2004 A4 1.8T Transmission ruined after going in reverse fast.

[dancsank]

I guess this is a warning as well as an inquiry into whether I'm getting ripped off or not. I have 120k in my 2004 a4 1.8t Quattro and the other week I went in reverse fast to get a parking spot. The next day I try to move my car and it barely accelerates. I take it to a nearby shop because its barely drivable - had people honking at me at green lights because of how slow it took to get going. The shop is a little sketchy but long story short they eventually tell me I have to change my entire transmission and he gives an estimate of 1800. I'm hesitant because I don't understand how I destroyed my transmission just by driving in reverse fast. My question is do any of you know this is a common problem? Am I getting ripped off? I appreciate any info. Thanks.

[redline380]

A good start would be telling us which kind of transmission you have... Auto, 5/6 speed manual, CVT?

[Seerlah]

Don't trust 85% of these shops out here. And that percentage is being nice. I don't trust even more than that.

[Audi body]

With the price of only $1800 its not really the trans.

[walky_talky20]

Sounds to me like this is a tiptronic and there is a code set in the TCU (could be literally anything - perhaps not even related to the reversing shenanigans). With said code set, limp mode is activated which gives you exactly 1 forward gear: 4th. The car will be dog slow (but driveable) because it's starting out in 4th gear.

I'll bet the shop you took it to did not even check the codes in the TCU (or tried to do so with a generic scan tool and were unable) and therefore have absolutely no idea what is wrong. Rather than diagnose, they are merely guessing it is some physical problem with the transmission which will, of course, be fixed by swapping out the entire transmission for $1800. If we are using their logic, if you have a problem with the car, you might as well just replace the entire car rather than figure out what's actually wrong with it. Because that's just simpler.

I would highly, highly suggest you get the actual codes read on the TCU. Get them printed out or written down verbatim. Then clear the codes. Assuming the fault was not ongoing, once they are cleared, the car should drive normally again. If the code will not clear (or comes back after a short drive or 3), then there is an ongoing fault that will need to fixed. And now you have the code which should give you some information about what is wrong.

You've provided very little information here. We're not even sure if you have a manual or automatic transmission. So the above is just my best guess for now. But, if it's an automatic, get the codes. And don't believe any transmission diagnosis if they can't provide the stored codes from the TCU. The codes are easy to get. You can retrieve them with an XP laptop, a $10 ebay cable and free software. So don't take any crap.

[dancsank]

Thank you for the responses. It is an automatic tiptronic. I will see if the mechanic checked the codes.

[dancsank]

Also theres no check engine light or anything - would the codes come up without that?

[old guy]

Also theres no check engine light or anything - would the codes come up without that?

Yes. Typically you only get CEL's for something that would affect engine performance that will increase emissions.

[ZERO FRAME GRAB]

So did you get the parking spot?

[Captain_Panic]

So did you get the parking spot?

All that matters.

[diagnosticator]

Also theres no check engine light or anything - would the codes come up without that?

The auto trans has a lot of fault codes that can come up that won't turn on the CEL. The scan needs to be done with VCDS, a generic scan tool won't scan the TCU. There are also a lot of measuring blocks to view. There is a stepwise troubleshooting procedure based on the measuring block values, so that needs VCDS also.

[dancsank]

So I keep bringing up the code stuff and the mechanic blows it off saying the problem with my transmission is hydraulic and codes don't come up for that (or something like that). The two images above are what he kept pointing to as the cause of the problem. He says the pump's bushing broke off. Again I have no understanding of cars at all so I'd appreciate if you guys could verify the truth to this. His estimate is 2000 to repair the transmission - says he needs to use bmw parts to fix it.

[redline380]

You need to have a different person look at it.

[dancsank]

More pictures of stuff. Not sure if relevant.

[crazyquik22023]

In the display screen are all of the gear selectors highlighted? As in P, R, N, D & S? And are these pictures of your transmission that you are showing us?

[dancsank]

No the gear selectors were not highlighted. I can't really have someone else look at it unless they reassemble the whole damn thing which they will charge me 400 buck for or more. I'll try to call a mechanic down the street and pay him just to look at it.

[walky_talky20]

- Looks like you have actual broken parts there, sir.
- Your mechanic is correct, something like that may not throw a code. The pump is broken and you are losing pressure, thus slow acceleration.
- He's got your transmission really torn apart there. It would appear he would be fixing it and not replacing it. (?)
- You can either repair the transmission, or replace it. He can probably give you prices for each.
- $1800 is a little expensive, I think, but stuff ain't cheap. Gotta pay to play.
- Hopefully, your replacement transmission comes with at least 6 months of warranty.
- Many junkyards will let you pay extra to get even more warranty. If the replacement transmission is used, you can see if that's an option.


If it were mine, I would just 5MT swap that pig like it was my job. If you DIY the swap, getting it all done for $500 is possible (but perhaps not typical).