Should I change my dsg fluid?

Hello, I recently purchased a 2006 jetta TDI with 175,000 miles on it. The dsg fluid has never been changed and is the original fluid. The car runs great and shifts great. I know it's supposed to be changed every 40k. At this point, should I change the dsg fluid or just see how far I can get out of this trans. I know there's a rumor going around that changing old transmission fluid can cause more bad than good.
Thanks!

I can't imagine any reason not to change it. There are wear items in the DSG that the fluid carries away to a filter. It can't do that forever without losing at least some of its quality. I'm sure others will chime in, but I wouldn't want a good tranny to go bad quickly because I didn't change the fluid.

Even if the car had zero miles and 11 years of sitting exposed to moisture from the surrounding air through the vent, I would change all fluids...

Change the fluid

the two wet clutches in the fluid will be happier.

the reason for the old wives tale is folks who wait till an old school automatic slush box transmission starts to act up, then change the fluid. changing the fluid does not hurt a transmission, but it will not fix one, either.

The DSG is almost nothing in common with older automatic transmissions, more like a manual.

so, again, change the fluid, use the right stuff, new filter with a real o ring, and level properly with the snorkel at temperature.

Yes you should change the fluid & filter.
Check out DIY section for the service
When I did mine, made four sets of ramps by stacking two beveled edge 2x6
Lumber (had it laying around) to raise the vehicle evenly and enough clearance for me to get to the drain plug
Paid about $125 for genuine VW parts at the time.

Thanks for the responses everyone! I think I'll go ahead and get it changed then without having to worry.

shark56 said:

Thanks for the responses everyone! I think I'll go ahead and get it changed then without having to worry.

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No. Do not "get it changed". Change it yourself. It's not that hard.
If you have someone else do it, it will probably run you between $600-$1000. You can do it your self for under $300, which includes the purchase of the special fill hose that is required to do it. And since it is supposed to be changed every 40K miles or so, once you have the tool, it will be less than $200 for you to do it in the future. Keep in mind that if the DSG fails, your looking at 5K-7K for a new replacement.


Just saying.

changing transmission fluid is so 90s.

Question? Do you want to keep your car? Do Maintenance. $100 per 40K miles is cheap insurance.

invader said:

No. Do not "get it changed". Change it yourself. It's not that hard.
If you have someone else do it, it will probably run you between $600-$1000. You can do it your self for under $300, which includes the purchase of the special fill hose that is required to do it. And since it is supposed to be changed every 40K miles or so, once you have the tool, it will be less than $200 for you to do it in the future. Keep in mind that if the DSG fails, your looking at 5K-7K for a new replacement.
Just saying.

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...just saying...not everyone here can do their own work, for numerous reasons: apartment living, cold climate, no tools/skills required (it's not so simple for some people)

That said, my excellent dealer (Autobahn, FW, TX) changes DSG fluid/filter, CORRECTLY, for $400. Costs vary regionally.

shark56: if you choose to have it changed, make sure it's at a shop that knows TDIs/DSGs.

I do plan on keeping the car. Hope to get at least 300k miles out of it, since it's in excellent condition. My only concern was that it has been so many miles on the original fluid and was concerned about if there has been to much damage already and if changing the fluid would just make matters worse. However, the majority seems that the best thing would be to change it. I've looked up a bunch of DIY's and looks not to hard. I'm pretty handy with tools, so hopefully it goes well!

Enjoy your exploration. Search (advanced) here, there's another member that was in a situation similar to yours.

I made my own fill hose instead of buying one. You'll need VCDS to measure Trans Temp when you fill it but you'll still save money vs. paying a shop and will have VCDS for future needs.

I've done mine three times now, which will take it to sell back next year. Great transmission!

Do you guys recommend the measure fill method or the factory method? The mea use fill method seems a lot easier and not as messy. Doesn't it make sense to replace the same amount you drain?

What bothers me about the measure/fill method is the level is already low, your end result will a low level.

it is not that messy to do, if you have a place out of the wind, and a pan to catch the fluid in.

you have to drop the plastic cover under the engine,

remove the drain plug, and the snorkel (which is the one step that will cover your tool with fluid)

and get to the filter to remove and replace (with a real o ring for the cap)

if you don't want to mess with a hose to fill from the bottom, and are willing to wait for a longer fill from the top, you can replace the snorkel, and the drain plug, fill from the top (5 liters), then put it all together, run the engine and go through the gears, guestimate or measure the temperature of the fluid, and then remove the bottom plug, with the engine still running, and let the fluid drain till the flow is interupted, and plug it up.

you can also figure all the transmissions are pretty similar and put 4.6 liters in. (or a number from whoever you like)

If it hasn't been changed in that many miles, why change it at all? Leave as-is. I bet it will still perform many miles from now.

having high miles and no current issues make it lucky, not immune.

narongc73 said:

If it hasn't been changed in that many miles, why change it at all? Leave as-is. I bet it will still perform many miles from now.

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Bad advice. Seriously.

Fluid needs to be changed. You are dealing with electro-mechanical devices with small ports and screens. Its a hundred dollars for the materials and a hour or so for your time. I top fill using the adapter available from wallworld. If you poke a hole in the bottle to break the vacuum, the top fill time is greatly reduced.

If you have access to VCDS, I strongly recommend calibrating the transmission afterwards. It made a big difference in ours.

While I am a nobody and I am certainly not a transmission specialist, from the various reports of failure over the years, I believe the dsg is a victim of being serviced to death. By this I simply mean that mistakes are made which caused their failure and since service is called for so often, the odds are stacked against it.

Make darn sure you know what you're doing and for goodness sake, clean everything before you open things up!!! You cannot be too clean!

My car may be a unicorn but I personally changed the fluid soon after I purchased it at 380k miles and that was the very first time it was serviced. At 450k, it is still shifting fine. I believe these are much more durable and forgiving than most people would believe.

Just my personal experience and observation.

I just bought a 06 Jetta dsg with 129k on it. I believe the dsg fluid was never changed. I serviced the dsg and the fluid was tinted and had a bit of gold glitter in it. It shifts fine and all, except for a slight noise on downshifting from 3 to 2, just clicks a bit.
. I would just fallow the manufacturers recommended intervals for these cars due to their track records on other items..

"Still shifts fine."?

"...victim of being serviced to death."?

Seriously?

Servicing the DSG is a preventative procedure. You don't wait until it shifts bad. VW say's every 40k, you can realistically go 60k or so unless you're all city. Any more than that is neglect.

I can't tell if the "don't change the fluid" posts are outright trolls or folks using prior old wives tale knowledge that applies to traditional torque-converter automatic transmissions and is not applicable here.

I'm a diehard manual transmission guy, been driving a stick since I was 16, and even I have to nod in approval when I drove my now ex-wife's DSG equipped Jetta. The stats are here on the board and they don't lie- the DSG is actually a pretty refined product. Nothing like the "slushbox" that it replaced.

Anywho. If the fluid is past due for replacement, simply replace it. Even if you have to pay a shop to do so. It's a small price to pay for hundreds of thousands of trouble free driving.

Its extremely easy. Drain it. Put 4.6 liters back in. Change filter and be done. Fyi some guys just put the full 5 liters in and forget about any kind of measuring. Get this done asap so you can get ready for the next issue.