2001 A6 4.2L No Reverse - AM radio not working
 

Having some major issues with the car. My reverse just all of sudden is no longer working. Every other gear seems to work fine...just reverse that is out. It's like it is in neutral when I put it in reverse. Is it possible this can be something minor?/affordable to fix?

Also...my AM radio has not worked for years. Is this something I can fix on my own without taking the dash apart? I don't even know where the antenna is on this thing. Ha.

Pull some codes from your car via vag-com and post them.

The tranny could be shot and that is an expensive rebuild.

As for the radio, just swap it out for another unit like this one:

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-C5_A6-...ereo/ES365824/

No reverse usually means a transmission rebuild, especially on the 4.2. As mentioned, that's an expensive piece of maintenance. Expect a $3500 - $4000 bill in that case. AM radio is usually due to the powered portion of the antennae booster dying.

Forget about the AM problem. You need a rebuild or a new tranny. Unfortunately it is a all to common problem with the early 4.2 trannies.

Thanks

I took the car to certified transmission for a free evaluation and they came back with a bill of $8300. With the miles on the car it's not even worth it. Although the car still looks great I just can't justify the fix for maybe another year or two of driving. With the reverse out, will the car soon have even bigger issues? Or is it possible I could go about without reverse for awhile?

$8300?!?!?!?! What kind of crack are they smoking? The bill for the transmission rebuild done on my car by the previous owner was $3700 (that didn't include BC's 12% sales tax, it was $4140 out the door). You should be able to buy a crate transmission for about $4500. Hell you should be able to pay an indy shop to do the full 6MT swap for less than what they quoted you. I'd take the car to another transmission shop and get a second opinion. Call some of your local Audi indy's and ask them who they recommend/where they send their transmission work.

Reverse is the first to fail because it requires the highest amount of hydraulic pressure to operate. If you've lost reverse the rest is going to follow shortly and continuing to drive on it is just going to guarantee that instead of being able to rebuild that tranny you'll have to fully replace it.

The $8300 is on the high-side...agree with the previous poster that you will probably be paying around $4500 or so installed for a rebuilt tranny.