40k DSG Service - Is it really necessary?

jeffjeja

Well-known member
Joined
May 15, 2011
Location
CT
TDI
2010 JSW TDI
I've read and been told conflicting views on the necessity of the DSG service at 40,000 miles on a TDI JSW. I'd appreciate and be interested to see others' takes on that.
 

TDI_Dan

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2011
Location
Michigan
TDI
2015 GSW 6M MKVII, 2011 Golf TDI 6M (bought back)
I'm betting most here would defer to the intervals stated in the vehicle manual.
 

pknopp

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2011
Location
WV
TDI
2012 Jetta Sportwagen
I'll be doing mine. I've neglected tranny services in the past when the alternative was running to the junkyard and picking up a $300 used one but that isn't the case here.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Nah, just skip it. ;)

Seriously, of course it's necessary. Dealer service writers and repair shops haven't caught up with the DSG service intervals, and give uninformed responses that go back to "lifetime fill" conventional automatics.

That transmission and its components are very expensive. IMO it would be foolhardy to ignore the manufacturer's recommended service.
 

Roshermoore

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2009
Location
East Texas
TDI
2009 JSW DSG sunroof
Yes to maintain warranty on my 09!

I've read and been told conflicting views on the necessity of the DSG service at 40,000 miles on a TDI JSW. I'd appreciate and be interested to see others' takes on that.
Since I'm one of the 09 model year owners who received an extension of the warranty on the DSG to 100K miles or 10 years, I have to have the DSG service done at 40K intervals to keep the warranty in effectl
 

40X40

Experienced
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Location
Kansas City area, MO
TDI
2013 Passat SEL Premium
I've read and been told conflicting views on the necessity of the DSG service at 40,000 miles on a TDI JSW. I'd appreciate and be interested to see others' takes on that.

Read and follow the owners' manual. Scheduled maintenance is not optional, nor unnecessary. It is simply scheduled. Disposable machines have lifetime fluids.... If you treat your VW as a disposable machine, it will slowly become one.

Bill
 

jeffjeja

Well-known member
Joined
May 15, 2011
Location
CT
TDI
2010 JSW TDI
Thanks for the replies. You've convinced me that the better-advised route is to get it done.
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
It's not necessary at all as long as you don't mind buying a new transmission after 100,000 miles. ;)

As mentioned in an earlier post, pay me now $$ or pay me later $$$$$$$.
 

tdi90hp

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2002
Location
Canuckland
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6 speed(gone but NEVER forgotten)
I think this is a good thread....who really knows....all the so called experts are chiming in...who says you cant "stretch" the intervals a bit...like if you drive all hwy....40K seems fast to me ....if you do every 60K....doest that mean the transmission will puke sooner??? NOT convinced but hey I drive a stick....hahahaha....If I had a DSG I would be tempted to stretch that interval a bit....priced it out yet?? it's an expensive service...If you can miss 2 of those flushes in 200K...then might be worth it....(of course there is always warranty to deal with but I am talking more out of warranty)...I dunno...call me doubting tom but I think those intervals are VERY conservative for a hard driver and for more service CONTROL for their dealers....I think the gentle driver...all hwy...could easily stretch....same as 3000 miles vs 10,000 mile intervals....in some ways....just sayin....
 

lzhome

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2012
Location
Florida
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE DSG Nite Blue
I'm in the throws of making a purchase, so what does the 40k service cost?
 

SVTWEB

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2001
Location
Beyond Comprehension
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI Cup-Edition EVO 4-Motion
Chiming in with my $7.81... *inflation adjusted

My 2005.5, Mk5 TDI DSG. 208,000 miles. Did 40K Service. oil sent out. minimal amount of crap in oil. Did 80K Service. oil sent out. less than 5% of what was in the 40K service. Did 120K service. oil sent out. 1% of what was in 40K service, 400% less than what was in 80K service. Did 120K service. less than 1% of 40K service. Will be doing the service again at 220K as the $300+ for the service is not doing much of anything from an oil perspective. It looks the same going out as it does going in.

Now, what I do think is that the 40K is important. I think that all the parts wear in and mate and that is what created the debris in the oil. What would be a good plan of attack would be to do the 40K service and then every other oil change, change your DSG filter and add 1/3 of a quart of DSG fluid and then change at 100K and continue 100K change intervals for the fluid but change the DSG filter on every other oil change.

Hey, I don't have all the answers, but I do have almost 1,000,000 miles on TDI's....
 

Kenn JSW

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2012
Location
SE WA State
TDI
2013 Jetta Sportwagen
It wouldn't just be debris in the oil that's an issue, but shearing of the oil. In other words, the oil itself wears out eventually, becoming less viscous and less protective. But unlike engine oil, there shouldn't be a lot of chemical contaminants (gas/diesel and combustion by-products) mixing with and diluting the oil.

FYI, here are some current VW transmission prices, to help people decide if they want to risk a transmission to avoid doing proper maintenance. Personally, I wouldn't buy a used DSG transmission vehicle if services have been ignored or delayed by those that think they know better than the manufacturer.

Automatic transaxle, Transaxle
Jetta, 2.0L
List Price : $6,799.98
Your Price : $6,222.00
Quantity:


Automatic transaxle, Transaxle
Jetta, 2.0L TDI, Trans Code MFL
List Price : $5,999.99
Your Price : $5,490.00
Quantity:


Automatic transaxle, Transaxle
Jetta, 2.0L TDI, Trans Code MSV
List Price : $5,799.99
Your Price : $5,307.00
Quantity:

To these prices, add A LOT of labor cost!
 
