First DSG Service

Did the 40K DSG service on our '13 Passat today at 39,685, also the first service I have ever performed on this car, as all previous maintenance was included. Seemed like a good idea to start with the biggest job first, and then spread it out over several days.
I performed the drain / measure / fill procedure, as I saw no reason to do the VW bottom fill procedure. From start to finish- about 3 hours, but a good bit of that time was because I had never done the DSG service before, and certain steps (and not the ones I expected) proved to take more time.
Rather than do a video, I will post a link at the end that is the best I have seen, and very accurate, on how to do this procedure.

Following are some random timings I did on various steps in the process:

1. Put car on ramps = 5 minutes

2. Remove battery and tray (gives access to filter) = 23 minutes. This operation wins the "funky award," both taking out and putting back in.

3. Remove belly pan = 10 minutes off, same back on. This is a PITA, at least I feel this way, because in 50 years of driving and close to 20 vehicles I have never had one with a belly pan.

4. Drain #1 (fluid that emerges when big 14mm drain plug is removed) = 5 min. Got a little over a liter at this stage.

5. Drain #2 (fluid that emerges when 8mm snorkel is removed) = 15 min., basically let it quit dripping). Got around 3.5 liters.

6. Replaced snorkel and drain plug w/ new washer, refilled DSG (used amount drained + 200 ml for filter) with 4.7 liters. I put the 5 bottles of new oil in hot tap water in the kitchen sink before I started the whole process. This time was the biggest surprise = 5 min. / liter. I used the $8 "Hoppy Flo-Tool", available from Amazon, Wal-Mart, etc. The plastic fitting on the end of the hose of the Flo-Tool fits the opening in the filter housing perfectly— I mean as if it were made for it. I just hung the funnel part of the Flo-Tool from the hood with a wire, then I could just pour in a liter and go do something else, like replace the belly pan.

7. Installed new filter & O-ring = <5 min., secured cap.

8. Replaced battery tray and battery. Took longer than taking out, the winner for the most single time consuming operation of the whole day was trying to figure out how to reinstall the battery clamp (which I finally did, after maybe 15 minutes).

9. Put on engine cover and started car, ran through the gear selector as shown in video (10 seconds in each position / each way), then backed car off ramps and took for test drive. Drove fine.

There are a number of videos on how to do this DSG service, the following is my favorite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4woqUj8qLY

My conclusion about the DSG service: a few people have made much of this, but it is very DIYable for the average owner, although maybe not as one's first rodeo. My experience only reinforces in my mind that what many people pay for this to be done is just absurd, if not highway robbery.

Thanks for the post. Mine will happen in a few months. Plan on doing it myself.

jimbo1mcm said:

Thanks for the post. Mine will happen in a few months. Plan on doing it myself.

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I think you'll do fine. The DSG itself should be exactly the same in your 2015, it's in removing components to get at the filter housing that your procedure is likely to differ. I've watched several videos (Passat, Jetta, GTI) and it's in getting the battery and battery tray out that those differences will be encountered. Kind of like a real tight puzzle with the Passat. My favorite video, which I linked in my previous post, clearly shows where all the bolts are that need to be removed, and it shows him popping the airbox off the top of the battery tray. The bolt on the front left (the only one that takes a hex wrench) only unscrews until it detaches from the battery tray, it doesn't come out, whereas the others all do. The positive battery cables in front are kind of a PITA, since one is attached to the top of the tray. I just pulled it loose and left it that way.....

Nice post, thanks for taking the time for it. I'm halfway there at only 20K, but I'm definitely going to do it myself when the time comes.

Nice post and I agree that doing this job is not that difficult, even for the folks who are not very mechanically endowed.

