"german transaxle" pricing (type $$ a/t)-long

[William Magliocco]

Yes, the transmission portion is $595...but that is
_without_ differential.  Add another $1000 for the
diff and you get $1600.  Add another $400 _minimum_
for R&R labor and you are now at $2000.  Don't forget
that you have to pay freight _both ways_ (you need to
ship the carcasses back to Oregon!)...and what happens
if your carcasses are "unrebuildable"???  Not all
carcasses are rebuildable so you may be throwing $$
away there. In addition, you have to pay "german
transaxle" for the carcasses with the initial bill,
unless you ship out your bad stuff first...this will
tie up more of your money  but I can't see a mechanic
keeping your car around with no tranny in his shop
(the storage is worth too much to him).

The story is that the diff is the really bad part of
the system and requires extreme skill/expertise to fix
it right.  That is why it costs more to fix than the
slushbox section.

Spoke with those guys seven months ago when I lost the
first of the type $$ a/t & diff combos on "Audi 1".  

I am sure that they do excellent work, but the point I
have to wonder about is...are the 5k (early $$) cars
worth the money anymore?

I have been debating whether or not to do the a/t on
"Audi 1" for the second time for almost a month now.
A local tranny guy would R&R but won't touch the
innards...and he does not think the car is worth the
trouble...a 15 year old car is still a 15 year old
car, and we listers know that the a/t & diffs suck to
high heaven on the $$.

Could I really have found a sane voice amongst the
automotive "tower of babel"?

I apologize in advance to Alex on this one...you've
helped me before...but I'm right in the middle of this
Audi headache, and _I've done my homework_!

In summary, Alex, I agree with that high ball
estimate.  I just tossed $1100 away on a tranny/diff
swap that did not last me two months, and I will be
damned if I do that again on a 15 year old car.  Alas,
I have seen other $$s abandoned at tranny shops for
the same reason.  Almost bought an '88 5kt that way
last year before the little voice said "what ELSE is
wrong with the car"?

That's why I'm out looking at a '93 100...but that
will be on my next post.

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