Anything can happen my friend. I was using four industrial jack stands and I still positioned the hydraulic jacks underneath just incase the stands fail. Trust me, I think about my safety alot. One time I was home alone under the car, putting back the muffler pipes, and I thought "what if a sink hole opened up right now under my house and sucked my garage down with this 2 ton car on top of me?" I would make the news with the weirdest and unfortunate event. The next day, no one would know or remember me after the news broke. I thought to myself, people only remember those who make a difference. We never remember millionaires or hard working people. We only remember those that made a diffrence in our lives. So if I die under the car at 30 years old and you make it to 75 years old. What difference did you make with your 75 years besides paying bills and helping your immediate family survive and working at the post office for 35 years? I don't worry too much about being alive long as much as I worry about what would it have ment for me to be alive. I constantly thought about this..."what would my life have meant or what diffrence would I have made if this car jack failed and smashed the living day lights out of me?" No one will remember me, and the world will go on. I think alot when I do mechanics. Long walks make some people think. I think most deeply when I am alone under a car. weird huh?
I quickly shake those "what if this happens" thoughts out. I mean, if we are gonna be worried about every little thing, we might as well all stay home and not risk going to work. Alot of people tip toe through life all the way to their graves worrying about everything that can happen and not accomplishing much. And then there are those out there climbing mountains, sky diving and seeing the earth, while I'm trying to be careful not to spill my hot coffee on my lap and crash into a pole.

 

Yep... I think mostly under a car too... Wierd huh.. lol

 

NH,

Thanks for the description of your job. Your hobbies don't detract from your portfolio at all.

Maybe 1 of 100 here has any REAL experience of Audis, repair wise, so you are not out of line.

Just possibly, it is because of the economy that so many are asking how to do such things as their own brake replacement and the like.

Site repairs and replaces his own tranny, and we tell him of all the dangers he faced, with the car on jack stands. Tools are junk. He could be dead.

I worked in heavy industry all my life. Made good, to me, money, NOT what a lawyer or high ranking corporate officer would make. I was also trained as a mechanic, so, anything mechanical on my car, I could fix. Change a motor or a tranny? Piece of cake.

That was OK up till about 59 when I f'ed up my back. Now I have to pay to have my work done. I am fortunate that I have a friend who owns a garage and is reasonable with his repair charges, else I would be driving something WAY less exotic. Mebbe a Chevy Cavalier.

And, d'ya know? Repairs on them are not all THAT much cheaper, if you go to a dealer.

Cheers,

George

 

Hi,

....got a 2001 allroad..well back in 2001. Despite all the problems I have heard, the car have been good. I have performed air suspension fix (bags and compressor), cam adjusters, brakes, engine in and out...etc. I have repaired other auto trannys before...but never AUDI. Thanks to this thread I found all parts I need for a repair, instructions...I will try to document the repair as well as I can and come back with the outcome....I am a bit intimidated...but a big heart.

Thanks.

 

I say take it to the Salvage yard or part it out. I feel your pain. I'm gonna try to unload mine too. I've had it for 4 years, spent $14.5k for it and it has needed about $12K in repairs. German engineering......they can keep it. I'm getting a Cadillac!

 

He already has the all the parts he needs and the big willingness to fix it himself, that most lack.
Why should he take it to the Salvage yard, at least before attempting to fix? It's like a free shot at it. If he can't fix it, then he can sell back the tranny parts he bought, and part the car.
Good luck with your repair attempt, Jorge.

 

I have to agree with Site Administrator. I just finished the rebuild on my ZF tranny and have to say it was rather simple to do. There is nothig special in those tranny's other that a lot of o-rings. A rebuild manual from ATSG is crucial to do the job. Probably pulling the transmission out of the car was more involved than actually rebuilding it. Lots of very simple steps.

JR

 

Thanks George --

Let me give you a bit more info about me. I'm 64 years old. My son lives in LA - actually Beverly Hills - and my daughter lives in MA with two of the prettiest daughters you would ever see. (Just my humble opinion.)

I have a Mechanical Design Degree from Wentworth in Boston and a Ceramic Engineering Degree from the State University of NY. I have worked at large and small companies as an individual contributor, manager, and even an executive, but prefer my current managerial role.

I am actively recruited to participate at trade shows and technical conferences as a speaker and “expert panel member” in the electronic and solar cell industries. I have lost count of the Webinars I have presented, but I’d guess it is close to 10 by now.

When a customer has a process problem or can’t get the equipment we sell him to work, I pack my bag and get on an airplane. Recently, I was in Shanghai and Madrid (Yes – opposite sides of the world.) in the same week. My passport was so full of stamps and visas that the US government insisted in issuing me a new one.

I have written at least 15 technical articles for magazines - with the latest two being published in China and the UK.

I don’t like spending money on things I can do better than other people. Audis are my nemesis. I love working on cars and get excited when I can fix a problem, but hate having to depend upon the vehicle I have apart. Over the past few years I realized that I have to use the next higher notch in the jack stands when I work under the car and at 64 years old I'm getting tired of crawling under a vehicle.

 

Most of the repairs I have done on the several Audi I own could have been avoided if the previous owner had followed the service intervals from the owners manual. Usually they are too cheap to change the ATF and to check the differential fluid levels. This may result in transmission or differential failure.
Some of the repairs were for for damage caused by improper repairs, such as rewiring the radiator fans directly to the ignition switch and not through the relays on a 1996 A6 Quattro. Apparently, some fool put a jumper across the terminals for the relay coil, instead of the terminals for the relay contacts and burnt out the wires going to the relay coils. The hidden 50 amp fuse for the radiator fans had also blown.
To avoid shoddy service with a high price, I do most of the work myself.

 

I think my 1999 A8 allwheel drive tiptronic has the same problem as yours did, what i want to know is how do i know exactly what my tranny code is? so that i can buy a rebuild manual from the site that you did my car was built 03/99 if that helps, where can i find the tranny number?