Hi everyone! I'm new here, although I wish I had found you all years ago! My husband and I have a 1997 Audi A4. We've had it for nearly 10 years now and have been taking it to a man here in town for maintenance and any repairs needed. This is a wonderful car and we hope to use it for years to come.

This might sound like a silly question, but this guy has told us that the power steering and transmission are connected. That when we add any power steering fluid, it also goes into the transmission. But, there's a man who just moved into our apartment complex with the same model Audi and he said that this isn't true. That they are separate and that the transmission is a sealed unit. Can someone please straighten this out for us?

We are quite confused with this right now. Neither one of us are much in the mechanics, but we do understand the workings of it all (somewhat) and would like to have this straightened out.

Thank you in advance for any information.

 

The second guy is correct; but I'd be worried about continuing to use the first guy, who shows serious ignorance about the car. However, the second guy buys into the false "sealed transmission" story, so neither of them are all too knowledgeable about your Audi. Is the car leaking power steering fluid? The system should not require topping up. Also, assuming your car is an automatic, it should have the fluid and filter changed at some point. The recommended interval is 40,000 miles, although I suspect most people don't keep to that schedule. This is a job that you don't trust to a handyman; the filling procedure is very specific and should be done by a VW/Audi/BMW mechanic who has maintained these transmissions previously.

I also understand about wanting to keep that car; mine's a 1996 and is just at 260,000 miles, and drives really sweet.

 

Thank you so much for your answer. My husband's brother is a certified mechanic on most all cars. Last weekend he fixed a window that had fallen down into the door and then replaced the reservoir that holds the coolant. It had developed a crack so it was leaking. We are losing power steering fluid and thought it was the pump. But, he looked at it and said that the seals on the rack & pinion (driver's side) are beginning to go so that's where we're losing the fluid. He said that we might want to check on some stuff called Gold Eagle No-Leak. He's used it on other cars, but wasn't sure if we could use it in the Audi. He was going to check on it, but he's very busy, so not sure if he's had the chance. He was thinking that this might help until we get the money to replace the rack & pinion. Hubby and I have to save for this kind of thing since we're over 60 and on fixed incomes.
My question is this: Have you ever heard of that no leak stuff? Any recommendations would be greatly welcomed.
Thank you!

 

Recommending any power steering fluid other than VW/Audi, or the Pentosin brand, will typically bring some flack, but I've used Prestone Power Steering Fluid with Stop-Leak sucessfully on another, earlier Audi, and it actually did work. I'd be much more comfortable using a major-brand product such as Prestone, than something that sounds like an off-brand to me. The large established companies have the resources (chemists, test labs, patents, etc) to ensure their products work without harming the hoses and seals, for instance. When I began adding the Prestone rather than the OEM fluid, the leaking did not stop all at once, but did gradually lessen to the point that the leaks essentially stopped.

 

Thank you so much! We'll probably go ahead and pick up some of that since we'll be going by Auto Zone in just a little while.

 

^^^Agree. stop leak worked on my 2004.

 

Totally agree with Turbo: the guy who told you that the power steering & transmission fluid is shared shows a distinct lack of knowledge about car mechanicals. He might be alright at changing the engine oil, or the brake pads, but I wouldn't let him take the covers off anything else. Like you, I'm on the downhill run, and cannot afford to have someone stuff up my car.
p.s. definitely get the transmission fluid changed, about every 75000kms or 60000miles. A proper, full flush, not just a drain & top up.

 

Thank you, everyone for your help. We've gotten the Prestone and have been using it. Seems that the leaking is not quite as bad as it was, so we know it's working. We'll have the transmission fluid taken care of as soon as we possibly can. You all have helped more than you know! Thank you.

 

You're welcome. And to Languid, the suggestion for a transmission full-flush is generally not recommended, if you mean the procedure where the transmission cooler lines are disconnected from the radiator. I suspect that you ment removing the pan to maximise the fluid drain, and changing the filter. The sediment that collects in the pan should be cleaned out too.