2008 VW GTI, 02Q 6 speed manual, 45568 miles

[adeere]

This is the factory fill transmission fluid from my GTI. Refilled with Mobil 1 75w90 and it was very hard to shift when cold. It was almost impossible to get into reverse when cold. Drained it a week later and filled with Redline MTL. Shifts much smoother now. Big disparity between this oil and the universal averages. Seems a little strange to me. What do y'all think?

 

[Nederlander75]

Why the thicker lube? For a FF doesnt look too bad really. Though if the OEM fluid needs to be a 10w there are more applicable choices that would help your shifting.

 

[adeere]

It think it calls for a 75w90. The MTL is a 70w80, but that is what the store had. Redline MT90 is a 75w90.

 

[Nederlander75]

Interesting. That is a truck load of shearing. Might be a good ideal to test the trans fluid after maybe 10K miles to see how RL holds up to the shear.

 

[JAG]

That viscosity is in the ballpark of the virgin viscosity as measured in VOAs I've seen for the factory fill. It's far from 75W-90 and putting in such oils makes the synchros slow to rev-match, as you observed with M1 75W-90.

 

[Audi Junkie]

VW part number G052512A2.

Everything else is zero except the following metals:

Sn 4
Si 2
Na 1
K 40
Ca 14
P 470
Zn 8
Mo 238
B 124

VIS @ 100C 7.2
TAN 1.33

 

[Audi Junkie]

Mobil 1 is GL-5 anyway.

 

[HardbodyLoyalist]

Yes, I'm resurrecting a 3-year-old thread because I just acquired a 2009 Jetta TDI with this transmission and am considering changing the fluid.

The Amsoil application guide recommends their MTG (75W-90) fluid for this transmission, but the viscosity numbers in this UOA fall squarely into the 75W-80 range. Does anybody know what fluid the 02Q actually takes? The owner's manual provides zero information (VW claims it's a "lifetime" fluid).

 

[HardbodyLoyalist]

Upon further research, I found that the VW part number for this fluid is G 052 171 A2.

According to this site: http://syntheticoil-europe.eu/141-g-052-171-a1-g-052-171-a2, it's a 70W-75 GL-4 gear oil.

Holy snoikies! I didn't know they came that thin. I'm thinking I'll just find a vendor that sells the genuine VW stuff so as not to lose sleep at night.

 

[badtlc]

The genuine VW stuff is really thin as you have seen. If you want something a bit thicker, Redline MTL is a good compromise. It is a 70W-80 and around 10 cSt @ 100C. Plus the VW stuff is very pricey.

 

[JAG]

In my O2M tranny in my GTI, I use fuchs titan sintofluid 75W-80 that I found online. I've been pleased with it after having used the OEM oil previously and the price is much better.

 

[HardbodyLoyalist]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I must admit that I find it interesting that Amsoil recommends a 75W-90 in this tranny and that Redline makes no recommendation at all.

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: HardbodyLoyalist
Thanks for the tips, guys. I must admit that I find it interesting that Amsoil recommends a 75W-90 in this tranny and that Redline makes no recommendation at all.



Amsoil recommends that because VW states in the OM to use a 75W-90 GL-4 fluid.

 

[MolaKule]

Originally Posted By: HardbodyLoyalist
Upon further research, I found that the VW part number for this fluid is G 052 171 A2.

According to this site: http://syntheticoil-europe.eu/141-g-052-171-a1-g-052-171-a2, it's a 70W-75 GL-4 gear oil.

Holy snoikies! I didn't know they came that thin. I'm thinking I'll just find a vendor that sells the genuine VW stuff so as not to lose sleep at night.


Quote:
Manual Transmission Fluids (MTL) Fluids containing MTL Application Specific Additive Packages with GL-4 Ratings

Choosing a Manual Transmission fluid can be confusing.

Many times there is simply a specification referenced and no information about the viscosity of a fluid at 100C, where the oil viscosity is documented at the higher testing temperature.

What I recommend you do when looking for a replacement fluid is to determine the viscosity of the fluid at 100C either from the manufacturer's Product Data Sheet or from a New oil Analysis or VOA.

After knowing the viscosity at 100C (212F), one can then attempt to match up the fluid to one or more of those below:

A. The four MTL fluids closest to a Kinematic Viscosity of 6.1 (About the same viscosity as a DexronVI) or so are:

1. Castrol Syntrans FE 75W,

2. BMW (Pentosin) MTF-LT-3,

3. Honda MTII or MTF 2.

4. Ford FML-XT-11-QDC


B. The next higher viscosity MTL would be the 7.5 cSt versions (About the same viscosity as a DexronIII)

1. Royal Purple's Synchromax

2. Ravenol MTF-2

3. Honda MTF

4. VW part number G052512A2

5. GM Manual Transmission and Transfer Case Fluid

6. BMW (Pentosin) MTF-LT-1, 2


MTL FLuids with GL-4 Ratings

 

[Bror Jace]

It appears that some blenders are a bit slow to update their recommendations. VW has traditionally called for a typical 90 weight gear oil in their front-wheel-drive transaxles but are now recommending something thinner (in the neighborhood of 10 cSt). Some recommendations don't reflect this.

Luckily, there are plenty of fluids available in the new range.

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: Bror Jace
It appears that some blenders are a bit slow to update their recommendations. VW has traditionally called for a typical 90 weight gear oil in their front-wheel-drive transaxles but are now recommending something thinner (in the neighborhood of 10 cSt). Some recommendations don't reflect this.

Luckily, there are plenty of fluids available in the new range.


VW still recommends it. Their owner's manuals still call for 75W-90, GL-4 fluids. The fluids they actually used are around 6.3 cSt @ 100C. Talk about conflicting reports.