VW DSG transmission fluid change. 2014 Passat TDi

This procedure is very similar for many DSG transmissions from 2004-2018. VW recommends doing this service every 40K miles. I have never seen dirty fluid when done at 40K miles and these transmissions are very reliable as long as you service them as recommended.
The kit I used in the video: Pentosin 8038207-KIT: amzn.to/3wt5OrH
If you prefer the Liqui Moly brand: Liqui Moly service kit: amzn.to/3RR8xXj
Hand pump: amzn.to/3XDmUi4
Fill adapter for DSG transmission only: amzn.to/41wBg6N
Fill adapter kit (for many vehicles including DSG): amzn.to/3QJ3vtH
These are both the same scanner:
Innova 5610: amzn.to/3ZFN3hc
Zurich zr15s: www.harborfreight.com/zr15s-o...
14mm hex for drain plug: 33ftlb (45Nm)
8mm hex for fill level tube
5mm for the airbox bolt
24mm for the transmission filter housing
0:45 supplies needed
1:35 removing the cover and draining the DSG fluid
3:25 accessing the DSG filter
9:03 changing the filter and housing o-ring
11:35 reinstalling the filter
12:00 putting the top back together super fast
13:07 reinstalling the fill level tube and filling with fresh fluid
15:27 checking transmission temp 95-113F (35-46C)
16:20 draining excess fluid
16:53 reinstalling drain plug 33ftlb (45Nm)
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For your convenience, I try to post links to everything I use in the video description. That's part of how I cover the costs of this channel. I appreciate your support buy using these links!!

[@MLeung-vl7we]

Drain from the bottom first to avoid any overflow spillage when you remove the filter cap. Or, you can just place some towels around the filter cap. Does look like an aftermarket filter, so it was changed sometime in the past. About 15ftlb on the filter housing as per GTI specs. I think you forgot to cycle through the gears while the car was running during warm-up to get the oil distributed throughout the system.

[@slayfes5911]

Just did this on my TDI today and I wanted to say thank you! Your guide was awesome and it made it possible for me to do it by myself. I really appreciate the hard work that you put into making this video, working on cars myself I don’t think I’d have the patience to record it all. Much appreciated friend!!

[@bennieaust]

You're welcome! It does take significantly longer to shoot a video of it than just do it, but you shoot it once and now everyone has it. :) Glad I could help out and thanks for commenting!

[@Sprinter4783]

Did you lift the car or use jack stands?? Process seems kind of hard with just jack stands.

[@slayfes5911]

@@Sprinter4783it really wasn’t that bad. I do all of my oil changes with Jack stands and it’s basically the same process. I will admit It was a little bit tricky working the pump while laying on the ground under the car, but to me easily worth the money savings. It’s definitely do able you just have to finagle with it a little bit. I jacked my car up, drained the old fluid, and then removed the filter. After that just put the new one in, get under it and fill it back up. It’ll take a bit of time and effort to do but again, worth the money saving for me.

[@whiskeydelta4180]

Very clear, concise & confidence inspiring!

[@bennieaust]

Good to hear! It’s not a hard job, and it’s expensive to take somewhere so I would definitely encourage everyone to tackle it if they think they can.

[@jeffbricker2710]

Just did mine using this video, worked great! Thanks for posting

[@bennieaust]

Good to hear! You’re welcome Jeff!

[@aliincali]

Phenomenal work! Thanks!

[@bennieaust]

Thanks for watching!

[@johnmaldonado1453]

Great thorough video 👍

[@bennieaust]

Thanks John!

[@emilbjrk2217]

very good video, perfectly explained👍🏻

[@bennieaust]

Thanks Emil, and thanks for watching!

[@williameubanks1267]

This is just my experience, on three DSG VWs. I've had two 2 Passats and a Jetta TDI. Many DSG changes. Use Liqui-Moly not Pentosin. You can remember this advice when your transmission starts slipping at ~60 and your Passat sometimes doesn't want to shift. My experience, take it as you will. I had these symptoms again in my Jetta TDI and promptly drained the Pentosin and replaced it with Liqui-Moly. Transmission shop said I needed a rebuild. Nope. Good as gold now.

[@bennieaust]

That's great to know! Thanks for the info. I have serviced many of these and haven't experienced any issues with the Pentosin fluid but I will remember this if I ever do. I have only logged about 60K miles personally on the DSG equipped TDi's.