I have had a 2005.5 MKV and did two DSG fluid changes with no issue and I plan to continue with my newer Passat. Top fill method is the way to go.

when I first joined tdiclub I got destroyed for even breathing the word top fill- glad most people have wised up to the fact that the DSG is simply a manual transmission with a pump & filter with wet clutches.
When my friend brought me his JSW with leaking axle seals I did the top fill but used the funnel to make sure it was full as measuring a leaky trans wont work.

jrm said:

when I first joined tdiclub I got destroyed for even breathing the word top fill- <snip>

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Well, I'm glad you survived. For a lot of people, the manual must be adhered to in all things, and to the letter. When something is as involved as the bottom fill, though, some people are going to look for a workaround, and they did, and once it's demonstrated that it works, the "by the book" people shut up sooner or later. I haven't seen anyone on the forum lately who can present any reason to do the "VW way" over top fill. Now, they're equivalent, so it's "Do what makes you happy."

I agree the top fill makes sense. But I'm unsure how I can capture the drained fluid to measure it correctly. What do you use for a catch bin, and more importantly, how exactly are you measuring it?

I have two basins I use for auto maintenance. One is for oil changes, and I certainly wouldn't want to use that, since some oil residue always remains and it's pretty gunky inside. The other is designed for catching coolant. But it has no capacity markings. It's not exactly pristine inside either.

jrm said:

.....
When my friend brought me his JSW with leaking axle seals I did the top fill but used the funnel to make sure it was full as measuring a leaky trans wont work.

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Could you please elaborate on how a funnel can determine the DSG fluid level?

Or maybe I am incorrectly interpreting what you meant to convey. Thanks.

I've never done a DSG fluid change but will need to this summer.

I'm not sure why it is necessary to measure the drained fluid as opposed to just draining and then refilling with a specified pre-determined amount of fluid. If the previous fill was incorrect or leaking, then the measured amount of drained fluid would be the wrong amount to add.

I'm also not sure why there is not a DSG dipstick (or Ross-Tech VCDS method) to periodically check the DSG fill level if the amount of fluid is so critical that it is even dependent on temperature when using the VW recommended method.

atc98002 said:

I agree the top fill makes sense. But I'm unsure how I can capture the drained fluid to measure it correctly. What do you use for a catch bin, and more importantly, how exactly are you measuring it?

I have two basins I use for auto maintenance. One is for oil changes, and I certainly wouldn't want to use that, since some oil residue always remains and it's pretty gunky inside. The other is designed for catching coolant. But it has no capacity markings. It's not exactly pristine inside either.

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I've seen several different containers used, but I just used what I had on hand. In my case, I wanted to measure two volumes:
1. The amount that comes out when the main drain plug is removed (turned out to be about a liter).
2. The amount that comes out when the inside snorkel is removed (turned out to be 3.5 liters)

I had a quart pitcher that worked OK for #1, since it held somewhat more than a quart.
I had a big flat oil drain pan that's been around for many years. I cleaned it out well with diesel, drained it thoroughly, then did the #2 drain into it. I poured all the oil into an empty 5 qt. jug that had scales for both quarts and liters, and got about 4.5 liters. I figured another 200 ml for what was trapped in the filter, and filled with 4.7 liters. This is a very common amount. Most people I've read performing this method fill with 4.6 - 4.7 liters. One guy said he just dumped in all 5 liters.
Needless to say, on all future DSG services, I won't bother doing two separate measurements, and I probably won't bother measuring at all. This was my first DSG service, and I was doing it as much to satisfy my curiosity as anything.

roostre said:

Could you please elaborate on how a funnel can determine the DSG fluid level?
Or maybe I am incorrectly interpreting what you meant to convey. Thanks.
I've never done a DSG fluid change but will need to this summer.
I'm not sure why it is necessary to measure the drained fluid as opposed to just draining and then refilling with a specified pre-determined amount of fluid. If the previous fill was incorrect or leaking, then the measured amount of drained fluid would be the wrong amount to add.
I'm also not sure why there is not a DSG dipstick (or Ross-Tech VCDS method) to periodically check the DSG fill level if the amount of fluid is so critical that it is even dependent on temperature when using the VW recommended method.

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I think you are correct in everything you state, particularly when it comes to the temperature business, which has never made any sense to me. In my case, the measurement was largely to satisfy my own curiosity, since I've never done this before. I can see no reason to measure henceforth.

