Partum Verse Networks General General Discussion My wife's A3 has been sitting for 6 months - transmission feels rough now

My wife's A3 has been sitting for 6 months - transmission feels rough now

My wife's A3 has been sitting for 6 months - transmission feels rough now

beulahtregerthen
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29-08-2026, 07:06 AM
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So we had a bit of a situation where my wife got a company car and we decided to keep her 2016 A3 1.4 TFSI as a spare, but it ended up sitting in our underground parking for almost six months without being driven at all. I'd start it up every few weeks and let it run for a bit, but I never actually took it out for a proper drive. Anyway, she's now leaving that job and needs her car back, so I took it out for a spin yesterday to make sure everything was okay, and honestly the transmission felt really rough and clunky, especially when changing between first and second gear. It almost felt like it was hesitating or stuttering, and there was this noticeable thud when shifting into reverse that I don't remember being there before. I'm guessing the fluid might have settled or maybe the clutch packs got a bit sticky from sitting so long without use. I've heard that sometimes a good long drive can sort these things out as everything warms up and gets lubricated again, but I'm worried there might be actual damage from the prolonged period of inactivity. I'm thinking I should probably get it checked out properly rather than just hoping it fixes itself, because I don't want my wife driving around with a gearbox that might fail on her unexpectedly. A friend suggested I Find out more about expert automatic gearbox repair near ICAD since there are apparently a few decent specialists in that industrial area, but I'm not sure if I need a full repair or just a service and maybe a fluid change. Has anyone else experienced rough shifting after their car sat unused for a long time, and did it resolve itself or did you need to get work done? I'd really like to hear from people who've been in a similar situation because I'm trying to figure out whether I'm overreacting or if this is actually something I need to address urgently before she starts using the car daily again.
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beulahtregerthen
29-08-2026, 07:06 AM #1

So we had a bit of a situation where my wife got a company car and we decided to keep her 2016 A3 1.4 TFSI as a spare, but it ended up sitting in our underground parking for almost six months without being driven at all. I'd start it up every few weeks and let it run for a bit, but I never actually took it out for a proper drive. Anyway, she's now leaving that job and needs her car back, so I took it out for a spin yesterday to make sure everything was okay, and honestly the transmission felt really rough and clunky, especially when changing between first and second gear. It almost felt like it was hesitating or stuttering, and there was this noticeable thud when shifting into reverse that I don't remember being there before. I'm guessing the fluid might have settled or maybe the clutch packs got a bit sticky from sitting so long without use. I've heard that sometimes a good long drive can sort these things out as everything warms up and gets lubricated again, but I'm worried there might be actual damage from the prolonged period of inactivity. I'm thinking I should probably get it checked out properly rather than just hoping it fixes itself, because I don't want my wife driving around with a gearbox that might fail on her unexpectedly. A friend suggested I Find out more about expert automatic gearbox repair near ICAD since there are apparently a few decent specialists in that industrial area, but I'm not sure if I need a full repair or just a service and maybe a fluid change. Has anyone else experienced rough shifting after their car sat unused for a long time, and did it resolve itself or did you need to get work done? I'd really like to hear from people who've been in a similar situation because I'm trying to figure out whether I'm overreacting or if this is actually something I need to address urgently before she starts using the car daily again.

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