Anyone here know how an Audi gearbox actually works? Musaffah question

[ferguslane]

ferguslane

at #8579

My Audi Q5 started feeling a bit lazy when I pull away from the lights near my workplace, and it made me realise I have driven it for two years without knowing what is happening under the floor. I work in Musaffah, so most of my day is hot roads, trucks everywhere and a lot of slow moving traffic, which I heard is hard on any gearbox. Last night I tried to understand the basics, and I came across a Fast overview of Audi gearbox operation in Musaffah Shabiya, and it explained in simple words that the gearbox takes the power from the engine and passes it to the wheels using different gears, so the engine does not have to struggle at low speed or scream at high speed. I liked that it did not use heavy technical talk. What I still cannot picture is the part where the car decides when to change gear. Is it all done by a computer, or is there something mechanical doing the thinking? Also, does the heat here make a real difference to how long the gearbox lasts? My car has about eighty two thousand kilometres and the oil has never been touched as far as I know. When it gets very hot in the afternoon, the gear change feels a little softer than in the morning, and I am not sure if that is normal. Do any of you who drive in this area do anything special to protect the gearbox, like changing the oil earlier than the manual says? I would love simple answers from real owners, because most of what I find online sounds like it was written for engineers.

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