[noremaC]

Any physical symptoms when driving with the 5A53 code? Clutch slippage?

I'll share my experience from last fall:

I had this code pop up (5A53 = Phase Red, DCT Oil Temp >160 C) last year and ended up putting in a new (used) DCT. There is also a 5A54 code = Phase Black, DCT Oil Temp > 170 C. Not to scare you here just sharing my experience.

I got first the Transmission Overheating (5A53) warning when sitting in traffic. When I began to move, it went away. Over the following weeks it became more persistent. It got to a point, while I was on the highway (70+ MPH), the same warning came up on the dash and the car automatically shifted into 7th gear, skipping all lower gears (even & odd). Even when I got off the highway (in manual mode), at 20 mph, it would automatically shift up to 7th gear.

During the diagnostic process we never determined root cause. After my first code, I changed the DCT Oil, Filters, Pan etc., the warnings went away for a month (maybe two) but came back rearing it's ugly head. Rather than going down a rabbit hole, I found a used DCT online and swapped that one in. I think there's three possibilities (in my scenario):

- Clutches are worn and need to be replaced
- Mechatronics unit is faulty
- DCT Thermostat is bad

You may be experiencing something different, especially if there are no physical symptoms.