Aidan Joseph

I have a 1997 Audi a8 Quattro that is slipping up a hill downshifting under 2k RPM. It does not slip above 2k RPM. It also hunts sometimes. There are no codes for the TCM. The dealer recommends a fluid and filter change and see if that improves the problems.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Aidan

uberwgn

Aidan, welcome aboard! Do you know how many miles are on the car? When was the transmission last serviced?

Aidan Joseph

It has 135,000 miles. The fluid was changed recently from the previous owner but the filter was not changed.

uberwgn

Do you know if he used OEM fluid when it was changed?

Can you verify the fill level is correct?

Aidan Joseph

I had the level checked, it is full.

The maintinence record shows it was $16 Dollars a quart for the fluid so i'm pretty sure it was the Audi fluid. And it was done at an import auto shop that is reliable.

uberwgn

I dunno, having the dealer change the fluid just for the heck of it is kind of an expensive proposition. OTOH, I'm not sure where else to start if there are no codes.

How much does the dealer charge for fluid/filter change?

Aidan Joseph

The dealer wants $545, I am going to call an independent shop in town and see how much they want. Not nearly as much i'm sure.

uberwgn

Therein lies the rub. Some of these auto trans hold vast amounts of fluids and the fluid is expensive. I suspect that a good chunk of the cost quoted by the dealer is made up by OE ATF. There's no getting around that issue unless you don't do a complete change (common) or you use the wrong fluid

Aidan Joseph

What do you mean by not doing a complete change?

silverd2

Changing fluid (and only a fraction of it probably) was a complete waste of time and $$, without changing the filter...infinitely more important than the fluid. When new fluid is introduced, it will only further clog an old filter when new detergents break loose even more debris. Plus, if filter wasn't changed, then the pan was not dropped and sludge removed...refilling could have also broken loose settled sludge, further clogging a filter that should have been changed.

I would want the filter changed, before making any other decisions about possible repairs. That dealer price is beyond outrageous....here's any example of a DIY kit (needs more atf though):
http://www.blauparts.com/proddetail.asp?prod=F2A1005-A