"To change thy tranny fluid, or not to change... That is the question" THE FINAL ANSWER (IMHO)
07-31-2007, 04:43 PM
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"To change thy tranny fluid, or not to change... That is the question" THE FINAL ANSWER (IMHO)
So after a ton of searching, asking questions, more searching, I'm come to the conclusion that beyond a reasonable doubt:
you <b>SHOULD</b> change your transmission fluid and filter sometime after/around 50K!
This has always been a heated debate, but I feel that I've gathered enough evidence that proves this argument once-and-for-all (and backs up some basic common sense that AoA attempted to override).
<b> Fact #1 - There are documented issues that are solved with a fluid & filter change </b> - <a href="http://www.audipages.com/Tech_Articles/auto_transmission/autotran_troubleshooting.html"> Noise/performance issue that's remedied with a fluid/filter change </a> - After reading this article, you'll find that this is a common issue found in A8's.
<b> Fact #2 - Until recently, Certified Audi Dealers used to always change the fluid at 40-50K, and reputable mechanics have plenty of information on how to perform the fluid change </b> - <a href="http://www.blauparts.com/audi/audi_fluid/audi_automatic_transmission_fluid.shtml#"> Blauparts Detailed explanation of the process, and why you need to do it </a> - I'm sure some of you may argue that these guys are just out to make a buck, but products that cause catastrophic failure generally do not go unnoticed. At some point you have to trust the general consensus of the mechanics, and they all seem to think it's dumb to call anything a "lifetime fluid". The concept of a "lifetime" fluid has been a joke among Ford owner since the early 90's. So assuming you <b>do the job right</b> it makes no sense to say that new fluid and a new filter are a bad thing. I didn't include any links about previous dealer policies, but go to your favorite dealership, and ask one of the older techs on the floor what they think about the "lifetime" fluid policy. I did, and was not surprised to hear his say, "um well.. honestly, if you have it done properly, any fluid should eventually be changed". IMHO, that's the soft way of saying, there's no such thing as a lifetime fluid.
<b> Fact #3 - This is the big one folks.. Documented analysis of transmission fluid after 30K miles by </b><a href="http://www.blackstone-labs.com/tests.html"> Blackstone Laboratories </a> - <a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/700574.phtml"> Post from AQ6 with the test results from Blackstone </a> - When an unbiased third-party analyzes the fluid and basically says, "It's pretty dirty after 30K, and your transmission will last longer with new fluid", how do you argue with that?
After spending a lot of time reading about this topic and hashing it out with several mechanics, I believe there is overwhelming evidence that a well-done transmission fluid and filter change should be added to your 50K or 75K service interval. Hopefully this post will encourage people to seek a trusted Audi mechanic in there area who perform this maintenance, and help keep their vehicles problems free.
you <b>SHOULD</b> change your transmission fluid and filter sometime after/around 50K!
This has always been a heated debate, but I feel that I've gathered enough evidence that proves this argument once-and-for-all (and backs up some basic common sense that AoA attempted to override).
<b> Fact #1 - There are documented issues that are solved with a fluid & filter change </b> - <a href="http://www.audipages.com/Tech_Articles/auto_transmission/autotran_troubleshooting.html"> Noise/performance issue that's remedied with a fluid/filter change </a> - After reading this article, you'll find that this is a common issue found in A8's.
<b> Fact #2 - Until recently, Certified Audi Dealers used to always change the fluid at 40-50K, and reputable mechanics have plenty of information on how to perform the fluid change </b> - <a href="http://www.blauparts.com/audi/audi_fluid/audi_automatic_transmission_fluid.shtml#"> Blauparts Detailed explanation of the process, and why you need to do it </a> - I'm sure some of you may argue that these guys are just out to make a buck, but products that cause catastrophic failure generally do not go unnoticed. At some point you have to trust the general consensus of the mechanics, and they all seem to think it's dumb to call anything a "lifetime fluid". The concept of a "lifetime" fluid has been a joke among Ford owner since the early 90's. So assuming you <b>do the job right</b> it makes no sense to say that new fluid and a new filter are a bad thing. I didn't include any links about previous dealer policies, but go to your favorite dealership, and ask one of the older techs on the floor what they think about the "lifetime" fluid policy. I did, and was not surprised to hear his say, "um well.. honestly, if you have it done properly, any fluid should eventually be changed". IMHO, that's the soft way of saying, there's no such thing as a lifetime fluid.
<b> Fact #3 - This is the big one folks.. Documented analysis of transmission fluid after 30K miles by </b><a href="http://www.blackstone-labs.com/tests.html"> Blackstone Laboratories </a> - <a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/700574.phtml"> Post from AQ6 with the test results from Blackstone </a> - When an unbiased third-party analyzes the fluid and basically says, "It's pretty dirty after 30K, and your transmission will last longer with new fluid", how do you argue with that?
After spending a lot of time reading about this topic and hashing it out with several mechanics, I believe there is overwhelming evidence that a well-done transmission fluid and filter change should be added to your 50K or 75K service interval. Hopefully this post will encourage people to seek a trusted Audi mechanic in there area who perform this maintenance, and help keep their vehicles problems free.
