# Replacing AutomaticTransmission Fluid in VW **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** jetta, volkswagen\ **Created:** [April 13, 2010, 11:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/replacing-automatictransmission-fluid-in-vw/47390 "2010-04-13T11:36:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vwreddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/0ea827/32.png) [@vwreddy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/vwreddy)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 11:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/replacing-automatictransmission-fluid-in-vw/47390/1 "2010-04-13T11:36:15Z")
A local VW/Audi Performance shop recommended replacing the Auto Transmission Fluid in my VW Jetta every 50 K miles as a preventative maintenance. I called 2 dealers and then advised against doing it as it is a sealed system and waiting until I’ve issues with the Car. Who’s correct? ---
**Author:** ![andrew\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@andrew\_j](https://community.cartalk.com/u/andrew_j)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 11:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/replacing-automatictransmission-fluid-in-vw/47390/2 "2010-04-13T11:42:27Z")
Change it and ignore dealers. Your transmission will likely last much longer. ---
**Author:** ![UncleTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9a140/32.png) [@UncleTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/UncleTurbo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/replacing-automatictransmission-fluid-in-vw/47390/3 "2010-04-13T12:56:04Z")
Change it. It is a sealed system with no way to check the fluid level. My daughter’s Jetta developed transmission “issues” at about 60K miles. The solution to the issues is a new transmission according to the dealer. If you wait to change the fluid as per the dealer recommendations you’ll likely to develope issues and get the same story my daughter got. So, change it - and have the VW/Audi performance shop do the work. ---
**Author:** ![missileman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/missileman/32/1366_2.png) [@missileman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/missileman)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/replacing-automatictransmission-fluid-in-vw/47390/4 "2010-04-13T14:33:47Z")
Change it. ---
**Author:** ![BadaBing2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@BadaBing2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BadaBing2010)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/replacing-automatictransmission-fluid-in-vw/47390/5 "2010-04-13T14:58:38Z")
Change it. ---
**Author:** ![genex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@genex](https://community.cartalk.com/u/genex)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/replacing-automatictransmission-fluid-in-vw/47390/6 "2010-04-13T15:21:57Z")
Drop in here > **[Hear the Exceptional Story of this Quattro S1 - Fourtitude.com](http://www.vwvortex.com/)** > > Replicas are very like replicants in that they both cause some serious existential quandries. Namely, how much does authenticity really matter? Movies like ---
**Author:** ![bscar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bscar/32/34_2.png) [@bscar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bscar)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/replacing-automatictransmission-fluid-in-vw/47390/7 "2010-04-13T23:30:41Z")
VW dealership shops are pretty notorious for being very shifty/crappy. A sealed transmission means it has “lifetime” fluid. Lifetime fluid means that once the fluid breaks down enough that it kills the transmission, that’s the “lifetime” of the transmission. Price a transmission, new and/or used, with install and compare that against a “gamble” of having it changed regularly.