Today at the wrecking yard I found a 98 Passat that had a five speed tiptronic which seemed identical to the one in my 99.5 2.8. My transmission works fine EXCEPT that the tiptronic is completely non-operational. I believe this may be due to the previous owner spilling starbux (repeadtly, sigh...) all over the dash, which i think has seeped down into the tiptronic module. I'm wondering if the one out of the passat will work, even though i believe it was a FWD car. anyone know if these are interchangeable regardless of drivetrain?

Don't know if that will work, but the usual cause of tiptronic not working is that the magnetic strips in the module get loose. This is a common problem and is a cheap fix. There should be several threads on this issue with pictures and DIY instructions.

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2000 A4 1.8T Quattro tip
APR 93 chip
710N
ECS N75 Race Valve
Tip Chip
Borla Exhaust
Sports Suspension
Cracked windshield (again), 3rd timing belt

sorry to be a PITA, but do you mean the threads are in the A4 forum section, or the general forums tech section? Could you maybe link me there>? much appreciated

Try this:

http://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/705947.phtml

__________________
2000 A4 1.8T Quattro tip
APR 93 chip
710N
ECS N75 Race Valve
Tip Chip
Borla Exhaust
Sports Suspension
Cracked windshield (again), 3rd timing belt

here is one tip that will save you a ton of frustration the magnet switch only works on one side of the magnet.

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99 1.8TA Quattro