Hello, folks!! My girlfriend owns a 2016 Audi TT that she bought new in Germany six years ago [US spec model]. It has the 2.0L turbo 4-cylinder, all-wheel-drive and automatic transmission. It has 72,000 miles on it.
When we were driving on the highway today, it made a really funny noise and the car seemed to swerve. My girlfriend noticed some blue smoke coming from behind the car. We exited the highway and a yellow idiot light came on that said reverse was not working, but to keep driving. About 1/4 mile later, the red idiot light came on and we stopped at a traffic light.
The car wouldn't move at all (engine revved), but it was like being stuck in neutral. We called for a deputy sheriff........he summoned a flatbed wrecker for us. There was some trans fluid/oil on the back bumper & rear hatch + some more on the ground and more visible on the front drive axles from under the hood. Coolant and motor oil levels were fine. I didn't see anything hanging from the bottom of the car - such as an axle shaft, CV joint or coolant line.
I never had a transmission "go" quite like that before. Hoping it was a plug, seal or something minor -- but I fear the worst. We had it towed to the Audi dealership 15 or 20 miles away.
Any insight from the Scotty Kilmer Brain Trust? We LOVE this little car, it is paid off free & clear and the only issue we had was an expensive bill to replace the water pump last year. The trans was serviced (fluid flush) at 55 or 60 thousand miles.
I appreciate any advice. Thank you!!
Well, I guess we lucked out. There was a crack in the filter housing - or something like that - which let all of the fluid leak out and caused the failure. They replaced the bad part (which was less than $50), but we had to pay for the diagnostic fee, replacement of all the transmission fluid and a road test. It came to $600 - which is far better than five or six grand for a new transmission!
We go to pick it up tomorrow morning. Keeping our fingers crossed for sure!
Sounds like classic symptoms of sudden transmission death. Even if it was just a seal if lots of fluid leaked out the trans would have been damaged. The dealer will likely want to sell you a rebuilt transmission at a highly inflated price.
Being an Audi dealer, they probably want us to make the next payment on some manager's yacht.
We ate expecting the worst, but hoping for the best.
If you can find a good foreign car mechanic that works on Audis you might be able to get a better price, albeit still quite expensive.
Hey, sounds great! Just keep an eye on the transmission, they definitely do not take kindly to being run without fluid.
And his country club dues.
If the lines carrying transmission fluid to/from the trans fluid cooler broke, all your fluid would dump out and you would come to a stop pretty quick. How much damage there is to the trans would be hard to know.
The prognosis is not going to be good. They called this morning and said it was in their queue of cars to work on today.
Thanks for reporting back, however, if you hear any strange transmission noises or behaviour post the repair, get rid of the car before something major breaks inside.
Pray there wasn’t any major internal damage from the fluid leaking out.
