I think the shift linkage is out on my 2001 Audi TT 225 6 speed. I can't engage 1st or 2nd gear, all the rest, including reverse, are fine.

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and took it to a local mechanic. After keeping the car for a week or so, he calls and tells me that he wants to replace the entire transmission. Does this seem reasonable? I'd appreciate any suggestions or ideas. Thanks

 

While that could be the situation, I would certainly try adjusting the linkage first. This is a very simple procedure; happy to send you the info if you don't have it. It is basically a tool-less procedure after you have removed the torks screws around the shift boot. My wife's 2001 225 6sp stopped going in to 6th, this totally fixed it. I do recall now an earlier problem that we had with 1st and 2nd gear. In that case, the issue turned out to be that the actual shift lever at the transmission had become loose. Although the looseness had caused a bit of wear on the splines of the shifter shaft, I was able to tighten it up and it had been great ever since. We have 225K miles on that TT and the clutch and tranny are still fine (meaning that you could never get a fast 1 to 2 without a little grind).