Gearbox oil grade?

[Grizzle]

I asked the guy who fitted my clutch to change the gearbox oil but he didnt as he was confused as to what grade is needed and its seriously rough when cold.

His computer said 75w-90 but i was told its 75w-80

This is the part number from VW G052 171 A2, TPS and dealer are useless and refuse to entertain them.

[martziniuk]

I would always use genuine VAG oil if I were you. I had trouble selecting gears when cold on my last Octy even though I put the correct grade Fuchs oil in. Had to drain and fill with genuine oil to cure the problem.

[martziniuk]

If you really want to use non genuine oil Opie oils online selector should point you in the right area.

[Grizzle]

Cheers Martin, I think i will bit the bullet and go to TPS for the correct oil.

Cheers again.

[hatchy]

Used Opie when I wanted to change mine and went for the Millers 75w80 GL5 choice. Had no issues at all since the change.

[wiilydog]

get the genuine VAG stuff only as it does not have a spec and any non VAG gearbox oil will make the change very stiff / notchy when cold

[stu220]

Is there a set mileage to change manual gearbox oil????

My car is now 8 months old and just passed 17K, with second service fast approaching and as my wife has told me I will be driving my car "until the wheels drop off" I want to keep it in top order.

[Grizzle]

No set interval as they say its sealed for life (personally i dont thinkso) mines is touching 60k and feeling slightly notchy when cold, i'm hoping fresh oil will sort it.

[Stuart_J]

Small tip , Loosen the filler bung first, mine on the Mk 1 was stuck & took a mechanic about 20 mins to get undone, that was after we had drained the box, could have been a tadge embarassing

[hatchy]

get the genuine VAG stuff only as it does not have a spec and any non VAG gearbox oil will make the change very stiff / notchy when cold

Well I've had no problems with the gear change with the Millers oil.

[wiilydog]

It's just my personal experience as i used both Silkolene Silktran and Redline gearbox oil and both times it made the shift horrid when cold and change to VAG gearbox oil fixed the problem.

[Wardy]

I have Castrol 75w-80 in mine, but it's interesting what's said about non-VAG box oil. Mine can be notchy when cold, especially when the weather's like it has been. Made especially noticeable by a shortshifter too!

So will likely swap it out with some VAG stuff at some point this year.

[cheshire_cat]

I asked the guy who fitted my clutch to change the gearbox oil but he didnt as he was confused as to what grade is needed and its seriously rough when cold.

His computer said 75w-90 but i was told its 75w-80

This is the part number from VW G052 171 A2, TPS and dealer are useless and refuse to entertain them.

just getting into this now and have time to mither as I'm retired :-)      this is the number I have for mine but was supplied G 052 512 A2 by the stealers I haven't yet made my mind up whether they a useless or obstructive as they aren't doing the job     (sometimes you just want to do it yourself)  as far as they are concerned it doesn't seem to cross their minds that if they can't be helpful or worse know what they are doing  why the hell would you trust them to work on your car and fill it with the wrong stuff  (tales are legion) I guess most times they get away with it and if not tough luck you're paying to put it right. Why would you buy another car from them?    Whilst VAG should supply the best for any application (and I think their prices are OK)they seem to have got themselves into such a mess with part numbers that most of their dealers don't know which way's up  and risk disappearing up their own filler cap   It's no use having the best if it's wrong,  from now on I'm using FUCHS all the time, you know where you are with their web site, the staff at STOKE are helpful AND actually know their products and Opie's delivery and service is spot on and quicker than the stealership . Don't even get me started on 4x4 Haldex etc,  I hope some of these clowns are reading this  if so remember British LEY???   WHO? 

[Grizzle]

I always use Fuchs oil now its great.

 

That part number will be fine, but... Fuchs do a gearbox oil that i would have went with personally.  

 

I got shot of the car before i changed it. 

[cheezemonkhai]

Well I've had no problems with the gear change with the Millers oil.

 

 

I did with the TRX fully synth (correct grade) on the MK 1 TDI.

 

Fine in the summer, but in the colder months, it was a bit hard to do until it'd got a few miles on it and warmed up.

Was great after that, but for that reason alone, I changed it to VAG oil and the issue did go away.

[cheshire_cat]

update:   once you can get past the lass on the customer helpline switchboard to technical dept'   as opposed to getting fired back to the local stealers,   I found a very helpful fella called Steve, despite having all the usual info' to hand,   it came down to the number "engraved" on the bellhousing at the time of manufacture  ( seems to be a date)   bellhousing is a little misnamed as it appears to  be an extension of the block which extends under the clutch housing to which a conventional tin sump is bolted  ( custom made by FIAT to judge by the quantity of rust at four years old)  anyway after several consultations he came up with an answer     thanks Steve   someone out there does care!!!   p.s. there is also a paper sticker on top of the bellhousing

[zzonyx]

I addressed both FEBI and CASTROL (BP Europe) for expert application advice and both proved both responsive and helpful. The FEBI product has now a new label with all VAG spec numbers, including the one I need (G052 171), making the oil selection as straightforward as can be. CASTROL also has a compatible product (Syntrans V FE 75W-80) with a slightly different viscosity.

I also wrote to SKODA HQ in Czechia and SKODA Italy for an authoritative clarification, but neither bothered to respond to date - obviously, they might share our same doubts...

