Hello when i was driving home last friday going up a hill my a6 3.0 quattro 100k miles auto started rolling backwards while the car was in gear so i put the car in park and put the emergency brake on and turned the car off... I try to start the car back up a couple minutes later and on the dash the (PRND) are lit up and when i put the car in drive and step on the gas the car just revs but wont move and the speedometer moves up and down while the car is'nt moving so i have the car towed. So tuesday i get a call from my indy mechanic and he tells me the driver side front axle broke and its best to replace the passenger side axle also so i tell him to go ahead and do it.... which cost $934.00. So today i call and tell them i will pick the car up tomorrow now im told the car is back together but it drives terrible. The guy that worked on my car that i spoke to on the phone said he thinks the car is in limp mode because it wont go in to 1st or 2nd gear stays in 3rd he also said reverse works fine. So the mechanic is telling me they will have to vag the car tomorrow to diagnose what it is. How long does it generally take to vag a car and what is the cost? Does it sound like my transmission is gone? Help is appreciated thanks....

 

Odd... Did you hear any clunking noise when you reved the car but it was not moving? You would think that a broken axle would make some noise. Anyways, VAGing the car refers to just hooking up the car to a computer that reads VW and Audi specific trouble codes. Any codes can be read in a couple of minutes, and should not cost you anything since the car is in the car already. What they find based on the reading may cost you a pretty penny. Let us know what the exact code(s) is(are). Then we can comment more specifically.

 

$ 934 to replace a CV axle? Ouch...
Did they tell you what exactly broke on that axle? Was it just the boot torn? Was it the tripod assembly? Was it the ball cage?
It doesn't take more than one hour to replace an axle. The axle itself can be had for as low as $ 70, or as much as $ 360-380, depending on the brand.
The difference makes for a hell of an hourly labor rate.

The VAG diagnosis shouldn't take very long, as HX pointed out. From what I gather, most Audi dealer shops charge $ 85 diagnosis fee before attempting to do any work on the car. This indie shop guy seems to gotten you exactly where he wants it.
Why didn't he VAG the car before bringing about the axle?

As far as the transmission goes, people who had trouble in the past with limp mode and PRND lights all lit were suggested to look into the TCM (transmission control module).
Good luck with everything - especially with that indie shop.
Hopefully it turns out that your transmission is fine, and something else is the culprit.

 

Wow, IMO, that's one time you need a reliable/honest Audi specialist to trouble shoot it by the book..not an independent.

 

Rain recently? Notice any water or dampness on the floor passenger side? I ask because I was having the same problem. Water was collecting in my floor pan and soaked through my carpet when I'd brake or accelerate. Figured out water was getting to my TCU. Pulled up the carpet, pulled out the black box, disconnected the connecter, opened the metal box, dryed off the circuit board, cleaned it. Works fine now. Now I just need to figure out how the waters getting in.

 

Your axle may have been bad... or not... If it was bad you would have heard clicking when you accelerated hard.
You would have also heard all sorts of noise if the axle broke in gear.

Limp mode is for transmission problems. And rolling backwards on a hill sounds like a transmission problem.
Your pump could be bad.
Fluid would have collected at the filter on a hill so even if you were low on fluid it should have improved as you climbed the hill.

Have you heard any strange noises whining, clicking?

Has it been shifting funny at all?

Do you have Quattro?

Get some more info before you spend anymore money with your mechanic. Something doesn't seem right.

 

While i agree that the indy mechanic sounds like a shiesty *** dude, a broken CV axle would cause exactly what he is experiencing. A "snapped" cv axle won't make any strange noises and the car won't go anywhere, even with quattro. I would just ask him to show you proof that the axle broke. If the axle is indeed broke it would go into transmission limp mode because the speed of the engine wouldn't correlate with wheel speed sensors when he is in "D" drive. So the trans wouldn't know whether to **** or go blind.

 

I got a new front outer CV joint for about $100 plus shipping for my 1998 A6 Quattro wagon, since the 16mm bolt threads had been stripped by the previous owner.
Usually only the outer CV joint fails. So, $934 seems a little expensive, considering that your car is still kaput.
These Audi have a problem with water from plugged up plenum drains getting into the ECM and TCM.
Which year Audi A6 Quattro 3.0L? If you had the BentleyPublishers.com Audi shop manual, then you would know how to get your car out of limp mode, without going to a dealer.