JoeWidd

LarryJa

I am surprised that the dealer released the car back to you like that. I'm more surprised that they ever put in the updated fluid without, 1st, updating the software.
That fluid is wrong for your car without the software update.
I hope that you trans is not damaged by what they did.

PS: the trans in my '06 C6 3.2 was updated early in it's life &, now, uses the "rare" blue LF6+ fluid. I am careful to just get that when I do my annual "drain & refill".

uberwgn

Yeah, you should not be running the "update" fluid if the update hasn't been performed, Joe.

Were you having transmission issues with only 65k miles? Seems a bit earlier for a change out.

hrc4u

Isn't the lf 6+ blue as I recall?
/H
Edit : yes..

JoeWidd

no problems before this. I was just trying to be proactive.

LarryJa

Yes, it is "blue"! I guess as I age (66), I AM more prone to confusion, but it has been 6mo. since I did the last "drain & refill". Fortunately, ecs still sells 6+(@$35-40/l).

sswari

I remember seeing a thread either here or on Audizine about a guy that could do software upgrades remotely. I think he is in Poland and from what I could tell, he does a really good job.

raj99

That was to remove component protection...not the same as updating the tranny s/w

Mark Patterson

Firstly I am sorry to hear about your problems. Secondly and this is important what you are about to read is my opinion and is based on my own personal experienceas well as a huge amount of research, messaging Audi and ZF North America representatives, owners of other Audi's a few guys from the Ford and Jaguar camps and too many Audi tech's to even begin to remember. I will state also for the record that I am not affiliated with Audi or for or against any other brand or manufacturer of cars, oils, transmission parts or even employed in the automotive trade although I will say that I am perfectly comfortable in ripping into my V10 doing jobs that many techs shy away from and have as much experience or perhaps more than others on the planet when it comes to fixing oil leaks on the same V10 but that is another story for another forum.

So let me tell you that I too had the fluid changed in my 2007 Audi S6 ZF 6HP26 equipped gearbox and will pass along what I found out in the hope that it will help. Firstly the "blue" transmission fluid that you had installed in your gearbox is not and never will be the correct fluid for your ZF 6HP26 gearbox. It should never have been installed in your gearbox until the software update was completed because it is ABSOLUTELY not compatible with the gearbox in your car at your current software level and regardless of what your dealership is telling you now after the fact it is absolutely incompatible not because I say so but because ZF themselves say so. For the record I am not sure what the software update changes or what necessitates the blue fluid at that software level I just was told that it can not and will not work in the gearbox unless both the software and fluid are matched together. The factory fluid which originally was used by ZF in your A6 Audi is ZF lifeguard 6 oil. It is not the ZF lifeguard 6 plus (blue) fluid you have now installed and it is definitely not the Blau Parts kit fluid you purchased and I am not a shill for the dealer nor a hater of Blau parts oils or parts in any way but this gearbox is incredibly picky when it comes to oils and you have the wrong oil it in now which is unequivocally leading to the woes you now have.

Just as a background the ZF gearbox was also sold to Land Rover, Ford, Jaguar, BMW and Audi obviously and probably some other manufacturers as well and each manufacturer believe it or not had their own fluid as a factory fill - yes even from ZF when new!!- and none of them can be cross referenced and put into another manufacturers gearbox successfully in spite of what someone else might tell you. I have messaged many people on this and more than a few of them tried to purchase Ford fluid at 18 to 25 dollars a litre rather than the expensive Audi 65 to 75 dollar a litre fluid for their Audi''s or Land Rovers 35 to 40 dollar a litre fluid for their Jaguars which Jaguar charges 60 to 70 dollars a litre for but in every instance this is a perilous journey which always ends in disaster so please don't try it. BMW is also ridiculous for fluid per litre probably as much or more than Audi so no one that I talked to tries to use BMW fluid in anything other than a BMW but you get the picture I am sure by now.

I changed my fluid because of slow speed shifting problems when coming to a stop otherwise known in various manufacturers ZF 6HP26 forums as "the lurch" which essentially has the transmission shift erratically between 1st and 2nd or in my case 2nd and 1st especially when coming to a quick stop. There have been various attempts at software fixes from Jaguar for their gearboxes which some say helped somewhat others say it did nothing ZF I believe also made some updates available but that is hard to discern on an individual car level in a dealership and even harder - read impossible - to obtain. In my case hitting the throttle again quickly without allowing the car to come to a complete stop and settle into 1st gear at random times had the gearbox hang itself stuck somewhere I believe between 2nd and 1st and then would essentially slam itself into first as the RPM''s were usually well north of 1500 to 2000 rpm's causing the car to shoot forward like you just got rear ended. Believe me I thought given the bang and the way the car reacted that I had been rear ended the first time it happened. Put simply I was terrified and my neck was truly aching each time it happened but once I zeroed in on the problem the fluid change made sense to everyone I talked to right from Audi to ZF to techs and other brand enthusiasts. This is the point where the aforementioned research began.

