We had a car waiting for a rebuild (it had a broken tranny cooler) I drove it around a block. The rpm was getting higher and higher but the speed was the same until it just stopped moving. The filter pickup pipe is 1/2" from the bottom of the pan at the deepest point. You can run the tranny out of fluid completely, at least 6-7Qt low without any noise from the tranny.

97' graphite pearl A8Q 6MT, S8 brakes-suspension, S8 Recaro seats, cold/warm package, fridge, SR1, Windows XP, custom navigation, heated steering wheel, carbon fiber trim, rearview camera
97' silver on black A8Q SR1
98' black on black A8Q (sold)
94' 100S Wagon (sold)