red_pOrtlAnd_A4

My car makes a mettalic rattling-clanking noise when accelerating in 1st gear only. 2nd-5th and Reverse all sound fine. It has made this noise for the past year an a half and the car drives just fine. I took it to a mechanic for an opinion and he suggested that it might be my transmission and the early A4s are notorious for having bad first gears. Any ideas? Is there a FAQ on this somewhere or past thread I've missed in my searching? And, is it bad to continue driving on it?
Thanks!

The Burnt Audi

apparantly 1st gear loses it's tempering and and chips. Had the same thing happen to my car and when it was rebuilt 1st gear had a chunck missing.

red_pOrtlAnd_A4

Or do you just continue to drive on it until something breaks? Was it an expensive fix?

The Burnt Audi

Which at very least means 1st gear, 1st gear syncro and the main shaft. (main shaft needs to be replaced if 1st gear is being replaced)

As far as cost I'm not sure for what you need...but I had mine rebuilt and it needed
1st gear
1st gear syncro
2nd gear
2nd gear syncro
main shaft
gasket kit
cost was about $3,500

Your probably better off finding a used transmission in good shape.

booher

I had the same problem with my first gear after letting my 19 year old borrow the car while traveling for a week. Had first gear and main shaft changed, and new clutch installed for just over 1,500 dollars (I bought the clutch from ebay and the mechanic installed it at considerable savings)