In my case the problem was a fluid filter which was dirty and believe me not excessively so visually anyway but enough I guess to restrict fluid flow especially as I said at low speed when approaching a stop area and when the internal transmission pump circulating the fluid was at its lowest rpm and pressure point. Changing the fluid and replacing the dirty filter did without a doubt clear up this problem and returned the gearbox to as new condition so I would highly recommend returning your vehicle for a transmission service and drain out the improper fluid asap but I cannot stress enough that you MUST use ZF 6 fluid and NOT use any other manufacturers fluid regardless of what they tell you about compatibility. To be specific this not I speak of means not meets the spec, not Royal Purple or Mobil 1 special anything (I am not knocking their products but not in this case with this transmission!!), not we put in a special additive so that it meets or exceeds Audi''s spec just the proper ZF manufactured in the original bottle lifeguard 6 (actually golden color for the record) (not 6 plus "blue" fluid unless you have the updated software already installed prior to the fluid and filter change). I am not sure how plentiful the ZF branded lifeguard 6 fluid is now but my local Audi dealer parts department had no trouble getting it for me but you will definitely need to sit down when you see the price of the fluid you will need to purchase to complete the service properly. Just remember the fluid and labor to do it is less than one quarter of the price of the tramsmission should you blow it so it.is a good investment. I can't remember how many litres mine eventually took but I think I brought in 8 to 10 litres of ZF Lifeguard 6 oil and then the parts department returned the full bottles of what wasn't used in my particular service.

It isn't my place to comment on if you want to return to the dealer that did this to your gearbox in the first place but I would also for the record like to state that there is an Audi specified service procedure that needs to be followed religiously if the fluid replacement is to be done successfully so the information is out there and is easily accessible through Audi Inc. if the tech and or the dealer that employs them want to find and follow it. This includes but is not limited to ensuring that the gearbox is up to a specified temperature before checking final filled fluid levels (believe it is 200 degrees but don't quote me on that) and that the gearbox is filled then shifted into each gear for a specified period of time then pressing the brake in between and then by completing an "adaptation drive" in forward and in reverse as per Audi's written procedure for specified periods of time and at specific speeds (yes the Germans are a bit crazy when it comes to documenting and developing procedures I will admit) BUT and it is a big BUT if you have a service tech at an Audi dealership and either arm him yourself with info or if he or she is diligent and will avail themselves of the proper parts, and correct oil the service of this gearbox is not in the least bit difficult provided you have a tech that can and will follow the Audi specified instructions for this model of gearbox - and with few exceptions it is the same for all Audi gearboxes albeit with new or differing fluids depending on the year and model of car and gearbox so a tech worth his salt should be able to do it in his sleep but specify a tech and not an apprentice to complete the service and don't be afraid to talk to the tech before hand because you will quickly figure out if you want them doing the procedure based on what they tell you regarding the service procedure and or the oil you can use. If they don't say the oil is specific to the gearbox and the software version or give you some speech about oils being cross compatible run don't walk away and find another tech or Audi service department. It is also important to complete the final fluid level check after following all procedures and competing the "adaptation drive" as the gearbox when warm will probably take some more fluid to fill it to its final "full" level before heading home and this final fluid level check is temperature specific so make sure they check the level at the specified temperature.

Last but not least make sure you get the proper transmission pan gasget for your version and year of the car you drive because there are at least two different bolt patterns for the 6HP26 gearbox in my car and pethaps still more in other models and years of models and do not use or even dream of using silicone based sealant in place of the proper seal or gasget because you will no doubt run into leaks even though someone is going to reply to me here that they have a Jaguar with the 6HP26 gearbox which only uses sealant and no gasget, good for Jaguar but if you own an Audi do yourself and favor after having spent all that hard earned money on the fluid and spend the final 60 or 70 bucks to purchase the proper Audi transmission filter and the correct Audi gasget from your local Audi dealer. Take my advice and you should be able to spend your time enjoying the car instead of trying to catch all that expensive fluid in a pan or bucket when the cheaper incorrect silicone sealant you put on fails shortly down the road.

Good luck and let me know how you made out with the service.

JoeWidd