buster3845

Here's the complete story.
I leased a 2000 A6 2.7t around 4 months ago. Good price, clean car, all good... Part of the lease deal was that the dealer would purchase an extended warranty from Guardian for the duration of the lease (24 months). Well thank god for that.
After a few weeks of driving, I noticed what many here have complained about. It was a "kicking" feeling when I would be in traffic. Basicly, if I was hitting the gas, then started braking almost to a stop, then hit the gas again, the car would kick. Usually it was just a little kick that only I would notice becuase I'm just **** about these things. But a few times, it was a real good tranny kick. Bad enough that my wife thought we got rear-ended a couple of times.
I brought the car to the dealer's mechanic, and he told me there was nothing wrong with the tranny. He said it was normal for a 2000 2.7t, and that I would just have to live with it. Many of you on this board confirmed that you suffered from the same problem and your dealers could do nothing about it.
Now it's been a couple of months, and one fine morning I get a nice little surprise. I get into the car in the morning, and after warming it up put it into Drive. The display in the dash that normally highlights the gear that I'm in has ALL of the gears highlighted. Wierd, but I figure it's probably just a glitch. Now when I start moving, the car feels like I've left the parking break on. I mean the RPM's are getting higher, but the car is barely pulling while in 1st. Once I get to second, all is fine. Plus, when I put it into Drive or Reverse, it kicks like a pissed off pony.
I took it to the same mechanic, and he diagnosed the problem as a failed tranny (thanks genius!!).
The adjuster from Guardian took a look at it, and agreed the tranny was toast. They're paying for a new one. It's gonna cost them a pretty penny too.
So, just be ware - if your tranny has that "little kick" that many of you have come to accept, it might be a sign of a more serious problem. Have your dealer do a Dyno test (that's what the adjuster did). It should imediately show if there's anything wrong.
Good luck boys.

fl2.7T

spoke of this issue years ago. I got my TCU changed to a later DJ unit as a possible remedy. The infamous "thunk" vs a "little kick" has only happened once since ,i.e., about 15 months.

Ming 2.7T

The 2nd problem the tranny went into limp mode. That could many things. Glad your getting a tranny on the warranties nickel.

I would bet you have the old BD Tip software, have them try a DJ box and see what that does to the "thunk", "Clunk"

JackHCChen

except that it all happend to me in 1 day, while i'm driving back from Chicago.....>< good thing that you have extented warrenty.....
now i have a question.......just clear couple of things up on this board....the question is....did you abuse your tranny?? did you take care of your car?? because i have so many people respond to me and most of them blame the abuse of tranny use or not taking care of my car.

Potomac-Greg

... and are actually unserviceable by the dealer (right, April?), so it does not really matter whether it is a software or hardware failure. Basically, you'll end up getting a new transmission anyway. I think we are trying, through very unscientific means, to diagnose problems based on experience, linking A to B without necessarily understanding any causal link between A and B. Maybe transmission fluid changes will help, maybe not. They can't hurt. Maybe the low-speed thunk is a sign of a problem, maybe not. So far, we do not have enough information. Until Audi or ZF or an equally qualified, objective party makes a diagnosis (and I don't consider any dealer nor most independent techs to be qualified), I am going to: (i) change my fluid before 50,000m and (ii) cross my fingers.

buster3845

Jack,
I definately did not abuse my tranny. I don't drive like a maniac unless there's a nice stretch of open highway in front of me ;o) .
I always take the time to warm up my car in the morning, especially on these brutal wornings we've been having in NYC. I perform all of the scheduled maintanence on the car, and even some that is not yet scheduled. Tranny fluid is changed regularly, as is the oil, and brake fluid.
So bottom line is that if there was abuse, it did not come from me. I cannot speak for the person who had the car before me though. Like I said, I leased this thing just a few months ago. A carfax report on the car shows that it was leased by a corporation in PA before me. Perhaps they abused it. I don't know.

buster3845

I really can't give any more detail about the dyno test. All I know is what they told me.
They had to take the car to a special shop that had a 4-wheel Duno, as my shop only had a regular 2-wheel setup. Once they got it there, I assume the adjustor had some sort of specs within which the car should have performed. As it did not meet these specs, he agreed to pay for the new tranny. Sorry, but that's all I know. I can try to ask the shop when I pick up my car on Monday, but I don't know if they'll have the information against which the adjustor checked my car. Sorry....

buster3845

If I get the car back, and it still "kicks", then my next step will be the software.
Bottom line is that the little "kick" could have been a software issue, but the tranny going "limp" as you call it, has got to be a sign of something more serious.
Besides, I figure the adjustor would do everything in his power to not spend $$$ on a new tranny. I'm willing to bet that he checked the software before he agreed to shell out several grand on a new tranny. If he didn't, then he's a fool. But Guardian is a pretty good company, and their employees *especially the adjustors) are pretty well educated on cars. Each adjustor even has his/her own speciallty in terms of brand. My guy was their "expert" on Audi's and Bmer's. Who knows. We'll just have to wait and see if the new tranny solves my problems.

April

Too hard to diagnose exactly what is wrong. You don't want the customer come back repeatedly and you don't wanted the repeated labour charge.

However, AMS has fixed/replaced plenty of this series ZF trannies, and I would guess that in 50% of cases, the internals might be somewhat worn, but it is usually the TCU, solonoid, or valve body.

April

That is always the gamble with pre-owned :-(