I don't know if temperature is specified with the VW method because of the fluid changing volume with temperature or because of the transmission changing volume with temperature or maybe both.

I just wish VW had included a method to check the DSG fill level besides the VW recommended drain and fill method where you add extra fluid and then drain the excess though the snorkel while operating the transmission at the proper temperature.

And thanks for sharing your DSG fill experience as I'm more inclined to attempt this myself now. I've always done all my own maintenance before the TDI. Truthfully though, working on the common rail TDI kind of intimidates me. Maybe because I'm getting old and think about things too much anymore or are just afraid about making a mistake and messing something up.

I'll be 72 next month, but I've always done my own routine maintenance, and I decided after looking at some videos and reading some threads that I could do the DSG. It's not that I'm not sore the day after, but as long as I can do these things, I will.
I was concerned about having all my ducks in a row to do this service...but everything worked out. I figured if the worst happened, I'd call AAA and have them come and tow it to the local dealer.
Somewhere in a thread someone posted a graph showing how much oil would change in volume with temperature— and for what we're dealing with, it's just not enough to matter. No one can convince me that in a total volume (drainable and non-drainable) of around 6.5 liters, that a few hundred ml either way is going to make any difference.

atc98002 said:

I agree the top fill makes sense. But I'm unsure how I can capture the drained fluid to measure it correctly. What do you use for a catch bin, and more importantly, how exactly are you measuring it?

I have two basins I use for auto maintenance. One is for oil changes, and I certainly wouldn't want to use that, since some oil residue always remains and it's pretty gunky inside. The other is designed for catching coolant. But it has no capacity markings. It's not exactly pristine inside either.

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With the money you are saving by doing this yourself, you could justify buying a new plastic drain pan just for DSG services.

Itzed said:

With the money you are saving by doing this yourself, you could justify buying a new plastic drain pan just for DSG services.

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You are of course right. My concern is that I'll most likely be selling my house this year, and the last thing I need is another something in my garage. After 25 years, I have way too much in there now!

Now that we're empty nesters, I can't justify keeping such a large house, plus I'm working on a promotion that would require a move to either DC or Fort Worth. I really have to get cracking and clean the junk out of my garage...

I did few weekends back. I did on lift, my indy shop loaned me a lift (we friends). I used their pump to pump fluid into the tranny, it was just short of 5 liters. It's very easy, but I have to wait like 10-15 min to get tranny to operational temp 45 C. It drained about 200 ml may be less. So I had left overs about 200-300 ml.
I did both tranny and engine at same time. Removed and replaced both filters. Re-installed battery and intake. Than lift a car up, drain engine and tranny oil/fluid, than re-installed engine drain plug and installed tranny fill tool, fill tranny with fluid, lower a car, fill engine with oil (very important, I was thinking to start a car, but I always to pull a dipstick out but not completely out), start engine, wait until VAG tool will show 45C, disconnected fill tool, wait until it will just fluid starts dripping, reinstall fill plug. All done.

roostre said:

Could you please elaborate on how a funnel can determine the DSG fluid level?

Or maybe I am incorrectly interpreting what you meant to convey. Thanks.

I've never done a DSG fluid change but will need to this summer.

I'm not sure why it is necessary to measure the drained fluid as opposed to just draining and then refilling with a specified pre-determined amount of fluid. If the previous fill was incorrect or leaking, then the measured amount of drained fluid would be the wrong amount to add.

I'm also not sure why there is not a DSG dipstick (or Ross-Tech VCDS method) to periodically check the DSG fill level if the amount of fluid is so critical that it is even dependent on temperature when using the VW recommended method.

