KraTToR

Hi Everyone,
I tow a 2500# boat alot during the summer and I was wondering what your thoughts are on an increased fluid change schedule.

- Increase engine oil/filter change or just change the oil at the 1/2 way point between regular changes

-What about transmission, ctr diff serviceing? I believe these all have lifetime fills which I'm not fond of.

-As pre the tranny, what about the diffs?

TIA,

Patrick.

Redd

The gearboxes are not lifetime fills, check your maintenance schedule. And since the engine oil spec is for premium synthetic, unless you do a lot of miles at high speed with a heavier load, you aren't in the "extreme service" category yet. If you want to KNOW whether your oil is still good, spend $25 to send a sample out to Blackstone or another test lab when you think it needs a change. A week later you will know if it does--or can go another six months.

KraTToR

INteresting, I went throught the maintenance schedule and I didn't see anything about the changing of drive train lubs...

Am I missing something?

Redd

I would look at my owner's manual, but as Audi hasn't seen fit to provide a PDF version and I'm too cheap to buy a second printed version, my only copy is in the glove box, and I'm not in the car.

IIRC the main transmission is spec'd for a 40,000 mile fluid change. I don't recall anything about the differentials but the folks who make the finest fluids for them, all call for fluid changes sooner or later. Typically 40-50,000 miles.

Since I'm not putting on a lot of miles, I've had no urgency to check on this but you might want to check on that before you put 40,000m on yours.

Bob Petruska

for all Audi models, except for some reason the Q5 hybrid model.

S-tronic (DSG) trans do need fulid changes.

Maintenance schedule in PDF.........

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...74115972,d.eXY

Redd

Bob-
The Q5 hybrid is actually mentioned in there a couple of times. Apparently the way it is supposed to read, is that if the item in the left column is in your car (and you are left on your own to figure that out) then any special notes for particular models are picked out in the entries. If a model is not mentioned, that just means "there's nothing special for that model". So all models are included, except as noted otherwise.

I can't see that with two differentials and a transmission in between them, that there are no fluid changes to be done. Unless ATF has been radically improved in the last decade, it always "cooks" and breaks down in normal use.

I know things change. There are $25 brake fluid testers to be had these days, and test strips, so you can test it without wondering if it needs to be changed. Nissan, for instance, says test it if you feel guilty, that their DOT3 is a lifetime fill. Audi says change it relentlessly every second year, don't waste your time testing it. Hmmmm....Do I really trust any of these guys?

Do the makers of any of the Audi-approved fluids say they are good for 100k miles or ten years? Any of them? Has ATF really improved that much??
And there is no filter to check or change in the transmission??

I have these trust issues, when service advisors tell me not to believe all the nonsense I hear on the internet, like how I can put a simple dipstick in my car. I expect they'll "correct" that and remove it when I go in for the first servicing. After all, they tell me it can't exist.

Bob Petruska

4 oil changes
2 air filters
2 pollen filters
2 sets of wiper blades
1 set of spark plugs
1 brake fluid change


and I will do it a lot better than an Audi tech who is rushed.

For the owners who don't get their hands dirty then, the normal cost of 4yr/45K miles maintenance is about $1600 at the dealer, and they will sell you Audicare for about $800 so that in a way is a good deal

Bob Petruska

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-...ssion-2840432/

MP4.2+6.0

Buried in the maintenance schedule is that--uniquely among Q5's or any conventional AT Audi--the Q5 Hybrids get a tranny fluid change as part of the scheduled maintenance at each major service interval. Mentioned elsewhere in the thread. Changes the analysis much more in favor of AudiCare for the Hybrid, since the pricing is still the same. Hybrid has no conventional torque converter, so I expect they decided fluid is taking more stress in high load situations w/out the buffering of the converter.

Got me in the habit of carefully reading the maintenance schedule for the given Audi against the price of AudiCare. Back in 2007 it was priced the same for all Audi's, whether you had a 4 banger on a long major tune up cycle, or a 12 cylinder (13 quarts, 12 plugs on 40K cycle, twin air filters, etc. Made it a great buy given I priced the parts alone to do a W12 at well above the AudiCare price at the time.

MP4.2+6.0

comparisons for ad purposes--an economic reason to game the table--and it makes the customer feel warm and fuzzy that it's so "low maintenance." Til the tranny blows up...

Having the six speed in the D3 A8 and been inside it, I can first person pretty much confirm that flavor of another "lifetime fluid" one isn't either. And if you dig deep, you will find things like lead was eliminated back tarting with the six speed generation on internal tranny parts, so it's even a new ballgame on some important internal changes they don't talk about. Think bushings for example in the internal clutch area of the tranny. So, now it's basically steel on steel, and in areas actually designed for controlled leakage at specific rates. Not particularly where I want 10 year old, 100K mile fluid with a probably long fried additive pack serving as my life blood.