Audi S4 Gearbox/Parking Brake Warning

[Farleym4n]

Hi everyone,
I'm just after some advice or info from anyone who knows something about the issues I'm having with my car.
I have a 2009 Audi S4 3.0 Stronic with 81k. Just recently I got a warning light which read "Gearbox malfunction You can contine driving (Limited Availability" or words to that effect. There was initially no change in any of the driving or gearbox but then I got a parking brake warning which basically stopped the car. I pulled over and turned off the engine. On attempting to restart, the warning was telling me to engage Park or Neutral to start the car even though it was in park. After approx 10 minutes the car started and I was able to drive home. This has happened on several occasions now and it is only when I get the parking brake warning that the car can't be driven. I have used my diagnostic equipment and have pulled up
P179E00 Transmission drive range signal circuit - Intermittent
P179F00 Transmission range sensor circuit malfunction - Permanent

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Brendan

[hersh]

Modern cars are very battery dependent, regardless of whether it starts easily
Suggest you try another battery or get yours checked
Had a s-type,.....

Or buy a fault code reader off Ebay for £10, might help in diagnostics...

[A1VDY]

hersh said:

Or buy a fault code reader off Ebay for £10, might help in diagnostics...

Looks like he's already done that. However, cheap readers do not always give specific detailed info and can be misleading.
I'd suggest taking it to a reputable diagnostic specialist who uses something like a Snap On Modus or similar before replacing parts which may possibly not be needed.

[Reciprocating mass]

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/5709...

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2012/SB-10063866...

May be of some help to you good luck

[Farleym4n]

Thanks for your advice guys.
I have a cheap code reader but the one I used was a Snap on one I borrowed from a mechanic.
My wife called a Audi specialist who said it was a common fault and would cost up to £2000+VAT, but was unsure if my car was the V8 or V6 even though he was given the year. I thought this was a little odd

[CivicL]

It will be your mechatronics unit, which isn’t toooo bad. Very annoying til you get it done. Had it on mine intermittently for months before i had it sorted under warranty. Believe it cost the dealer 1.5k swiss francs (1200 quid ish).

Still knocked my confidence in the car sadly. Moved it on not long after. Good luck to you.

[1ians]

Reciprocating mass said:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2012/SB-10063866...

May be of some help to you good luck

X1. Unfortunately the error message is suggesting this rather than the mechtronic unit. It’s a gearbox off job I’m afraid.

It’s this part here https://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/products/au...

Good luck.

[Jack_and_MLE]

Maybe those guys can help:
http://milta.co/contact-automatic-gearbox-repair-t...

[1ians]

I called Milta but they were not forthcoming on what they’d actually do. Sounded like the bill would be £2.5k regardless of what was wrong without addressing common failure points or preventive maintenance or servicing. I asked quite a few questions, and the answer was we’d only do it if it needed it.

It’s a good way to get your box fixed at a very reasonable price, it’s just that you could be paying £2.5k for a job that would be less elsewhere. It was almost like a fixed price regardless of fault which only represented good value if it was completely screwed.