I Bought a Supercharged Audi at Auction and got 50% off because of a Mystery Transmission Issue 

Take your best guess as to where the key was hiding 👇

Those S4’s are fun to drive. Tons of power and great hand,ing.

Sam you need a two post lift.

I actually had the similar issue last month with my B CLASS. It ended up requiring a software update (dealer only). I only had 2,4,6 gears. It also went into limp mode.

This car is sweet! I've never had an Audi. What should I get?

You forgot to list an important and expensive option - the Bang & Olufsen sound system - identifiable by the silver rings on speaker grilles.

Hey Sam you can also check the solenoids on the valve body for resistance, also could be a leaky valve which you can get a seal kit, sometimes if one leaks there is not enough fluid pressure in the trans to work properly.

We had exactly this on our A5 convertible. It was the Mechatronic unit and the valves impact on the pressure applied to the clutches increasing wear which probably explains the higher amount of flakes in the fluid. Try not to drive it much further before replacing the unit as the clutches are expensive.

What a gem you've got there , you should def go for the circuit fix , reinstall the muffler and get some mods for it , cold air intake etc etc.

I own this car in sprint blue, also DSG. No issues so far so here's hoping lol. Looking forward to this journey!

How have you not got a post lift,for the amount of cars you climb under?

Clutch and gear debris, no big deal. DSG is known for metal in there transmission, specifically when there new. As long you don't see big chuncks of metal... It's fine. Change the gearbox oil from time to time.

The metal shavings look very average for the wet clutch DSG.

Interesting to see this I work for an Audi/Volkswagen dealership in Germany and it’s cool to see someone figure out all the issues on this girl I love the a/s/rs4 It was nice to find you

All the best with this issue Sam. I bought an A4 in 2018 that had the same error, funny story, trying to research the issue is how I ended up subscribing to your channel during on your RS7 series. Long story short, ended up getting a different transmission, got stuck with component protection removal that stopped the trans from functioning. Once we got the component protection removal sorted started getting a clutch slip error and that when I threw in the towel & cut my losses. This decision only happened 3 months ago. My A4 had a 0AW CVT transmission but it looks like mechatronics are bad from this era.

Great job Sam: you methodic way of checking things is really effective...!

On the DSG you may be able to get away with just completely cleaning the circuit boards and system inside, the oil should also be replaced along with the filters.

those metallic flakes are normal. change the module and complete fluid flush and fill twice.

Usually you don't see metal sparkles in DSG gearbox fluids (probably both filters are full of them too), could be one of the clutches gone. Also might want to change the solenoids for both clutches, they usually go bad. Also, good luck putting back in the valve body, it's tricky to put it in correctly because if you miss one of the "hooks" for gears, you have to try again. Might be especially difficult if you're planning on doing it all on that ramp

I have one of these with about 110000 miles on it and the DSG. Mine is dual pulley with a transmission tune and ecu tune. I make sure to service my transmission every coupe of years and I have had no problem. These cars are fast (I surprise alot of people), fun, and easy to drive. Good choice for a project!

Just a thanks for Carly I saw a previous post of yours and bought one, they mailed it to Australia it works great cheers David

Thank you for leaving the sitcom stuff out of this video.

Should be a magnet at the bottom of the tray to collect the fragments, if not install one.

I really like the way that you diagnose. It's cool to see your process, why you make the choices you do. Having a cameraperson (Sage?) does add a nice dimension. You live in a rarefied atmosphere from where I am. I enjoy watching you and your bits of humor that snuggle in from the sides, it helps give me ideas about how I can be better on camera and provide content that's entertaining. And you have knowledge.

I don't have a DSG but I've had several 722.6 trans in MB. When you drop the pan, look for sludge that has settled. Sludge may be comprised of metal shavings and these shavings can flow in the bath of fluid and may essentially short out the conductor plate which in turn controls the solenoids for shifters

Fix it Sam the entire B8/B8.5 community is watching you.

This is a great Samcrac classic style video! Great job Sam.

Here we go again. Another interesting project which ends up 90% done 🙄

Just caught this. That level of metal likely indicates clutch problems are coming. Once that stuff gets into your solenoids and position sensors then a full mechatronic and clutch strip and clean is the best bet. Love to see how it ends.

