A6 gearbox contamination not picked up by Audi dealer

[jim135]

Your advice is really appreciated - I really don't know where else to go.

My Audi A6 2013-reg Automatic Diesel TDI 2.0 was stalling. Its done close to 100,000 miles.

I took it to an official Audi dealer to have this resolved and a minor service two weeks ago. They did a software reboot - still not solved stalling.

I took it back to Audi after two weeks to have it fixed again on Thursday. This time they found that there was coolant contamination in the gearbox. If below 50 parts per million coolant contamination, they can flush the gearbox and repair. Since its already 150 parts per million - the whole gear box plus pipes needs be replaced.

Do I have any legs to stand on. Should Audi dealer have picked up this issue early and still be in position to repair not replace?

My insurer only covers accident not this type of mechanical failure. Is scrapping the car the only option at a huge loss?

Thank you for your help.

[stevieturbo]

So they're blaming the stalling on coolant in the gearbox ?

How bizarre.

Take it somewhere and get a second opinion, because that sounds like bullst.

[normalbloke]

Coolant is a very quick and fast way to wreck any auto.

[GreenV8S]

I don't see that you have a leg to stand on, but at that mileage you've had a decent life out of the gearbox so you could view at least some of the repair costs as an investment in the life of the vehicle. This assumes that you would find and fix whatever caused the contamination while you were at it.

[Matt_E_Mulsion]

If it was already stalling the first time you took it in, it was already broken. No one can say that in the following two weeks any damage already done became any worse.

I think you'll have to just suck up any repair.

[Pericoloso]

I'm going to assume the radiator and gearbox cooler are in a combined unit and there's a leak between the two ,causing the fluid

cross contamination.

Scrapping a 6yo car for a faulty gearbox seems extreme.

Maybe try and find a low mileage secondhand box but it's a minefield fitting expensive s/h units.

[Sardonicus]

If the box is shifting OK I would fix the cause of the internal coolant leak (faulty oil/air exchanger etc) and change the box oil inc strainer/filter before firing the parts cannon then find the cause of the stalling maybe failing/falling fuel pressure for example or due to lying failing sensor etc for example

Edited by Sardonicus on Saturday 19th October 21:17

[Oilchange]

I cant understand how coolant could get into a gearbox. Can someone explain?

[Sardonicus]

Because they often have oil to coolant exchangers/coolers rather than air to oil coolers (old school) they can crack internally and fluid mix and the coolant being more viscous and the oil seldom not on the pressure side of the trans

[Pericoloso]

Oilchange said:

I cant understand how coolant could get into a gearbox. Can someone explain?

My post above partly explains it.

If the engine radiator and the gearbox cooler are part of one unit and an internal leak between the two occurs ,oil in the rad ,

coolant in the gearbox can occur.

[ninepoint2]

Speak to these guys

https://www.mackie-transmission.com/

[jim135]

Thank you for your replies. Any good recommended gearbox specialists near South West London please ?

[anonymous-user]

I'm struggling to believe the Audi dealership have the equipment to pick um 150PPM, I'm sat looking at a 8B$ refinery where we had that sort of atmospheric contamination of Co2, H20 and O2 in ethylene last week, took 2 days for the test to identify it in a specialized lab, Surely that sort of level could come form the atmosphere not form the coolant?

[Sardonicus]

Berw said:

I'm struggling to believe the Audi dealership have the equipment to pick um 150PPM, I'm sat looking at a 8B$ refinery where we had that sort of atmospheric contamination of Co2, H20 and O2 in ethylene last week, took 2 days for the test to identify it in a specialized lab, Surely that sort of level could come form the atmosphere not form the coolant?

Standard dealer spiel hence why I said what I said needs investigation by another pair of mince pies IMO

[anonymous-user]

I bit more on my experience, we were testing, very pure ethylene, and had atmospheric contamination, which could have come from a leak in a pipe or from contamination when taking the sample at the sample point, which turned out to be our problem, I am not an expert on this but I was amazed at the level of expertise and care needed to take the sample, my thinking would be that a auto gear box would be exposed to the atmosphere enough just by dip sticks or leaks at the fill cap to give reading in ppm of moisture, I certainly wouldn't spend money if a car dealer told me that 150ppm was the problem,

[anonymous-user]

Surely the potential cheapest option is to fix or stop the leak, refill the box and see if it still works? If it does its saved you scrapping the car or buying and fitting a whole new gearbox, if it doesn't then at least the leak is fixed and you can replace the box with one from a breaker.