Technical Service Bulletin
37 Gearbox warning light on - Faults P0605 and/or P17EC stored in Selector lever module 81
37 12 68 2028561/3 October 8, 2012. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 37 number 12 – 52 dated
May 31, 2012 for reasons listed below.

Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

A8, A8L A8
W12

2010 – 2013

All

Electronic shift module 81

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

3

-

Revised header data

2

5/31/2012

Revised header data

1

1/31/2012

Original publication

• There is no customer complaint about the gearbox.
• The gear lever display flashes.
• The message "gearbox problem, journey can be continued with restrictions" is shown.
The entry P0605 or P17EC is logged under the diagnosis address 81- Selector lever.

Technical Background
New software in the Selector Lever Control Module (J587) addressed the condition.

Production Solution
Not applicable.

© 2012 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Service
Try to reproduce the customer complaint so that it can be clearly assigned to this TSB.
SVM Update Instructions
1. Follow all instructions in the attached TSB 2011732 00 Software Version Management (SVM), operating
instructions.
2. Update the Selector Lever Module (81) using the SVM action code as listed in the table below if necessary.

Model

Old Software
Part Number

Old
Software
Version

4H1 927 731
A8, A8L,A8L 4H2 927 731
W12
4H1 927 731 A
4H2 927 731 A

New Software
Part Number

New Software
Version

SVM Action Code

(or higher)
4H1 927 731
4H2 927 731

All

0082

81A002

4H1 927 731 A
4H2 927 731 A

Warranty
Claim Type:

Use applicable claim type. If vehicle is outside any warranty, this Technical Service Bulletin
is informational only.

Service Number:

3705

Damage Code:

0039

Labor Operations:

Charge battery

2706 8950

10 TU

Update Selector Lever Control Module

3705 9999

40 TU

GFF

No allowance

0 TU (Included in
existing Labor
operations)

Road test prior to service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Road test after service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Diagnostic Time:

© 2012 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
Technical diagnosis at dealer’s discretion
(Refer to Section 2.2.1.2 and Audi Warranty Online for DADP allowance details)
Claim Comment:

As per TSB #2028561/3

All warranty claims submitted for payment must be in accordance with the Audi Warranty Policies and Procedures
Manual. Claims are subject to review or audit by Audi Warranty.

Additional Information
The following Technical Service Bulletin will be necessary to complete this procedure:
• TSB 2011732 00 Software Version Management (SVM), operating instructions.
All part and service references provided in this TSB are subject to change and/or removal. Always check with your
Parts Dept. and service manuals for the latest information.

© 2012 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
00 Software Version Management (SVM), operating instructions
00 12 32 2011732/9 February 7, 2012. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 00 number 10 – 02 dated
March 24, 2010 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

All Audi

2002 on

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

9

-

Revised header data (Added model years)
Revised Technical Background
Revised Service (Added image)

8

3/24/2010

Revised Technical Background
Revised Service (Added Response Codes section)

7

5/13/2009

Revised Service (Step 6)

6

12/15/2008

Revised Service (Step 3 – added information concerning use of wireless
VAS 5054A transmitter head)

5

11/17/2008

Revised Title to include Repair Group

4

10/21/2008

Revised Service (Step 3 – added information concerning Windows power
savings settings)

This Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) details the general process for carrying out a Software Version Management
(SVM) software update for any TSB or Update.
Troubleshooting information is included in the Additional Information section.
Please refer to the upcoming TSBs covering detailed aspects of SVM. They will be listed under group “99”.

Technical Background
SVM was developed with the main goal of ensuring each Audi vehicle has the correct electronic control units with
the correct software versions installed when it leaves the dealership repair facility.

© 2012 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
SVM is a feature of GFF that has a subset of
functions or components as seen in Figure 1. These
functions are explained below. A VAS 5051B, VAS
5052A, or VAS 6150(A/B/C) diagnostic tool is
required to read out the vehicle control unit data and
send it to the SVM server (also called an “SVM
communication”).

