A8 D2 PF gearbox oil change?
 

Hi guys,

I was thinking about gearbox oil change on My PF Audi A8 D2 4.2 Quattro as I think the gearbox is not as smooth as it used to be. Phoned the dealer (Glasgow Audi) and was advised that the total cost is £180 inc VAT for labour and parts. Booked the appointment yesterday. Just got a call back from Audi saying that they've checked with the garage and on this model (4-speed no tiptronic) the unit is sealed and should never require oil change and this is not something they do? Eh? Is that right or they just do not want to touch it?

Phoned a4audi in Clydebank as well and they told me to contact Mackie Transmission. Phoned them and they said it should be £155 on 4 speed auto.

Now, what shall I do? :)

Advise appreciated!

Cheers,
Tom

See sticky at top the thread:

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showthread.php?t=24

In short, forget the "sealed for life" gag,it needs to be done every 60k (See article on thread) or more frequently and get it booked in with mackies. Several members have used them, they are approved by ZF and the price is v fair considering the price of fluid. They also have the right kit. +++

Thank you David! Appreciated!

As you are Glasgow based, how about the Annual Meet this June? Just up the road from you! +++

Ha! I got your PM :) Thanks! Will see how it goes and check my calendar for June. Need to read the PM and check what is actually involved/required!

Being a Scirocco fan (mk1/mk2), there is an International Meet in Poland that I might be attending, need to check if the dates are not very close.

How did Audi Glasgow manage to give a price quote for labour and parts something they don't do. Had mine done a few years ago now and drove a long way to have it done, but after watching wouldn't worry about doing it myself in future if needed. It's only oil and filter change.

Simple. They are muppets. Poorly trained muppets. And they dont have the entertainment value of Muppets either.

I shall be going in there soon to see if I can blag some gizzits for the annual meet in June - which gti69 might just be attending ;)

Right... the Saga continues!

Booked it for gearbox service at Mackies for today - gave them reg number, year etc, was quoted £155.40. Left the car today in the morning. Was told it will be ready by 2pm. Just received a call from John advising that he never seen such gearbox on Audi before as usually they are 5 speed. Well, I gave them the REG so they should have checked. They took off the sump and apparently cannot get to the oil filer. Extra cost for doing it would be + £260 on top of quoted £155.40 as apparently whey would need to remove the manifolds and cats?! So?! That is just ridiculous. Asked them to put it all back together and top up oil if required. Hopefully they are going to do it in a proper way and do not damage anything / nor leave it with too little oil! I am worried now...

Mackies are I think one of a few what I believe to be "A" rated ZF agents in the UK and a few of us on here have used them. Personally, despite the fact they made an error with the type of box in your car, I would have let them finish the service and maybe tried to negotiate on the additional cost. Any other transmission speciaist would presumably cost much the same and may not be as knowlegable on the ZF boxes. However there is another auto box company in Glasgow which I believe was set up by ex Mackies employees.....

http://www.caledoniantrans.com/index.html

you could try them I guess, good luck+++

Thanks Brian.

I was actually told today in the morning about Caledonian, will give them a try. I guess if someone is accredited by ZF then they should be trained on different gearboxes, plus, before quoting for a job, they should have checked the car/gearbox type and quote properly, not changing the terms when the car is on the ramp and realising this gearbox is something they never saw. I would assume a garage should have Autodata like database/software with all different procedures and instructions on how to change this on different cars. Phoned them back and asked how are they going to put it all back now, as if they took the sump off (not completely) they should really fit in a new gasket. I was told/asked - we will do whatever you want us to do? Eh? I just want it to be put back to how it was and to be sure it does not leak anywhere, as it surely was not leaking beforehand.

The extra £260 was quoted on 'umm, it is going to take extra 4hrs to do it as the cats need to be taken off, btw they are welded to the centre section...' ehh they are not as my mate just replaced the centre section for me and it is connected by clamp / bolts.

Not happy with the service at all.

To be honest, I am not trying to sound cheap here, but £415.40 for an oil change in gearbox sounds a bit too much to me.

Does anybody know what is a reasonable/average price for gearbox oil change? Looking to get mine done very soon.

Thanks

I think it depends where you get it done and whether it's a drain/refill (and new filter) or the full pumpy/squirty process.
Cost of the fluid is a major factor, but I'd budget for at least £200.

Had mine done at Mackie's in Glasgow a year or two ago, (they have the full pumpy/squirty machinery) for £157 IIRC

Go to A for Audi.
In Clydebank.

When I asked A for Audi, they recommended Mackies+++

So, all roads currently lead to Mackies.
But what will happen after the Scots vote for independence? :Confused:

Yep that does sound a bit expencive, the fluid should be the biggest cost.

The PF sump and filter will come off without removing the CAT's. The driverside CAT makes 1 or 2 of the sump bolts awkward to remove but it will pass.

Are we still talking PF? as this thread has moved away from the title and moved onto FL boxes and they are obviously different.

I've had both my PF and FL done at the same local independent (drain, refill, filter) and they had no problems. They did tell me in advance that the FL was a bit trickier to get at due to one of the cats getting in the way (I think of the bottom plate), but didn't charge noticeably more.

Hi there,

HP - I've done both FL and PF on the 5 speed and they are the same gearbox. However the origional poster is talking about the 4 speed that came earlier in the FL's life. I'd heard they were a lot more reliable than the 5 speeds

Lee

The 4 speed is what i'm talking about too, nice and easy.

And yes they do seem to be more reliable 235k on mine and no recepts for any work done apart from the filter and fluid change i had done a few years ago.