98 a8 4.2 AWD hard shift into Reverse. New to boards.
 

Hey all. I just bought a 98 a8 4.2 Quattro AWD that currently only has 43K miles on it. The car is in great condition overall and I drove it from Utah to Colorado with no problems. Enjoyed the ride very much. Engine runs smooth, transmission shifts clean.

Today I noticed that when I shift into Reverse, especially after a cold start, it feels like a hard shift. It does not do this when shifting into D. I have read about the many tranny problems on these babies. Is this something I should be worried about with the low mileage on the car? Should I have the tranny serviced due to the age of the vehicle? Any input appreciated

I am very happy with my purchase and to be honest the car drives like new. Hopefully this hard transfer into R is not a big deal. Thanks.

Okay, no bites yet. Well, here is another question:

My cruise control does not work. Could this be a fuse issue or something more? Everything else works like the lights, turns signals, etc.. Just not love when I activate cruise. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Just make sure the transmission fluid isn't leaking from the pan or anywhere else, as long as it isn't leaking you shouldn't have any problems, change the fluid every 80k or so.

There should be a fault code for the cruise control problem, it could just be the switch, but we would need the fault codes to be sure.

I don't know if this is your problem or not, but it was the problem with mine and seems to be a common complaint. The cruise control module has 3 thermal capacitors that need to be resoldered. It is located in the computer box which is under the hood on the passenger side cowl. Just take the screws out and remove the cover (It's a large black box) and the cruise control module is the little one in the middle. I can't remember where I found diagrams, but I am sure with a little searching you can find it. Mine did not look bad, but I soldered them anyway and it fixed it. Since you are new to owning an A8, you might want to also check out www.audipages.com it is a great resource.

Also, as far as the tranny goes, it may not be a bad idea to change the fluid and filter (Refer to audipages.com) but be ABSOLUTELY SURE you use the factory Audi fluid. I just got mine from ECS Tuning, it's about $18 / Liter, but is absolutely essential, don't believe anybody who says other fluid is "Compatible".

Thanks for the responses. I am a tooth mechanic, not a car mechanic at all. Should I even consider doing any of these repairs/services on my own? I checked out that other web site. Thanks for the link!

One more thing to add in: The a8 is leaking oil. I assume it is from the Gasket covers? I read up on how to replace these. How difficult of a repair is this? Will I screw things up if I attempt this?

The nearest Audi dealer to me is 2.5 hours away. Not a big deal to me but I would rather fix what I can myself.

Still very happy with my purchase. The car drives amazingly well.