IB356

I'm looking for some information regarding anyone that has had any RS4 gearbox problems!
I had a serious problem while shifting from 2nd to 3rd at high rpms. (6700-8000)
Car has 30k miles on it~ Business driver~

Not a racer, I have multiple Porsche's for driving aggressive in!

I experienced my gearbox locking up shifting, solid lock, no motion between gear or any movement at all. The clutch was stuck to the floor and there was nothing. It seemed like there was a hydralic failure or a gearbox stuck problem. (In or partially in gear)

I found myself sitting on the edge of a highway with a dead car that appeared like it was still in gear and the clutch was partially ingaged and spinning / touching the flywheel. (Smoke)

The gearbox was still in a stuck position, and I was sitting in a wonderful position on the road trying to get the car to do something.

I'm now in a battle with the dealership regarding this. They are stating that the clutch exploded and or broke. Yet I had good clutch action and was able to drive the car home, then to the dealership in the morning. The clutch did have problems, I know this, yet what ever occured on the road I strongly believe was related to the gearbox, not a clutch blowing up.

They removed the transmission, and said it needed a clutch / that the clutch had blown up. Fragmented, or something, this occured at 30k miles and the clutch never gave ANY signs of slipping wear or any sort of slipping signs that every other clutch has ever shown to me.

The service representative assured me that it was only a clutch. And there was nothing else wrong with the transmission. (Stated) Yet if you where to hop in the car and drive it around the street, which you could. The transmission would grind from 2nd to 3rd, like a sycro was damaged or something.

After repair, new clutch was installed in the transmission, and guess what, the car has a syncro problem between 2nd and 3rd. Where the problem occured on the on-ramp. (The jam)

Now the service manager is telling me that I caused the damage by driving the car to the dealer? I've never heard such a story in all my days of Audi experiences with a clutch wrecking a transmission???

Even in my old 2001 S4 with Stage 3+ parts the car had clutches fail numerous times. Never once taking out the transmission or showing any sort of problem accept standard slippage from ware.

After the dealership did the repair they wanted to get rid of the car. On vacation in Flordia, live in Chicago, and they told me to drive it to my dealership for transmission repairs!? This service representative was all wish-washy on the phone when calling my to tell me that the problem was not limited to the clutch. That there was some sort of Sychro problem now!
Any they really wanted there loaner back and for me to settle up on the 2k plus clutch replacement.

So, drive a car with a transmission problem from Fl to Chicago, isn't that 1500 miles. And what do you do if the transmission blows up halfway across the country!?

When you bring a car to a dealership and you tell them that there's a transmission problem and the gears are grinding from 2nd to 3rd, you would think that they would not pump you to make a fast buck on a clutch job, that ended up not fixing the transmission problem.
Then all and all I'm told that I might be responsible for the transmission once they open it up? Huh? Can a clutch break a tranmission from a total of 20 miles to the dealer?
Are the RS4 parts that soft, or is this a dealership mistake and Audi punted on the warranty claim?

So, now here we are, and there is no resolve yet.
Any one heard of something similar on a RS4?

Gears sticking or partially engaged?

Isn't this a 78k Audi premier car that they would stand behind!?
Hopefully someone from Audi is reading this and looks into it, Audi customer service was no help. The dealership was really good and presenting false information to the "factory" and then stumbling around on there words.

All in all, glad that Disney didn't let me down on my vacation, service was great!
Any and all feedback is very appreciated on this topic.

IB

sparkhill

First, was on of the early cars, i.e.: 2007 with a VIN ending in 900400 or lower? There was a clutch hose recall on the early cars and I am not sure where the cut-off was or whether or not this could possibly be related.

Second, it sounds like the Florida dealer misdiagnosed the problem and is unwilling to stand behind their work. Based on your complaint, the clutch and transmission both should have been looked at thoroughly. The syncro was likely bad and should have never left the shop.

Take it to another dealer, explain what has happened and see if they will help you get the proper work done under warranty.

Bob W.

Chi-town is a big market for Audi, I'm sure there's at least 1 alternative dealership.

craiglieberman

It's my understanding that clutches are not covered past 12K miles.

Your problem however, sounds like the clutch hose problem which is well documented.

If the clutch disc did explode, the car would not have been driveable, period. If your dealer is telling you that it exploded, but you drove it there, he's an idiot.

Call Audi NA immediately.

If the clutch hose issue was starting to fail, it is quite possible you damaged a synchro as you tried to shift gears with a clutch that was not functioning properly. In this case, a faulty part contributed to other part failure and I'm sure they would have to fix the tranny, the clutch hose and the clutch under warranty.

Please, PLEASE keep us advised of what Audi NA does for you.

RS4Andy

As stated earlier, take it to another dealer in FL. I highly recommend Audi of Melbourne, they're only about 1 hour from Disney and have been excellent every time I go in. Ask for Brian Hunter and explain your situation. (321) 956-0600.
Good luck.

adg44

As I lost pressure during a 1-2 shift and ended up cooking the burning the clutch in second gear while the engine was bouncing off the rev limiter. It wasn't pretty.

I got hydraulic pressure back after a few seconds of pumping the clutch. It's been fine since (this was about 5 days ago).

The car is going into the dealership next week....