Quote 9,500 from the dealership, who says there's a leak in the pump? I've spent 4 grand in one year on maintenance.

- new tires Oct 2010
- new brake pads and rotors (all four)
- regular scheduled maintenance (fluid flush, systems check, etc)
- control arm bushings replaced
- leak in power steering: new hose & clamp

Now I'm told need new transmission? FML...

Any feedback at all is greatly appreciated.

 

I would say part ways with Audi until you get married (if you even think of ever doing that) or befriend the owner of a good, reputable shop that works on Germans.
The "wow" and "status" factors stop when mechanical problems arise, do they not?
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The dealership itself doesn't work on the transmission... They only take the tranny out and get the remanufactured one back in. Either get rid of the Audi, or find a transmission shop that does the job for half the money (granted they work on a 2005 model...)

 

Lol.. yea, if this ends sour I don't see myself going back to Audi.. ever. Yea the wow factor is now over.

My car reminds me of a lot of men I've met... beautiful to the eye, but have a lot of problems under the hood.

I refuse to let Audi dump this problem on me. They messed up, and now I'm paying to fix it? Number one product is bad and number two, their service team should have caught this problem much earlier on.. They obviously don't know or care about what they are doing and the people they are affecting. Sad face. Super sad face.

 

Can I just add that I am still hopeful? I'm going to fight this to the end. If I have to go through BBB, Consumer Reports, find a lawyer.. I will. I am not letting $14k go down the drain!

 

Find a good independent transmission shop in your area.
Choose by reading reviews on sites such as yelp or google reviews.

 

Dara,

Sorry to be negative, but **** happens. Yes, you spent a lot of money, but some of the things that you are referring to are routine maintenance items. Tires, pads and rotors, and fluid changes are maintenance items... not repair items.

And yes, powering steering hose and the control arm bushings are repair issues, but they are nothing out of ordinary for a vehicle of such mileage.

I definitely agree that you spent a lot of money, but I don't think the Audi of America, or a lawyer for that matter, will do anything for you. And no, the service team would have not caught the transmission issue. Many of the modern transmissions are sealed systems. Unless there was a visible leak, there would have been no way for anyone to suspect any issues.

With that said, I would look for a reputable transmission shop who can rebuild/replace your transmission. That would be a whole lot cheaper than going through the dealer the stealer. Be aware though... make sure the shop that you take it to knows what they are doing.

I know you will probably curse at me for what I am saying...

 

Nah, I wouldn't curse at you. Your points are valid.. but regardless of whether or not they are routine, you have to admit $4k in one year is high.

My issue with the dealership not noticing it earlier on is that I specifically asked them to look at the issue when I brought it in for routine maintenance. The ticket says it was test driven. The issue was brushed off as if it there were no problems with the car. Anyone taking the car for even a quick 5 minute drive would have noticed the problem. And that was months ago I asked them about it.

It wasn't until I took the car in specifically for the thumping, outside of regular maintenance, that someone addressed the issue.

If the issue was caught earlier on, I would have had a much better chance of having the transmission rebuilt. Now, I'm facing a transmission replacement because my complaints were neglected.

As a consumer I've done by best to keep up with the car. I took it to the dealership under the assumption that they would be the most knowledgeable and provide exceptional customer service. It breaks my heart to find that the dealership I trusted with my car and with a large sum of my hard earned money only sees me as a walking wallet. I've held up my end as an Audi owner, but so far this is a very one-sided relationship.

Essentially Audi is telling me, "Hey, you bought a lemon. It's our product, but your problem. Deal with it."

 

Well, Gaser eluded in his own way to this already - the car is out of warranty, so unless you CAN PROVE (in the last post you said you actually told them to specifically look for a shifting problem, the car "was driven" by them, but they found no issues at the time) that you did everything you could on your part and the DEALER INTENTIONALLY avoided to fix a problem they found (DUE NEGLIGENCE), I doubt you have any legal footing.
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As you know, it ALWAYS is a gamble with purchasing used cars, and is valid for any brand of car - although some brands have powertrain warranty up to 100,000 miles (no, I would not name the brands) and the subsequent owner(s) still gets to experience that "safety net" in case something similar to your mishap happens.
And since you made a great analogy with the men in your life, I'll return the favor and share a little something about former women in my life.
Just as with women, when it comes to used cars you really have no idea what you get yourself INTO (no pun intended).
For example, even if the Carfax reports back 1 owner - off lease, you still don't know for sure if the car was driven by 1 driver only, or by many - sort of like "the village bike" (everybody gets a ride)...
It is a very unfortunate mishap you had, but out of warranty I doubt you'll find any satisfaction at the end of your plight.
Good luck I wish you though, nevertheless. I hate dealerships - especially sheister-type ones...

 

Im a tech at a Honda dealer and I've seen a few of our cars that need a trans with 40k
So be grateful that your Audi need one at 80k,but I wouldn't go to a Audi dealer to get a transmission done.NO WAY!!
Unless you have the money