Has anyone had a transmission fail because the fluid was changed? I heard that this might happen because all the friction material that was worn off the clutches is suspended in the fluid. When the fluid is replaced, no more friction material. It sort of makes sense, but I can't get a definitive answer about tranny fluid changes.
Thanks.

I personally have never had a failure of a tranny after changing the fluid. The only cars I had trans die in were my Saabs and I never changed thier fluid.

There are no definitive answers. I have always had positive results after changing the fluid. Our A6 was done at 115k miles and we now have almost 140k and the trans shifts as smooth as ever. We did change it again at 120-125k just to make sure all the fluid was changed.

how many miles do you have on the car? Is the trans experiencing any problems?

Jeff

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Jeff in Minneapolis
'00 A6 Avant Quat 142k

I made an appointment to have my fluid channged today and my Audi guy warned that it happens about 1 in 50 times for cars with my >100,000 mileage. Chances are higher with a flush as pieces of clutch can be forced into passageways impeding flow.

Honestly, if a fluid change kills your tranny, it was well on its way out anyway.

I have an 02 S6 and would like to take care of the fluid before it's an issue. It has almost 70K on it and I've never understood (or agreed with) lifetime fluid. I don't have any tranny issues with it so far and I'd like to keep it that way.

The sooner you get it changed, the less risk your taking. My indie is charging me ~$325.00, pretty cheap compared to the alternative.

You should change the fluid but not flush the fluid. I heard many stories where flushing the tranny caused the transmission to fail due to blocked oil ways. You can DIY the fluid change if you feel like it. But you can have someone else do it if you don't feel like getting your hands dirty. Make sure they replace the filter and use proper VAG specification fluid.

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2001 A6 Avant
2.8 ATQ, Quattro, Tiptronic
Mods - None
Repairs - Too many to list! And you wonder why I still drive an Audi

Thanks, that is interesting. I was just talking to my mechanic friend and we were wondering why no one mentions a tranny flush on these forums. It would have been so much easier if Audi would have given a service interval. I'm planning on using the blauparts tranny kit.

I used the blauparts kit to change the ATF on a 1998 A6 Quattro wagon. You may need more ATF than is in the kit, so order a little extra ATF. You need to follow the Audi shop manual from BentleyPublishers.com and use VAG-COM from www.ross-tech.com for checking the ATF temperature. Also, put the car securely on jack stands with all the driven wheels off the ground. The kit has an ATFhand pump for refilling thru the side transmission pan hole.

I have a tranny fluid DIY that I created in PDF format. PM me with your email if you want a copy.

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2001 A6 Avant
2.8 ATQ, Quattro, Tiptronic
Mods - None
Repairs - Too many to list! And you wonder why I still drive an Audi

So putting the rear tires on ramps and the front of the car on jack stands won't work?