Last edited:

40X40

Experienced
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Location
Kansas City area, MO
TDI
2013 Passat SEL Premium
Chiming in with my $7.81... *inflation adjusted

My 2005.5, Mk5 TDI DSG. 208,000 miles. Did 40K Service. oil sent out. minimal amount of crap in oil. Did 80K Service. oil sent out. less than 5% of what was in the 40K service. Did 120K service. oil sent out. 1% of what was in 40K service, 400% less than what was in 80K service. Did 120K service. less than 1% of 40K service. Will be doing the service again at 220K as the $300+ for the service is not doing much of anything from an oil perspective. It looks the same going out as it does going in.

Now, what I do think is that the 40K is important. I think that all the parts wear in and mate and that is what created the debris in the oil. What would be a good plan of attack would be to do the 40K service and then every other oil change, change your DSG filter and add 1/3 of a quart of DSG fluid and then change at 100K and continue 100K change intervals for the fluid but change the DSG filter on every other oil change.

Hey, I don't have all the answers, but I do have almost 1,000,000 miles on TDI's....

It sounds like that first DSG service at 40,000 miles is VERY important. Thanks for the DATA. (First DSG DATA I remember seeing...)

Bill
 

olson325is

Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2007
Location
WI
TDI
01 Jetta, 12 Golf
Just remember that a replacement DSG is around $6500. The 40,000 mile service is cheap. $6500 will buy a lot of services.
 

JBell

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2012
Location
None
TDI
None
Chiming in with my $7.81... *inflation adjusted

My 2005.5, Mk5 TDI DSG. 208,000 miles. Did 40K Service. oil sent out. minimal amount of crap in oil. Did 80K Service. oil sent out. less than 5% of what was in the 40K service. Did 120K service. oil sent out. 1% of what was in 40K service, 400% less than what was in 80K service. Did 120K service. less than 1% of 40K service. Will be doing the service again at 220K as the $300+ for the service is not doing much of anything from an oil perspective. It looks the same going out as it does going in.

Now, what I do think is that the 40K is important. I think that all the parts wear in and mate and that is what created the debris in the oil. What would be a good plan of attack would be to do the 40K service and then every other oil change, change your DSG filter and add 1/3 of a quart of DSG fluid and then change at 100K and continue 100K change intervals for the fluid but change the DSG filter on every other oil change.

Hey, I don't have all the answers, but I do have almost 1,000,000 miles on TDI's....

That's great info. Is there any measurement showing how much life the fluid still had in it? (Like TBN for oil is)
 

Thommy D

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2011
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
2011 JSW TDI
I did the 40k service today. I TOTALLY zoned-out and forgot the free service ended at 36k

So I pick it up, $440 (USD) and NO DSG fluid change.

180 bucks in parts (4 filters and engine oil), 250 in labor.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
So if the dealer was doing a 40K service, why didn't they contact you and do the DSG fluid change? Seems they should have brought it up.
 

40X40

Experienced
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Location
Kansas City area, MO
TDI
2013 Passat SEL Premium

wanabe

Well-known member
Joined
May 10, 1999
Location
Delray Beach,FL,USA
TDI
2009 Jetta Sportwagen, Laser Blue, manual transmission
Your cost may vary

I did the 40k service today. I TOTALLY zoned-out and forgot the free service ended at 36k
So I pick it up, $440 (USD) and NO DSG fluid change.
180 bucks in parts (4 filters and engine oil), 250 in labor.
My local dealer told me that the 40K service would cost me $549 for a MANUAL xmission. So I did it myself.
 

DZL_Damon

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Location
Maine
TDI
09 TDI Loyal Edition
Chiming in with my $7.81... *inflation adjusted

My 2005.5, Mk5 TDI DSG. 208,000 miles. Did 40K Service. oil sent out. minimal amount of crap in oil. Did 80K Service. oil sent out. less than 5% of what was in the 40K service. Did 120K service. oil sent out. 1% of what was in 40K service, 400% less than what was in 80K service. Did 120K service. less than 1% of 40K service. Will be doing the service again at 220K as the $300+ for the service is not doing much of anything from an oil perspective. It looks the same going out as it does going in.

Now, what I do think is that the 40K is important. I think that all the parts wear in and mate and that is what created the debris in the oil. What would be a good plan of attack would be to do the 40K service and then every other oil change, change your DSG filter and add 1/3 of a quart of DSG fluid and then change at 100K and continue 100K change intervals for the fluid but change the DSG filter on every other oil change.

Hey, I don't have all the answers, but I do have almost 1,000,000 miles on TDI's....
excellent observation. Others experiences may vary of course, but I noted my oil coming out was very clear. My filter was very dark however, and I felt good it was being changed. in 20k I'll see how my 80k change is.

I didn't have my oil analysis containers in yet for my 40k service, but plan on it for the 80k. I have a feeling I might just do the filter after I see my results for the 80k

As far as TBN for oil, this is a hydraulic fluid essentially. It is not exposed to products of combustion like engine oil. It does not have amount of contamination engine oil does at all. Clutch material and bearing wear which hopefully is minimal along with some slight oxidation from air, but that hopefully is minimal as well.

The thing I hate the most is not being able to CHECK my oil level.
 
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