Swapping shifter direction
 

I've always thought the push forward to go up a gear and back to go down the box rather counterintuitive

Then I read something that said you can just swap the wires to reverse this.

Anyone ever tried and can confirm if it works?

Not tried it, but its just switches in the shifter mechanism so no reason you couldn't do it. Since you'd have the shifter in bits you could swap the + & - symbols easily enough too so they were correct with the new shifter action.

In theory you just need to swap T5g/2 and 3 to reverse the switches.

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1551911017

thanks MJ would you know if they are discrete wires in a multiconnector or just separate plugs that need pulling

Wires in a multi-connector so you'd need to dismantle the connector, pull the terminals, swap them over and reassemble. I'll have a look for one shortly.

Would it not be easier to swap them at the TCU end (looks like pins 46/47 of J217)?

I've never really thought about the shifter direction before to be honest but forward for 'up' seems fairly logical to me, since that's the direction of travel. And also because the accelerator pedal moves forward to accelerate and back to slow down.

There's less to dismantle at the TCU end but its more complicated. But, then the + and - symbols on the shifter bezel would be backwards. If you do it at the shifter you can swap the + and - to match.

Tiptronic is opposite to most other manufacturers' similar shifters I think, so Audi and Porsche are backwards compared to BMW and Mercedes from what I've read.

So, in other words, Audi (along with Porsche) are one of the few that have got it right. ;)

In a race car, push forwards is to change down, pull is to change up.

When you think about the forces involved under acceleration or braking, it make a lot more sense that way around +++

never got around to this so figured it was about time.

So my next question is how do i get the shifter surround off. Hopefully its not removing half the car in the process?

Only the inside half :D

Remove:
Driver & passenger footwell carpets
Footrest
Driver's side lower dash
Both tunnel side trims
Armrest
Rear vent
Wood trim under the armrest (prise this straight up and it pops out)

From the side, remove two M6 hex bolts (all with 4mm allen heads) on each side under the shifter trim. One pair holds the centre console to the shifter, the other pair holds the trim to the console.

Also at the back of the console remove two more M6 bolts, one on either side beside the seats

At the front of the console there are four more M6 bolts, again two on each side. One pair holds the centre console to the dash, the other pair hold the ashtray to the console.

With all these out, the centre console can be lifted slightly at the back and moved back 1cm, at which point you can then lift the shifter trim straight up, and marvel at how ludicrously complicated they made it.

Sometimes the console is actually glued to the dash at the join. The official workshop manual procedure to resolve this is a razor blade :rolleyes:

Once the wood trim is off, slide the shifter knob lower aluminium trim down about 1.5cm, and then with the shift lock knob pulled out as far as it will go, pull the shift knob vertically up. This will take a lot of force and so be careful not to whack anything when it comes off!

With that off, the shifter surround can be prised off four tangs on the shifter body and lifted straight up. You'll see how to dismantle this when it comes off, and the + & - symbols can be swapped over I think. There is an electrical connector on the side of the shifter which is usually secured with some awkward clips and cable ties. The connector you need to swap the + and - around is also on the side although I can't remember which it is.