returning to my roots

[Dr. Mike]

Long time fan of German cars. I have had a 71 Bug, 59 Bug, 89 Cabrio, 98 Passat etc etc...
I confess I have always coveted the 2.7T Audis. Recently the wife and I found out we are having twins. This brings our family to 6. An allroad with the third row is an easy way for me to pick up a dream car and avoid the minivan. I have searched for a Colorado dealer to trade in my wife's Subaru on an allroad. Sadly, none with the third row and 6spd are to be found, however I did find a nice 3rd row with a tip. My question is in regards to the reliability of the auto trans. The car I have found appears to be well maintained at 86,000. Anything I should look for? Thanks!

[G0to60]

My allroad has a TIP (manuals are hard to find over here too) and the car has 165k miles. Every once in a while there will be a hard shift but other then that it's been good.

That being said they are known to have weak torque converters and a seal inside is known to fail. When this happens it will need to be pulled and rebuilt which could cost a couple thousand. If/when this happens with mine I'm going to see if I can source a 6sp swap since it will be only slightly more expensive.

Try reading the Audizine forums as there are lots of very knowledgeable people that post there.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/forumdisplay.php/5

[Dr. Mike]

Thank you for the quick response. Looks like I will be doing some reseach on maintenance on the trans. Everything I have ever owned has been manual. I am not shy on gettin my hands dirty when it comes to working on my cars. Are those torque converters pricey or is this an issue of when it fails it thrashes the trans? I hope to be looking at the car in question on Saturday. My kids are excited with the prospect of the third row.

My allroad has a TIP (manuals are hard to find over here too) and the car has 165k miles. Every once in a while there will be a hard shift but other then that it's been good.

That being said they are known to have weak torque converters and a seal inside is known to fail. When this happens it will need to be pulled and rebuilt which could cost a couple thousand. If/when this happens with mine I'm going to see if I can source a 6sp swap since it will be only slightly more expensive.

Try reading the Audizine forums as there are lots of very knowledgeable people that post there.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/forumdisplay.php/5

[G0to60]

The torque converter is around $600 or so for a replacement and if you catch it early (it should throw a check engine light when bad) then it shouldn't trash the trans. You can change it out with the engine still in the car but I've heard it's easier to pull the engine and trans together.

[awdjunkies]

The torque converter is around $600 or so for a replacement and if you catch it early (it should throw a check engine light when bad) then it shouldn't trash the trans. You can change it out with the engine still in the car but I've heard it's easier to pull the engine and trans together.

Exactly, and to add to this, you can always source a better/stronger Torque Converter at www.517trans.com These guys are great and I've purchased from them before. If you are looking to source either another Tip tranny or a 6 speed conversion kit, look no further than Bryan and his guys over at www.audis4parts.com . Great bunch of guys, fair prices, and exceptional work ethic. This is where I am thinking of going when my Tip goes.