1.8T CVT to Quattro

[mjt20mik]

I found a garage doing an installation of a 1.8t Quattro Transmission for about 1200 with labour. I've read a couple of threads in here with regards to CVT to Manual swaps, and was wondering if the CVT to Quattro swap would be worth it.

[Albertk]

quattro = all wheel drive.

[Bigdog7373]

This question doesnt make sense.

[Charles.waite]

CVT = transmission ie automatic
Quattro = driven wheels, ie awd

What are you asking? Do you want a manual, or Quattro? Or both?

Parts alone for a Quattro swap would exceed $1200 easy so I'd be VERY skeptical. Because no fwd transmission will work with Quattro...

[mjt20mik]

Sorry, I was kinda all over the place with that question. I found this garage that had a 04 quattro with auto tranny, and they were breaking it down and selling the parts. The car has 70 k miles (which is the same as mine) and I wanted to know if it was possible to swap the transmission and have it still work with my current 2003 1.8t cvt.

From what i'm gathering, it won't work right. Sorry about the confusion there.

[JoshDub]

So you want to turn your FWD CVT into an auto with quattro?

[nadatia]

So you want to turn your FWD CVT into an auto with quattro?

isn't CVT already an automatic transmission? You don't want to make a front-trash a Quattro... you want to SELL a front-trash and BUY a Quattro (if it's AWD you're looking for)

[imnuts]

No, the transmission won't work. You would have to swap over the full drive train.

[olstyn]

No, the transmission won't work. You would have to swap over the full drive train.

Which, as others have obliquely and somewhat snarkily indicated, is prohibitively expensive. It would be much more cost effective to do as nadatia suggested and simply sell the CVT car and buy an A4 Quattro.

[imnuts]

Which, as others have obliquely and somewhat snarkily indicated, is prohibitively expensive. It would be much more cost effective to do as nadatia suggested and simply sell the CVT car and buy an A4 Quattro.

People here have done it before (FWD->quattro), but if you're not doing the work yourself, it is not going to be cost effective. Also, just getting rid of the CVT and buying something else would probably be a good idea anyway. That transmission does not have a good track record for reliability. I would try to get out of it while it is still working than before it becomes an issue and gets rid of any value the car still has by going bad.

[Charles.waite]

Well if the shop is going to do that for $1200 all said and done, I think it's in fact very cost effective. OP if you don't care about resale I say have the shop do the swap, but ONLY IF they are reliable, well know, and will stand by their work. If not I wouldn't bother. Too many what ifs and way too many places where they could screw up and cause major problems.

[imnuts]

Well if the shop is going to do that for $1200 all said and done, I think it's in fact very cost effective. OP if you don't care about resale I say have the shop do the swap, but ONLY IF they are reliable, well know, and will stand by their work. If not I wouldn't bother. Too many what ifs and way too many places where they could screw up and cause major problems.

I would also verify what they are doing before you agree to it. $1200 total for a FWD to quattro swap sounds to good to be true IMO.

[olstyn]

I would also verify what they are doing before you agree to it. $1200 total for a FWD to quattro swap sounds to good to be true IMO.

Heck, that's probably roughly equal to the difference in value between a FWD and a quattro A4 anyway, at least if you're in a snow belt state. I would think that to any buyer who knows anything about Audis, it would ADD resale value to your car, at least if you can document that the shop doing it knew what they were doing.

[Charles.waite]

Heck, that's probably roughly equal to the difference in value between a FWD and a quattro A4 anyway, at least if you're in a snow belt state. I would think that to any buyer who knows anything about Audis, it would ADD resale value to your car, at least if you can document that the shop doing it knew what they were doing.

Even as an enthusiast it's highly unlikely I would buy a car that had had a major swap like that. Even when people know what they're doing there's skits so much stuff to screw up. All of it expensive too. If I had a huge garage with a lift at my disposal I wouldn't care. But I don't. And paying twice for stuff because someone screwed up doesn't make me happy.

[mjt20mik]

Thanks for the responses guys. They are offering a 6 month warranty with the installation, but at this point I don't know if it is totally worth it (due to the credibility of the shop). For the most part, my CVT has been doing fairly well, but I just don't want it to go to the dogs on me, and then end up spending a couple of thousands fixing it.

[Charles.waite]

If you don't need Quattro, you could just swap a FWD 5-Speed Manual in at a later date if/when the CVT fails. But unless you plan on keeping the car for a while, a full Drivetrain swap isn't a very good investment.

[mjt20mik]

If you don't need Quattro, you could just swap a FWD 5-Speed Manual in at a later date if/when the CVT fails. But unless you plan on keeping the car for a while, a full Drivetrain swap isn't a very good investment.

Sounds good. Just out of curiosity, how much would the 5 speed swap cost?

[walky_talky20]

x2 on a 5-speed FWD swap. That is *the* most cost effective way out of CVT hell, IMHO. The 5-speed box is pennies and can be had from any FWD B5 A4 or FWD B5 Passat. The trick is the axles, as the flanges are different on a B5 tranny. I'm nearly certain you could use the axles from B5 FWD V6 car, the only question is the length. Pretty sure they would work perfectly. Swap breakdown, if you look for deals, would be pretty much as follows:

- B5 FWD 5MT box: $100
- B5 V6 FWD axles, pair: $75
- Shifter box: $50
- Pedal cluster w/clutch line: $125
- Clutch kit w/flywheel: $400
Total: $750

You can cut the cost further by getting better deals and/or being a cheapskate. For example, I got a good used OEM clutch kit with flywheel for free from a forum member that upgraded to a fancy aftermarket clutch (Thanks again, John!). I threw a new disc in it for $75 and called it a day. Yes, I am *that* cheap. The $400 clutch kit listed is a Valeo single mass conversion kit, which is probably the cheapest game in town for a decent all-inclusive kit using brand new components.

[9744RR]

I found a garage doing an installation of a 1.8t Quattro Transmission for about 1200 with labour. I've read a couple of threads in here with regards to CVT to Manual swaps, and was wondering if the CVT to Quattro swap would be worth it.

B5/B6 A4's are so cheap nowadays, don't waste your time, effort, $ and patience trying to do a swap like this. Sell the CVT and buy a Quattro.