Technical Service Bulletin
37 TCM software update for downshift concerns
37 12 67 2028053/2 October 3, 2012. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 37 number 11 – 31 dated
December 1, 2011 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

2004 – 2009

All

All with 09L Transmission

A4
A4 Avant
A4 Cabriolet
S4

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

2

-

Revised Service (Updated SVM table)

1

12/1/2011

Original publication

Customer may report downshifts not smooth when slowing the vehicle.

Technical Background
Improved software introduced after production that reduces complaints with shifting characteristics. Improved
viscosity of ATF lessens clutch grab during clutch activation.

Production Solution
Optimized ATF (blue) introduced gradually in production years 2005 and 2006.

Service
SVM Update Instructions
1. Follow all instructions in the attached TSB 2011732 00 Software Version Management (SVM), operating
instructions.
2. Update the Transmission Control Unit (J217) using the SVM action code as listed in the table below if
necessary.

© 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
Model

Transmission
Code

A4, A4
Avant,
A4
Cabriolet

09L

S4

Old
Software
Part Number

New
Software
Part
Number

(or higher)

8E0910156R

8E0910156R

0060

8E0910156M

8E0910156M

0060

8E1910156A

8E1910156A

0110

8E1910156B

8E1910156B

0050

8E1910156C

0090

8E1910156E

8E1910156E

0040

8E1910156F

8E1910156F

0030

8E1910156K

8E1910156K

0050

8E1910156M

8E1910156M

0030

8E1910156C

Old
Software
Version
(or lower)

All

New
Software
Version

SVM Action
Code

Required
Fluid

NA8E37AA01

Use G
055 162
A2 or G
060 162
A2 fluid
only

3. When the software update is complete, all the adaptation values of the shift elements in the
transmission control unit are deleted. An adaptation drive, refer to Adaptation Drive
Procedure, is necessary to ensure shift quality.
4. Check color of transmission fluid currently in the transmission. If fluid color is blue or green
skip to step 7.
5. Bring transmission up to temperature then drain and fill ATF with blue (G 055162A2) or
green (G 060162A2) fluid.
6. Check and correct level according to the repair manual.
7. Perform adaptation drive. (Refer to Adaptation Drive Procedure below.)

© 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
Adaptation Drive Procedure.
1. For early vehicles (approximately 2006 or older) there is no adaptive test drive procedure so
an extended test drive is necessary driving through a variety of driving conditions including
highway, stop and go, and coasting.
2. For later vehicles this test plan can
be found in GFF or Guided Functions
>> Powertrain >>09L Transmission>>
01 On Board Diagnostic capable
system >> 02 Transmission
electronics, functions >>02Adaptation Drive.

Figure 1. 02 – Adaptation drive (RG.38).
3. Follow the test plan instructions completely and recheck for the concern.
Tip: If there is not an option to choose the Adaptation Drive shown above, then the
only way to adapt the transmission is the extended test drive as described above.

© 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
Warranty
Claim Type:

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

Service Number:

3735

Damage Code:

0010

Labor Operations:

Drain and fill ATF as instructed

3735 9999

100 TU

Update TCM software

3730 9999

70 TU

Perform adaptation drive.

3585 9999

100 TU

GFF for adaptation drive procedure

0150 0000

Time stated on
diagnostic
protocol.

Road test prior to service procedure

0121 0002

10 TU

Road test after service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

(If GFF adaptation test drive is not used)
Diagnostic Time:

(included in adaptation drive)
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 #2028053/2

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.

Required Parts and Tools
Part Number

Part Description

Quantity

G 055162A2

Transmission Fluid

As needed.

G 060162A2

Transmission Fluid

As needed.

© 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
Additional Information
The following Technical Service Bulletin will be necessary to complete this procedure:
• TSB 2011732 00 Software Version Management (SVM), operating instructions.

All parts and service references provided in this TSB are subject to change and/or removal. Always check with
your Parts Department 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