Hi there

Does anybody know of a reliable audi mechanic in Brooklyn New York? My 2001 A4 Avant all of a sudden started to make a strange humming noise. I stopped the car immediately and tried to diagnose the issue. The sound is coming from the engine compartment and is rpm dependent. The car still starts, drives and shifts well but the sound is unbearable. The sound is like a high pitched grinding that occurs even when the car is just idling in P position.

Here is a video I took yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKzGJsbMc_w

I didn't want to ruin more on the car and had it towed to the next best mechanic. *However, instead of diagnosing the sound properly they gave me a whole list of other things that they think I should fix. (Bakepads/ Timing Belt etc). They told me that I was driving low on transmission fluid and that they filled it up with 2 quarts which didn't make the sound go away. Then they suggested the rear differential but when I reminded them that the sound is not a moving but also idling sound they agreed that the differential may be not the source. That's how far my $120 diagnostic fee brought me.

The latest guess from their side now is:

A: a clogged transmission filter that causes the pump in the transmission to rattle.
B: a broken transmission seal. (Whatever that means)
C: a complete transmission failure. (I just don't know how the car then would still drive and shift)

Before I spend another $400 for fixing option A or B I was wondering if someone could give me a good advise how to proceed from here?
I truly appreciate your feedback.
Mark

PS my internet research makes me think of a dirty or fault torque converter. Anybody with an opinion on this wild guess?