I have seen many people say that if you have a vibration when going uphill at low speed that doesn't go away when the gearbox is it sports mode then that rules out torque converter issues - the theory being the TC clutch is locked into place...is this true?

I find that a more reliable indicator is to very closely watch the rev counter needle while the vibration is underway to see if it moves up and down in sympathy with the noise, indicating stick-slip of the lock-up clutch. The variation is only a couple of hundred rpm or so, hence the need to look closely.

Phil