Love an s4 - flush and circuit board for DSG would hopefully do it as mechatronic issue common but wet clutch transmission usually more robust than early dry DSG - what a nice car find :) well done Sam 👍

I have a 2015 Audi S6 and recently did a trans service on it and what you see in that fluid is normal so don’t worry. As for the car shifting weird it’s a electrical problem for sure. Those transmissions are not known for major problems. Just replace that part and you should be good 👍🏼

Got a 2013 B8.5 myself. That first key you found is the valet key. I also did my own DSG trans service and its not super hard. Servicing these cars overall, isn't the worst if you are a gearhead or know anything about fixing stuff. My car is just about to 125k miles and I have done all of the 115k service myself aside from brakes yet. I have heard the mechatronics can go out on these but haven't yet had experience with it. So far from my limited knowledge, as long as you change the oil in these S4's when you are supposed to and keep up with other maintenance, they are pretty reliable.

Awesome video as usual Sam! I own an B8.5 S4 (2015) manual and had to replace the battery. I had to update the computer (via VCDS) to code the new battery serial number. Might want to look into that. Very interested in this series! Thanks for sharing! Big thumbs up!

“Goo gone” is great to remove plastidip, rolls right off 🤙🏽

Excited for this journey 🤙

Glad to see a b8 s4 on the channel, I have a b8.5 , super fun cars , 500 hp can be had for super cheap with a dual pulley Setup.. you’ve just got a mech unit issue. They’re super easy to take out and repair, no need to pull the trans ..

owned this same car as a manual. loved the powertrain. definitely an aftermarket air filter is key

LMAOOO🤣🤣 Just when I got over the Landover incident you put a clip back in Sam 🤦🏾‍♀️😭

I have a 2011 s4 with a dsg and do all my own service, it’s a great car minus the pcv, waterpump, thermostat and dsg issues

What you found in the glovebox is a surfers key / valet key. So you can put the small thin key. Into the key fob you found. And then you have a ekstra key.

Great vid Sam! Great info on the issues and some great info from the gang on what to check for in the comments too, Cheers 👍🍻

With the relationship you have with them I’d make a visit or call to eurocharged, with their experience they can tell you whether the flake is normal clutch/gear wear or if it’s more terminal

Hey Sam! So I’m pretty familiar with these cars. If they haven’t done the DSG service like they were supposed to, it’s pretty common to see a bit fine metal in the oil. I’d say just do the Mech service, and run with it. I’d also look into getting VCDS with a proper cable or OBDeleven so you can access some dealer level bits in the modules for these Audi’s. That way you can reset the clutches/other internal transmission bits. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

At the end of last year I traded in a 2011 S4. It was fully factory maintained, ran and looked great. At 105k miles I was just worried that the SC would go out and cost $$$$$$. None the less I find that I regret trading it in. It was without a doubt the best car I've ever owned!

How great is it to have a good old fashioned Sam Crac video back on you tube. I though we’d lost him there for a while !!

Great S4 Sam

Had a B8.5 S4, absolutely loved it! Kinda bought it on a budget and was paranoid of a DCT failure so I sold it 😭 such an incredible performance deal if you can afford the repairs

Please please name these as PART 1, PART 2, PART 3 and so on. It would be nice to follow these in chronoligical order which is quite hard at the moment.

Very nicely optioned S4, carbon atlas trim was super rare on these, looks like you also got the B&O system, hopefully it also has the sport diff.

Finally more audi 🙌 😍

How long before rich rebuilds buys this and saves it from the chicken farm 😂

I just bought carly for my BMW. I have been looking everywhere for an easy to use and affordable solution. I used your code too. Thank you 🙏 🤝

I love the exhaust sound!!! Do not change it

Hi Sam, I work for Audi, and do these oil changes daily, the shavings are pretty normal, best thing I'd suggest is to change the oil, but make sure you do the filter with it, fill it with oil, run it, and then check the oil level again, if it doesn't spill out then it wants a bit more, they probably take about 6-7 litres all in all, and of the board doesn't fix it, then the clutch pack may need resetting, but it's probably the board

Samcrac that looks like , as we say in Northern Ireland , some craic 🤣😎

Hey Sam glad to see you back in fix it mode!

I've bought all of my recent vehicles at auctions. I scored on the last one, old, but low miles and pretty clean and I'm daily driving it with just a set of tires.

Had one of these with a bad trans. Transmission from the dealer was $10k+ but I convinced them to do the swap under warranty.

4:41 The display should of said I WANT STEP MOM

You panned and struck gold!

I have a B8 S4 with the DSG dual clutch and ~67k miles. I've done the DSG fluid replacement twice now (every 30k miles or so). I've never had metal flakes or anything foreign in mine. The filters (there are two) should catch and clean it up. The mechatronics unit is known to be a failure point but if you don't catch and replace it quick enough 8/10 you'll end up having to replace the transmission at some point. Changing the mech unit will likely clear the codes and make it drive normal but you might end up having serious transmission issues down the line. Only way to really know is drive it and find out.

