Reconditioned Audi Gearbox

17 Audi models, four gearbox types: twenty-eight years of transmissions covered

Between 1996 and 2024, the Audi range went through several major technical shifts in its transmissions. The earliest generations — A4, A6, A3 first generation — came with 5-speed manual gearboxes paired with 1.9 TDI units (engine codes AFN, AGR, AHF, ALH, among others) or naturally aspirated 1.6s (BAD, BGU, BSE, BSF). The arrival of the dual-clutch DSG — first in 6-speed form, then 7-speed — fundamentally changed the landscape: from the mid-2000s onwards, the same engine could be paired with either a 6-speed manual or a DSG depending on the trim level, build year and market. This is the most common identification pitfall on Audi.

DSG 6, DSG 7, manual: the Audi gearbox families you need to tell apart

The DSG 6 (DQ250) is fitted primarily to diesel units and high-torque TFSI engines; the DSG 7 (DQ200, dry-clutch gearbox) is paired with lower-torque engines such as the 1.2 TFSI (CBZA, CBZB, CJZA) or the 1.4 TFSI (CAXA, CAXC, CZDA, among others). DSG units are supplied with a new dual-clutch assembly but without the mechatronic unit: this is a technical point, not a commercial one — the mechatronic unit has its own service life and is not replaced as part of the gearbox. 5- and 6-speed manual gearboxes remain in use, particularly on older-generation 1.9 TDI engines and on certain 2.0 TDI units (AZV, BKD, BRE, CAGA, CAGB...) depending on the body generation.

Identifying your gearbox precisely: engine codes and build years, the two key factors

On Audi, the engine code stamped on the block (three or four letters) is the decisive piece of information. The 2.0 TDI illustrates the complexity well: it encompasses more than thirty different codes — from AZV to the more recent codes DFBA, DFGA — spread across gearbox generations that are incompatible with one another. The 2.0 TFSI follows the same logic, with codes ranging from AXX, BWA through to the CWZA, CYRB generations. Top-of-the-range engines — 3.0 TDI, 4.2, 3.2 TFSI, 2.5 TFSI — have their own gearbox families and share no references with the compact units. The catalogue covers reconditioned gearboxes for seventeen models, from the A1 to the R8, with two distinct purchasing options depending on whether the unit comes from stock or the customer sends in their own unit for rebuilding.