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Old 22nd December 2016, 08:02 AM
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Spanker Spanker is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Sundern, NRW, Germany
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Default Gearbox Service in the East Midlands

Hi

I'm no expert on car mechanics but at least I have the nouse to consult the similar minded people on this excellent forum about any concerns I have with my newly purchased 8.

With that in mind, I have been reading some threads (and the sticky's) about gearboxes and the one thing I've concluded is that the gearbox is the Achilles heel of my car and that if I don't care for it then I may end up with something that will be uneconomical to repair.
I kind of know this from experience when an auto box in an old A6 Avant went south and cost me a lot to put right.

So whilst driving my car recently (this didn't show up on a test drive), I noticed a 'thump' at exactly 40mph when decelerating - foot off the gas. Nothing severe, but noticeable amongst the otherwise silky smooth nature of the box. And also some mornings when moving the stick to D, I get a similar 'thump' - subtle though it is.
When noticing this I immediately thought of my past experience and came to the conclusion that a gearbox service from a ZF Centre would be the wisest thing to do, especially considering that I have no paperwork to show that one has been done in the 115k history of the car.
I'm hoping that the more experienced forum members reading this would agree that my "prevention is better than cure" approach is the best option and that I should hot-foot it to my nearest ZF centre and get the pan dropped, magnets cleaned, oil and filter changed (does it sound as though I know what I'm doing?).
So any recommendations please? I'm on the East Northants border with Cambridgeshire / Bedfordshire and according to the ZF website, when I select Servicing > Northamptonshire > Transmissions I get 2 options.
1. ZF Services UK Ltd Nottingham
2. Wayne Lee Motorsports Cumbria

This seems to contradict some other threads that suggest Mackies (Glasgow) and Chester Transmissions (if I recall the name correctly) are also places to go for those local to them. I think that I may be using the ZF website incorrectly. I hope that some members, especially those local to me, can come up with a better option and give me a guide price to expect for such a service.

Thanks in advance for any help proffered.
Dean
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Dean

Future work on "Red Dwarf": Fridge, solar sunroof, radio-controlled clock, interior and exterior dimming mirrors, Alcantara headlining/pillars/rear shelf, rear US outer lights, passenger memory seat, rear electric (lumbar and headrest) heated seats, Servotronic.
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Current:
2002 A8 D2 S8 FE - "Red Dwarf" - Misano Red - Platinum/Silver Interior, PDC, Sat Nav Plus with BOSE and hidden Dension Bluetooth, Multi-changer, Heated Front Seats, Bi-Xenons, FE Wheels, Phone Prep with Nokia 6210, Detachable Towbar, Rear Blinds, S8 plate but no other optional extras
1st Place Winner - A8Parts Annual UK Meet 2018
1st Place Winner - A8-Freunde Annual German Meet 2018
2nd Place Winner - A8-Freunde Annual German Meet 2019
2002 A8L D2 with a factory fitted S8 engine and drivetrain - "Evergreen" - Irish Green Pearl (TBC) - magnolia leather seats with magnolia door cards/door trims, magnolia leather head-lining, extended leather pack 3 (dark green leather dash, upper door cards, steering wheel, lower dash, centre tunnel and rear parcel shelf), factory black external trim (in lieu of chrome), self-levelling suspension, Servotronic, Brembo brakes, "gullideckel" / "man-hole cover" / "pie-plate" 8Jx18 polished 10-hole design wheels typically seen on the W12, Park Distance Control, heated windscreen, multifunction steering wheel, Vavona burl (burr-walnut) wood inserts with cream/magnolia door switch trims, phone preparation to the front with Nokia 6091 phone, phone preparation to the rear with Nokia 6091 phone on the central rear console, third phone preparation in the rear centre console, rear blinds, rear headrest release feature, rear electric heated seats with lumbar and recline function (the rear passenger seat has the facility to move the front passenger seat forward), BOSE audio, Rear Screen Entertainment (RSE) with dual factory fitted Alpine screens, integrated DVD player (under the centre of the rear bench with 4 DVD storage slots) and two remote controls (the controls and inputs for the RSE are in the rear centre console and the screens can operate independently of each other,) factory supplied leather headrest covers to hide the rear screens, rear vanity mirrors (standard A8L), dark green rear wedge footrests with cream piping, front passenger memory seat, dark green floor carpeting and mats – piped in cream, rear slumber pillows for the headrests, integrated fridge with integrated tumblers inside the rear centre headrest bar compartment, solar roof, auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors, factory driver’s seat fire extinguisher, tire pressure monitoring system, first aid kit, 12 V socket in the boot, TRACKER, derestricted – top speed is 155mph plus
2007 A6 Allroad C6 3.0TDI Quattro - Highland Green (Audi Exclusive Colour) - Cream leather interior with Wood, Advanced MMI, Keyless, Bose, Advanced PDC, Sunroof, Heated Memory Seats, Adaptive Xenons, Adaptive Air Suspension, Servotronic

Previous (went to good homes):
2002 A8 D2 2.8 Quattro Sport - "Big Red" - Tornado Red (Special Order) - Twist Interior, PDC, Passenger Memory Seats, Symphony II with BOSE, Heated Front Seats, Bi-Xenons, Auto-dimming Mirrors, 20" FE Wheels, Servotronic Steering
2002 A8 D2 2.8 Quattro Sport - Aqua Blue Pearl - Twist Interior, PDC, Sat Nav Plus with BOSE, Multi-changer, Heated Front Seats, Bi-Xenons, Auto-dimming Mirrors, Avus Wheels

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