Fluid - Advice

[MAM]

I have my car booked in tomorrow and was trying to get a price from York Audi for the Transmission fluid. They are calling me back, but they are saying that it is sealed for life. They are now working on a price for me, but they are adamant that it is not needed.

Advice please so I know whether I am wasting my money or not.

2006 car, 4.2 Petrol 65000 miles.

Thanks

[notorious]

Run from them

I'd suggest to try Chester Transmissions: http://www.transcentre.co.uk/

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5968

[MAM]

I'll leave it then for Audi. I will maybe look at getting across to Chester Transmissions and see what they can do for me. As Audi are adamant that the box does not need the work, it does worry me how much they may actually do right if they do the work.

[snapdragon]

Try another place as said. It is not 'sealed'. That's a stupid term.
It has a drain and fill plug and their documentaion shows how to change the fluid. It has a lifetime fill of fluid (not the same as sealed) and their documentaion says

ZF 6-speed automatic transmissions are filled maintenance-free with specially developed partially synthetic ATF oils.
Maintenance-free fills are intended for normal operating conditions. Especially driving at very high operating temperatures can result in accelerated aging or increased wear of ATF oils. It is recommended, in the event of severe operating conditions, such as:
- frequent highway driving in top speed range,
- offensive, sporty driving style,
- frequent trailer operation,
oil purification (oil change) on automatic transmissions is recommended between 80,000 km and 120,000 km, or 8 years, depending on the load.
In each case, only released ATF oil may be used for oil changes. And oil changes must be performed in accordance with the relevant specifications.

[MAM]

Is this something that I should not worry about until 100k then? Or is it prudent to do a change this year.

[snapdragon]

Originally Posted by MAM

Is this something that I should not worry about until 100k then? Or is it prudent to do a change this year.

I edited my post - the concern starts at 50,000 miles if you are a severe operator, so I think anything over that and it should be on your radar, what's more, many of these cars are 8 years old too.

[HPsauce]

There are plenty of concerns about the D2 5-speed gearbox, but is the D3 as much of a worry?

[notorious]

I heard D3's gearboxes are bullet proof

...But D3's just don't look as good as D2s...

[IT]

D3 box failures are very rare, compared to the virtual certainty of the D2 box going. They do get a bit notchy and clunky towards 100K miles, but a good thorough service at that point seems to breath fresh life back into them.

If the box feels good, I'd be tempted to leave it alone for now. If it feels like its losing its smooth, get it serviced....

[MAM]

thank guys