Dealer cautions against transmission fluid change due to velocity and water build up

[Geordon]

I asked the salesman at the Audi dealership what it would cost to get the transmission fluid changed on their 2017 Q5 3.0T w/ 79,000 miles they have for sale. He said the "service advisor strongly recommended that you do not want to change the transmission fluid due to velocity and water build up when you drain it".

What is that all about?!? I haven't read anything about either of those concerns on this forum.

[asiwa]

I asked the salesman at the Audi dealership what it would cost to get the transmission fluid changed on their 2017 Q5 3.0T w/ 79,000 miles they have for sale. He said the "service advisor strongly recommended that you do not want to change the transmission fluid due to velocity and water build up when you drain it".

What is that all about?!? I haven't read anything about either of those concerns on this forum.

Wrong. ZF specifically recommends the fluid service...this sounds like misinformation. There are many DIY posts and videos that show how the service works. At 80k miles you pose no risk to the vehicle - and in fact will be extending the longevity of the trans - as long as the process is followed correctly. The service, if they agree to it, will also be OBSCENELY expensive due to the price of the fluid.

If you're buying that car, I would recommend buying a service kit online and taking it to a reputable independent shop. This repetitive misinformation about the transmission service by dealers is more than a little silly at this point. There's no such thing as lifetime fluid, and perpetuating that myth is going to ruin somebody's car.

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[ILVTRANCE]

Wrong. ZF specifically recommends the fluid service...this sounds like misinformation. There are many DIY posts and videos that show how the service works. At 80k miles you pose no risk to the vehicle - and in fact will be extending the longevity of the trans - as long as the process is followed correctly. The service, if they agree to it, will also be OBSCENELY expensive due to the price of the fluid.

If you're buying that car, I would recommend buying a service kit online and taking it to a reputable independent shop. This repetitive misinformation about the transmission service by dealers is more than a little silly at this point. There's no such thing as lifetime fluid, and perpetuating that myth is going to ruin somebody's car.

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100% this

[S4'ed]

That Audi service advisor is an idiot.....

[Geordon]

My wife said it is making her wonder what else they glossed over while prepping for resale. Brake pads were replaced all around and rear rotors, but only machined the front rotors. I haven't had a shop yet tell me to pay to turn them instead of putting the money toward new rotors.

[asiwa]

My wife said it is making her wonder what else they glossed over while prepping for resale. Brake pads were replaced all around and rear rotors, but only machined the front rotors. I haven't had a shop yet tell me to pay to turn them instead of putting the money toward new rotors.

Find another dealer for sure. I have never in my life opted to machine old rotors instead of buying new ones. The labor for that would probably equal the cost of new parts anyway.

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[Norskie]

I machine my rotors if they're thick enough, mainly to remove the lip and glazing, but never to fix a warp. At $10 each it's worth a shot vs. $300+ Zimmermans. I suppose Rockauto has cheapies at about $100.

[sQ5inSD]

I asked the salesman at the Audi dealership what it would cost to get the transmission fluid changed on their 2017 Q5 3.0T w/ 79,000 miles they have for sale. He said the "service advisor strongly recommended that you do not want to change the transmission fluid due to velocity and water build up when you drain it".

What is that all about?!? I haven't read anything about either of those concerns on this forum.

This is a Beating the Dead Horse topic if there ever was one but after I stopped hysterically laughing I began to wonder what did they mean by "velocity" and how exactly does water build up when the fluid is drained. Honestly in my 40+ years of owning VAG products I have never heard anything like that!

[arjun90]

What's an Audi Service Advisor? A bunch of BS if you ask me . Stay away from the dealership as far away as possible

[vinuneuro]

It's pretty common for rotors to be turned if they still have sufficient thickness. And you will be told by almost every Audi service department that the driveline fluids are "lifetime."

Buy the car if you like it and has been serviced well to date, and just change the trans fluid yourself after purchase.

[Valpo A7]

As stated earlier ZF recommends a service around 80K miles while Audi mentality is fluid for life. I am second owner on my A7 and the first owner followed the Audi mentality and never had it changed. Now the car is at 230,700 miles and still shifting very strongly and smoothly. I did the differentials and transfer at 200K miles and other than being a bit darker it flowed the same as new and had zero burnt smell to it. I opted to change the supercharger oil at that time as well only to find out that my SC had ZERO oil in it and for who knows how long. Put new oil in it and it’s still spinning strong and quiet.

[q5 dave]

As stated earlier ZF recommends a service around 80K miles while Audi mentality is fluid for life. I am second owner on my A7 and the first owner followed the Audi mentality and never had it changed. Now the car is at 230,700 miles and still shifting very strongly and smoothly. I did the differentials and transfer at 200K miles and other than being a bit darker it flowed the same as new and had zero burnt smell to it. I opted to change the supercharger oil at that time as well only to find out that my SC had ZERO oil in it and for who knows how long. Put new oil in it and it’s still spinning strong and quiet.

Might want to double check the sc oil level. It has to be tilted just right in a specific way to drain.

[Valpo A7]

Might want to double check the sc oil level. It has to be tilted just right in a specific way to drain.

I pulled the plug and zero came out. Tilted it up and stood it on the pulley as I had it off the engine. Still nothing came out.

[serg72]

I pulled the plug and zero came out. Tilted it up and stood it on the pulley as I had it off the engine. Still nothing came out.

If you put the sc on the pulley, then nothing should have leaked. All the oil remained in sc. Look at the photo, the drain plug is circled in red.

photo5443121417429306698.jpg

[Valpo A7]

There is a recent thread over at Audiworld that talks about high mileage fluid changes. The guy talked to ZF and their engineers basically say for this transmission it is perfectly fine and safe to do.

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/a7-...hange-3059304/

The OP changed his fluid at 190,000 miles and all seems good.