anybody knows about the transmission final drive seal? and what if it fails? how do i check it?

Final drive out shaft seal?? If there is something wrong with seal you can easy figure it out by checking if tehres any oil under ur car after its been parked a while, usually u can notice smell of burning oil too when the car is warm(hot), its because oil is dropping on exhaiust pipes/catalytic converter. I paid for seal around $36 at the dealership,and $30 for audi manual transmission fluid 1qu + $36 for 2 brackets u might need to replace while disconnecting exhaust pipes. Dont know how much does it cost to replaceseal thought, but if u get any quotes post them on forum please :) gl

Thanks, what if I don't fix it?

would that cause my gas usage going higher?

ORIGINAL: wings7351

would that cause my gas usage going higher?

i highly doubt that, all the seal does is just keep tranny fluid from leaking out from the tail of the transmission.

less fluid= more friction= more heat yikes.

My car's service records showed several replacements of the seal. Bolts can't be reused according to dealer, FYI.

Bravoo67, is the oil dripping betwen the two pipes behind the transmission? I suppose it is not directly under the transmission. I just changed the ATF and hope it is not because the gasket was not done right when they put it back. Thanks.

FWIW, I'm having the same problem with my 99 2.8 wagon. The local shop that only works on Audi/VWs recommended keeping an eye on it but not to replace it as the fluid loss is minimal. They also said that these seals drip frequently, even after being replaced.