Hello all

My 3.6 TDV8 has started to judder when going up hills. It’s not a constant judder and seems to happen around 2,000 RPm for a couple of seconds then goes away. I’ve tried it in sport and manual mode and it still does it.
It’s fine on the flat.
My first thought is the torque converter on its way out unless someone knows of something else? 2010 MY Vogue SE TDV8 3.6 Stornoway Grey- fully loaded

Sounds very much like my 08 was doing, it started last year when under heavy load so did the oil change dr tranny thing which cured it for a while but started to be noticeable on hills again like yours so I`ve just replaced the torque converter (recon one ), valve block bridge seals, oil and filter which (fingers crossed not had heavy load on the back yet) cured it. I understand if left the torque converter can break up and kill the gearbox hope this helps.

Put the gearbox in sports mode - if it is the torque converter it should not judder

It judders in sport mode as well.

If I can get the revs over 2.5k on a hill it’s not too bad. Just seems to be at low speed. The rev counter is up and down when it’s juddering as well. 2010 MY Vogue SE TDV8 3.6 Stornoway Grey- fully loaded

Oil change.

It had a flush a couple of years ago. 2010 MY Vogue SE TDV8 3.6 Stornoway Grey- fully loaded

My 08MY ended up getting a gearbox flush every time it began juddering. Started doing it at about 80k miles and did a flush each 25k miles thereafter. The older I get, the more I realise that people confuse wrinkles for wisdom

I’d definitely go for the oil change and Dr tranny as a first stop, it wont fix a worn torque converter but will help it along the way and probably extend its life if no damage has occurred. I had this issue with my 09 and adding Dr tranny with annual oil changes bought me an extra 3 years before it came back permanently!

If it only happens on hills it could be something related to the front suspension - the weight of the car moves to the back going uphill reducing the load on the front and giving worn parts more room to bounce around. I would get the car in the air and start checking everything you can for play.

I had the same problem recently, juddering / cattle gridding for a few seconds whilst pulling away up from say a roundabout a slow speed. I spoke to various experts who were mainly of the opinion of the cause, it was likely to be the torque converter. I eventually opted to go to Mackie's in Glasgow ZF gearbox specialists and manufactures with a very good reputation. I explained I wanted a transmission service and mega flush.

On explaining the problem it was suggest that I go for a full diagnostic test as just changing the oil may not solve the problem but make it worse. The test would give an indication if the problem was the torque converter or perhaps the gearbox.

I agreed and the test indeed pointed to either the T/C or the Gearbox however they could not be sure until they stripped the T/C. The repair was going to be very expensive.

Stripping the T/C indicated that that it was OK and that the gearbox needed to be removed, stripped and examined. It revealed the the brass bushings and seals in the gearbox were worn that there was a loss of oil pressure under load causing the vibration.

The Gearbox and T/C have now been refurbished and installed and as promised the performance is as if the transmission had just came out of the factory. Mackies did an excellent job and I cannot fault their professionalism and care.

My cheap 2008 TDV8 that I recently bought is now an expensive TDV8 for the year but with very much a great transmission! I love it.

You do need deep pockets if you buy an old RR unless you are very lucky and do your homework on the car. The fact is the car did drive well before the repair however I did not want the niggle that it may fail somewhere on holiday in the middle of nowhere. I now have peace of mind. Willie
2008 TDV8 Santorini Black

WDRR - so was this the valve body where the bushes had failed?

They didn't say they had actually failed but that they were worn as were the seals causing a loss of pressure. Sorry I didn't get any more detail apart from being inform it was a common problem on that Transmission / RR. Apparently they ordered a replacement Kit of some sort that replaced them all. They did not however touch the electronic unit inside the gearbox. Willie
2008 TDV8 Santorini Black

Sonnax zip kit perhaps? I'm just leaving this hear for a future searcher - always good to have the solution to a problem at the end of a thread!

The worn bush issue relates particularly to the rear stator bush, which also acts as a seal for the E-clutch hydraulic circuit. Ultimately this can result in the loss of 4th, 5th & 6th gears.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

I’ve put two bottles of Dr Tranny in today and the judder has gone. Drives lovely again. 2010 MY Vogue SE TDV8 3.6 Stornoway Grey- fully loaded