My tranny has started slipping the last month. Mostly when cold. It does better after I've been driving for a bit. I'm sitting at 150k miles and I had the fluid changed at around 120k. I noticed, before the slipping started to occur that the tip stopped working. If I slide the shifter into the section to 'slap' the gears, it acts as if it's in drive still.

Am I looking at a tanking tranny or could something else be the problem? Would a fluid change even matter at this point?

 

Check the TCM=Transmission control module

It's located under the passenger foot well,very easy to get too.

The TCM is located is a horrible location as water has been known to damage them if you have a leak there,also sometime the contacts become worn over time,which you can clean with any electronic contact cleaner.

This part can be expensive if you buy it from an Audi stealership but most buy them used from junk yards or eBay/Craigslist ect...

 

thanks...so i'm looking for dirty contacts or something else? is there a way to test it to see if it has failed?

 

i'm not getting an indicator light on my dash....at least i don't think i am (thing has been basically unreadable since 2005)

 

Having the transmission shift hard can be from a lot of things, most common problems are TCM and MAF. If you have or can use vag com you will easily be able to figure out your problem. Check the TCM though for water damage and corrosion on the plug.

 

really...the mass air flow censor? I'll give that a cleaning, check the TCM and then post back what I find. Thanks for the help.

 

no don't go taking anything apart yet.

since you live in cali, you can probably find somebody who has vag com or take it to a reputable European tuner. i say tuner and not just any regular shop is because these cars are somewhat different than you japper or american made.

ask the tuner to scan the TCM for fault codes. then post them here.

 

^Second. Tranny slipping could be several things. Check for faults first