Is it too late to change S-Tronic oil?

[The General]

I have an Audi 2016 A6 and have booked it with the dealer for a major service and MOT tommorow.

I was going to get the S-Tronic oil changed too but the service lady said it may do harm to change it at this point as it was due for a change around 15k miles ago.

She said that the car would have now adapted to the oil and it can damage the gearbox if I change it now.

What are your thoughts on this? I am not convinced but it is an Audi dealer saying so.

Is there anyway to tell of the gearbox oil has been changed in the past without looking at the service history?

 

[rjwojcik]

Jez... First time I've seen a quote like this about the gearbox oil

If it was my car, I would get it done. How many miles has your car done now? Has it a full Audi service history?

 

[Darren92]

2016 for a major service in a dealer plus a gear oil change ... madness. Independent specialist all the way, be prepared for a big bill with or without the gearbox service!

 

[The General]

2016 for a major service in a dealer plus a gear oil change ... madness. Independent specialist all the way, be prepared for a big bill with or without the gearbox service!

Would have been a big bill if I booked it directly through Audi, it would have cost around £980. But I booked through a third party website for a third of the price of going direct. Not bad for having the dealer do the work

 

[The General]

Jez... First time I've seen a quote like this about the gearbox oil

If it was my car, I would get it done. How many miles has your car done now? Has it a full Audi service history?

Seems to have the full history, does not look like the previous owner did it when it was required.

It now is at 57k miles gearbox oil was due at 38k

 

[rjwojcik]

Seems to have the full history, does not look like the previous owner did it when it was required.

It now is at 57k miles gearbox oil was due at 38k

If it's all done at Audi then they'll have a record of the services carried out. I'd ask for a copy.

As said, if it was my car I'd have the oil changed pronto.

 

[RAF_S7]

First time I’ve ever heard of such a thing, especially from a dealer

Sounds motored like they don’t want to do the work!

The S-Tronic service is quite expensive, if I remember correctly mine was around £200(ish) in parts (the oil is expensive!). Had an Indy do the work as part of a full service, I supplied the parts (from our own Parts Request team

 

[The General]

So called up another dealer they said they've never heard of such advice.

Went to the dealership I booked the job with and they said it is not too late to do it now although some damage may already exist as the change is overdue but it was still better to change the oil rather than keep it in.

They've also mentioned that on rare occassions the oil change can trigger issues for the gearbox if changed when overdue and this was a risk they had to make their customers aware off.

The job is booked now and will be done by them today.

Major service and MOT cost £308
Gearbox service costs £225

Better than prices I got from specialists and independents. Although it is an old car for this price there is no harm in going to the dealer as I won't be charged by limbs.

 

[Welshquattro]

I had mine done last week by Audi dealers and it had done 50k since its first gearbox service. I’d get it done and tbh Audi dealers are just as cheap for the gearbox service.

 

[beemerboy9]

There are 3 types of s-tronic boxes:
1. 6 speed with wet clutch. Because in this one has the clutch sitting in oil, more debris will build up and this is why it is recommended to change it every 40k miles or so. Also the oil helps cooling the clutch.
2. 7 speed with dry clutch. This one doesn't have the clutch immersed in oil so, no need to change it. The oil inside is only to lubricate the gears an you would want to change it the same way you would change it to a manual gearbox. Most people never id it...
3. 7 speed wet clutch. this is very similar to the 6 speed wet clutch. It is newer though and it is capable to handle more torque than the other two. It can be found on cars like the A5, S5, Tiguan etc. and can be combined with Quattro and transversal engines.

 

[The General]

I had mine done last week by Audi dealers and it had done 50k since its first gearbox service. I’d get it done and tbh Audi dealers are just as cheap for the gearbox service.

True, the price of the oil and kit to change it is £190 (quoted from Audi)

Did you notice an improvement in driving quality after the change?

 

[Welshquattro]

Well when I picked it up it sounded noisier and the gear change wasn’t as smooth but over the next few days it’s Settled down and is so much better now. Lovely smooth gear changes and very quiet now.

 

[DonkeyIce]

I paid £225 for my GB oil change late last year (Audi fixed price charges)cheaper than the Indy’s and has the benefit of if the box goes boom I stand a better chance of a goodwill gesture out of warranty


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[Abbas91]

So called up another dealer they said they've never heard of such advice.

Went to the dealership I booked the job with and they said it is not too late to do it now although some damage may already exist as the change is overdue but it was still better to change the oil rather than keep it in.

They've also mentioned that on rare occassions the oil change can trigger issues for the gearbox if changed when overdue and this was a risk they had to make their customers aware off.

The job is booked now and will be done by them today.

Major service and MOT cost £308
Gearbox service costs £225

Better than prices I got from specialists and independents. Although it is an old car for this price there is no harm in going to the dealer as I won't be charged by limbs.

Hi, I have had the same cal from the audi dealership telling me I may have issues going forward as the gearbox service is almost 20k miles overdue, how has your car been since after it was serviced?

 

[Urhavinalaf]

Does anyone have any more awareness on this? I’ve just bought a 2011 A7 and because there was only partial history and nothing on transmission, I requested a gearbox oil change.

400 miles later I have P17D4 00 Valve 3 in transmission Part 1 failure. My first thought were Mechatronic unit breaking down but (as we all do) I started googling possible outcomes and found this thread. Is it really possible for an oil to become too viscous to change??

Unfortunately, I’ll have to claim through a warranty company so hopefully they will channel me through a specialist with specific awareness of VAG ‘foibles’ :-/

 

[The Chippy]

Does anyone have any more awareness on this? I’ve just bought a 2011 A7 and because there was only partial history and nothing on transmission, I requested a gearbox oil change.

400 miles later I have P17D4 00 Valve 3 in transmission Part 1 failure. My first thought were Mechatronic unit breaking down but (as we all do) I started googling possible outcomes and found this thread. Is it really possible for an oil to become too viscous to change??

Unfortunately, I’ll have to claim through a warranty company so hopefully they will channel me through a specialist with specific awareness of VAG ‘foibles’ :-/

How did you get on with this?

 

[Urhavinalaf]

Warranty company were dicking me about so I ended up doing it myself!

Was the main pressure solenoid on the mechatronic unit, replaced it and seems fine since. Not easy without a pit or ramp but doable if you’re a competent diy mechanic. I can’t say for sure if it was triggered by the fluid change or unlucky coincidencE.

let me know if I can give you any pointers. There’s an A5 blog by a guy called ‘Andybuck’ which is a fantastic resource.

 

[Owyn]

I had mine done today at a local independant, 36k miles since it was last done and its noticably smoother, money well spent.

 

[Adrian Dalgleish]

Hi, I have had the same cal from the audi dealership telling me I may have issues going forward as the gearbox service is almost 20k miles overdue, how has your car been since after it was serviced?

How did you get on with it after the oil change? Looking at an A6 2.0tdi 2017 plate with 70k miles on it. Service history lost, audi have no record of it being done. Drives good, smooth changes, no discernible noise, but it ‘could be’ 35k over due. I believe first service is 35k, second after a further 40k.
I’ve never driven this type of box before, my old one is the cvt type. It’s miles better than that!