1336.9

I have a 2017 Macan Turbo 55k miles and up until today (Took ownership in Dec 21), it has driven perfectly fine. Only mod is the flat 5 intakes and spare tire removal. During the first few months of owning it, I would like to think I drove it very responsibly, no sports mode, lugging, etc. A couple months ago I started using sports mode regularly after it had warmed up and within the last month, I started using sports mode with M+ shifting because I like the faster turbo response, but I also rather do 2k shifts, 6th and 7th gear and enjoy the cooler engine temps. To preface I live in AZ so it is HOT, today was 107.

The drive to my destination was fine and the first half of my drive back was fine, but I noticed on the way back, driving in Eco mode, I recall going about 50-55 and it was only in 6th gear. I tried swapping it into and out of sports mode but it only resulted it in downshifting to 5th and then back into 6th. I then put it into sports mode and manual mode and upshifted into 6th but it would NOT let me upshift into 7th gear (acted like gear didn't exist), neither on the steering column shifter nor the +/- on the console. I tried going out of sports mode and into manual mode + eco and trying to get into 7th but it resulted in the same thing. I ended up restarting the car at a light and it magically fixed everything, all gears shifted as expected and 7th worked again. Fast forward to a few hours later, I took it out again, eco mode, and during the first 15 seconds I noticed that it seemed like the shift points were delayed (Shifting at 3.5k-4k instead of 1.5-2k), when I got it up to 40-45mph it was not automatically shifting into 7th and trying to override using manual did not help. I pulled over and restarted and it fixed it. On the way home, it proceeded to do it again but this time I put it into sports mode and just drove in sports mode (auto) for a few minutes and put it back into eco mode, and this also proceeded to fix it.

The gears and shift points feel like its defaulting to a version of the sports mode, but some reason overriding the ability to go into 7th gear.

Has anyone ever heard of anything like this?

I am still under warranty and will be calling the dealer tomorrow but I am hoping its something simple that I can fix on my own (Pull battery, replacing fuse, etc).

Olddragger

Get to the dealer if you are under warrenty. Do not ignore any transmission related problems. It is a very expensive part of your car and sometimes they can fix it and sometimes they can't and it has to be replaced.
Heat is the enemy to our transmisson and ....dang...sure is hot there!
A fresh change of transmission fluid may be all you need, but it could be the beginning of the mechatronic pack needing repair. Get it to the dealer as soon as possible so they can hook it up to their magic software and do a proper diagnosis.

nemo06

I have a similar problem on my MY21 Turbo.
When it's hot outside, the engine RPM at idle and the modes with which the gearbox shifts become the same as in Sport mode.
My Dealer says this is normal and that it keeps the engine temperatures low.

Olddragger

If the transmission fluid gets too hot then it does throw it into a cooling mode...the radiator fans will turn on and shifts will be delayed...occur at a higher rpm. This a protective mode for the transmission internals. Now the question is why is the transmission temperatures getting so hot that it has to do this? This also would mean that the dct fluid would be aging faster also. Get to the dealer and open a record of this issue. It could serve you well later if you need it.

1336.9

I dropped it off at the dealership yesterday, we couldn't replicate the issue while I was there during a test drive (Generally needed a cool-off period before it acted up), but I had pre-recorded video of it happening. They weren't immediately sure of the cause so they are sending logs to PCNA. I had been able to reliably replicate the issue prior to taking it down. What was strange, was that on a totally cold start from the garage, in eco mode, it didn't do it. Couple hours later, after it have cooled off a bit from a 20min drive in 100 degree weather, (Engine temp still around 150 at start-up), it would act up at start-up. The problem seemed to go away on its own after a few minutes of driving, regardess of eco or sports mode. I would think if it was the transmission temp getting too high, it would start out normal and then go into the protection mode, rather than the inverse, but maybe once the vehicle is turned off after a good drive, there is residual heat that continues to heat it up even more, since there is no longer active cooling?

As a note, the transmission oil is only about 3,000 miles and six months old, done at the dealership at purchase.

Olddragger

Smart move! Please let us know what they find out.
Our transmission relies on so many different inputs to properly function it borders on being absurd. When it works it is great, when it doesn't....OMG.
One thing that could cause what you describe occurring is the clutch could be slipping. When the computer reads this slippage it goes into a protection mode of not shifting to the higher gears, and delays shift points because it is easier on the clutches and helps to cool them. What is causing the slippage (if any) could be something as simple as it is low on fluid. Perhaps when it was changed they didn't get enough in it? This is all speculation of course.
The fact that is does fine when cold but acts up when at temperature indicates that it may be temperature related.
It doesn't sound like it is coming from the mechatronic unit as it only affects 7nd gear.
How are your coolant and oil temps during this? Did they discover any transmission codes?