I drive an 01 allroad, and I recently took it to a transmission specialist to because I was experiencing similar problems as most of all you guys (i.e. harsh transition in reverse). Were any of you able to find a place on line to purchase a rebuilt or used transmission? Or does anyone know if this transmission is common to other Audi models, for ex. the A6 in the same year?

Thanks in advance,

Daniel

 

I see a lot of allroad owners are having this same "no reverse" problem but I do not see a solution posted here. Is it the Torque converter that requires replacing, the transmission needs rebuilding or is it some other "trick"? I heard that it could even be some small electrical fault (wishful thinking I guess but need to remain optimistic)

 

There is a small gasket on the TC that tears under load in the tip transmissions, resulting in a lack of oil flow to various parts of the tranny. That gasket is the cause of 99% of tip problems, and is made worse by the supposed 'lifetime' no tranny fluid change that audi is pushing these days. Replacing the TC with a higher stall/stronger aftermarket part solves the problem and costs about 700 for the TC and about 1000 in labor from a good audi performance shop. You could just do the gasket which wouldn't cost anything for the part but still costs the same in labor.

 

A full level 10 tip tranny is about 4700 and is pretty much bulletproof for even an agressive stage III kit. If your tranny goes out of warranty and you need it rebuilt I think it's worth it to just get a level 10 since the cost is about the same. The tip is actually a really strong transmission that can take a lot of power in stock form, it's just that damn gasket.

 

IPT site for performance rebuilds:

http://www.importperformancetrans.com/

Interestingly enough, the labor is almost nothing on a TC if you already have the engine out for a Ko4 install.

 

Well, I am very surprised by the so many of you who seem to be experts on the "tip-tronic no-reverse" issue. Whereas you all seemed to recommend the replacement of the TC or overhauling the transmission (up to $4,700), I took a very much "I refuse to accept this" attitude. Instead of hefty repairs, I engaged a very experienced trans specialist who carefully diagnosed the problem. The source of the problem boild down to the transmission's "if rolling forward you cant select reverse" switch. It apparently can malfunction and inaccurately tell the transmission to not go in reverse. So, for $145 of his time the problem is entirely fixed! I suggest those with the same problem take a look at this first beore spending up to 5 grand - and to those "experts" on this site who said otherwise, I say "boo-hoo to you"!

 

Well, I am very surprised by the so many of you who seem to be experts on the "tip-tronic no-reverse" issue. Whereas you all seemed to recommend the replacement of the TC or overhauling the transmission (up to $4,700), I took a very much "I refuse to accept this" attitude. Instead of hefty repairs, I engaged a very experienced trans specialist who carefully diagnosed the problem. The source of the problem boild down to the transmission's "if rolling forward you cant select reverse" switch. It apparently can malfunction and inaccurately tell the transmission to not go in reverse. So, for $145 of his time the problem is entirely fixed! I suggest those with the same problem take a look at this first beore spending up to 5 grand - and to those "experts" on this site who said otherwise, I say "boo-hoo to you"!

 

Well I'm glad you point that out Audiburg. I have been looking into an allroad for a while now and these tranny problems had me quite alarmed.

I hope to be joining the allroad ranks soon.

 

this is a good piece of information. my A6 maintenance report shows that it had this "reverse" problem, but the previous owner spent $7000 to replace the trans and trans control module .... eek!

 

I started having similar problems with my 2002 ar's tranny. I did notice that the gear indicator display lighted up entirely. When I shut off the engine and restarted, the problem disappeared. After a while, I finally got a MIL and had constant shifting problems. At a friend's garage, we checked the oil level and found it to be fine. We disconnected all the electricals and spayed them with contact cleaner. Apparently the disconnection re-set the TCU and the problem disappeared. Later on I found in the Audiworld forum a similar problem on an S4. The owner explained that the multipin connector at the shift position sensor traps water and corrodes internally, giving indications of a faulty TCU. There are even photos on how to replace the switch and insulate the connectors to avoid the problem from recurring. My allroad had the tc replaced under warranty and when it fails it simply will give harsh shifts and will not release the O/D when stopped.