I had my DQ381 serviced at 6 years and 25400 miles. My gearbox was serviced by Transmission Technology (UK) Ltd. Ken, who runs TTUK, has over 50 years experience working on gearboxes and was a very interesting and knowledgeable gent to talk to. The cost of my DSG service was £177.36 DSG Oil: £63.00 Filter: £24.80 Labour: £60.00 VAT: £29.56 Having watched Ken perform the service, it appears very DIY-able, if you fancy tackling it, though I'll mention my local VAG specialist told me to go to Transmission Technology when I enquired about a DSG service there. Having watched the service being done, this seems slightly surprising, though it may be that there's more to the DSG service than meets my eye. The process was mostly as the videos show, and was as follows as I watched it: 1) Remove DSG filter housing and filter. (This was the most awkward part of the job as the filter housing was difficult to remove. Access was from under bonnet above engine.) The filter was clear of debris, as far as I could see. (See pic. The replacement filter was a plain white filter. ) 2) Clean filter housing interior. 3) Fit new filter & replace housing. 4) Raise car to allow access underneath. 5) Remove level plug from DSG level aperture. 6) Remove drain plug from DSG and let oil drain. As I watched it drain, the old oil was light-gold in colour and appeared very clean, whereas the replacement oil was slightly darker. (I questioned this and was assured it is normal.) 7) Replace drain plug. 8) Attach replacement oil pump kit. 9) Start engine, and with engine idling, pump new oil into gearbox. 10) When correct quantity of oil has been pumped in, remove pump kit and, allowing oil to drain from level aperture to correct level, replace level plug. Note: I suspect this is where you will need some expertise in judging precisely how much oil is in the gearbox, and it is quite possible that there is more to it than simply letting the oil drain until it no longer comes out of the level hole. For a simple oil change on a DQ381, Ken told me you don't need to worry about checking oil temperatures, that is only needed when the gearbox has been disassembled in some way, where oil may not have reached all the nooks and crannies in the system and greater care is needed to ensure that there is the correct amount of oil in the gearbox. Additionally, Ken told me that the recommended service interval on a DQ381 is 45K miles, not 80K. If you disagree with that, I suggest you argue it out with Ken, I'm just reporting what he told me. Incidentally, I asked Ken about my practice of always putting the gearbox into idle at junctions, as I could feel that the clutch is not completely disengaged when in drive with the brake pressed. He confirmed that the clutch is indeed NOT disengaged when the car is in Drive with the brake pressed. He added that it wasn't a problem to leave the car in Drive with the footbrake on for short periods, but for traffic jams, putting it in Neutral was recommended. He also said that putting the DSG into Neutral at every junction would extend the life of the clutch pack. (Which I had already worked out, but it's nice to have an expert confirm it.) Judging by his experience, Ken is pretty much peerless (certainly around my area) when it comes to transmission work, and is able to resolve just about any gearbox issue on any vehicle. He does full gearbox rebuilds, sorts out mechatronic issues and will take on gearbox repair jobs that other garages will insist can only be solved with a new gearbox. The phrase, "What he doesn't know about gearboxes isn't worth knowing.", springs to mind. He talked about how much time he spends keeping himself up to date on gearbox tech and he's a man who has clearly devoted his life to vehicle transmissions. Downsides? For the patient person, none. However, Ken has been working since the 60's, and sometimes he can be hard to get hold of. My first appointment with him didn't happen because he took the day off for personal reasons. (When I got there at the agreed time, the place was shut and there was no way to get hold of him.) I turned up on spec on another random weekday, just to meet the guy and size him up after the first failed appointment, and again the place was shut, despite it being during normal working hours. Still third time lucky, though I did make sure to phone him up before setting off. 😄 I laugh, but it wasn't a good start, and had Transmission Technology not been recommended by my trusted garage, I'd have been tempted to go elsewhere for my DSG service because I don't like unreliable people. I note the reviews of Transmission Technology are a mix of delighted customers (the majority) and people who failed to get hold of him (a very grumpy minority, which I nearly joined). Ken's an elderly gent who he has skills that can't easily be found elsewhere. I suspect he's got to that stage in life where he works as and when he wants to, rather than because he has to. If you have a gearbox problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find him, maybe you can hire Ken.