Change gearbox oil?

If this is a double post I apologise, I thought I had asked but if I did I can't find it.

Is a change of gearbox oil required at any service? I have never seen it mentioned.

Cheers.
 
I don't think it's a service item, it's supposed to be "for life"
Audi probably didn't define life as 20 years and 100,000 plus miles though!
I'd suggest change at 75,000 mls, then every 75,000 mls. If it's never been changed (most likely I'd guess) then do it, or get it done. As always use the best quality oil.
Mac.
 
I've always recommended it's changed at the same time as the camblet - it's a totally separate job, but the intervals should be around the same. The oil does break down over time and heat cycles, a little is lost from weeping or from the output shaft housings and of the dozen or so cars I've done the work on, around half have had around 1/2 to 2/3 the recommended volume left in.

No reason not to use the OE oil - you'll want 2 x 1 litre bottles of G 060 726 A2 and you'll use 1.9 litres to the fill level, which is the bottom of the fill hole.

Simple enough job too - under tray off, slide dog bone mount to one side having undone the bolts, to reveal the drain plug (a huge allen head grub screw) and the filler is the same kind of screw on the front of the box.
 
If you want to use a lower-friction gearbox oil that according to Opie Oils (who I trust personally) should give equal or superior protection the check out the Redline range - Ask them which is best out of MTL or MT-LV for your gearbox.

It's expensive but when I put in the MT-LV into my six speed gearboxes on both the A2 and the Touran, it transformed the gearchange - Very happy.
 
Yes, get it changed. But, ensure you can remove the fill plug before you drain! They are often seized, especially if the undertray is missing. If it is seized, you can weld an old stud in the plug then they come out easily. Don't forget to order a new plug first.
 
Thanks, guys. Unfortunately, I asked too late. The car is at the garage right now having a full service and a cambelt and a few other things and they are bringing it back in an hour.

It has to go back in a week or so, so I will ask them to do it then.

Long gone are the days when I do jobs like that myself.
 
I can recommend an oil change based on the experience of recycling my GPK gearbox (5-speed Tdi from my BHC car at 147000 miles) onto the AMF project car last month when the original gearbox (probably EWQ at 287000 miles) stopped changing into anything higher than 2nd (1st and reverse still available) after a year or so of third gear change being baulky at best (on >285,000 miles when acquired and around 287,000 when it stopped working). My GPK in the BHC car was replaced by a PTW with the new box containing new oil, and that car went from heavy and 5-speed to snappy / slightly less heavy / 6 speed - maybe still needs a bit of adjustment but significantly better. The GPK was stored for 6 months, and then abruptly required swapping into the AMF car with a bottle of Comma gearbox oil - and it has been an absolute revelation - barely more weight in the change than our AUA 1.4i petrol car, massively more precise than the original gearbox and all the resistance to clean changes disappeared overnight. This is a proper demonstration of the effect of new oil, and I'm well pleased.
 
Has the A2 gearbox got any brass internals? I know from my older Audi's that you can't use a GL5 spec oil as the high Sulphur content eats the brass syncro's away and wrecks your box!
 
Yes it has - the 5th gear ratio mod I offered before the 6-speed box became commonplace, involved a brass synchro, so I'd be wary of anything other than the genuine VAG oil I specified above - it's what I've always used for myself and for anyone else's A2 I've been entrusted with.
 
I use this in the S2 and Ur. Very pleased.
Castrol Syntrans Transaxle 75W90
I was amazed that Opie oils recommended a Fuchs GL5 for my S2 and Ur!
 
Some interesting comments. When they dropped the car off last night I mentioned changing the gearbox oil and they advised against it. They said that when they had changed the oil on older cars that were "filled for life" the boxes often developed problems not long after.
 
Utter rubbish. If that were the case, why put drain and fill holes in the casing?

I’d say it’s just that they did t know the procedure that’s all.
 
Some interesting comments. When they dropped the car off last night I mentioned changing the gearbox oil and they advised against it. They said that when they had changed the oil on older cars that were "filled for life" the boxes often developed problems not long after.
Probably problems caused by putting in the wrong oil?
 
Some interesting comments. When they dropped the car off last night I mentioned changing the gearbox oil and they advised against it. They said that when they had changed the oil on older cars that were "filled for life" the boxes often developed problems not long after.
What an utterly strange thing for a garage to say, on so many levels...
 
Some interesting comments. When they dropped the car off last night I mentioned changing the gearbox oil and they advised against it. They said that when they had changed the oil on older cars that were "filled for life" the boxes often developed problems not long after.
Are they forgetting to replace the drain plug? ?
 
The guy was just giving me the benefit of his experience, which I appreciate. I'd much rather that than him just do it and cross his fingers.
 
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