HELP! can anyone explain what the shudder is when I slowly release my clutch?? brand new 1.8QMS that lets is best described as a loud shudder when the clutch is released or engaged, but only when done slowly. lasts only a couple of seconds and is not a problem when dropped into gear. the closest example of the noise would be trying to start a car in fourth gear. seems to be coming from the rear but hard to tell. hard to believe they didn't pick this up on their "inspection"

My Quattro does it when manually shifting from 2nd to 3rd...and sometimes from 3rd to 4th. It is normal for a quattro to do this...it is something in the driveline catching up to something else...you have little clutch like devices in your quattro system (eww...doesn't that sound scientific?) and the sometimes have to synchronize with each other. I think there is a FAQ on this subject. Are you sure it is when downshifting or accelerating? If you have a Tiptronic...then this is something entirely different.<p>Steve S.<br>97 2.8QM

I get a shudder when I turn the wheel sharply from a stop.<br>Like when I pull out of my driveway. <p>-Phil

I also have the shudder, but with no noise. It is normal for the quattro drivetrain. I have never heard a noise even when the radio is off.<br>97 2.8 QM<br>

Thanks for the advice...I used the search program to try and locate anything related to downshift/clutch/etc. etc. but no luck. It just doesn't feel or sound like what the car should be doing. The rearend almost feels like it might start skipping, esp. when downshifting from fourth to third at slower speeds. Maybe I shouldn't baby it and drop the gear quicker? Is this the 'pause' you were referring to? I hope not, it's annoying.