gearbox transmission fault A4 SE Auto Tiptronic

[bwfcboy]

Hi,
I have an Audi A4 SE Auto Tiptronic X2000 with 150k miles on the clock

I have a problem with reverse gear which seems to be due to a fault on the gearbox (according to several garages!) The car struggles to go backwards on anything other than level ground.

I am in the Manchester area and have rung a few transmission specialists with the following results

Tameside Transmissions - possible repair @ £1000 / fully recon gearbox £1700

The Automatic Gearbox Co. - possible repair no quote offered / fully recon gearbox £1400

I know this is a big job but given that the gearbox is worth about £500 that seems an awful lot of labour charge.

Does anyone know of any other places in the Manchester area who would be worth a call.
Thx

[Ian Selby]

Hi,
At last someone else with the same gearbox....mine is 1998 S reg, 2.4 Tiptronic.
Just to confirm the price for re-con gearbox at around £1750 incl VAT is right. I just had to to this.
Water damage via drainage chanels...I found the drivers footwell 2 inches deep in rainwater last May. 2 weeks later the ECU fried and I paid over £1000 for a new one to be fitted and fixed.
As a result the gearbox packed in a month ago.....
Be warned about the rainwater!!!
Anyone else had this? Local Audi garage claim this is not a design fault.
Your problem, however, could be as simple as the brake sensor..?

[bwfcboy]

Hi Ian,
Looks like its you and me with this model mate!! lol

Very interested in your comment that it could be a brake sensor! You mean the ABS presumably.
What is funny about this is that at precisely the same time I heard a bump under the car and the brakes started playing up and the reverse started giving me trouble. I had the car in at Audi and they said the front driver side ABS sensor was bent out of place and so they bent it back and the brakes went OK but the reverse problem stayed.

I have never been convinced this is a gearbox fault as it just seems like too much of a coincidence for it not to be something to do with the ABS.

I think I will take the ABS fuse out and see if the fault clears up.
Alternatively, given that the car is now virtually worthless I am considering taking the gearbox out myself. Should be good for a giggle:D

[Ian Selby]

I know - when I was looking for a gearbox ECU I could not find anyone else in the country with this gearbox!! I found lots of manual ECU's for £50, but in the end I had to buy new from Audi! Yes - £800. Ouch. By this time the car had been off the road for 2 months....this is a rare model indeed!!

Anyway, new ECU was fine for 6 months. Then all of a sudden the gears slipped and I couldn't engage them all. The first diagnosis was brake sensor to gearbox. Makes sense that if the box does not register that the foot brake is on, then the gears won't engage....

However, if you are brave enough to take a gearbox out then it sounds like you are more mechanical than me!

By the way, what MPG do you get? Am down to 26 at the moment due to short journeys! Never mind, when she's working OK she's a lovely drive and worth the hassle!

Have you ever had any trouble with drainage? Audi claim this is not a design fault but it's where my trouble started and has now cost me 3.5k!

Cheers.

Ian

[bwfcboy]

Hi mate,
Would be interested in any comments you have about this car. I used to work as a maintenence fitter but I have no car experience but I have read of other people having a go at it so what have I got to lose!!

I was test driving a Vauxhall Vectra at the weekend, (preparing myself for the worst) and it was like driving a tin can after sitting in my audi!

MPG is terrible for me, typically with rush hour traffic I'm getting no better thn 26/27mpg but sometimes as bad as 23/24 with an average speed of 27/28mph.
On a good clear long run it will touch 33mpg. I guess these cars are just not built for being stuck in traffic lol but what a car!!!!

