Oil change in 5 speed Tiptronic box

Hi,

Has anybody in Hampshire or the surrounding counties had the oil and filter changed in their Tiptronic gearbox (as usually fitted to quattro's) and how much did it cost? (I know its about £150 in oil and parts alone). I would like to find somewhere that has done it before and knows what they are doing as the filling procedure is fairly critical. Even the local stealer didn't inspire confidence when they initially suggested its a sealed unit and it can't be done!

Thanks in advance

Dave

Hi guys this is very interesting, I have the 2.7T on 02 plate (triptronic). I was planning to get the gear box serviced, as it is recommended on the audi service book itself. So shall I not get this done then? 10 Hours Ago 20:55

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Is your 2.7T definately tiptronic? I believe later models had the multitronic gearbox, which absolutely must have the oil changed every 40,000 miles. I've been researching this all week & Audi say the tiptronic 'box is filled for life & there is no need to change the oil. Having checked out every website I can find on this, there is one thing none of them either tell you or make entirely clear which is that the capacity of the whole system (incl. all the pipework & cooler) is 9 litres & if the 'box is drained & the oil pan removed to replace the strainer, only 2.6 - 3.0 litres is removed (source: Elsawin, the official Audi workshop info.) so to me it seems almost pointless in mixing a small amount of expensive new oil with a lot of old oil. Note also that the strainer is exactly that - a strainer - not a filter, so the likelihood of it
being blocked is slim & there are a number of magnets inside the oil pan to collect metallic debris. I also rang a number of Auto. Transmission specialists & the majority said don't do it unless it looks really bad (drain a little out to check the state of it). My car is a 2.8 & has just turned up 88,000 miles & I was thinking of changing the oil on the basis of preventative maintenance but for these reasons I have decided not to do it.
P.S The figures above apply to my gearbox, which is 5 speed tiptronic, code DEX 01V. I Don't know if the same figures apply to 'boxes with different codes.

Dave

I should just add that the procedure for refilling the 'box & getting the level correct is quite involved & lengthy, so unless you are certain the mechanic or whoever knows exactly what they are doing, I'd steer clear.

Dave

The two 'boxes are very different. Tiptronic is a good old fashioned auto 'box with torque converter. Porsche added the manual override feature to it & then licensed it to the rest of the world. The Multitronic is a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) which, put very basically, consists of two pulleys - a driver & a driven - & a segmented steel chain. As one pulley effectively increases in diameter the other decreases & vice versa. Both 'boxes can have change buttons on the steering wheel.
Audi actually state the oil for the Tiptronic is a 'lifetime fill' - quite what a lifetime is I don't know... but I believe they are clear about oil changes for the Multitronic which are, from what I read, imperative.
Check on your gearbox code on the label which is normally in the spare wheel well & in the service history booklet. Your dealer or Audi U.K. will be able to tell you what 'box you have from this.

Dave