3rd Apr 2011, 14:44

Hi there.

I have a 99 A8 automatic transmission, it only goes into 1 gear. Can you please help me?

Thanks, Markus.

elvenich@ananzi.co.za.

22nd Apr 2011, 16:06

My 98 Audi A8 4.2 Quattro Sport is having a similar issue; the gear box seemed to lock in reverse, but would move if you gave it some gas. Same in drive. It also stalled in reverse, which is very odd for an auto box.

I deal with classic cars myself, and struggle with this Audi. My mechanic quotes £1500 for a recon (not an option), so we will find the issue and fix it. We think a fluid change and filter change will do the job, maybe a new seal on the converter if that's the leak.

I have heard of the trans in the A8 having issues. For a car that cost £60k new, it should last at least 200k + before any issues.

2nd May 2011, 13:10

"We're hopeful that once this oil leak is fixed it might run trouble free again for some years :-) "

Sorry, with a used Audi your statement is a dream.

Fix it and sell it ASAP.

3rd May 2011, 21:01

In the right side of the trunk, under some carpeting.

12th Jun 2011, 11:17

Hi.

I too have the airbag light on, and the ABS light on most of the time on my 98 S8. The guy at the local garage told me that the ABS fault could be a crack in the sensor. The airbag I don't know. I have had the gearbox refurbed also, but the car has done 207,000 now, so I guess I can't moan. The latest glitches are a lack of hot air from the heater when the engine is hot and the water tank is full, and a smell of fuel, and whilst driving, sometimes everything switches off, including the engine! Any advice would be good.

Many thanks. Tony.

15th Aug 2011, 15:44

Many thanks to the Porsche mechanic. I knew if I kept reading comments, there would be an honest Pro somewhere. Now I'll get that A8.

17th Aug 2011, 09:54

Hi all, we bought our S8 tiptronic two weeks ago. It is the facelift version (MY 2000). It has driven only 17,000 miles, as the first owner drove only 1,400 miles a year.

I have noticed a small jerk when shifting from 3 to 4 and from 4 to 3, both in automatic mode and in manual mode. It is some kind of small shock or jerk (think these are the right words, note that I am not a native English speaker) in the tiptronic and drivetrain. Seems like a minor problem compared to other problems described here, but anyone with a feel for cars and driving would notice it. All other shifts go perfectly smooth. An Audi mechanic noticed the same and advised to replace the automatic transmission fluid. The ATF will be changed later this week, and I hope this will be the solution.

In the mean time, I would like to ask if any of you has experienced the same (ie jerks that only appear in particular gear shifts). I know that changing the ATF from time to time is a good thing, but why do we only have the jerk when shifting from 3-4 and from 4-3? Can we expect the jerk to disappear after changing the ATF, or could there be any other cause (in a car that has driven only 17,000 miles...)?

Many thanks.

21st Aug 2011, 09:48

Vehicle runs and shifts for around ten minutes, then the trans starts to hard shift. When it makes it to high gear, there are no problems. Exactly what issue is described? This is a 2003 A8 with 118,000 miles.

15th Dec 2011, 21:04

Well I wish I found this site before I purchased my used 1999 Audi A8 from a transmission shop.

This woman up in Vail brought her tranny in for service, and when she got the price, she gave the car to the tranny shop. I researched the A8, and saw there were problems with the tranny going out, but I figured, it just got rebuilt.

So I bought the car (2000 over high book). Never got a warranty. Well the tranny went out in 3000 miles. Then I took it back to the tranny shop, and he said that I bought the car as is.

I said, "I don't have a problem with the car, it's the rebuilt tranny". So he rebuilt it again for $900. Well it just went out again after 5000 miles. It is in the shop again.

I am now buying a used tranny with a 24/24 parts and labor warranty for $2250. He says it's 15 shop hours to replace. I think I am being punished for my adolescence. That should put it around $4000.

I plan to sell this car in 18 months. There doesn't appear to be any solution to this transmission problem.

My only advice is to sell your Audi A8 while it is still running, or you will be sorry.

24th Jul 2012, 09:22

I had the same whirring occasional sound and sputtering/surging. This weekend I was going up a hill on a major highway, the whirring got louder, and I lost the drive, as if the transmission disengaged, and I coasted to a stop. The car does not go in any gear, the engine is fine, but there's a loud whirring sound.

30th Jul 2012, 19:51

Your comment is a little forward, he's owned Mercedes W123's in the past. So to assume he knows nothing about more complex (complicated) Audi A8 is a little over the top...

1st Apr 2014, 13:26

Always research cars for weak links in that year's model before purchasing.

26th Jun 2014, 17:27

In the trunk in the right side.

16th Aug 2014, 12:11

It's in the trunk.

12th Jul 2016, 20:25

Your trans needs the road speed sensor, or vehicle speed sensor as it is called in the US. This sensor is under the transmount and the mount needs to be removed to repair it. If there are any codes present in the trans module, they need to be cleared or it still won't shift.

2nd Dec 2022, 20:44

Check online; you might find that the code is hidden somewhere on the car.