Figure 1. Subset of SVM functions

1. SVM – Specified/actual comparison
Goal: This function is designed to ensure all electronic control units installed in the vehicle have the correct
part numbers, software versions, coding and parameterization. It will not suggest a control unit software
update. During this SVM communication, the part numbers and software versions of the actual control units
installed in the vehicle will be sent to the SVM servers. This “actual” data is then compared to the “specified”
data in the SVM database for a particular vehicle. The specified data stored on the SVM servers is also
referred to as the vehicle “reference”.
What an SVM Spec/Actual can do:
• Document any changes to an electronic control unit’s hardware/software part numbers, hardware/software
versions, and provide feedback to the user if these changes are accepted or rejected.
• When new parts are installed, it will also calculate coding changes or parameterization changes. If a
“hardware replacement suggestion” is given, then a conflict exists with the vehicle reference for that
control unit (i.e. SVM expects a different part number or software version for the control unit in question).
1

• As a rule, SVM will not allow a control unit with the same part number as the original part to be installed if
the new part contains an older software revision. In this situation, SVM will return a hardware change
2
suggestion . In these special cases a new vehicle reference must be manually set by an Audi Product
Support Engineer. Please contact the Technical Assistance Center Helpline if you suspect this is the
case.
2. SVM - Direct Input: SVM code for problem related update
Goal: This function performs any additional functions which cannot be performed with an SVM Spec/Actual.
Those functions include the following.
What an SVM code can do:
• Update the software in a flash-capable control unit if the SVM code is valid for the vehicle.
3

• After the software update is completed, an additional SVM Specified/Actual comparison will be performed
to calculate a new coding and/or parameterization and to document all control unit changes as a new
reference in the SVM database.
• SVM Codes should not be used to update a control unit without knowing the solution(s) the software
update provides. To update control unit software, the technician must first diagnose the condition in the
vehicle and find an applicable TSB that provides a valid SVM Code. Randomly trying out multiple SVM
Codes wastes time and can sometimes cause conflicts in the SVM database.
• SVM codes can also be used to document manual software updates to the vehicle’s systems, as in the
case with MMI Software Package (ZUG) updates. These types of updates are performed manually with a
CD/DVD/SDcard. An SVM code for an MMI update documents the changes in the SVM database and
provides coding and/or parameterization suggestions. It does not perform any software updates.
© 2012 Audi of America, Inc.

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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.

Technical Service Bulletin
SVM codes for MMI Software Package (ZUG) updates will only complete successfully if every control unit is
updated to the correct software level. This is especially important when a control unit fails/dies during the
manual software update process and is then later replaced, but not updated after it is installed. Since the new
replacement control unit was not updated the SVM code will fail. The replaced control unit must be updated
prior to running the SVM code.
• SVM Exchange (XCHG) Codes can also be used to aid in the installation of new service parts when an
SVM spec/actual cannot code or parameterize the replacement control unit, as with all Audi airbag control
units.
It is critical to note SVM XCHG codes must be run immediately after a new control unit is installed in the
vehicle. If an SVM Spec/Actual is performed instead, it will create an invalid vehicle reference in the SVM
database. Once this occurs the SVM XCHG code will not function properly. The only way to resolve this issue
is to contact the Technical Assistance Center Helpline to have the vehicle reference manually set. To find the
SVM XCHG code, follow the parts bulletin listed in ETKA or search for an applicable Technical Service
Bulletin.
3. SVM - Direct Input: SVM code for vehicle conversion
Goal: This function allows for a factory approved retrofit of additional control unit(s) using a valid SVM Code
for Vehicle Conversion.
• This type of SVM code is documented inside the installation instructions for the control unit and is typically
performed as the last installation step. You can identify an SVM code for conversion by the way it is
named. They are typically named “050XXX”.
4. SVM – Activations
Goal: This function is designed to activate additional features or functions within an already installed control
unit using an Activation Code and possibly additional PIN codes or Customer codes.
• This function is designed with a security system similar to installing a new operating system on a personal
computer. Currently, SVM Activation codes are only being used with navigation map data updates for
vehicles with MMI3G/3G+. The customer no longer needs to purchase the Navigation map data. Instead
the customer must purchase an “Activation Packet” to unlock the map update in the MMI system. The
Activation Packet consists of an Activation Code, Activate Number, and Pin Code. Once the Activation