N_Jay

So to add another layer to this, just picked up an '04 Touareg with the 6speed Tiptronic.
Now, I thought "Tiptronic" was a ZF trademark, but this beast has a VW 09D / Aisin TR60SN transmission.
Why do I bring this all up, well when I called the dealer to check the service intervals, I was told it was "sealed for life" and as long as there were no signs of leakage, not any specific issues, overheated transmission, severe duty use, etc. not o change it.
I was even given the old line that changing the fluid sometimes 'causes' problems.
I even found a VW training manual on-line that say it is "sealed for life".
Wonder if Aisin and VW agree or disagree on this?

Prospeeder

Funny that Toyota/Lexus who use the same transmission specify fluid changes. They of course are not going to risk their reputation to make a silly maintenance schedule look better. I have done a few Cayenne and Tuareg trans fluid changes, its looking pretty ugly by 80k. Severe use category is basically the way any person drives if you ever look up how its defined.

N_Jay

I think the whole problem is caused by German anti-pollution laws.

passatdiesel

Curious since we're on the topic of transmissions. Does anyone know the shift pattern the 04 A8L uses, I find when I accel up a hill with cruise, it seems that the transmission doesn't downshift, but rather unlocks the torque converter. When you switch it over to manual shifting, the TC relocks. This is all noticed by how the RPM behaves, when unlocked, you can fluctuate the RPM's indirectly to the speed at which you travel. When locked there is a direct correlation. I think it's my only pet peeve with the car is the downshifting when in D. Sport mode doesn't seem to unlock the TC in the higher gears.

N_Jay

I think most "sport modes" are designed to feel like a manual, hence keeping the TC locked as much as possible.

dvs_dave

The shift patterns are adaptive depending on driving style, vehicle speed, load, inclination, steering angle, throttle position, cruise control, rate of throttle change and lift off, mode selection, warm up etc etc....i.e. a whole bunch of variables. Therefore it's not really possible to describe a specific shift pattern as there isn't one.

MP4.2+6.0

Yes, torque converter unlocks first with mild additional throttle pressure. The ZF six speed is unusual in the first place in that it could lock the TC in other than top gear. To me its a benefit since it makes tranny operation more seamless w/ modest throttle increases--less of sudden kick down and lurch, and infinitely better than the five speed was for shift down responsiveness. Similarly Sport has little use for me. But then maybe W12 torque just smooths it out all the more. D4 4.2's I drove w/ the 8 speed weren't as smooth as mine either either, but then the 8 speed has more than a few programming hiccups in a lot of applications.

raj99

If you want to do the tranny fluid change yourself, the process for the D3 is almost exactly the same as that of the C6. Robert did a great walk-through of the entire thing with PICS! https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-...fluid-2816950/
enjoy

allenst

interesting option.

the way I've been reading things , I've felt that the internals were to be kept as sacred as an Intel chip lab !

lo and behold, you can use atf OR VASELINE during the disassembly/assembly process of your gearbox.

N_Jay

Where did you read that?

Probably because the quantity is small, and given its pure mineral oil base, will not alter the overall performance of the ATF.