gorfllub

Well, I have found a "free" 99 a8 with a "bad" transmission. (not quote free, but close enough. Less than the value of the wheels and tires anyway)


I have no idea what bad means, they just tell me it needs to be replaced.


How big of a mess is this? Are the tranny's generally repairable?

Are there problems more common than others?

And is there a common denominator to Transmission failure? This car only has 140km on it and a Trans failure at that mileage seems way too early for most vehicles, yet it seems to be somewhat frequent on the a8.

I guess at the end of the day, what needs to be done to prevent failure in the future?

I hear of the torque converter issue on the allroad. Is that an issue here?

What about the actual swap? I will not be doing this job myself as I certainly do not have the equipment nor the time. The nearest Audi guy is about 300 miles away and I would like to have the work performed closer to home if possible. Is this something a competent indie mechanic can handle? ( not a Trans shop, just general mechanic)

I assume there will be some programming or coding required as well? Something vag-con can handle?


Thanks eh!

Jeremy

gorfllub

Oh, and any other service recommended while the Trans is out?

I have read some notes that talk about rear cam seals and drains...

What's your personal opinion? Change the seals even if they are not leaking?

tozoM8

Where are you located?

gorfllub

I am located in a small town in NW Ontario, Canada. About 3.5-4 hours drive from Winnipeg, MB (nearest Audi dealer and audi/german idnie specialists)

For shipping, I live 1 hr from International Falls, MN. Or about 4-5 hours from Duluth, MN (Although I have never been there)

The car itself is located in Thunder Bay, ON about 4.5-5 hours from here. But no Audi dealer. I havent checked for indie Audi guy yet. The car is at the VW dealer. Owner brought it in for trans trouble. They say it needs a tranny and the customer no longer wants the car. She has an outstanding invoice at the dealer and I can probably pick it up for the cost of the invoice.

I may as well buy it as like I said, the price is lower than buying a set of those wheels & tires used.

Bringing the car directly to me in non-functioning condition will be a great waste of funds as there is only one mechanic in town and he will not be swapping the trans. Ultimately it would make most economic sense to get it done in Thunder Bay if I can get a good trans. The cost of shipping the car somewhere else will outweigh any financial savings of finding a lesser priced mechanic.

I havent asked the VW dealer what they would charge to swap it. I will though as I am pretty sure they quoted the car's owner already.

tozoM8

That's why they left at the dealer. $3500 for the rebuild with R&R + shipping. Too much $$$ for a teenager car.

gorfllub

Yeah, I was quoted an average of about $2800 from an indie about a thousand miles away.

There seem to be used transmissions with warranty from dismantlers.

Of course the labor is the biggest portion of the bill and would cost more than the Trans if you had to take it out again ifit failed in the warranty period.

If I put $3500 into it, it's only a $4000 car. That still seems like a reasonable deal for a 99 with 140km?

Unless someone has a good runner they want to sell me for $4k ?