[@dawsondahms1804]

So glad to hear this got 84k on my tdi and started to slip today at 60 will definitely be changing my fluid

[@chriskrl2681]

Hi you change for liquid moly fluid ?and This help??thank you

[@paulwary]

Very clear. I remember another video said you need to run through the gears before? oor while? draining.

[@bennieaust]

It’s pretty normal on traditional automatics to run through the gears after you have completed the fill process but before setting the level. These DSG transmissions are a lot different that regular autos. I do not believe there is any benefit to running it thought the gears before setting the correct level.

[@widekiario5357]

Helped me tru this one lol

[@bennieaust]

Great to hear!

[@charlesrollins5371]

Great video, exactly what i was looking for. Can you supply information on the adapter used to put fluid back in?

[@bennieaust]

Thanks! Check the video description for links to everything you need.

[@trikator]

35-45 C , you can also use laser temp gun

[@KaladinDarkEyes]

I'm looking for a scan tool the one you have listed is a little expensive for a tool I will probably use once or twice a year, do you know of a less expensive one that you would recommend that reads VW trans temp? I also hope you get paid for affiliate links since I purchased the other items you listed for the DSG change.

[@bennieaust]

Brian, I do use affiliate links so thank you for purchasing through them! Harbor Freight does offer a very inexpensive scanner that it lists as also displaying transmission temp. I don't have personal experience with it but I have no reason to doubt it. www.harborfreight.com/zrbt1-obd2-bluetooth-code-reader-59091.html#top www.harborfreight.com/zurich-diagnostics Ross Tech is a top choice for VW owners and you can get a really capable scanner (that plugs in to your laptop) for about $200. store.ross-tech.com/shop/vchv2_ent/ I totally understand not wanting to spend $300+ dollars on a scanner. For what it's worth, the one pictured in this video is a VERY capable scanner for a relatively low cost.

[@flushed-entertainment]

Should I cycle through gears after it heats up and has the new fluid in it or so I wait until I drive it ? I saw someone cycle the gears after they put the fluid in so I’m curious

[@bennieaust]

It certainly wouldn’t hurt, but the DSG transmissions are not like regular automatics so I don’t believe it makes any difference with them.

[@rusted5408]

I was told the drain plug does not have a crush washer, and can be reused. Is that true?

[@bennieaust]

The drain plug does have a crush washer and the Pentosin kit linked in the description comes with a new one

[@benjaminwingchun9665]

can't you switch the car off when its at the correct temperature then drain the excess? or it will raise past the temperature and empty more than it should

[@bennieaust]

It will drain more than it should. It need to be running to set the correct level.

[@ThebeMoffat]

Hi can u pour the transmission oil from the top instead of pumping it in from the bottom?

[@trevincholmondeley554]

Yes. But from what I hear, it takes several hours to drain in from the top through the filter housing…

[@Sprinter4783]

How are you supposed to fill the transmission and run the gears with the car running if the car is hoisted on jacks? Just doesn’t seem practical

[@bennieaust]

Practical or not, it's the procedure. I guess I'm not following why the (jacks?) make it impractical. There is no need to drive the car, or even for the wheels to turn. If you feel unsafe preforming any of this then I would definitely recommend just taking it to a shop.

[@johnc8346]

Thanks!

[@bennieaust]

I appreciate it John!!

[@johnc8346]

You are welcome. You are an amazing teacher. Based on your video I plan to tackle my own transmission service. @@bennieaust

[@bennieaust]

@@johnc8346 Best of luck with the service! If you can get past the annoyance of having to remove so much stuff to get to the filter, it's actually pretty easy.

[@johnc8346]

@@bennieaust So I finally complete the service. You were spot on with 15 minutes run time to get to the correct operating temp. Also, I believed the dealer cheated me the last time I paid for transmission service in 2021. The date code was 2014 for the filter, which I doubt they had in stock that long. I believe all I received was a drain and fill even though I paid for the filter. I was going to use the dealer for the 130k timing belt service, but not sure now..... Thanks again for such a great tutorial!

