Recently I'd been having some "tugging" issues when shifting from or into 2nd gear. No codes were present and no slipping was occuring, so I went to my trusty mechanic to get his opinion on changing the tranny fluid for the FIRST time in the life of my high-mileage 2002 A6 2.7t. I told him of the horror stories I've read of the trannys being junked after the first change after that many miles. He looked at me funny and said that he's never heard of an import having that issue. I asked him to check for metal shavings in the fluid and if none were found, to go ahead and swap the fluid. Well, $298 later my A6 shifts just fine and the tugging has yet to make an appearance.Just posting to tell my story if any of you are hesitating getting a flush done but are hesitant about damage. I will say there remains a risk if there is internal damage to the components in the tranny before the flush, but high mileage alone should not give you pause on these vehicles. Good luck guys!

 

The fluid being in there for 187k isn't the problem, its a lifetime fluid. Its when it starts to leak and people don't realize it that smokes the internals.