cbenjes
Go Kart Newbie
- Location
- Bel Air, MD
Just did a manual transmission oil change in my 2016 Mk7 GTI. Yeah, it only has 13K miles on it, but I know from experience that MTL prevents tranny problems that I experienced in previous VWs. The procedures are the same as the Mk6. Here you go:
My 2016 GTI manual transmission fluid change. Easy as an oil change! Thanks to Barische from the Mk6 forums for the basis of this updated howto.
1) Take a short drive to warm the vehicle, as warm oil will drain better than cold oil. Raise vehicle at all 4 corners so the vehicle is level. To ensure proper fill, the car must be level, so you can't just raise the front end. You can use 4 jack stands, or ramps on the front and jack stands on the rear, or a lift if you have access to one, but make sure you don't support either end of the car with just a widow-maker jack.
2) Remove the black, plastic splash guard under the front of the car, held by 8-12 or so T-25 torx screws.
3) Place a 5 quart drain pan under the fill and drain plugs located on the the transmission housing. Using a 10mm hex socket, remove the fill plug before you remove the drain plug (so you know you can refill it). The fill plug is on the front of the transmission and faces forward. Make sure you have the drain pan under the fill and drain plugs, as some of the fluid will drain when you remove the fill plug.
4) Once you know you can remove the fill plug, remove the drain plug using the 10mm hex socket. Obviously. it is located on the bottom of the transmission. Let it flow until it stops dripping, then replace and tighten the drain plug to 18 ft lbs. Keep the drain pan in place until after you have filled the transmission with new oil.
5) I used a funnel that has a 3' plastic extender tube to fill the transmission. Some folks have used manual fluid transfer pumps to fill the tranny, but gravity works just as well. Feed the plastic tube down from the top near the radiator and insert slightly into the fill hole. Have an assistant pour 2 quarts of MT fluid into the funnel while you watch the oil flow through the tube and into the transmission. You don't want the tube to fall out of the hole while you are pouring. Good MT fluid isn't cheap.
6) Once two quarts have been added, slowly add the oil from the 3rd quart-bottle until the fluid starts to overflow out of the fill hole and into the drain pan. When it overflows, you have filled it to the proper level if the vehicle itself is level (see step 1). It will take about 1/3 to 1/2 of a quart before it starts to overflow.
I used and recommend Redline MTL. MTL has been used in my Jeeps, both New Beetles, an '06 Civic and now both GTIs, and all shift very smoothly in all Maryland temperatures. I have found MTL to effectively soothe the cranky synchronizers in the 1991 and 2013 Jeeps and both my 1998 and 1999 New Beetles. Refilling with MTL eliminated some minor "crunching" we were experiencing as the transmissions aged. In the case of my '99 TDI NB, I had syncro problems at 105K miles on OEM fluid. After an $800 tranny repair, refilled with MTL and had no further problems through 265K miles when the car ultimately met an untimely demise.
7) Remove the funnel/tube, replace and tighten the fill plug to 18 ft lbs, replace the splash shield, clean up the area, lower the vehicle and revel in the fact that you just saved yourself the labor costs of a manual transmission drain/refill. And, you know you did it right! See you again in 50,000 miles.
My 2016 GTI manual transmission fluid change. Easy as an oil change! Thanks to Barische from the Mk6 forums for the basis of this updated howto.
1) Take a short drive to warm the vehicle, as warm oil will drain better than cold oil. Raise vehicle at all 4 corners so the vehicle is level. To ensure proper fill, the car must be level, so you can't just raise the front end. You can use 4 jack stands, or ramps on the front and jack stands on the rear, or a lift if you have access to one, but make sure you don't support either end of the car with just a widow-maker jack.
2) Remove the black, plastic splash guard under the front of the car, held by 8-12 or so T-25 torx screws.
3) Place a 5 quart drain pan under the fill and drain plugs located on the the transmission housing. Using a 10mm hex socket, remove the fill plug before you remove the drain plug (so you know you can refill it). The fill plug is on the front of the transmission and faces forward. Make sure you have the drain pan under the fill and drain plugs, as some of the fluid will drain when you remove the fill plug.
4) Once you know you can remove the fill plug, remove the drain plug using the 10mm hex socket. Obviously. it is located on the bottom of the transmission. Let it flow until it stops dripping, then replace and tighten the drain plug to 18 ft lbs. Keep the drain pan in place until after you have filled the transmission with new oil.
5) I used a funnel that has a 3' plastic extender tube to fill the transmission. Some folks have used manual fluid transfer pumps to fill the tranny, but gravity works just as well. Feed the plastic tube down from the top near the radiator and insert slightly into the fill hole. Have an assistant pour 2 quarts of MT fluid into the funnel while you watch the oil flow through the tube and into the transmission. You don't want the tube to fall out of the hole while you are pouring. Good MT fluid isn't cheap.
6) Once two quarts have been added, slowly add the oil from the 3rd quart-bottle until the fluid starts to overflow out of the fill hole and into the drain pan. When it overflows, you have filled it to the proper level if the vehicle itself is level (see step 1). It will take about 1/3 to 1/2 of a quart before it starts to overflow.
I used and recommend Redline MTL. MTL has been used in my Jeeps, both New Beetles, an '06 Civic and now both GTIs, and all shift very smoothly in all Maryland temperatures. I have found MTL to effectively soothe the cranky synchronizers in the 1991 and 2013 Jeeps and both my 1998 and 1999 New Beetles. Refilling with MTL eliminated some minor "crunching" we were experiencing as the transmissions aged. In the case of my '99 TDI NB, I had syncro problems at 105K miles on OEM fluid. After an $800 tranny repair, refilled with MTL and had no further problems through 265K miles when the car ultimately met an untimely demise.
7) Remove the funnel/tube, replace and tighten the fill plug to 18 ft lbs, replace the splash shield, clean up the area, lower the vehicle and revel in the fact that you just saved yourself the labor costs of a manual transmission drain/refill. And, you know you did it right! See you again in 50,000 miles.
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