Click to expand...

meant to say the drain snorkel where you continue to fill until it runs out the drain plug. Its not that critical either, normally 4.5L give or take a few oz and remember its just a manual trans with automatic trans style clutches- id bet it would be fine and dandy a entire quart low.... but I wont be the one experimenting on that one

jrm said:

meant to say the drain snorkel where you continue to fill until it runs out the drain plug. Its not that critical either, normally 4.5L give or take a few oz and remember its just a manual trans with automatic trans style clutches- id bet it would be fine and dandy a entire quart low.... but I wont be the one experimenting on that one

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No— no experiments here, either. But this transmission drains very consistently in the amount you mention, from all the accounts I have read. Get 4.5 liters or so in the drain pan, 200-300 ml for what's trapped in the filter, and that's it: around 4.7 liters for a fill.
If someone else is more comfortable filling from the bottom until it runs out of the snorkel, then checking the temperature with VCDS, I say go for it. It doesn't make sense to drive around worrying about the car's mechanicals. Personally, I try to follow the maxim "Drive more, worry less."

Rico567 said:

I'll be 72 next month, but I've always done my own routine maintenance, and I decided after looking at some videos and reading some threads that I could do the DSG. It's not that I'm not sore the day after, but as long as I can do these things, I will.
I was concerned about having all my ducks in a row to do this service...but everything worked out. I figured if the worst happened, I'd call AAA and have them come and tow it to the local dealer.
Somewhere in a thread someone posted a graph showing how much oil would change in volume with temperature— and for what we're dealing with, it's just not enough to matter. No one can convince me that in a total volume (drainable and non-drainable) of around 6.5 liters, that a few hundred ml either way is going to make any difference.

Click to expand...

You sound like my father. Last summer my mother called me and asked me to come get my dad off of the roof! He's 78 and on a 90 degree day decided to start reroofing his house!
Luckily I was not on shift at the firestation Station so I called a couple other fire fighters and we finished it up for him.
To keep him involved we had him cut Ridge caps and get pizza and beer.lol

dbias said:

You sound like my father. Last summer my mother called me and asked me to come get my dad off of the roof! He's 78 and on a 90 degree day decided to start reroofing his house!
Luckily I was not on shift at the firestation Station so I called a couple other fire fighters and we finished it up for him.
To keep him involved we had him cut Ridge caps and get pizza and beer.lol

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Smart Dad, getting you and your friends to help with the roof!

aja8888 said:

Smart Dad, getting you and your friends to help with the roof!

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You know I didn't occur to me at the time but some of the other guys were razzing him that he did exactly that ......tricked us into doing it but he had one whole side stripped down out of the four sides, hip roof.
Knowing him, as a civil engineer, everything he has ever done was planned out on paper in infinite detail. So if that were true at the end of his planning sheet it would read,
#1 get material.
#2 consult sons shift calendar make sure he begins 4 days off.
#3 get on roof.
#4 wife calls son.
#5 son calls friends.
#6 sit back and watch.

dbias said:

You know I didn't occur to me at the time but some of the other guys were razzing him that he did exactly that ......tricked us into doing it but he had one whole side stripped down out of the four sides, hip roof.

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I'm over 70 and pretty active too. I'm jesting, of course, but keeping Dad off the roof is a good strategy at his age. Nice story, and great that you can still do things with him.

dbias said:

You sound like my father. Last summer my mother called me and asked me to come get my dad off of the roof! He's 78 and on a 90 degree day decided to start reroofing his house!
Luckily I was not on shift at the firestation Station so I called a couple other fire fighters and we finished it up for him.
To keep him involved we had him cut Ridge caps and get pizza and beer.lol

Click to expand...

Sounds like a good strategy, and the roof got done. I don't go up on roofs any more. I'll do yard & garden, some painting, and maintain the cars and lawn equipment. But a fall from a roof at my age is not something I really want to contemplate; even if I survive, it just takes too long to heal.

