Easy or hard fix? B5 S4
 

Hello,
Im getting really serious in buying a2000 s4. I ran across one that has a shifting problem (Auto) and has 70k. The car wont shift in drive, but when you switch it in TIP mode it shifts fine. The salesman told me that it is just a trans sensor and all other maintence was done on it. My question is: Is it a minor or major problem? And has anyone ever seen this.
Thanks

RE: Need input Please
 

if its just a sensor which its what it sounds like, its not an expensive fix.

RE: Need input Please
 

but then again, if it isn't an expensive fix, why the hell hasn't the dealer fixed it? make sure you ask the salesman that... if you're serious about buying it, make sure they fix it.

RE: Need input Please
 

Well its at one of these indepentent dealers that got it in on a trade. What i just want to find out is will it just bea sensor or am i buying a new transmission.

RE: Need input Please
 

Do not purchase!! Go on to another one...there are plenty of good ones out there...If you purchase an s4, go through an Audi dealer and not an independant shop..

RE: Need input Please
 

anybody else witness this. Does the S4 have the CVT tranmission?

RE: Need input Please
 

They either have a 5-speed auto (Tiptronic) or the 6-speed manual. No CVT.

RE: Need input Please
 

Ok great, cause i was hearing all kinds of shiz on the cvt. I am going to look at it tomarrow. I have the crapy autozone scan obd2tool, couldi used it to read the trouble codes to getmore flavor ofwhat the problem is or am i going to need vag com?

RE: Need input Please
 

Audi doesn't offer a CVT type transmission on any generation S4 at all. The only cars in Audi's lineup that have optional CVTs are the non-quattro versions of the Audi A4 and A6. So don't worry.

And yes, you can use the OBD2 tool to read the trouble codes, but it'll most likely just give you a rather broad code, and even when you cross-reference it, there will be a list of things that it could be. So, it WILL tell you what's wrong, but as was the case for me, the code I got also corresponded to 6 or 7 other possibly problematic areas. So the OBD2 scanner does help, but then you have to eliminate each possible problem one by one until you find the *actual* problem. Kind of a hassle. The VAG-COM is much more precise and will usually tell you exactly what's wrong, along with the specific code. If there's a misfire on cylinder 3, VAG-COM will tell you that there is a misfire specifically on cylinder 3, while the OBD2 scanner could just tell you that there's a misfire somewhere.

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RE: Need input Please
 

Thanks for the help, but i decided not to buy it. It was way too beat up for my tastes.[:@]