6Spd Auto flush out.

[Ivo]

Probably best to give Rene a call and ask her. Allow a few hours labour and about 12lts+/- of ATF depending how dirty yours is. Mine was a few hours more as they had to machine up some fitting to get my hoses threaded back onto the cooler. Luckily the have a lathe and know how to use it.

[Transporter]

So only having done minimal research into this, I was reading along the way that the transmission fluid change if it has never been done before can actually cause more issues?

Ivo - can you let me know how long and the cost of getting this work done at @ ECC as if I am going to get it done I would rather it be done by somewhere that has done a Multivan before....

You're right, especially if the transmission fluid looks really dark and smells burned. Usually at very high mileage.

[Sunny43.5]

So as we all no the auto box is sealed for life LOL. I decided to get my oil changed about 6 months ago. It was starting to shudder when changing between 2nd and 3rd. Not always but often enough to know something needed to be done. As you know they can only get about 4lts out when dropping the pan. My oil was black, I had a new filter and gasket fitted and used penrite oil.

There was no change in shifting and the shudder seemed to be getting worse. When I had my water pump replaced last week the workshop said they had a new machine that could flush the entire auto out but it would require a lot of oil. They disconnect the oil lines that go into the cooler/heat exchanger and connect the machine to that. The car is on the hoist with the wheels off the ground. They then start the car and change gears up and down, while the old oil is coming out new oil goes in. The oil coming out starts to change colour and when clean oil is coming out its done. They used 12lts of oil to flush mine.

Only problem was the cooler is made of aluminium and when the hoses were disconnected it tore the threads up. They had to cut new threads to get it back together.

I did not use Penrite oil this time, I used Fuchs 4400 ATF as there is a Fuchs distributor next to the workshop and according to Fuchs, all though not specified this oil will be suitable. The workshop did the same flush with Fuchs on a transporter that was shuddering a few months ago and there has been no problems with it.

I have only just got the van back but have done about 50kms and it has not faltered once. Even on a steep hill that would always cause it to have shudder badly.

I will update this in a few weeks and let you know how its going.

I have a stupid question I don,t know if any one else with a T5 tranny has thought about this . If VW seal the auto transmission box and it fails or plays up then surely VW should be responsible for any repairs ?? even after warranty has ended . Logic dictates if they claim there is no need to check fluids or adjustments then they should be responsible for any failure because it seems to me that they think it will last forever with out servicing . Our tranny has recently been erratic clunking on down shifts under light braking , when I asked a VW service centre they just reply that they are not servicable and that if it plays up a new box should be fitted , now I don,t know about you guys but a $50000 van with only 115000kms should not require a new tranny worth around $12000 just because VW seal it !!! what do you all reckon ?? Howard

[Ivo]

I totally agree Howard, it should last much longer. Maybe a class action against VW would get there attention.

[Cousin]

It's an issue that goes through my head from time to time, Howard
Particularly with commercial usage, which a lot of VW owners do, because of 'reliability'
A well maintained VW diesel should get a minimum 500,000 ks, but then it's bolted to an auto that in a lot of instances *****$ itself at 150,000
And the best I could find for a 'professional' rebuild was $7,600
I generally cover around 350,000 ks before I move the vans on, so the current T5 I have could cost me another $15,000 on top of it's purchase price. And that's before anything else is spent on it.
I buy Volkswagens because I've found them to be very reliable, and well engineered
The last couple of vans, when I've sold them (360,000 and 400,000 ks) the buyers couldn't comprehend how good the vans were for the ks they'd covered
I looked after them, and they were extremely reliable. It makes me more dependable in my business
I'm looking after this current T5 just as well, but in the last 12 months it's cost me around $10,000 in mechanical repairs, all 'known' problems with these vans. Unfortunately there are a few more 'knowns' I haven't encounted yet!
I still appreciate Vee Dub vans, but I'm starting to wonder if it's still worth paying the premium over other vans
The autos were a known problem in T4's, but it seems VW persisted with them in the T5's, at our expense
Here's hoping this rebuild lasts longer, Geoff at A&B in Dandenong said they do rebuild them better than OEM


M

[Transporter]

If you guys are using the vans for business, why not to put together letter to VW Australia, ...please explain why the transmission and many other components fail so Early? ...and if that's the case that we have to fork out $$$ for the unnecessary repairs incl. transmissions rebuild well before 150,000km, then we ...and the list of businesses signed, will consider buying the Toyota or other brand vans instead.

