pcmarks

Hey everyone-

I bought my '05 A6 a couple months ago and am getting ready to do a tranny fluid change. I'm trying to get a sense of what fluid I should use-I know there are 3 different types (tan, blue, green) but unclear on which to choose. I spoke with the local dealer to see if the update for the TCU had ever been performed, which would've also swapped the OEM tan fluid for the blue fluid. It doesn't appear that update on my car's tranny ever occurred so I'm making the assumption that it's still running with the OEM tan fluid.

Does anyone have any insight on which fluid color I should go with? Or if I should even change the fluid? The service advisor at the dealer recommended not to change the fluid and said that lots of owners ran into serious issues after changing the tranny fluid. Lots of contradicting info out there so hoping someone can set the record straight. Thanks!

raj99

If your car has never had the s/w update you'll need ZF 6, if it's been updated go with ZF8. As I'm sure your aware, there are a ton of threads on this topic and the only way to be 100% sure of which fluid you have is by taking some out of your vehicle and checking it.

IMHO, there's no such thing as lifetime fluid...so I would change it and be done.

Here's some threads to help you out:
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-...fluid-2782694/
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a6-...hange-2846323/

hrc4u

mine had the zf6+ blue..software was somewhere updated to 0020.
to use the zf8 green software need to be higher than 0020 (if i remember right...think i posted some official info about this...many years ago ) =)
/H

dzywicki

I have used Amsoil Signature series Fuel efficient synthetic ATF with excellent results.
You can go to www.amsoil.com and look up your vehicle. I typically use the the lookup tool they call the previous version. It has more info on capacities than the "current" tool. https://www.amsoil.com/AmsoilGarage/...ookuppage.aspx

pcmarks

Thanks for the info, everyone. And sorry again for contributing yet another thread related to tranny fluid.

@dzywicki How did you arrive at the decision to use Amsoil? I checked their prices vs. the cost of ZF6/ZF8 and the difference is only about $20, which seems worth it to know I'd be using OEM fluids recommended by Audi. Also-how much fluid should I plan on buying if I'm just doing a drain + refill? I see some people suggest 9 liters and others anywhere from 4-6.

If my car is running the tan fluid or ZF6, would there potentially be any harm in me refilling with ZF8, just so I know I have the most current fluid? Thanks again.

dzywicki

The first time I did a change, I was ready to go with the ZF fluid and then happened to check Amsoil and they had just added the VW certification to their ATF. this 5-6 years ago. I had been using their oil in my motorcycle and their engine oil for a long time and just decided to give it a try. Jsut adding my .02 into the discussion in case it helped someone out. IIRC, I was right around 4 quarts with drain and fill. To be safe I bought 5. I seem to recall the price difference was pretty big when I was looking 5-6 years ago. Maybe that has changed more recently. I've been driving an A6 (on my 4th) for ~6 years now and have changed the trans fluid on the first 3 with Amosil so having some extra fluid around has worked out for me. Now if I could just avoid the deer in the winter I'd be all set. but, it did land me in my current A6 with the 4.2. Love that motor.

sswari

If your trans is not upgraded with the right software version, using the newer fluid may not be a great idea. You will need 5 or 6 bottles if you are just doing a drain and fill, if you are doing a filter swap, I would get 7 just to be safe, in case of a spill (It happens, and it hurts deep down in the wallet)

pcmarks

Awesome, thanks for the advice everyone. It doesn't appear that my A6 ever had the TSB performed, so I think I'm going to go with ZF6 and call it good.

pcmarks

Ok, revisiting this one more time-I found a local indy mechanic that let me bring the A6 in to hook up to his VCDS so I could see the software version of the tranny. Verified that the software version is indeed 0020. Can anyone confirm if that means my software has been updated? If that's the case, I'll probably end up using the green fluid (G060162A2). Thanks again for the help!