Can you tell me what you mean by drainage? cheers

[Ian Selby]

Hi,
I was told by the garage that the drainage chanels are "V" shaped taking excess water, avoiding the top of the engine. Since I had the flood in mine, I have found out that it is common for these thin drainpipes (to be less technical) have a filter at the bottom. The filter gets clogged with dirt or leave and the pipes back up. Then the water comes through the heating vents and fills the floorpan. In my case it was 2 inches deep.
In driving the car, I sent an electric current through the ECU and it fried!
The garage kindly raised the new ECU for me and took the filters out of the drainage chanels so they don't block again.
As for MPG, I used to average 31. Then I changed job and it's all country lanes now.
Anyway, I can't say I'm surprised you didn't like the Vauxhall. Different class altogether.
I've had my Audi for a year now. With the new gearbox I hope I have given it a new lease of life because I love it.
Let me know how you get on with your reverse gear problem though. That was one of the symptoms of mine with the old gearbox...but then at the same time I had slipping clutches, excess revs (4000 before changing up).
Have you had it plugged into a diagnostic machine?
Check for any damp on the floor as well....
All the best
Ian

[paul b]

Yep, I got an A6 and a Vauxhall Astra Mk4 estate. The Audi murders the Vauxhall in every area. MPG, speed, luxuriousness...

[JackpotUK]

Hi there. I've got an 02 Passat 1.9TDI Auto-Tiptronic - 170k. I too found my footwell full of water one time. When the weather gets damp, my car behaves in the following way;

The idling is VERY erratic, going between 900 and 1100 revs

but worst of all, if I try to exert any sort of power, the gearboc will 'slip' and the BANG back in again - it's really horrible.

Is this the ECU? My mechanic told me that it's located in the driver's footwell - is this true? If so, it's a RIDICULOUS place to put it!! He told me they DO get wet if any water gets in but they can be dried off with a hairdryer.

I really want my car to stop doing this as it's the only fault in what has otherwise been a fantastic and very reliable vehicle.

Does this sound like the ECU? If so, where do I find it so I can dry it out?!!!

Many thanks, Guy.

[BrandonA4]

Hi guys kiwi A4 owner here not sure how relevant but the hand book stated thet the trans had a level sensor on some models, to limit revs etc when taking off on a gradient might be worth a thought.
As for water inside the car ....yes when i brought my A4 last year i had water inside the car , the dealer got it dried out before i took possion of the car. Blocked drains in the upper plenum where the battery is, something to keep your eye on. All the windscreen water drains into that plenum.
Trouble with the trans 5 speed it was very lumpy on the down shift, two weeks at the trans care service shop 2.2K later covered by warranty, water around the trans ECU replaced internal wiring loom half valve body new fluid OK now.

[Ian Selby]

Sounds like you both had the same problem as me. With the ECU and wiring loom under the drivers seat - why ??? - you have to be very careful if you spot water. there are 2 filters in the drainage channel which, over time, get blocked.....this means when the car is a few years old the rain water simply backs up and looks for an exit.....which is the heating vents in the footwell. Design fault. But not if you ask Audi. Although my car was 10 years old when this hapenned, I thought I had a good case. I was told it was a maintenance issue. I had a full Audi S..H. to hit back with. I did my best and argued etc to no avail....
Anyway, don't drive the car if you spot any damp in the footwell. I did. The electrical current through the ECU caused it to fry in the water and corrode. New ECU was around £1k. Plus £500 to cut in a new wiring loom. My problems were only just starting though. 6 months later the gearbox failed. It stuck itself in an emergency gear....think it was 3rd. Could limp along at 25 mph to get home. Recon box (fitted) was £2k. Audi say there's no relation....my mechanic said there was. He actually predicted this would happen when he did the ECU, I didn't believe him. When they opened the old box 3 clutches were burned and the others were slipping badly. This is the price you pay for having a tip box!
All this was at around 75000 miles. It's now coming up to 100k and is wonderfully smooth.
Never dealt with Audi dealers again. Had another issue from them over a radio head unit too. Bought a new one from them which didn't work. Only radio, CD was fine. Their chief mechanic tried to get me to buy a new subwoofer @ £500 !!! I asked him how the CD was working if the sub was dead. No answer. Idiots all of them.
If it's wet inside, don't drive it. My mechanic took the filters out of the drains and moved the ECU off the floor.
Good luck.