The A2 (or A1) at the end of the VAG gearbox oil spec is reportedly just the packaging code, therefore irrelevant for oil selection.

Since the OEM gearbox oil costs almost three times the compatible ones, I went for FEBI this time, being the closest clone.

Besides, suppliers (e.g. VAG) who attempt to push undocumented products at that kind of price deserve being left out in  the cold - at least, that's how it works with me.

I'll report the experience once I get the time to change the oil.

That's all for now.

[brad1.8T]

On 29/01/2013 at 17:25, stu220 said:

Is there a set mileage to change manual gearbox oil????

My car is now 8 months old and just passed 17K, with second service fast approaching and as my wife has told me I will be driving my car "until the wheels drop off" I want to keep it in top order.

50,000-80,000 miles works for me

 

wow, thread necro

Edited 22 March, 2018 by brad1.8T

[zzonyx]

The maintenance programs that contemplate max. 100,000 km (we're supposed to get rid of our cars by then, I think) do not mention manual gearbox oil change - once they called it "lubed for life" approach. I beg to dissent and I'd do it at round figures, just to make it easier to remember, e.g. 50k, 100k... (km or mi, whatever). I've known a guy with 450,000 km on the clock and no gearbox oil changes, but that's a bit too much for me.

Another consideration is the type of service - taxi, frequent full load - high speed, trailer hauling would probably require shorter intervals - it's a shame that VAG is so unsupportive on the issue...

[meaty101]

When I service my car next time my gearbox oil is getting changed too. 97k miles done and the change is a little sticky when cold. But reading through this thread two part numbers are quoted. As I have used Fuchs before with excellent results that's what I'll use again. Does anyone know the vag part number for gear oil for a 2007 6 speed manual box 2.0 tfsi? Just so I can cross check with compatible Fuchs oil. Thanks.

[zzonyx]

Should be the same as mine (see above), but you better double-check. The best source of such info, beside VAG which is mute on the matter, are reputable third-party suppliers who are keen to sell while keeping the *good press*. Beside the one you mention there are other 4 or 5: email them for a written answer (phone calls don't work as well if something goes wrong) and you'll get qualified and reasonably reliable guidance on the issue. You might also consider writing to PENTOSIN which is reportedly the OEM gearbox oil brand they use for the first fill in VAG factories. 

Compare the answers you get, discard the odd ones and proceed. 

[meaty101]

Just a quick check on Fuchs site seems to recommend Titan sintofluid fe 75w. 

 That oil covers both part numbers quoted above. Can anyone confirm for the 6 speed manual?

[zzonyx]

Hi,

I've got some relevant info that I'd like to share with all of you guys trying to make your way through the 6-speed manual transmission oil ("fluid") selection issue.

 

The info recapped below was part of the answer to a few queries posted and discussed here. Despite sound and credible info shared by several members, I needed authoritative guidance on the matter provided by someone who is responsible for the (lack of) info we car owners end up with occasionally, so I asked SKODA to put an end to this in the right way, which they did.

 

For obvious reasons, I can't just copy & paste the email (although there wasn't the usual disclaimer to that effect), but here are the essentials here:

• For HDV and JLU 6-speed manual gearboxes they recommend the use of the original ŠKODA oil, spare part No. G 052 171 A2 (synthetic oil, yellow color, SAE specification 70W-75W).
• They cannot provide requested info about oils from different manufacturers.

Source:

SKODA Customer Experience Dept.

[email protected] 
ŠKODA AUTO a.s.
tř. Václava Klementa 869
293 60 Mladá Boleslav
Czech Republic

 

My comments:

They didn't provide full info (e.g., API Service), but that can be inferred from other reputable suppliers and it seems to be GL-4 and, in some cases, GL-4+, although the latter seems a marketing trick to me. However, we have the OEM Part # and viscosity, which is a good starting point.

 

They haven't provided a list of "OEM-approved" oils (similar to those in the engine oil dept.), which is surprising, at least for me.

 

Anyway, I'm picking up from here. Already bought the FEBI product and renewed the oil. Btw, the filling and drain plugs (on my car) are the 12-point-star, anti-tampering style (with central pin accommodated by a corresponding hole of the socket - an overkill, if you ask me) - yours may be different, e.g. Allen wrench - check before proceeding. Both are reasonably cheap and widely available in the common 1/2-in socket guise.

So far, no sticky shifting, but temperatures are already higher where I live (around 5...10 deg C in the morning), so I'll know better by next fall.

 

You can see the three photos - sorry for the out-of-focus.

 

Hope this clears the desk for those of you who have had doubts similar to mine; thank you once again for your contributions.

 

Cheers from Italy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[meaty101]

Thank you for posting Skodas response. Cross referencing that part number on Fuchs site comes to titan sintofluid fe 75w. That's for a six speed manual MY2007.

[Jevpls]

On 3/24/2018 at 05:04, meaty101 said:

Just a quick check on Fuchs site seems to recommend Titan sintofluid fe 75w. 

 That oil covers both part numbers quoted above. Can anyone confirm for the 6 speed manual?

 

Used that Fuchs Syntofluid for my 6 speed gearbox.

2 years have gone or so, everything seems to be fine so far.