‘brain’ that manages gear changes for cars like the Volkswagen Golf. One of our customers at A1 Diagnostics recently brought in their VW Golf with symptoms of a mechatronic problem, and our team of experts got to work to resolve the issue. Here is the vehicle pictured below.

There are several symptoms that suggest mechatronic problems, and the first – and easiest to diagnose! – is a flashing light on the dashboard. The gear box light will indicate an issue with the unit that translates electrical instructions to change gear and turn them into physical commands for the hydraulic valves that move the mechanical parts in the engine.

Another symptom is a gear box that refuses to let all the gears come to the party. Sometimes gear shafts can get stuck in a certain range of gears, typically 1st, 3rd and 5th or 2nd, 4th and 6th, indicating a failure of the mechatronic unit. Alongside this can come difficult gear changes, where you feel you’re forcing the gear stick into position or there are delays in your changes taking effect. These also indicate mechatronic problems.

So what causes these kinds of failures? Often the reason is electrical – thermal damage to circuit boards or high-current throughputs can damage circuits and cause problems within the unit. There can also be physical causes, including cracks and leaks in the hydraulics. Where a VW has 7 gears, the pressure can build and cause blocks or cracks, in turn precipitating a loss of hydraulic fluid.

Running a thorough diagnostic check can quickly eliminate false alarms and narrow down to the actual root cause of the problem. Repair options include simple software updates or resets, or even just refilling the gearbox oil levels. Sometimes the entire unit needs repair or replacement to keep the car road safe.

Whatever the result of our diagnostic investigations, A1 Diagnostics will provide you with the best options for repair to balance cost, safety and efficiency, as we did for this VW Golf.

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A1-Diagnostics and ECU Repairs
64 Sloper Road
Leckwith,
Cardiff
CF11 8AB

Tel: (029 20) 220380
Fax: (029 20) 223172

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Email: info@a1-diagnostics.com