[ANSWERED] 2016-2017 A8 TC Shudder

[SPARTAN sui]

Interesting, thanks for sharing Cooper. I wonder what fix will be coming in 2019. Hopefully it truly fixes the issue for everyone. Like many others, I want to keep my Camaro for a long time.

[SSShark]

I had no idea about this issue when I bought my car last month. Thankfully, I have not had any issues at all. So happy that I dodged that bullet, I hope.

[cooper1965]

Originally Posted by SPARTAN sui

Interesting, thanks for sharing Cooper. I wonder what fix will be coming in 2019. Hopefully it truly fixes the issue for everyone. Like many others, I want to keep my Camaro for a long time.

NP. It looks like a converter will still be a "part" of the fix, and I imagine nothing other than the long awaited reprogramming will be implemented.

[Gunmetalmissle]

Originally Posted by cooper1965

Looks like GM admits repeat converter/and or transmission replacement will not provide a long term solution.

Well that settles it. Hopefully the 2019 fix is actually permanent.

[Nsxmatt]

Originally Posted by cooper1965

NP. It looks like a converter will still be a "part" of the fix, and I imagine nothing other than the long awaited reprogramming will be implemented.

If they flash the TCM with less slip and replace converters that sounds like a win win for everybody.

[Adrian97c]

At about 15k miles my car had the TC replaced, then about 10 months later, 3x flush, now as I approach my last 6 months of warrenty... the shudder is back!

So brought it to dealer & now they are going to play the “lets see if our tech can replicate it when he drives it” game! I said look up my history, this is the 3rd time I’ve had the issue.

Either way I set appt to drop car off on Tuesday.

1 - So is there a real fix coming soon?
2 -
(a)when my Warrenty runs out, am I stuck paying for new TC/flushes?
(B)will a future perm fix be applied to my car out of warrenty?

[Joshinator99]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wyndham

Al's Answer:

This round of “Ask Al” focuses on the Camaro 8-Speed Automatic Transmission. I want to be clear in that we will only be talking about the Camaro application, not any other GM products in this response. You asked for information on the complaint of Transmission Shudder. We define “shudder” as a shake or vibration during light throttle acceleration, and it usually occurs between 25 and 80 mph (40 and 128 kph) at a Steady State. I hope we have generally categorized the concern properly to what you are experiencing.

We regret that we did experience a number of customer warranty cases in the 2016 Model Year. While the 2016 Model Year was a fairly short one, we did our best to rapidly collect enough data about the fluid to determine a solution. The initial findings showed an issue with the quality of the friction modifier in the fluid collected from customer cars. This is an additive to the transmission fluid to prevent a ‘shudder’ feeling during a torque converter clutch operation. If a car that is experiencing shudder is not serviced early, the torque converter clutch material could become burnished and may require a torque converter replacement. The dealer has a specific service procedure that they will follow to determine the required service for your vehicle. So, if you believe you are experiencing shudder, see your Chevy dealer right away, because the earlier you get it serviced, the better. Please keep in mind, not all 8-Speed Automatic Transmissions exhibit this issue.

So, what is the service procedure? Once we determined the issue was due to the quality of the friction modifier in the fluid, we developed a service procedure to flush and fill the transmission fluid 3 times, which eliminates most of the shudder concerns. This service process may not work for a vehicle with shudder that goes too long without service, in which case it will most likely require a new torque converter. Since we started using Dexron HP transmission fluid in March of 2017 both in production and for service, we believe we have basically eliminated the shudder. When used for service, it only requires a single flush and fill.

To summarize, if you have not experienced the shudder, you probably won’t experience the issue. If you have a 2016 or 2017 (built before March 2017) that is experiencing transmission shudder, you should get it serviced as soon as possible. If you had the ‘triple flush’ and your problem is fixed, great. If not, you will likely need a new torque converter. As always, your first stop with questions is your qualified Chevrolet dealer service station.

Originally Posted by cooper1965

Looks like GM admits repeat converter/and or transmission replacement will not provide a long term solution.

So, with Cooper’s TSB post from today (10/9/18) fresh in our minds (and the fact that he's called for TCM reprogramming for a long time now), is it safe to say Al’s answer to this question was categorically wrong? If production started in the second half of 2015 and Al’s answer was 4/18, it’s hard to believe GM still didn’t know how to address A8 shuddering complaints nearly 3 years later. Now, I want to be clear: I’m not deep frying Al here, I think it’s safe to say we all appreciate this forum and his feedback. But, the fact is, GM has been completely whiffing on this very major issue for 3 years now. Cooper’s TSB post shows that they’ve admitted to the dealer network that their approach to this issue has been wrong all along, and that they will have a fix in 2019, nearly 4 years from the start of production . Kind of a stunning development, IMO.

[Gunmetalmissle]

Originally Posted by Adrian97c

At about 15k miles my car had the TC replaced, then about 10 months later, 3x flush, now as I approach my last 6 months of warrenty... the shudder is back!

So brought it to dealer & now they are going to play the “lets see if our tech can replicate it when he drives it” game! I said look up my history, this is the 3rd time I’ve had the issue.

Either way I set appt to drop car off on Tuesday.

1 - So is there a real fix coming soon?
2 -
(a)when my Warrenty runs out, am I stuck paying for new TC/flushes?
(B)will a future perm fix be applied to my car out of warrenty?

Good luck getting anything done out of warranty.

[Gunkk]

Well what do you think would have happened if back in April Al had come out and said, “Well we know we have a temporary fix that will at least work for a while at a minimum and will probably fix the issue in many cases, but we haven't quite settled on the best permanent solution yet and still need to do some more testing and validation.”

Everyone would have deep fried him!

I’m they’re not doing the Charlie Sierra routine with the bandaid and they’re actually owning up to it.

[Gunmetalmissle]

Originally Posted by Joshinator99

Is it safe to say Al’s answer to this question was categorically wrong?

Yes

[Gunmetalmissle]

Originally Posted by Gunkk

Well what do you think would have happened if back in April Al had come out and said, “Well we know we have a temporary fix that will at least work for a while at a minimum and will probably fix the issue in many cases, but we haven't quite settled on the best permanent solution yet and still need to do some more testing and validation.”

Everyone would have deep fried him!

I’m they’re not doing the Charlie Sierra routine with the bandaid and they’re actually owning up to it.

Don’t forget having to admit that your car won’t be covered passed the normal warranty period.

[Calvear0]

So when does this shudder end when it comes to getting covered under warranty? 36k or 60k miles?

[SPARTAN sui]

Originally Posted by Calvear0

So when does this shudder end when it comes to getting covered under warranty? 36k or 60k miles?

It would fall under the power train warranty, 60k.

[Calvear0]

Originally Posted by SPARTAN sui

It would fall under the power train warranty, 60k.

Thank you