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Curious to know if anyone has changed their gearbox oil or is contemplating it? I ask as although Audi suggest it isn't necessary I would have thought after three years fresh oil would lube the change better than stale stuff?

To the more technical minded is it worth doing? And how easy / difficult is it to do?

I'm certainly contemplating it, when I get to around 40-50k miles, which is a few years off. When Audi guarantee their driveline components for life I'll go with their lifetime fill..........

I haven't yet established whether the gearbox has an accessible filler - I guess that's the starting point.

Interesting to note the fluid change intervals for the E60 M5. Why would they suggest changing driveline fluids when Audi don't?

I did ask this same question a while back, believe the reply I got back was that it does not need changing, and it is a sealed unit! not sure how true this is. But I agree with you P_G, a high revving fear box surly would benefit from a oil change.

the gear oil can be changed. Theres a drain plug on the bottom of the gearbox, while a filler plug just around the side. I suggest Lubro Moly 75w-90 (even though it's a GL5). Much smoother shifts.

P_G wrote:Curious to know if anyone has changed their gearbox oil or is contemplating it? I ask as although Audi suggest it isn't necessary I would have thought after three years fresh oil would lube the change better than stale stuff?

To the more technical minded is it worth doing? And how easy / difficult is it to do?

I would say definitely a good idea...50k mile intervals should be fine
probably pretty easy too...
I do all my cars...
by not the RS4 yet, only at 28k miles...

the hardest part might be finding the Audi approved fluid

Thanks for the information. Now the car is out of warranty I'm not too fused about an Audi approved gearbox oil; Audi spec yes but not necessarily approved. If it was approved like Mobil 1 is for Audi I would be concerned having spoken to an acquaintance who runs a motorsport team which is sponsored by Mobil 1 yet refuses to use their stuff in his cars engines.

zachf88, is 75W-90 the recommended spec?

P_G wrote:
zachf88, is 75W-90 the recommended spec?

I believe so

what quantity does the gearbox and rear diff take?
I've emailed Audi for the spec/qty for each

just changed the diff, not too bad, just messy...the fluid looked good, surprisingly so, at 28k miles
took <1.5 liter of Lubro 75W90 GL5 fully synthetic (spilled some too)

I did it on ramps, backed on...remove the fill plug first, just in case, lol
since it was on an incline I wanted to verify accurate fill level (Audi warns over-fill will damage)
so before I drained I used a piece of bent wire as gauge (L shaped) to measure the level...
rolled it off to completely drain, then backed it back on...
I refilled to the gauged level...taking the incline out of the equation...
no crush washers, clean the 10mm plugs first, they are aluminum and will strip...
the Lubro has a spout, it's too short, had to use my hand pump
other than being a contortionist, not too bad...

tranny next week, will wait for a lift...lol

is this coking up too, if so i will be booking my rs into the priory

scaghead wrote:is this coking up too, if so i will be booking my rs into the priory

lol

nope, actually looked good, not dirty, nice golden color, no metal flakes
only a little stain on the plug

I like BMW's plugs, the bottom plugs have a dimple or recess, so all the heavy metal settles out and is collected there...so when you pull it, you can see all the wear material (or most of it)
usually in the tranny some very fine, gold (bronze?) flakes...after 50k miles or so

1.5L? The tranny should take around 3.2L (3.4qt).......

zachf88 - if you read the posts a little better you'll see the +/- 1.5 Litres was for the Rear Diff!

Got it WUZ! I don't know what I was thinking.....

WUZ wrote:zachf88 - if you read the posts a little better you'll see the +/- 1.5 Litres was for the Rear Diff!

yep, lol, diff ~1 liter

did the tranny, the fluid was more fouled, but not terrible...
took ~3.5 liter
it was actually easier, you could get the bottle spout into the fill hole and squeeze...no pump required...

just ordered 2 liters of brake fluid an oem pads for all around...
amazing deal, pads for F & R ~$130 delivered!