Rico567 said:

Did the 40K DSG service on our '13 Passat today at 39,685, also the first service I have ever performed on this car, as all previous maintenance was included. Seemed like a good idea to start with the biggest job first, and then spread it out over several days.
I performed the drain / measure / fill procedure, as I saw no reason to do the VW bottom fill procedure. From start to finish- about 3 hours, but a good bit of that time was because I had never done the DSG service before, and certain steps (and not the ones I expected) proved to take more time.
Rather than do a video, I will post a link at the end that is the best I have seen, and very accurate, on how to do this procedure.
Following are some random timings I did on various steps in the process:
1. Put car on ramps = 5 minutes
2. Remove battery and tray (gives access to filter) = 23 minutes. This operation wins the "funky award," both taking out and putting back in.
3. Remove belly pan = 10 minutes off, same back on. This is a PITA, at least I feel this way, because in 50 years of driving and close to 20 vehicles I have never had one with a belly pan.
4. Drain #1 (fluid that emerges when big 14mm drain plug is removed) = 5 min. Got a little over a liter at this stage.
5. Drain #2 (fluid that emerges when 8mm snorkel is removed) = 15 min., basically let it quit dripping). Got around 3.5 liters.
6. Replaced snorkel and drain plug w/ new washer, refilled DSG (used amount drained + 200 ml for filter) with 4.7 liters. I put the 5 bottles of new oil in hot tap water in the kitchen sink before I started the whole process. This time was the biggest surprise = 5 min. / liter. I used the $8 "Hoppy Flo-Tool", available from Amazon, Wal-Mart, etc. The plastic fitting on the end of the hose of the Flo-Tool fits the opening in the filter housing perfectly— I mean as if it were made for it. I just hung the funnel part of the Flo-Tool from the hood with a wire, then I could just pour in a liter and go do something else, like replace the belly pan.
7. Installed new filter & O-ring = <5 min., secured cap.
8. Replaced battery tray and battery. Took longer than taking out, the winner for the most single time consuming operation of the whole day was trying to figure out how to reinstall the battery clamp (which I finally did, after maybe 15 minutes).
9. Put on engine cover and started car, ran through the gear selector as shown in video (10 seconds in each position / each way), then backed car off ramps and took for test drive. Drove fine.
There are a number of videos on how to do this DSG service, the following is my favorite:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4woqUj8qLY
My conclusion about the DSG service: a few people have made much of this, but it is very DIYable for the average owner, although maybe not as one's first rodeo. My experience only reinforces in my mind that what many people pay for this to be done is just absurd, if not highway robbery.

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Curious how when you removed battery, as I know that have to, kind of a design issue to me but what did you use to keep power to car so that all those fine electrically controlled items kept there memory functions? I have replaced batteries in cars and sure don't like all that stuff losing it, seems that the "pinch protection" is one item that gets messed up.

jolvi1 said:

Curious how when you removed battery, as I know that have to, kind of a design issue to me but what did you use to keep power to car so that all those fine electrically controlled items kept there memory functions? I have replaced batteries in cars and sure don't like all that stuff losing it, seems that the "pinch protection" is one item that gets messed up.

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I have never used anything to keep power to the car in any of the 20 or so vehicles I have owned over 50 years, including this Passat. Yeah, this car can kinda go flaky for a minute or two after the battery is re-installed, idiot lights flashing and whatnot, but that settles down, and apart from having to reset the clock (and, for some reason ??? the trip odometer reset itself this time) there isn't any other problem.

Rico---thanks for the post, i will be doing this on my brother's GTI in the next two weeks and appreciate your input. Led to an entertaining thread, stories by others, that gave myself a few chuckles. two thumbs up from this seat.

Thanks for the reply on "flakyness" I know on other vehicles there was a learning curve for engine controls, shoot rough idle, dying at stop signs, but knew what it was.

Rico! I Appreciate this thread. I own a 2013 Passat as well. I am approaching my 40k miles in the next 6 months.

I have been thinking about doing the maintenance myself and I am a very handy person.

The Passat is my first car, when I graduated college in 2013. I have never done car maintance, but I am one who would be slow and steady and dont force anything.

I'm 25 now, so a youngin.

Do you recommend I do this myself? What tools and what not would I need. I know there is a part list somewhere.

aliasbane said:

<snip>
Do you recommend I do this myself? What tools and what not would I need. I know there is a part list somewhere.

