2013 Passat fluid change

[Chuckh]

Changed half of my fluid a couple days ago. It was getting a little stiff coming out of park and shifts were a bit harsh. It seems I had low fluid considering that 3.5 liters is what many other people on different forums seem to agree that you could expect when draining. I got a little under 2 liters and it was black and disgusting like used motor oil but with a red tinge visible. Because the dealer's fluid is crazy expensive at $24.80, I got some Aisin brand fluid for it which can be gotten for less than $8.00 a quart from Napa. They had to order it for me but they did get it. I put in 3.5 liters and it seems much smoother now while coming out of park and while driving. I am no transmission expert but I knew with 30,000 miles and it starting to shift harshly I had to do something soon. I might get some Pentosin ATF1 LV fluid for it and then change fluid one more time. I don't have VCDS (even the lite version) so I am looking for a way to check the temperature with the Torque app and an ELM 327 bluetooth adapter I have already. I just need to raise the car up a little so I might place pieces of wood of equal thickness in front of all the wheels and drive it up onto them to get it up some. Or I could take it to the edge of my garage floor and there is just enough of a drop there to give me room to get under the car, I have done it before with my Jetta to change the fluid. I just make sure to set the parking brake. If the Torque app will read that fluid temperature, I might just do that next time no one is around to distract or bother me while I check the fluid temperature.

I know people who tell me to leave it alone but I think they just like having their car die an early death costing them a fortune for a repair or replacement car. I think that those people just don't realize that these cars can not be neglected in such a way. Bad things happen if these cars are neglected and the transmissions are not the most reliable. Maybe this is one of the reasons for that.

Anyone ever try Liqui Moly Top Tec 1800 or Febi 29934 in these cars? If so how is it working out for you? Both of these fluids list G 055 540 a2 in the specs

 

[SnowDrifter]

How 'dirty' you want to do it? Tape a thermometer to the pan then tape some foam atop the thermometer to insulate it a bit - stop the external air from messing with your measurements. Will get you close enough to be able to check your fluid level

 

[Chuckh]

I tried the Torque app and the temperatures it reads seem like they may be accurate enough. I am just trying to figure out if anyone else did it that way. I would also like to check it on a colder day to give myself maybe a bit more time to get the plug back in. If anything, using the app I will be able to see the temperature more easily because the phone can be left anywhere that is dry that I can see it easily without crawling back out from under the car.

 

[pbm]

Does your Passat call for Pentosin LV1 ? If so I would be fine using the Aisin equivalent or even Valvoline Maxlife if it claims to meet the spec.
I'd be more concerned about using OE fluid in a DSG tranny but the Pentosin LV1 is basically just low viscosity ATF.
Aisin makes good stuff....

 

[benjy]

when i did girlfriends 08 Passat it was high 70's ambient my Vag-Com from Ross- showed it was good, car setting in garage + a short drive before changing. i have Vag software since my new 2001 jetta 1.8T, now a 2001 TT for me + girlfriends jetta + passat, a worthwhile investment for sure that does more than i am capable of understanding + you get updates when new cars come out via the net!!

 

[Chuckh]

This is the fluid I used. I got it for $7.88 https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/AORATF0WS

The previous 09Gs (before around 2009) used G 055 025 a2 which is a Type T-IV or JWS 3309 fluid. I had a 2006 Jetta with the 09G and it used the G 055 025 a2. I traded that for the Passat. The newer ones take a low viscosity fluid and it makes sense considering that they are trying to make it appear that you save fuel with their cars. They also use the word lifetime a lot and it is becoming a thing they all do. They try to make their cars attractive to people who know little or nothing about maintaining them. These transmissions are used in many other vehicles such as Mazda, Mini, Jaguar, and Volvo and I know I missed a some. This allowed me to look in forums that for cars that use the TF60SN (the other name for the 09G) and see what they are using in their cars.

 

[Chuckh]

They had to order the Aisin WS fluid but they only make you pay when you come in to pick it up. If I needed it much sooner, I could go to a Toyota dealer and get some of their fluid. I did that with my Jetta to save money on the fluid. I know some people would use only the stuff from the dealer or a fluid made by Pentosin. The fact is that not all of Volkswagen's fluids are made by Pentosin. If you have a ZF transmission, the fluid may very well come in a bottle that looks very much like a bottle from ZF except custom labeled. Now who ever made the fluid for ZF is something I don't know.

I was wondering about the Liqui Moly Top Tec 1800 because that is another good brand of fluids and that one is $10.99. I know Liqui Moly makes good motor oils but I never tried their transmission fluid. I sent Liqui Moly a message to ask about that fluid and they did tell me that is the product they would recommend for the car (I already had some idea but wanted to be sure of it). I don't mind paying a little extra for a possible better alternative fluid, I just don't like fluids that are priced to scare you out of maintaining a car. Now if no safe alternative is known for something that is a different story and one of the few times I would not mind paying so much.