A8L 4.2TDi gearbox service questions?

[GlynH]

Hi there,

I have been looking to get my gearbox serviced properly since I bought the car nearly 5 years ago. I was close once where I drove the 700 mile round trip to Mackie in Glasgow, dropped it off late one afternoon, decamped to a hotel but then got a call in the morning to say they had the wrong parts for my particular box but that there was also an oil leak that meant the transmission would have to come out!

As this was on 17th March 2020 and we were steaming towards the first COVID lockdown I never did get round to booking it back in.

I have driven all around the UK and across Europe before and since and don't have any issues but as I have now hit 169k miles and I will hopefully have some spare cash figure now is the time to get it booked in.

In the 5+ years since I have had the car it has never left a drop of oil on my pattern-imprinted concrete drive and checking the service history see it had an oil leak repaired prior to me buying the car back in March 2018 so can assume the box doesn't need to come out.

I have also asked if they can replace the oil in the front diff/transfer box and the rear sports differential while they have the car in but they tell me, quote;

"With regards to the sport diff and the transfer box these require carrying out with pressure bleeding equipment, also the transfer box is combined procedure along with the front diff of the gearbox. Which when they are in situation can be very tight to get to. So unfortunately, we wouldn’t carry out these procedures for yourself."

Disappointing to say the least as they do seem to have a reputation of being a first-class ZF Service Agent but is this task really as difficult as I am being told?

Have any of you guys ever carried out an oil change in the front diff/transfer box and rear sports diff? Possible? Impossible??

I must admit my first point of call back in 2020 was ZF themselves in Dortmund after reading some great reviews of Klaus & Co. but unfortunately they don't do service work any more and wanted to refer me to one of their authorised Service Agents of which Mackie are one. I believe they also told me that the oil changes on the differential are only carried out if there is a drain plug there.

Thoughts?

Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-