Tiptronic oil

[oh_superb]

Hi,

Does anyone know if Mobil LT71141 auto transmission oil is suitable for the Superb?

I know there are many products out there but I have used before and trust Mobil lubricants, so as long as this complies with the ZF box in the Superb then I'll go with this. Thanks

[jimbof]

That number is the one I always see in relation to our gearbox, though ZF spec their own Lifeguard fluid and VW their own. I guess the biggest concern is that you can only get about 2/3 out, so more than anything you'd be concerned about what happens when two fluid mix. For that reason alone I now take mine back to the place that refurbished my gearbox - at least they should be able to use the same bulk product they have been using previously.

[icyd]

Only 2/3 out even after flushing?

[jimbof]

The only procedure in the VW book is drain / fill, which leaves the contents of the torque converter in place, which will then mix with what you put in fresh.  Drain is done by gravity.

 

I think to do as you say ("flush") - means either remove gearbox and disassemble torque converter, or remove ATF lines from radiator and feed in new fluid while pumping out old (I've heard of this being done, sounds scary...)

[icyd]

actually flushing is more like a few cycles of drain refill and running through gears in between using about 8ltrs of fluid or more

[oh_superb]

If two oils are manufactured by two companies and both comply with ZF gearbox specs then there should be no cross compatibility concerns.

I plan to remove the sump, give it a good clean, change the filter, and also drain the AT oil heat exchanger. That should get most of it out I reckon. The oil is too expensive to be "dumped" for a flush :-( Ten quid a litre give or take... I'm too tight :-))

[jimbof]

This guy has the official info from ZF in a post:

http://www.rangerovers.net/forum/6-range-rover-mark-iii-l322/40162-zf-lifeguard-replace-lt71141.html#post342727

 

The yanks who seem to do this work in their back yard (!) would imply there are a couple of litres in the torque converter, but I guess if you're happy that what is in there is the same as what you are putting in, and the box doesn't have any issues currently, it should be fine.  That is what the manual says, only to drain the TC in the event of fluid fouling or gearbox rebuild.

[icyd]

I didnt flush using oem vw oil.no one in right mind would do that.at least i think so.i used Pennzoil multivehicle.much cheaper

[oh_superb]

I have no issues, and I have a policy to change auto box oil at reasonable intervals. When I had my 605, that was treated to engine oil every 5000 and gearbox oil every 20000 miles. Sold the car with nearly 150k miles and no gearbox problems at all.

These Superb ZF boxes "sealed for life" I think under normal duty 40k intervals are a must. But most of my mileage are long motorway cruises so I'm not really working the tranny fluid so I'm going for 70k interval. Preventative maintenance. I suppose I could do the initial oil drop, then fill up to the stand pipe (3 litres, until it starts dripping out). Start the engine, idle for a few minutes to ensure that those 3 litres of fresh oil mixes well with the remaining old oil, then drain again, remove the sump, clean, remove oil filter, install new one. Then refit sump, fill to stand pipe, start engine, top up level to correct level with engine idling. This way the x contamination with the old oil would be kept to half of the level that you would get without draining the TC / flushing at all.

It would waste 3 litres of oil, but less than 10% of final oil content would be old stuff rather than 25%. That assumes 2 litres in TC and 6 litres elsewhere.

[jimbof]

Yeah, in hindsight I wish I'd done mine when I got the car at 40K miles and 5 years old, though in fairness I'm not sure that would have ever saved me from the dreaded reverse drum clutch failure.  It was only the Skoda warranty which prevented me from doing it... >facepalm<

 

Now the vehicle is an OAP, DIY skills learnt on here meaning the rest of the car is costing me peanuts to service, and the gearbox seems to be going strong, I'm going to carry on getting the gearbox done every 24K.  Once bitten twice shy, eh!

[oh_superb]

If you do it every 24k I would not bother with filter change until every 3rd such service.

[oh_superb]

Febi catalogue states oil 29738 is suitable for the Superb.  This can be had for £31 for a 5 litre tub.  So with two tubs you could do an oil change, then a week later (or next service) dump 3 litres from the sump and pour 3 fresh litres in.  Doesn't get any getter than that for £60 (plus filter).  The only downside is that the makeshift way of filling the box with an outboard pump means that the big tub is not really suitable.

But given I will be changing the oil in brother's car this weekend (1 litre canisters), I can re-use these canisters for my oil change purposes as they will fit the outboard pump perfectly.

Edited 7 January, 2015 by oh_superb

[jimbof]

Nice find!

[oh_superb]

Outboard (marine) oil Pump arrived today :-)

Oil should be arriving tomorrow.

[jimbof]

Keep us posted, interested to see how your pump works out.