The last time I serviced the trans fluid I raised the car with a floor jack and used jack stands. Definitely not the way to do it. So what is the best method to do this in a home garage? Are four car ramps safe? How do others do this?

 

...do it, because you have to shift into all gears after the first fluid fill and that's not too safe on ramps.

 

+1, I serviced a Passat TDI this way. I would have been able to get away with just jacking the front on that car since it is FWD, but you want the car level to make sure it is serviced properly, so jack all 4 corners. On Quattro cars the point is moot, jack all 4.

Search and you will find instructions for a great method using a length of plastic tubing, an old metal coat hanger, the bottle of new fluid, and an air compressor. I recommend not much more than 15-25 psi, any more and the new bottle of transmission fluid starts to bloat scarily like it might burst!

Make sure you can loosen the fill port before you loosen the drain port & drain the transmission!

Also, VAG COM is your friend, you are looking for a spec temp for the transmission fluid.

 

Buy a lift for the garage. $3-4k

 

Just did my C5 Avant Q last weekend. You absolutely must have all wheels off the ground and sufficient clearance to work under there. I used ramps at front, jack stands at rear. The car Must be level.
A great tool for filling /topping up is a Motive Power bleeder. It holds ~3 liters at a time. I fabricated a "J-Hook" tip using copper tubing. It Worked great. And Didn't spill a drop.
It's also obviously indispensable when flushing your brake fluid...

 

I did the four jack stands last time. Worked fine but was a little unnerving lifting onto and off the stands, as well as time consuming. I do not see what is wrong with 4 ramps or 2 ramps and then jack stands in the rear. The car does not need to move when going through the gears. Firm foot on brake and wheel chocks should suffice. No?

 

Yes.

 

Will 4 ramps actually work?

 

Yes, but there is clearly a danger the car can run off the ramps when you cycle the transmission from drive to reverse.

Furthermore, it seems to me that it would be a good thing to have the transmission cycled through all its gears, i.e., for all the various valves and hydraulic actuators to be actuated during the fluid fill, something that simply cannot be accomplished with the wheels stationary. On a ramp(s) the only gears cycled are first and reverse; however, ZF procedures and Audi say handbrake on, etc.

One ZF source for 5HP24 trans says the handbrake is ON, therefore the wheels don't have to turn:

http://akpp-city.ru/pdf/5HP24A.pdf

That being said, one ZF procedure for BMW transmissions indicates the wheels don't have to move:

1. The transmission temperature must be between 30°C and 50°C before checking can begin. Use the DIS or the MODIC to determine the transmission temperature. <Audi would be Vag-Com>
2. The vehicle must be level and without load. With the engine running, switch on the air conditioning. This will increase the idle speed and ensure that all oil passages in the transmission are filled with oil.
3. Step on the brake firmly, apply parking brake fully and move the selector lever through each gear position, pausing briefly in each gear.
4. With the engine running and the selector lever in Park position, remove the filler plug located on the transmission (see picture for location). If a small stream of oil runs out, the fluid level is correct.
5. If no oil runs out when the filler plug is removed, the fluid level is too low. Add oil until it starts to overflow.
6. With the engine running, reinstall the oil filler plug and tighten to proper torque. (Refer to section F below for proper tightening torque)

 

Now I am getting confused. If my foot is firmly on the brake, how am I going to run off the ramps when switching into reverse?

Also, I was not aware I am to allow the wheels to move when moving through the gears as I refill the trans. The last time I did it on jack stands I remember being told to move through the gears pausing for 10-30 seconds but with the brake on. This seemed to work fine. Was I wrong? Should I have allowed the wheels to rotate?