Do I own a car that truly cannot be repaired?

April 28, 2009 10:23 AM

Is my Audi unrepairable? I have a 2003 Audi A4 1.8T with a CVT (GGT) transmission that's messed up.

When driving, the transmission 'slips' and occasionally freaks out and pushes the engine to 7k rpm's. Sometimes it drives fine, but when it freaks out... it freaks out and therefore it's unreliable and undrivable. My Audi dealership replaced the Transmission Control Module and this behavior still happens, so they say that the whole transmission needs to be replaced. I called Aamco and they also told me that it needs replacement as there are not parts made for my transmission. A call to an independent shop netted similar info.

Is my Audi's transmission truly unrepairable? Or am I getting the wrong information? Is there anyone in the greater Los Angeles area that can repair it? Do I have any other option than just waiting to pay it off before getting rid of it?

The transmission replacement price is $6500, and it seems absurd that a major car company would build and sell something that can't be repaired.

I wish I could simply sell it or scrap it, but I still owe three years payments on it...

posted by starscream to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

The transmission is still theoretically repairable, but CVTs are still somewhat exotic and would probably require a lot of labor to fix. That being said, these guys say they rebuild them and have rebuilt A4 CVT transmissions for $3250.
posted by zsazsa at 10:32 AM on April 28

Have you looked at the feasibility of obtaining a working identical transmission from a wrecked Audi? LA is probably as good a place as any in the US where there might have been enough of those sold to show up on the parts market.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:37 AM on April 28

starscream, I do not know the answer to your question, but I do know a very, very excellent independent Audi mechanic in West LA, who I would highly recommend taking your car to for an opinion on the best way to resolve this. I promise you he is extremely honest (long story, but he talked me out of doing $2k work on my Audi just yesterday, the man is a gem). I have been a loyal customer of his for 7 years. He can advise you whether it is repairable, whether you should get a rebuilt transmission or whatever else your options are. If you want his contact details MefiMail me. Good luck!
posted by Joh at 10:42 AM on April 28

Oh also, might be worth checking with the forum community on audiworld.com. Lots of experienced modders, tuners and enthusiasts there who can probably offer experienced opinions. Search the archive first too.
posted by Joh at 10:43 AM on April 28

Continuing on what Burhanistan said, check out Junkyard Dog, i needed the whole rear right linkage for an accord and found what i needed for cheap.
posted by Mach5 at 10:51 AM on April 28

A quick google search indicates your Audi's CVT is famous for failing, and it appears to be a replace-only item. I see prices out there of $7K for refurbished. So I think you're stuck.

Also:

Never take a car that wasn't made in Detroit or Toledo to Aamco! Especially an Audi CVT -- you might as well take a Lotus to Jiffy Lube.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 11:23 AM on April 28

A very quick look at edmunds.com indicates that the price of a used Audi A4 is listing as $10,000 - $13,000 (at least in the two zip codes I checked). Basically you'd be paying a repair that's about 50% of the price of what your car is worth. I realize you owe payments on it, but IMHO when either the transmission or the engine goes on a car, it's time to replace the car.

What you may want to do is have an earnest talk with the manager at the dealership (where I presume you bought the car) and express what you've expressed here - you bought this car, you're still paying it off, and look! the transmission is shot! and you say you can't fix it but you need a new one!

I haven't owned an Audi, BUT I've owned a lot of other things (stereo equipment, etc.) where the service guy automatically says, 'oh we can't get parts for it, so buy a new turntable/CD-player etc.' When I protest and insist they try, lo and behold they are able to turn up a part.

And in terms of dealerships, if you've been a loyal customer, then they owe you goodwill. I had a situation where a minor component failed, but it wasn't covered by warranty, but the service representative agreed to replace it for free because I was faithfully coming in and spending money on regular service.

Again, be aggressive with the dealership. Don't take 'no' for an answer. If you've been plugging cash into car payments to them, then they at least owe you the opportunity to try to solve your problem in a cost-effective way.
posted by thermonuclear.jive.turkey at 11:45 AM on April 28