Hi Ho Hi Ho its to off the transmision shop I go.

[Silver Caravelle]

JATCO and ZF Certified Automatic Transmission Factory Remanufacturer

Sunny, give these guys a call for some independent advice on whether they clean or replace the filter (I suspect the latter). They are in Melbourne and do a lot of the warranty work for various makes. The gauze filter could quite easily be cleaned (with care) with a bit of petrol and dried out. Assuming VW is somewhat ambiguous, I would insist they replace it as part of the auto service. Regards, Scott

[Sunny43.5]

Thanks Scott but I want to know VW ,s schedule and process , if it turns out that they should have removed the sump pan and cleaned or replaced the filter I will have some ammunition for some recourse for the repairs I am now paying for . The guy doing ours was very informative and encouraged me to check on what they found , if I remember rightly he said he will replace the filter if he deems it needed ., or clean it perfectly .

[Cousin]

JATCO and ZF Certified Automatic Transmission Factory Remanufacturer

Had my first rebuild there and won't be going back again
Box went again 94,000 ks after that first rebuild and I was recommended to another shop
Once it was opened up, and what was found, I realised the first rebuild was not as it should be
You learn as you go


M

[Transporter]

Soooo simple, if the filter is made/kept in stock/sold as the spare part then it should be replaced together with the sump gasket, sump cleaned/washed/dried before refitting. Never clean the filter that's not made as reusable, in which case it will state that the filter is reusable. When you drive the long distances, it doesn't have to be better for the AT, because you most likely overheat the AT, shortening the fluid's life (and AT too). If the transmission plug is not sealed properly it can get contaminated with water and dirt, so the Oring/gasket there, should always be replaced after the fluid change. The environment where you open the AT should be dust free, so never go to dirty shop for the AT job of any kind.

[Silver Caravelle]

You are right Transporter.

I am going to get my auto serviced at 75K (new fluid, new filter etc). Whilst it is coming up for the 60K service, I don't interpret that the dealer will automatically caputure this in this service for a 2008 Tiptronic. Different for a DSG where it is as part of ther 60K service.

Regards, Scott

[Sunny43.5]

Okay here are some photos of our auto eviscerated Auto , the black slime is what is all over the internal surfaces you can see the finger wipe on the sump pan . The filter is totally blocked you can see the parts of the filter dark in colour which is where the fluid is supposed to pass through the clear sections are where the metal membrane that supports the filter so no material is on that part . So its very clear that because of being sealed and VW will not remove the sump to service it then putting in fresh fluid is a stupid and fatal mistake . If they had replaced the fluid and the filter 3 or 4 year sago I doubt whether I would be in this predicament today . If they believe that they do not need to be serviced then surely this is undeniable evidence that their logic is flawed .

[IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]
sorry the last two photos were not the best focus

[Sunny43.5]

Interesting email from VW Germany today , will keep everyone updated will keep mum until something happens from the Australian end .

[Transporter]

Interesting, ....like some good news?

[Sunny43.5]

Well I wont break out the champagne prematurely but who knows , mind you they have instructed VW Australia Customer care to attend to the matter again . I have had one letter and a call from someone higher up in VW AU . I lit a fire under this caller so I wait with baited breath . Will update when something happens , but with evidence I now have I am sure this will make some waves . If you compare the auto in the Brickyard photos there is a glaring difference between the two his was essentially clean and mine is black with sludge it does not take Einstein to work out that the fluid in a sealed environment does decay and cause problems . Spoke to the dealer and they admit that they only change the fluid via the sump plug at specified temperatures , but because VW sealed for life they would not replace the filter , I cannot believe that they would ignore a crucial part of the auto ie the filter as it is a link in the movement of the fluid through the various parts and if blocked as seen above then catastrophic failure is inevitable .Lets face it we change oil filters evry time why not the auto and yes I know its internal but what the hey its six lousy 10ml bolts and a gasket that's probably worth $20 plus the filter small change for the sake of saving a whole transmission in my opinion .

[Transporter]

...and what a load on the environment, driving around in the van with AT malfunctioning for who knows how long. With the sealed for life and the extended oil changes they're saving us what? A few litres of oil over the life of the vehicle, just to waste us/them heaps more in the process of rebuilding/replacing whole transmissions.

I know they want to keep the economy going, but I don't think that's the way.

If the fluid and filter would be changed at every 40,000km, the AT fluid wouldn't be so expensive, would it? But, even at $50 per/L it would still be a bargain.

[gecko2k]

Hi Ho Hi Ho its to off the transmision shop I go.

Wow. Good progress, hope it works out well for you. Keep us updated!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rebuild]

Regarding cleaning the filter, i would not chance it.
The opening is small and unless you dismantle it somehow(it has rolled edges) you would never be sure of removing all particles from the far corners.

They are cheap and easy to replace if the gearbox is open

[Sunny43.5]

I am not repairing the Transmission my self its at a specialist who has worked on this particular model many times so he has a good working knowledge of the box , he gave me the old filter as he will only replace with a new one , I am keeping the old one as evidence if required .

[Sunny43.5]

Final post for this thread I think , 2 emails to Germany both replied and was told that they would contact the Australian VW for some sort of reply . Well Jason Aqualine replied both times nice polite man with virtually no knowledge of VW,s it seems , he has rung me twice now each time after I made contact with Germany . He is just another VW hat wearing person , it does not matter what technical information you can explain to this person he hasn,t got a clue . I posed the question of what is meant by sealed for life , he does not know the answer I cannot believe that someone as high up in this company could be so out of touch with his companies vehicles terminology . I asked him to put himself in our shoes and how would hew react to the problem if it was his car , I should have just hung up it was such a waste of time . I have never found such apathetic responses to a customer with a legitimate problem . I knew in my mind that this would be the eventual outcome but hey if you don,t try it will just give them a higher level of arrogance and ignorance , with that in mind I will continue through other media to try and make a point , if I can get one outlet to climb on board I will be happy to make these Bastards squirm a bit .

[BrianJ]

It probably won't make you feel any better, but these gearboxes are in many cars in all countries of the world and have many failures. But from what I can deduce, you won't get anywhere until you can get enough failures and anger to get a class action going. Here is a link to the outcome of the Toyota 2001-2003 RAV4 AUTO failure settlement.
Toyota RAV4 Class Action Settlement

I know about this one because I owned the 2002 RAV4 before my current VW, although mine dod 100,000km and was still ok when I traded it. I think the quality of machines world wide is falling especially since the GFC in 2009.

Brian