Cks69

OK....so finally the transmission on my 2000 A8L was taken apart and just as tozo said in a post I made a while ago, the "A" drum was bad......they inspected all other parts closely and did not find any damage to other parts in the transmission, all the metals inside where in great shape and with very little wear according to his inspection. (And yes, he has worked on Audi's before, and as good knowledge on these cars)

The car has less tan 90K miles on it, and the tranny went out, being the "A" drum the culprit.

Now here are my questions.....I know that the best way to do it is a "FULL" rebuild, but my budget is close to nothing, but I will manage to to it in time...

And yes, I know, No one will condone this, and will advice me to NOT do it this way, but, I understand the risk here, and willing to go ahead with it.

1. What is the best way to rebuild (without a Full rebuild) the transmission, with the least amount of parts to purchase.

I know the drum is a must, the oil, filter. But other than that.... Is it really necessary to send out the torque converter for a rebuild?? Or, is it a REALLY BAD MOVE to re install it without a rebuild.

2. What rebuild kit do I nee to purchase???? I know there are several out there, but what about after market kits, are they wort it, or do I just cough up the extra bucks for a zf brand kit... I have seen several out there...."Master", "Without Metals", "Overhaul Kit", etc etc....really confused here...

3. When it comes to the "A" drum, like everywhere you read, they fail because of the "poor design"on the last ring....there are several drums on ebay out there that "state as being re enforced" or "better design to avoid failure" etc etc....are they really better????

....some sellers also state that other sellers are from china or not as good as theirs... is there a "good" or "better" one between them????

4. Pentosin or synthetic????? Some say you can use synthetic, other say NO, that it has to have the OEM brand/Pentosin.... Can I use either one?? or is one better than the other....

Finally, Someone told me that if I use synthetic, I have to add an special additive to the oil........is this right??

And if there is really a "MUST/DONT ASK AND JUST DO IT", thing I should take care of, please let me know.

Prospeeder

Sure just fix whats wrong, thats not an issue if everything looks ok. If it were my car i would just fix the a drum, And you dont HAVE to use the OEM fluid that costs too much money for nothing. I use valvoline Maxlife atf in these transmissions and they operate perfectly. There nothing special, nor is the fluid, just a good quality synthetic ATF will work fine. Most of them have the correct VW/Audi spec on the back.

Cks69

Do I need to add any treatment to the oil????? I read somewhere that you need to add an additive if synthetic oil is used.

Also I did a quick google search on the "Valvoline Maxlife ATF" you say you use on them, and its just like any ordinary atf oil out there (with the exception of being for + 75000K cars)

Am I missing something here, or are you just saying, use any oil you want (But good quality of course).....

Please advice.