2008 3.2 s line transmission repair options

[whef21]

hello all,
after alot of searching and asking friends, ive sadly come to the conclusion that my car most likely needs work on the transmission. ive been told that most (if not all) dealerships and mechanics will not repair cvt transmissions for whatever reason, so my options are either have it rebuilt or get a new one. ID RATHER have it rebuilt, i dont have the money for a new transmission. what would you guys say is a fair price for this work? or, if any, are there any other options at all i could consider?

[Tarrant]

What are the symptoms that lead you to believe you need a new trans?

Call your local junkyard to see if they have any cars.

[whef21]

occasionally when i start driving (normally after the car has been resting for a few hours), 3 seconds after moving my car into drive and driving its feels almost as if the engine is stuttering. sometimes it is more violent than others, but when it happens it is felt through the entire vehicle. at one point my passengers head was bouncing off the seat. i posted about a month ago here and was told it coult be either the transmission or the torque converter. this will also happen if im on a hill and start driving up from a standstill, or on some sharp turns

[Tarrant]

Have you serviced the trans recently? Filter AND fluid?

[whef21]

Have you serviced the trans recently? Filter AND fluid?

no I have not, and I have no knowledge of when it was serviced last. I bought the car in August with 94000 miles, I'm at about 102000 now. They said they did the 95000 mile service before I bought it though.

[skylinrcr01]

Supposedly our transmissions are 'maintenece free' although with all the posts recently it would seem otherwise :\ Thankfully the PO on my car got the fluid update under warranty, so I've had the flush and reprogram.

[Tarrant]

I would def take the car to the dealer - pay for the tranny service, including the filter for it - and see how it is after that. Ask about software while you are there, to see if yours can be updated.

[whef21]

ill take it in as soon as i can. how much would you guys expect me to pay for this service? and also tarrant, what software are you talking about?

[whef21]

Supposedly our transmissions are 'maintenece free' although with all the posts recently it would seem otherwise :\ Thankfully the PO on my car got the fluid update under warranty, so I've had the flush and reprogram.

sadly when i bought the car, the warranty was long gone:P but alot of parts in our cars are supposedly "maintenance free", and starting to seriously question how "maintenance free" they trully are haha

[Tarrant]

You can ask Skylin about the software. Not much on these cars is maintenance free haha. Did you know control arms are supposed to last the entire life of a car? AS IF. haha

[whef21]

lol no i never knew that!! yeah right!!

[sun_dance]

As for transmission fluid, although the car takes a 9 liter capacity only 5 can actually be changed when you drop the tranny pan. I used ZF lifeguard 8, which has worked out really well and will be doing the tranny fluid change again in about 60K miles.

While your doing the tranny fluid change, I'd HIGHLY recommend you also do the differential and transfer case fluid change.

Differential, 01R Rear..........3.2 pints (1.5)

Differential, 09L Front..........2.3 pints (1.1 Liter)
Transfer Case, 09L..........1.3 pints (0.6 Liter)

Differential & Rear differential - I used Redline SAE 75W-90 API GL-5 for the front and rear
G 052 145 S2 (1l bottle)
G 052 145 A1 (0,5L bottle)

Transfer box
G 055 145 A2 - Audi stuff

[Toppatop55]

I could be wrong but it sounds like you need a tune up. A new set of spark plugs and wires might solve your issue. I had similar issues with other vehicles in the past and it turned out that oil was leaking into the plugs causing it to jerk or behave in a stuttering manner while driving with wayyyyyy less power than normal. I'm no expert and like I said I could be wrong but it doesn't hurt to take a peek at the plugs.

[whef21]

I could be wrong but it sounds like you need a tune up. A new set of spark plugs and wires might solve your issue. I had similar issues with other vehicles in the past and it turned out that oil was leaking into the plugs causing it to jerk or behave in a stuttering manner while driving with wayyyyyy less power than normal. I'm no expert and like I said I could be wrong but it doesn't hurt to take a peek at the plugs.

I never considered that! I'm having the transmission looked at friday, but I'll have the plugs checked too!

[whef21]

What other symptoms are there for an issue with spark plugs?

[FormulaElement]

Your idle would be rough, not just when your in gear. Still, their easy as hell to check and i would. Look online, theres a lot of info about fouled or destroyed spark plugs.
Your spark plugs and fuel delivery system could cause problems when pressing the gas in park or neutral, not just when you start driving.

I would check these two things though:

Does it sputter when you press on the gas in park? If not, then its not anything engine related and almost has to be the transmission.

Does it sputter when your at a specific MPH or is it always at 3 seconds into driving regardless of speed? Let it move without gas at idle, does it happen then within 3 seconds? Does it happen when you press on the gas and it happen 3 seconds after driving or after a specific MPH?? If its more speed based then its your transmission as it increases the gear ratio constantly when driving and if it's sputter when doing that, your transmission is on its way out.

CVT's are the worst transmission Audi has to offer. I would never buy one unless i had a Ford/Toyota hybrid. Their just unreliable and impossible to fix, plus i don't think their fun.

[whef21]

Your idle would be rough, not just when your in gear. Still, their easy as hell to check and i would. Look online, theres a lot of info about fouled or destroyed spark plugs.
Your spark plugs and fuel delivery system could cause problems when pressing the gas in park or neutral, not just when you start driving.

I would check these two things though:

Does it sputter when you press on the gas in park? If not, then its not anything engine related and almost has to be the transmission.

Does it sputter when your at a specific MPH or is it always at 3 seconds into driving regardless of speed? Let it move without gas at idle, does it happen then within 3 seconds? Does it happen when you press on the gas and it happen 3 seconds after driving or after a specific MPH?? If its more speed based then its your transmission as it increases the gear ratio constantly when driving and if it's sputter when doing that, your transmission is on its way out.

CVT's are the worst transmission Audi has to offer. I would never buy one unless i had a Ford/Toyota hybrid. Their just unreliable and impossible to fix, plus i don't think their fun.

it never happens at a specific mph, but its not really a sputter. its like the entire care just like pushing foward. the speed never plays a factor, it just kinda happens!

[FormulaElement]

And it doesn't do it in park/neutral?

[whef21]

And it doesn't do it in park/neutral?

never in park or neutral.

[whef21]

Also, I don't know if I mentioned this, but the problem does go away for the most part after a few seconds, and if I let my engine warm up it virtually doesn't happen. It's worst when temperatures are cold.