Gearbox service by ZF in Dortmund

[jmw748]

Ian,

If I'm reconditioning my gearbox fully, should I still look to sell my beloved S8 soon? She's already had a pre-emptive gearbox service (for what benefit?), a new windscreen, wheels are being refurbed Tuesday and I'll book her in for a cambelt change next month. I'm not going to keep ploughing thousands into the car - I would rather consider converting it to manual instead or just cutting my losses soon. I talked to Unit 20 about a manual upgrade after hearing a rumour they'd done so to an RS6, but it turns out they haven't done the transplant yet and they push their auto issues to CAT, so no real experience of the conversion yet. As much as I love the S8, there's a fine line between dedication and commitment to a marque and foolhardy investment. At least I don't have a multitronic box (reading horror stories about those makes me wonder if Audi are any use at picking the best auto boxes). When I looked at getting a motorway muncher, I thought twice about high mileage 5 Series' because they have auto problems - turns out they use ZF boxes too!
If Chester Auto Trans replace the torque converter, friction plates etc, should I expect the box to last for a good period after the job?