Tiptronic: True or False

Dealer tells me "No Service needed". Service manual doesn't list it so!:

Is the tiptronic transmission truly a sealed unit that never requires a fluid change, top up, filter/screen change or any of the other routine maintenance that I would have expected of any gear box? It just doesn't seem natural...

Any service related readings always refer to the DSG

It's not natural. Neither is writing a $4500 for a replacement unit

VW basically says this for both the 5 speed Tiptronic (09A) transmission (which is a Jatco JF506E transmission) and also the earlier 4 speed (non-Tip) 01M transmission that the fluids or filters do not require service. THere have been many, many posts discussing this both here and at VW Vortex. The conclusion is that even though the fluid and filter are probably good for 100K miles (there are quite a few who change fluid sooner), they definitely should be changed at some point. The bad news is that on the 09A 5 speed tiptronic, you cannot change the filter without taking the transmission apart (I like to do this service, but I draw the line at not doing that). It is easy to change the fluid though (I just did this on my 04 PD tiptronic with 50K miles), you basically just pull the plug and drain it and then refill it. I also just changed the fluid and filter on my daughter's 01 (01M) transmission with 72K miles on the car. The two different transmissions require 2 different fluids. I must admit that the fluid on both looked pretty good, but I know that any oil has stuff in it that degrades over time and miles which is why most people will still agree that it needs to be changed. I bought my fluid at this website http://www.germanautoparts.com/Volkswagen/Jetta/Transmission/261/5

My thinking on this subject is this: VW says it is a lifetime fluid. So, if you never change it, and the transaxle grenades or grinds itself to metal flakes, its life is over, and therefore, the fluid has lasted the life of the transaxle.

Just my cynicism, hard at work as always.

So in answer to pruzink's hesitation on opening the transmission I came across this site. It seems fairly straight forward, not really taking the trans apart; just dropping the pan to get at the filter thingy... or am I looking at this through rose colored glasses...

http://www.blauparts.com/vw/vw_flui...shtml#howtochangevwautomatictransmissionfluid

That picture looks like the 01M transmission not the 09A. THe 09A does not have an oil pan on the bottom, its on the side. I have quite a bit of information on the 09A (5 speed tiptronic) if you have a very large email box (about 50MB of stuff). There was a post from someone that had a solenoid valve fail on the 09A on VW Vortex. He had to get access to the valve body/pan (which is mounted sideways) through the wheel well (rather involved). He had planned on changing the filter when he did the solenoids but it was not accessible. (My email is pruzink@charter.net if you want the files on the 09A)