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If you're as handy as you say, you should have no trouble with the work, by all means go ahead.
I have a nice concrete floor in the garage, and I use ramps. Those are good, but of course there are several possible arrangements. For safety I recommend only ramps or jack stands. Getting under a car with jacks alone are an invitation to a funeral.
That being said, with regular (Rhino Ramp) ramps, I had no trouble accessing the belly pan and the drain for the DSG, and I am big (6'6", 285).
The materials to do the service are easily acquired from a dealer, but you'll almost certainly pay more. I got them at the local dealer, but I used the VW Dealer Goodwill VISA to do it, which has to be spent there. Probably the best place to get the DSG oil and filter is from idparts, and they are supporting vendors of this forum. Their price is good, and in my experience their shipping is prompt.
As far as tools, it turned out I had some, and not others. You will need:
10mm wrench to remove battery terminals
13mm socket wrench to remove battery clamp
12mm socket wrench (??) to remove three bolts holding down battery tray, two under the battery itself, and one holding down the "ear" of the battery tray at the right front
6mm hex wrench to loosen bolt holding air box down onto battery tray. (Note: this bolt cannot be taken out completely, just unscrew until it's not engaging the battery tray underneath. Once this bolt is loose, and the three 12mm bolts above are taken out, the air box can be "popped" off the battery tray, and mine did take a pretty good pull to pop it loose.)
The battery tray is an odd shape, and I just worked it around until it came out. The video in the link I put in the OP is invaluable in learning these moves; I watched it several times.
Once the battery tray is out, this exposes the DSG filter housing. You'll need a 24mm (or 15/16") socket to remove the cap, and be sure you have about a foot of extensions for your socket wrench. Some videos show guys using huge deep sockets to do this, but that's not needed. I bought a 24mm socket off Amazon that's nice and shallow, made specifically to do jobs like this.
Something handy may be a pick of some kind to pull the old "O" ring off the cap.
I used the Hoppy "Flo-Tool" to fill the DSG with new oil. This thing is cheap and available on Amazon or Wal-Mart, probably lots of other places. The nozzle that comes on the end of its hose fits exactly in the opening in the DSG housing. As I mentioned in the OP, you'll be doing yourself a favor if you heat up those bottles of new oil. I just used hot tap water in the kitchen sink, made the oil go in about 5 min. / liter. I just hung the "Flo-Tool" on a wire from a hole in the hood, and would refill it when it got low.
Underneath, you are going to have to take out a bunch of fasteners to get the belly pan off. There are four T25 fasteners down each side and one in the front center, total = 9 X T25s. There are 3 x T40s across the back of the belly pan— these were harder to get out than the smaller Torx fasteners, I had to put the Torx adapter in a 1/4" socket to get enough leverage.
The biggest issue I encountered in removing the belly pan was not the fasteners, it was in pushing loose two plastic "teeth" that come down through holes in the belly pan, which an inspection will reveal. You must push these UP before you can slide off the fingers holding the belly pan to the underside of the bumper.
Once the *&^%^&#& belly pan is off, the rest is clear sailing. You will need a 14mm hex adapter (the one in my set was for 1/2" socket set) to remove the big main drain plug. You may want to pick up a new washer for the drain plug, although the old one on mine was not compressed in the slightest. I had no trouble breaking loose the plug, which makes me highly suspicious that the factory didn't torque that thing down to any 25nm. I never torque drain bolts in any case, just snug them down and give one good pull...and in 50 years, I've never had a drain plug back out on me.
Once the initial drain of oil is out of the DSG, you'll need an 8mm hex adapter. The one that came with the set I bought was for a 3/8" socket set. Once the snorkel is out (it's about 6" long) the rest of the oil (most of it) will drain. My car was serviced warm, so it didn't take long to drain completely.
One more caveat, although you've probably already read it somewhere else: don't attempt to wrench that snorkel back in place. When you screw it back up there, just make it finger tight, and forget about it. It's not going anyplace, and that way there's no risk of damaging it.

Great instructions.

So you simply used ramps and didn't bother to level it?

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