Transmission fluid type.

[j32]

Hey everyone, I'm looking to service my transmission next week and I'm trying to find the correct part number. I have a 2003 Audi A4 1.8t Quattro. It is a non cvt. Any info on this would be a great help. Thanks in advance.

[j32]

112 views and no one can tell me anything?

[Audi 4 Life]

Motul is very good fluid and u can't go wrong with it, redline is also good and so is genuine Audi. I would go with Motul personally but that's for manuals. I use Motul for everything possible. Although since you have automatic I would stick with Audi factory fluid. Unless for some reason Motul makes a ATF then I would buy that.

[Spike00513]

112 views and no one can tell me anything?

You didn't specify what kind of transmission you have.

For my tiptronic, I used the Blauparts kit because it was the cheapest.

[SlickFix]

j32, do you have a manual transmission or a Tiptronic automatic transmission?

For tiptronic, something like this or this would work well.

For manual transmission, this or this.

[jacobsen]

USE MOTUL. I will say, automatic transmissions work best with OEM fluid. DO NOT MIX different fluids.

[Spike00513]

USE MOTUL. I will say, automatic transmissions work best with OEM fluid. DO NOT MIX different fluids.

Motul does not make an ATF for the tiptronic

OP, call a dealer with your VIN to find out what transmission you have. Better yet, check the trunk spare wheel well white sticker to find out your transmission type and code. If you have FWD/FrontTrak, you have CVT. If you have quattro, you have the tiptronic ZF 5HP19FLA 01V-type automatic transmission. Quattro is indicated in your owners car information papers, can be confirmed by dealerships, and will say in your trunk sticker, rear trunk badge, front hood badge, and belt-line trim above the passenger side glovebox. Worst case scenario, you can get under the car and look up with a flashlight to see if there is a driveshaft and rear differential. Having such parts indicates that your car is quattro, and thus ZF 5HP19FLA 01V-type tiptronic 5-speed automatic transmission, which has been specced for part number Audi part number VW G 052 162 A2 (or its equivalent) under specification TL52162

I went with Blauparts because I trust the brand, and they claim to meet that spec. They use Ravenol fluid, which I've seen used on race-cars, FWIW.
It's been two changes so far (fluid/filter kit), once at 80k and once at 100k, and the car drives like it should, as far as I know.

Audi does not make a fluid, it buys fluid wholesale cheaply from manufacturers that make it to their specification. They then slap a sticker on it, pour it into their own bottles, and triple the price. Sometimes, they don't even change the bottles, which is a giveaway to what the product really is, and who makes it. Case in point, the Pentosin DOT-4 LV brake fluid used in newer Audis. I forget the old ones name. Super DOT 4 or something like that. The new ones need LV to work with the finer ESP/ABS systems.

So maybe you can figure out the source and find it cheaper.
If the only option is getting the $300 kit at dealership prices, that is exactly why I would not. Because if you plan to own the car for a while, those fluid changes should be done often. IMO, closer to every ~40k mi. Instead of spending $300 every 40k, I'd rather invest the money. A 6MT swap can be done for $700 max.

[jacobsen]

I want a 6mt for 700 dollars!

[Audi 4 Life]

I don't believe it. a good transmission alone and proper clutch would over twice that. I can't even see it happening with the cheapest parts being bought. which is just asking for failure which ends up costing more to drop transmission which isn't usually the typical DIYer job. Do it right or do it twice. The first is cheaper so add in the cost to do the job twice if the parts are crap.

[walky_talky20]

My 5MT swap cost me $100. And it works great. *Just Saying*

(results not typical)

[SlickFix]

USE MOTUL. I will say, automatic transmissions work best with OEM fluid. DO NOT MIX different fluids.

Excuse my doubt, but this is the kind of blanket statement that produces confusion. Where is it documented that automatic transmission run better on OEM fluid? Have there been studies by Audi that prove this?

I'm no expert on transmissions, but this forum is full of people who have mixed their OEM tiptronic fluid with third-party brands like Redline and Pentosin, and the tiptronics are shifting like butta. If two different brands of fluid each meet the specs, I don't see why they won't work just fine together.

[blitz2190]

I don't believe it. a good transmission alone and proper clutch would over twice that. I can't even see it happening with the cheapest parts being bought. which is just asking for failure which ends up costing more to drop transmission which isn't usually the typical DIYer job. Do it right or do it twice. The first is cheaper so add in the cost to do the job twice if the parts are crap.

I bought an entire 3.0 a4 with 6mt for 700 so yes it can be done

[seanf86]

I've used the ecs kit with the vaico fluid once before and I recently used a blauparts kit, I liked the blau kit better as it was $4 cheaper, shipping was less and it came with the hand pump which IMO worked awesome for something so simple.