Is it just a fact that we are to expect a tranny problem by 100k?

[RonsB5nB6]

I just purchased my 01 A8L w/53k in February and was not aware of the tranny issue. I am used to getting a lot of life from my vehicles; A4 166k+, Rangerover 130k when sold, Toyota 268k when sold. I am getting concerned with what I read in this forum.

[audisowner]

I owned numerous Audi's since 1984 and have done most of my own service. The A8 is a complex car, with the usual Audi maintenance requirements and a wonderful ride.

However the A8's "Achilles-heel" seems to be it's tranny. Even with regular fluid/filter changes, the tranny in my '99 A8 started surging/hunting at around 95K. If I haven't been able to find the exact cause in the next few weeks, I'm resigned to a tranny rebuild.

[Adrian410225]

I just purchased 2001 A8L as well. Did the fluid and filter change as soon as I got the car. I have heard the tranny has been improved compare to year 97-99 A8's on 2001+ models.
So far I have driven this vehicle from Michgan to Minnesota and no issues. I have driven 98 and had tranny issues immediately when i purchased. Got my money back. i hope this one will last. Another option is to purchase extended warranty if you do not have the CPO.

[audilvr]

The reason these cars depreciate is because of their complexity and lack of reliability. Face it-- if these cars had no trouble and were bulletproof, fewer of us would be driving them. I have fixed the oil cooler, replaced a few control arms, replaced the valve cover gaskets and rebuilt the transmission. I know it is not over, but I feel I am way past the curve- and now I actually enjoy the car again. Yesterday I passed a slow-moving line of three cars and a semi on a lonely 2-lane highway (not something you'd try in a Prius believe me)and after passing the semi looked at my speedo to see 120mph. Damn these cars have an upside too.

I've been out test-driving new cars and non of them compare with a 10 year old A8 with nearly 100K miles. New cars are cool though-- and they do smell good! I'd have to spend at least 40 grand to find the same sort of responsiveness and "cool factor" that the A8 has. Still-- it is a waiting game as to what I will have to fix next.

[Rtrn4Deposit]

who had tranny problems and those who didn't.

Seems from that survey (and all the other tranny posts I have read for the 2 years I have been here) that the 97 and 98 and early 99 model years had the most problems with the trannys. If has been reported that there were numerous upgrades to the ZF tranny for late 1999 and newer A8s that have helped with reliability and driveability as well.

Every car has it's achillies heal. BMW, MB, even Toyota and Lexus have their issues. Ours is with the tranny. The good news is that as more of these cars have the tranny issues, more repair shops are become familiar with fixing them. In just two years, a rebuild for an A8 trans has gone from $7000 to about $2800 or so.

Not cheap, but considering the level of luxury and the affordability of these cars on the used market - hardly a reason not to enjoy driving and owning one of the very best cars on the planet.

There are a bunch of people that have 100,000 miles or more that have had no transmission issues. The 4.2 engine is about as bulletproof as you can get. The body won't rust and the fit and finish in 10 years will look as good as it did when the car was new if maintained. The interior is world class and will age very well.

My 1999 gets mistaken for a new car with 73,000 miles on it (no tranny issues either).

Enjoy your car!

[Adrian410225]

These A8s depreciate because of lack of marketing and exposure of the A8 to the public not because of the complexity and lack of reliability. Look at the Mercedes S series these days. They have a horrible consumer reviews on the new ones but do they depreciate? How many Audi A8 commercials have you seen compare to the Mercedes?
A8's are tremendous car for the value. Some poeple I have seen drives the A8's with 160-200k miles in it with original transmission.

[marcodant]

[Audiheavy]

Although I've read these forums for quite a while I'm newbee... hi, my name is Dusty and I'm a recovering Audi owner. I also own a 98 A4 and my wife drives an '02 A4 3.0... now there's a transmission we'd all kill for. I've owned my '99 A8 for 4 years and completely agree. I've done it all also, timing belt/water pump replacement, a couple of CV boots, rear trans output seal, rear-end seals and just recently a trans filter/fluid replacement. Recently my trans also started to present the same "hunting" symptoms described so frequently in this forum. The new filter/fluid made a big difference in the shifting (code 00001), but the low rpm hunting remains. Do any of you good Audiphiles have any direct experience with Phoenix Remanufactured Transmissions (phoenixhardparts.com) for an A8 4.2Q? I saw them on e-bay for $2100. I'll be there on biz next week and plan to visit their facility... report to follow.

[ryoung]

Poll #1: problem tranny
Poll #2: trouble-free tranny

If anyone hasn't participated, please enter your experience in the original poll. If you have participated, update your mileage if necessary.

[RonsB5nB6]

and I would be hard pressed to find another car I would be as happy with. Sh*t, just last night while waiting for my daughter in a dark parking lot I noticed the dim red lights in each door handle pocket, now that is interior refinement! Once again the car had pleasently suprised me and caused me to irritate my wife with another "cool car" factoid. If a rebuild is going for around 3K, I am more than happy to part with the money. I saw the post with an 8k price tag and that scared the beejeesus out of me.