I have read the autobox in the 4.4 TDV8 is a solid bulletproof box so I am hoping my issue has a simple remedy or is a one off glitch.

I have noticed on inclines when the engine has to work a little harder the box, to my driving style, seems to stick in the lower gears far too long and does not move up the box smoothly.

Now this is in normal mode and not sports mode where I would suspect it would hold the lower gears a bit longer.

Today I was on a steepish incline in the rain and the box selected a low gear (probably 1 or 2) and seemed stuck in that gear. It wasn't selecting any other gear and the rev counter was heading quickly into the red as I accelerated. The box simply wasn't selecting a higher gear and on this occasion it was more obvious that this wasn't right.

I twiddled the gear selector knob from normal mode into sports mode and back into normal and came off the accelerator in an attempt to get it going again. It eventually seemed to get back to normal and I continued my journey and it seemed to be performing okay but this has got me nervous that there is a serious problem with the box.

It's on 126K and the last owner did tell me they had the fluids in the box changed just prior to me buying it. I have only done about 1,000 miles in it since then.

I have already purchased the correct auto fluid and a new filter for the box so will consider getting the fluids changed sooner than I intended. I will monitor how it performs thereafter but it is a concern as I have been driving auto's for about 7 years now (My other car is an auto Volvo XC70) and I have never experienced anything like this before.

Mine revs higher than what seems neccessary on hills but I think this is to ensure enough oil flow in high load situations but never had it go to the redline. You can mess about with fluid changes, flushes etc but best bet is to take it to a ZF gearbox specialist for a diagnosis. 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)