That could have a better impact than a single letter from one unhappy VW owner.

[Sunny43.5]

Here,s the deal with our van bought brand new for family use not commercial at all , my wife is the primary driver and she only uses it to go shopping and various other trips . I also drive the van as I used to take my teenage son Moto Cross riding and racing so we did do a few long trips on weekends some times just 1 bike and three passengers and a bit of gear certainly nothing that would put the van under any stress . Also we have towed a 6 x 4 trailer when we go recreational riding again no way any where near the capacity it can handle . My point is that this van should not have even a hint of a problem with the tranny IF it were able to be serviced !!!! . I cannot believe that VW would expect transmission oil to last unchanged for whatever time they expect it to last . If they seal the box then I believe they should give some sort of support if one fails or plays up .
Lets face it we can change engine oil when ever we choose or at set intervals we replace tyres brake pads etc at any time so why not the tranny fluid or any internal filters , the transmission is probably one of the most stressed components in the drive train so logic dictates that it should be able to be serviced . I do have an idea why these things are like this , I have a business fitting sunroofs and I also do repair work on sunroofs that are factory fitted . Now if some small part fails as they will do if you go to the various manufactures and try to buy a part you can see has broken be prepared for a shock . Car makers are only working on the assumption that if some thing fails while under warranty they will just suppply a whole component for two reasons 1/ its easier for their mechanics to replace a whole component as it saves on labour for the dealers . 2/ believe it or not they don,t train their mechanics to fit parts that you and I would expect them to they are only trained to change whole assemblies and carry out regular servicing . Bad luck when its out of warranty you just have to suck it up .
Now this is not just VW all car makers are guilty of this rort , I recently quoted to repair a sunroof on a Citreon C3 Plurial the fabric sunroof that folds back down over the rear windscreen and then the whole unit folds down into the floor , there is a small plastic component that breaks and totally disables the sunroof guess what no part is available you have to replace the whole unit $7500 plus 8 hrs labour . The owner told their insurance company some one tried to break into the car causing this part to break end result insurance company wrote off the car as not worth repairing it was 6 years old and in perfect condition except for a simple piece of plastic that you can see is broken but you cant buy it . I hope the day comes when car makers stop this nonsense as the cars keep going up in price but if they go wrong cost a fortune to fix . PS I still love my VW,s we own three of them 1 x T5 2.5 turbo diesel auto 1 x T5 2.0 litre manual {my work van} and my sons T4 2.5 petrol .Howard

[MultiplexMan]

I think the "sealed" terminology is a bit misleading. The auto box is able to be serviced despite being "sealed". Rolls Royce used to decree similarly for the entire power plant/driveline at one time...

The issue is the definition of a "reasonable lifetime".

I have owned many cars and many were/are VW. My personal "record" was 265,000km with a Mk1 GTI. I changed cars frequently, every 1-2 years, in my early years. I tend to keep my cars much longer now. Mainly due to the fact that resale is terrible.

I too, would expect a diesel vehicle to do 500,000km. I think this is reasonable after considering the technological and material investment in bringing the vehicle to market. However the modern consumer appears to equate a 3 year/100,000km warranty with the "reasonable" life span of the car.

What does help, is customer feed back. VW is one brand that does take some notice of what customers want. I was pleased to note some component fixes to the T5 last month. Little revisions that have been passed on to the T5.1 - a start but better than nothing.

Forums that offer constructive, reasonable criticism are invaluable to "brand managers".

/RANT
"Fan boys" can do more harm than good when they "shout down" and mask opportunities to make a good product better.

Classic cases in point have been the DSG and TDI injector issues. When these were originally raised, the response by some forum members was attrocious - nothing short of bullying.

Persistance is finally paying off with vehicles slowly being repaired under warranty or under "good will". Hopefully the brand has not suffered too badly.
/end RANT