Help needed- major catastrophe

[imported_jimbogrey]

I was driving home at 5.30 this evening and whilst negotiating a round-about at a sedately 15 mph heard a loud bang and a jolt.

Pulling over i investigated and was horrified to see transmission fluid pouring from the car ( you could tell by the smell).

Luckily or unlickly it happened less than 1/4 of a mile from my audi specialist who I trust

Limping there at a sedate pace i was informed that it was probable that a part of the gear mechanism or fly wheel( i think) had smashed through the gear box housing causing a total loss of transmission fluid. but ironically no loss of transmission!

their initial estimate of the damage from a financial point of view was £1500!!!! stating that a recon gearbox would be needed and that it was almost certain that the clutch would have to be replaced.

Please advise if this has happenend to any of you and if there is anything i can do to reduce the cost!!!!

Yours hopefully

Jimbo

 

[Khufu]

real sorry to hear about it. If it has punctured the housing then i guess you have no option than to get a recon box unless there are any local breakers with the correct gearbox. Glad it didnt happen a high speed and lock your wheels.

 

[imported_jimbogrey]

Thanks for your concern Khufu

had'nt really thought about the high speed issue...... scary!!!!!

 

[Kevint]

It happened to me in an A4 - 70mph and the front wheels lock - nice eh?

All covered under warranty though so I never saw a bill.

Kev.

 

[imported_jimbogrey]

100,000+ miles, warranty long gone, pocket not that deep. Could i save much with a gear box from a breakers or is it even a good idea?

 

[Kevint]

Will the main dealer do you an exchange unit?

Kev.

 

[imported_jimbogrey]

Hey i hope so but I assumed the £1500 estimate was for an exchange unit. the question is can i save money with a breaker unit and is the estimate fair?

 

[Kevint]

Strangely enough I've got my other car in with a transmission specialist at the moment, I'll dig the phone number out tomorrow - it might be worth giving them a call for a quote, even if only to compare to.

Kev.

 

[HTC]

Aaah, the every problematic exploding diff rivets. I wonder if VW/Audi will ever get round to bolting their diffs together seeing as they offer a bolt kit for rebuilding purposes!!

I've had this happen to two of my dubs in the past. The last one sent a diff rivet out the side of the bell housing on the motorway so the clutch got soaked and then started slipping bad.

Busted diff 01
Busted diff 02

I sourced a box from ebay and then fitted it myself, so £100 later I was back on the road (£50 for the box and £50 for a new clutch friction disc).

You can try an online part finder which will get you a box delivered to you door for little money. The big cost will be the labour charge.

Good luck and sorry to here about your problem.

 

[god_thats_quick]

happy your ok... could have been a lot worse.

I would say judging by some quote's I've seen for just new clutches that's a pretty fair amount even for a reconditioned gearbox... got me thinking about warranties again as I think that's about the only thing left to break on my car.

good luck getting it sorted and remember it could have been a lot worse and try and find a positive in there somewhere - which I know is hard after being without my car for a long time /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dancing.gif

 

[imported_jimbogrey]

HTC thanks for your reply1

so if i read this right, this is a basic design fault and could strike anyone at any time!!! what a frightening thought.

I will keep you posted and try for the parts my self and get a separate labour charge.

thanks Jimbo

 

[Khufu]

maybe then, get 2nd hand one and spend the money saved getting a local transmission expert to replace the rivits with the bolts before having it fitted. It may be the same box as on the Golf/Skoda etc if that gives you more scope for options.

 

[imported_jimbogrey]

The Gearbox is coming out as I Type so we will soon see the full extent of the damage.

They have said that I may be lucky and just need a weld to repair the bell housing. if not I have found a second hand gearbox 78,000 miles for £200 +VAT inc delivery...does this sound OK?

Whilst everthing is stripped down is there anything else I should do/change?

Any advice gratefully received

Thanks

Jimbo

 

[imported_jimbogrey]

To HTC a debt of gratitude!!!

My Gbox was removed and sent to a specialist - verdict £850 + VAT no way I thought. so took your advice, having sourced a seemingly suitable box from part-finder I thought I'd give e-bay one last try.

What a result a guy had just listed a Gbox same code as mine at 4pm today by 6pm it was mine for £170. it was the only one listed and guess what he was two miles from my house i have collected it and it will be fitted tomorrow!!!

So there you have it what agreat forum you guys and especially HTC have saved me approx £800 many thanks and happy days.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dancing.gif

jimbo

 

[madvw]

now that, is what i call a f'kin result..

Nice one.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ok.gif

 

[HTC]

Glad to see you had at least some good luck in the end!

 

[benk]

Excellent job. Perfect timing!

 

[god_thats_quick]

does anyone know how much work it is for a transmission specalist to replace the syncromesh on a S3 gearbox? and I guess at the same time replace the rivits for bolts... just curious really as mine is sometimes a right pain in the **** to get into 2nd when cold.

 

[Kevint]

[ QUOTE ]
does anyone know how much work it is for a transmission specalist to replace the syncromesh on a S3 gearbox? and I guess at the same time replace the rivits for bolts... just curious really as mine is sometimes a right pain in the **** to get into 2nd when cold.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've had this complaint with my A4, I posted up and some of the lads said changing the gearbox oil has cured the problem for them.

Kev.

 

[HTC]

Yeah, try some redline mtl oil before heading down the route of rebuilding.

 

[god_thats_quick]

I asked AmD to change it when they did everything else, but I'm not sure they did to tell you the truth, is it a DIY job to change or is it a pain?

http://www.demon-tweeks.com/products/ProductDetail.asp?cls=ROAD&pcode=RED50204

even found somewhere to sell me the oil might have to give this a try next week.

 

[HTC]

Yeah, deffo a DIY. You will most likely need a 17mm gearbox plug key (basically just a large socket allen key).

I'll check the locations of the filler and drain plugs for ya tomorrow as I'm not at home at the mo.

 

[Khufu]

aye, dont take out the bolt that hold some of the cogs in place as on some older vw/audi gearboxes! I believe this happened a few years ago at the place I now work. I must confess, my gearbox goes into every gear smoothly. Is it only the turbo / 6 speed ones that give problems?

 

[HTC]

Heres the location of the filler plug for the S3.

Its on the front of the box. The drain plug looks the same and should be on the bottom of the diff (lowest point). You can get the key from any motor factor or from halfords.

The correct level of oil is to the lower edge of the filler hole, so stop filling when oil just starts to come out. The tightening torque is 30Nm. One other note, apparently the filler plug for the S3 needs to be replaced each time for some reason.
Capacity for the 6 speed 4WD box is 2.6 litres

 

[god_thats_quick]

Thanks HTC I'll give that a try next weekend looks easy enough.

 

[imported_jimbogrey]

Got the car back today, seems much tighter than before and no synchro problems.

Cost:

Parts £170 as above
Labour inc consumables and VAT £430

A good result ? What do you think?

Jimbo