[@bennieaust]

@@johnc8346 you're welcome! That's a bummer to hear about the filter. The service is only as good as the tech doing it. You can imagine how much faster the service would be if you skipped the filter. :(

[@AlOL81]

What happens if you don't drain the extra fluid? After watching this video, I'm pretty much sure my mechanic has never done that

[@bennieaust]

You want to get as much fluid out as you can. There will always be some left in the system and that’s not an issue. If you remove the drain plug and fill level tube, and then suck any extra fluid out of the filter housing you’ll be good. Sucking the fluid out of the filter housing is more to verify there isn’t any debris in there an to get the last little bit of fluid out.

[@counsela9240]

Nice job man. Removing the battery looks annoying.

[@bennieaust]

It’s mostly annoying that you have to, lol. The job would be very, very easy if you could just replace the filter from below.

[@flushed-entertainment]

Ive seen sites saying the transmission takes like 5.3 ish and the kits only a 5L. So I’m assuming extra fluid sits in the transmission still after draining?

[@bennieaust]

Yes, the drain process definitely leaves some fluid behind. The main thing to know is that 5L is all that’s needed for the service.

[@paulwary]

@@bennieaust My kit with liquimoly came with 6L of oil (probably becuase the 02E manual says the change volume is 5.2L (!) . Manual recommends adding 5.5 L for overfill. After draining I had used 4.7 L which is also more than others have used - maybe I put the plug back in a bit soon, basically as soon as it went from a stream to a drip.

[@bennieaust]

@@paulwary that’s about when I put the drain plug back in. It’s sounds like you used a very comparable amount to what I have always seen. When I add the 5L I usually get .3-.5L back out. Sounds like it all went alright!

[@paulwary]

@@bennieaust Thanks, that makes me feel more confident that its not overfilled. I was able to modify a cheap garden spray unit (Aqua brand in Australia) to use for an oil pump for top fill. The filter drain hole is 12mm diameter, and the plastic head for the spray wand was a bit more. Faster than gravity feed, and way less messy than bottom fill. Basically just put the oil in. push the wand into the filter drain hole, and go have a cuppa.

[@bennieaust]

@@paulwary great idea!

[@coltontietge244]

I have the same scanner but mine will not show the trans temp on my 2013 Passat TDI, any suggestions?

[@bennieaust]

Did you push the down arrow after entering the service check screen?

[@coltontietge244]

@@bennieaust yes I did. It only shows the first three options. I even tried updating the scanner itself

[@bennieaust]

@@coltontietge244, I’m not sure then. I’ve had mine plugged in to a lot of vehicles and it’s always displayed trans temp. Sorry.

[@ZhmiKnopa]

Why not fill it through the filter housing?

[@bennieaust]

There may be other ways to do it, this is just the correct procedure per VW.

[@scottburgle4889]

Funny…you said a 2014 Passat TDI only had one transmission. Brought mine to a shop in FL called Lake County Euros that said VW made 12 transmissions that year! lol. Then they wanted to charge me $560 for the job and said the LiquidMoly was $37/qt and it took 8 quarts. lol again.

[@bennieaust]

Sounds like a shop to avoid! If it’s not a TDi there are a few options. But the TDi in 2014 was one transmission only.

[@sirak-zizu]

Really good work, Bennie. How can I contact you for further questions?

[@bennieaust]

Thanks! You can either post them here or email me. My email is provided on my about page.

[@tyler4479]

Currently at 600 for a quote from them

[@bennieaust]

It’s not the simplest transmission service, but $600 is crazy!

[@counsela9240]

From the dealership??

[@tyler4479]

@@counsela9240 yes dude shits fucking crazy

[@jroddy1]

As if everyone just happens to have a Lift in their garage to get the car up in the air.

[@bennieaust]

A lift is definitely not required to do this trans service. amzn.to/45yjUaB amzn.to/3E2xEyt

[@ThebeMoffat]

Hi can u pour the transmission oil from the top instead of pumping it from the bottom?

[@bennieaust]

No, it fills through the bottom just like I show in this video.

[@ThebeMoffat]

@@bennieaust Thanks, where can I buy this type of pump? Im in South Africa, we have goldwagen, auto zone n midas?

[@bennieaust]

@@ThebeMoffat ​​⁠unfortunately I’m not familiar with where to get one in South Africa. Sorry.

[@ThebeMoffat]

OK no problem, thanks.

[@bennieaust]

@@ThebeMoffat you’re welcome!