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DSG service question

gzoller

New member
Location
Dallas
Car(s)
2016 GTI
I’m overdue for my DSG service (Mk7 GTI). I saw videos of people doing these but they had the luxury of a lift. Would the service still work (fluid drain properly) if I use either ramps or a curb, or must the orientation be flat for this to work properly?
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
Welcome to the forum. The car should be level. Plus it shows that you have a 2016 GTI. How many miles do you have? That's 4 year old fluid in the DSG.
 

ecsta

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Toronto
Car(s)
2017 R
You don't need a lift but you need to jack the car up. I used ramps for the front and then jacked up the rear. Worked fine, a little cramped.
 

Keehs360

Autocross Champion
Location
Denver
Car(s)
Mk7.5
I have a lot of respect for those of u that did it yourself. I for one will not. Gonna do them with a vw third party shop. Getting it level, and doing the laptop stuff. It’s just not for me LOL.

god and trying to get that thing level. Jeeez. My garage has a slight -2 slope front to back with a slight -3 slope left to right. There’s just no way.
 

chitownfan

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
streamwood
Car(s)
2015 audi s3
I have a lot of respect for those of u that did it yourself. I for one will not. Gonna do them with a vw third party shop. Getting it level, and doing the laptop stuff. It’s just not for me LOL.

god and trying to get that thing level. Jeeez. My garage has a slight -2 slope front to back with a slight -3 slope left to right. There’s just no way.
just use a infrared thermometer on the DSG
 

ecsta

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Toronto
Car(s)
2017 R
I have a lot of respect for those of u that did it yourself. I for one will not. Gonna do them with a vw third party shop. Getting it level, and doing the laptop stuff. It’s just not for me LOL.

god and trying to get that thing level. Jeeez. My garage has a slight -2 slope front to back with a slight -3 slope left to right. There’s just no way.

It's honestly not that hard just time consuming taking the engine bay apart. Helps if you have a second pair of hands with pouring the fluid in. It took me all afternoon but I'm also a bit obsessive cleaning as I go. Don't worry about a couple degrees of slope, i doubt the shop floors/lifts are perfectly level either.

I've since bought a quick jack which is way less stressful than dealing with ramps + jacks lol and gives me lots of extra height.
 

George Ab

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Pacific NW
I have a lot of respect for those of u that did it yourself. I for one will not. Gonna do them with a vw third party shop. Getting it level, and doing the laptop stuff. It’s just not for me LOL.

god and trying to get that thing level. Jeeez. My garage has a slight -2 slope front to back with a slight -3 slope left to right. There’s just no way.

Nothing wrong with having someone else do it if you are uncomfortable. No need for "laptop stuff" if you drain all fluid out (level) and add 4.7L. On leveling I rolled up on ramps (jack stands would also work) and then put my iphone with level app on roof (or inside on floor) and jacked up rear of car until level goes green 0°.
 
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Jumpy

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Car(s)
'18 GTI Autobahn
Should I change my DSG fluid? I'm only at 27k miles, but the car is going on 3 years old. Does age matter, or just miles?

I'm going to get my front diff fluid changed next week. Should those be changed at the same time? I see that the official maintenance schedule says 30k for diff fluid and 40k for DSG fluid, but I also see people on forums recommending to do it sooner "depending on how you drive." Well honestly, that's hard to say. I drive aggressively sometimes, but I still think I drive tamely most of the time...by my standards. My wife thinks I drive enthusiastically all the time. So it depends on your baseline for comparison.
 

George Ab

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Pacific NW
Should I change my DSG fluid? I'm only at 27k miles, but the car is going on 3 years old. Does age matter, or just miles?

I'm going to get my front diff fluid changed next week. Should those be changed at the same time? I see that the official maintenance schedule says 30k for diff fluid and 40k for DSG fluid, but I also see people on forums recommending to do it sooner "depending on how you drive." Well honestly, that's hard to say. I drive aggressively sometimes, but I still think I drive tamely most of the time...by my standards. My wife thinks I drive enthusiastically all the time. So it depends on your baseline for comparison.
IMO considering many transmissions and transfer cases are lifetime (which most interpret at 100K), you are good to 40K. Temperatures do not get excessive (friction vice combustion in an engine) so the oil is not going to break down over time. The issue with our wet clutch is some particulate matter from clutch gets in oil or it would be much longer service period. I did mine at 35K miles just because I like to do maintenance, not because the car required.
 

shortyb

Autocross Newbie
Location
Upstate SC
Car(s)
Felon Taxi,Dad Wagon
Should I change my DSG fluid? I'm only at 27k miles, but the car is going on 3 years old. Does age matter, or just miles?

I'm going to get my front diff fluid changed next week. Should those be changed at the same time? I see that the official maintenance schedule says 30k for diff fluid and 40k for DSG fluid, but I also see people on forums recommending to do it sooner "depending on how you drive." Well honestly, that's hard to say. I drive aggressively sometimes, but I still think I drive tamely most of the time...by my standards. My wife thinks I drive enthusiastically all the time. So it depends on your baseline for comparison.
It's just like changing oil earlier than "recommended". If you feel there are reasons for changing earlier (tune, aggressive driving etc.) or you just sleep better having it done sooner than later, then do it. Otherwise it ends up eating at you til you do. I usually "over" maintain all my vehicles, but I also drive a bit harder, and in less than ideal conditions. Plus, I just like to tinker with shit and get more connected with my car. Something that is becoming a dying art really. I did my DSG and diff changes at 20K. DSG fluid was dark, but clear. Ran no perceptively different after the change. Still, had fun, got to drink a few good craft beers, learned to do something different on the car, and never worried about it since.
 
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