ATF Fluid/Filter Change @ 81K miles

[marklar182]

So is it a gamble, or good idea to change the ATF fluid and filter @ 81K Miles? I do not have any records of it ever being changed. I have all the OEM parts/fluid on hand, but am second guessing it.

I am reading conflicting info, some say bad idea, some say it is a good idea......

[V8weight]

I personally adhere to a rule of thumb not to change trans fluid beyond 60k, if it hasn't been done previously. That's just my opinion, hopefully TozoM8 will chime in.

[JSRS6]

+1. It seems that at this point in the game, if you do choose to go ahead with the flush, you should also remove the valve body and maybe have it rebuilt/cleaned. Otherwise you run a good risk of Sediment getting dislodged and mucking up your valve body.

[DHall1]

Let me throw this out there.

Do you know the type of driving the car had? Stop and go 80k or hwy commute 80k?

I would give it a shot but do a complete flush of fluid...lines and cooler flushed as well as TC.

Worst case you rebuild but then its fresh start. At 80k it could be on borrowed time anyways.

[speedtrapped]

damn sucker born every minute? I went and bought BND's ATF and was going to re[lace fluid? I know the tc has been replaced.

[marklar182]

Let me throw this out there.

Do you know the type of driving the car had? Stop and go 80k or hwy commute 80k?

I would give it a shot but do a complete flush of fluid...lines and cooler flushed as well as TC.

Worst case you rebuild but then its fresh start. At 80k it could be on borrowed time anyways.

Not sure of previous driving, but I would guess it was stop and go.

[DHall1]

I think you're good with a fluid and filter job with BND. Perfect actually.


damn sucker born every minute? I went and bought BND's ATF and was going to re[lace fluid? I know the tc has been replaced.

[DHall1]

I would PM Tozo on this one. Its a toss up to leave it in or go ahead and change it.


Not sure of previous driving, but I would guess it was stop and go.

[marklar182]

I would PM Tozo on this one. Its a toss up to leave it in or go ahead and change it.

Done. Linked him to the thread, so hopefully he will put in his $.02

[TozoM8]

Personally I don't like fluid changes on a high mileage car. However if your TC was replaced before they replaced the fluid too. Do you know how many miles you have on the new fluid? If you decide to do it I would stick with the same fluid as you had in there. I know OEM fluid is $$$ (it is cheaper at the VW dealer) I never use it. I've never used BND fluid either so I don't know how well it mixes with the one you have now.

[marklar182]

As far as I know (from Audi service records) my trans/TC have never been touched. I think I will hold off for now. I do have an EW on the car in the event the trans dies, I am just a big fan of preventative maintenance. It sounds like in this case it may cause more harm than good.

Any one need an OEM Filter, orings, drain plug, pan gasket, and 9L of Audi ATF?

[speedtrapped]

Tozo, I believe Tc was changed @ 40k miles, so 72k now....but I just found out that the dealer I bought the car from flushed fluids and replaced ATF /filter...sooo that said I have 2k miles on new fluid.....i guess if i want to try BND, might as well. already paid for. Ty Tozo

[DHall1]

If you have a new filter in the trans....you could just complete a couple of drain and refills with BND fluid. Just be sure to follow the proper refill procedure. Pat wrote up a thread on the trans fill procedure.



Tozo, I believe Tc was changed @ 40k miles, so 72k now....but I just found out that the dealer I bought the car from flushed fluids and replaced ATF /filter...sooo that said I have 2k miles on new fluid.....i guess if i want to try BND, might as well. already paid for. Ty Tozo

[Hy Octane]

Personally I don't like fluid changes on a high mileage car. However if your TC was replaced before they replaced the fluid too. Do you know how many miles you have on the new fluid? If you decide to do it I would stick with the same fluid as you had in there. I know OEM fluid is $$$ (it is cheaper at the VW dealer) I never use it. I've never used BND fluid either so I don't know how well it mixes with the one you have now.

Well Tozo, what do you use then and why if I might inquire?

[TozoM8]

Schaeffer's synthetic ATF. It runs cooler than any other brand.

[marklar182]

Not to discount anyones experience/suggestions here (I value everyones input), but I contacted ZF NA regarding the fluid change specifically for an RS 6 with 81k, here is their input;

"....there has been a lot of discussion regarding oil change intervals for ZF products as well as the age old questions of inducing failure by changing fluids at higher mileage. "

"Yes we do recommend fluid and filter change at 100,000 miles for light driving and highway or as low as 60,000 for aggressive or frequent stop and go."

"After the vehicle is beyond the factory warranty the decision to service the transmission is yours and it can not be harmed by regular maintenance performed by a qualified technician using the correct ZF fluids and OE parts."

"Transmission fluid technology has changed as rapidly as other automotive technology over the years. Vehicles of the 70's and possibly eighties did suffer from oil changes at higher mileage. This was due to the oil allowing dirt to drop out and possibly more critical the oil causing rubber o-rings to harden over time. After servicing a transmission some clutch or fine metal deposits would have loosened just from removing the pan and filter assembly. These would then be free to enter the valve body or governor assemblies through their exhaust ports if they were not removed during service. Modern fluids and rubber compounds are much more stable and do not create the seal swell issues of days past. Modern fluids and their additive packages keep dirt in suspension allowing it to be caught in modern filters. Combine this with the introduction of electronics eliminating many mechanical assemblies making the transmissions less prone to suffer from stuck valves. "

[DHall1]

Good to hear ZF side of things. Its still a crap shoot.

I will do mine at 40k.



Let me throw this out there.

Do you know the type of driving the car had? Stop and go 80k or hwy commute 80k?

I would give it a shot but do a complete flush of fluid...lines and cooler flushed as well as TC.

Worst case you rebuild but then its fresh start. At 80k it could be on borrowed time anyways.

[marklar182]

I agree.

I wish I had full records on this beast :(

[Hy Octane]

Well, Audi does say its a lifetime fluid.. and since most of these plastic transmissions they saddled us with have died by 40k miles, I guess thats a strangely true fact..
It remains extremely annoying that Audi has just sort of quietly decided that its acceptable for a $90k car to have multiple transmission failures/replacements before 100k miles ... then they casually expect us to pay for it like its normal.
They should have allocated 2 trannies per car no charge..They should still do it..

[TozoM8]

What ZF said is true, but they can't call that modern fluid. It is a mineral fluid in the transmission for 8 years. The bottle says 3 years self life. I've seen a lot of valve body with big chunks of dirt in it. A fresh fluid will brake it loose and it could block orifices. There are lot of discussion info out there about change it or don't. Some had no problem, some said it was all downhill after that. There is no 100% guarantee either way.

[ben916]

I didn't know how the original owner drove the car so I had it done at my indy shop (and I don't think they did it 100% correctly, but that is another topic) and it shifted immediately better and differently. To me, it ran smoother and shifted quieter.
i had it done at roughly 38k miles.
i saw the fluid (it was green) and the amount of metal shavings on the magnets and I felt it was definitely worth the $450 I spent.
Just my opinion.

Posting from the Great Wet Pac NW!!!

[TozoM8]

Just to be clear, I recommend fluid change if you do it every 30-40K miles. I do not recommend it if it has high mileage on the original fluid.

[RS6Steve]

I changed mine 10k ago, now on 70k and after about 1k the box felt much better. I will be doing it again at 80k