Hi Samcrac, The key,where do you find it!?😎 Congrats from Portugal

Adam Sandler does it again!!! 🔥

I work at transmission shop. We repair these weekly. Normal fault after 100-150.000km. Do not only change circuit bord. Case clutch fails. On this code, we do the complete mechatronic rep-kit (solenoids+circuit board Oem or Borg Warner) and complete clutch drum. Change all the filters and change det fluid on front/center diff. After repair do the clutch adaptation. Extra: Flyweel kan fail as well. (Sound/wastment) But more on diesel engiens.

I'm pretty skeptical of car youtubers, but I do actually really like Sam's videos! I like his diy style and his emphasis on cheap and attainable fixes. He's a very cool guy from what I can gather for a "mainstream" car youtuber. Nice fix! BTW to all these jokes about finishing etc and some people complaining about not done, hey rarely is any car ever done so to speak. And I'm a bad habit of buying too much junk cars too. It's a clean and healthy hobby. Far as I'm concerned it's done if the trans works and it's already a clean and low mile hi performance audi.

Considering how many subs he has, surprised he doesn’t have a Bendpak lift already…

I cannot believe that you do not have a lift.... It's actually quite amusing

Great vid! This what I watch for.

Great video Sam!!

Try setting fire to it and once it's burnt to the ground throw Carly at it while clearing the codes and see if thats fixed our problem.

mech units are pretty common failure on vw audi dsg's

So clean underneath!!!!

That exhaust Sounds brutal ! man !

@4:59 sam all sweaty shirt stretched out with red eyes made me lol

thanks for bringing back the chrome

Had a vw Passat board in shifter & ecu needed replacing to get transmission to work correctly

Hope it works out for you Sam. I'm so jealous of you getting that awesome car at such a great price. Fingers crossed it's just the board

I’d say change fluid and filters and repeat

Without watching I doubt it’s a mystery. Extremely well known and documented mechatronic issue.

Nice Looking Car Sam This will be Best Project For Manual Swap 👌

Great vid always enjoy your ideas and content followed you for quite a few yrs and reckon your ☝️ of the best Sam

I’m pretty certain that the glitter of metal in the trans oil is completely fine. That’s absolutely normal…. Huge chunks? Yeah THAT would be a problem but… definitely looks normal to me 🤷🏼‍♂️ Just sounds like faulty modules. Start with cheap fixes first before you go replacing the entire trans

We'll never see this car again.

Sam if you have a mega use it to check the grounds for the transmission. Those clutches draws a fair amount of amperage. I removed the grounds and clean the paint from the body and the eyelets. Put it back together and seal them. Give it a try you may have fixed it. Did it on my daughters car and it fixed her problem after it had been to the sealer several time to have it fixed.

Purchased a 2013 S4 from a salvage auction and I had to replace the mech unit. Mechanics were indecisive between a used transmission and a new mech. I went with the mech and 🤞🏽so far so good.

You have to code the battery with the ecu otherwise it will fail in hundred miles.

With all of your projects, why haven’t you got a portable lift?

Sam is a hockey fan like myself and must share the same two teams I cheer for the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning. I have been a lightning fan since even their days of being dead last in the NHL and remember when they won the cup back in the early 2000s.

Blocked solenoid valve in the mechatronics box, remove and clean out and it will run perfectly.

Who needs a torque wrench on lug nuts when you have a foot size 12 and a pair of flip-flops :)

Was anyone else uneasy about how long he was driving around with the fuel light on?

I have had 2 friends with the DSG issue, my friend did the Mechatronics unit rebuild and replacement, and still had the issue, so be careful with it, I am not sure it will fix it, like your buddies said, probably best to replace the transmission so you dont keep chasing issues

Have had level 2 upgrades to my S4, ~450HP, will push to ~500HP soon, ton of fun to drive

No Rich? No Stepmom? I actually watched this one!!! Keep it up.

In this episode the chicken farmer buys another of those darned youropeean cars and tries to fix it

I had a B8 s4 for years, I had this issue but I got lucky and a simple reprograming by the dealer fixed it. After that, I never had an issue.

Also low brake pads on my Audi caused many unrelated fault codes and when i replaced them they cleared.

This is most beautiful car for price to 10k

You should see if Ross-Tech would sponsor some audi videos... I'm sure their VCDS would be more descriptive and helpful.

I remember when this generation Audi S4 was launched in 2009 and immediately beat the BMW 335i E90 in every comparison test. It was one of the hottest sports sedans at the time.