1. If this is persistent (happens all the time, not just once in a while) than I'd blame either ETM behaving or transmission slippage in the first gear, as crazy as it sounds. Never experienced either though.
2. Wierd, never experienced this. On the other note, I never "felt" the lock-up moment in 01'T5. It's either not happening in my car ;-) or it's completely smooth. What else can it be ? Cruise control may downshift for the hill but you'll always see it on tachometer...
3. It takes about a second to engage a reverse in my car... if you push gas before it catches then it will be a hard shift otherwise there's just no torque to create "bang".
Overall - I'd say that if it drives you mad then you should visit a dealer/indy mechanic for purely diagnostic purposes.
|