DSG/S Tronic Service & Car in Garage (Recommendations?)

[Envy187]

Hey guys,

This one’s a two-parter. First, my 2012 S4 (DSG) is sitting at just around 67,000 KM’s (41,000 miles) and I purchased the car early last year with just shy of 50,000 KM’s (31,000 miles). Seeing as the previous owner didn’t bring the car to Audi for the 55,000 KM/35,000 miles DSG/Sport Diff oil and filter change…I’m considered a little overdue.

[Truth be told, it wasn't until only a few weeks ago that I found out through my skimming of the forums that I realized this was even a recommended/required service].

I intend on bringing it in to have both the DSG and Sport Diff work done as it is recommended, but how long do you think I can drive with my current 67,000 KM/41,000 mileage before it’s too late and further problems arise?

Lastly, my final question is this: how long do you think I can keep the car in the garage without turning it on/driving it all, without disconnecting the battery and doing all those other things people do for long-term storage? It has been several weeks since I drove the car as I’m in the process of finding time to switch to my summer rims and tires as well as possibly get this DSG/Sport Diff situation taken care of at the same time.

I look forward to hearing from you all!

[q5 dave]

DSG=S Tronic. No reason to hold off the service, would recommend doing asap. Not sure about final question, maybe get a battery tender. Fwiw I left my q5 parked in a garage untouched for 29 days over the winter. Started up no problem when I returned.

[Envy187]

DSG=S Tronic. No reason to hold off the service, would recommend doing asap. Not sure about final question, maybe get a battery tender. Fwiw I left my q5 parked in a garage untouched for 29 days over the winter. Started up no problem when I returned.

Sorry - I didn't mean S Tronic...I meant the Sport Diff' service along with the DSG. :-) Two separate services, but required for both.

Thanks for your input!

[grovlet]

well - I was in the same boat - bought my 2012 with ~50K - actually did the DSG Service ~60K - and still had to replace Mechtronics Board....

I just did the Diff Service @ 75k - no issue with Diff at all.

With that said - all you can really do for now is complete the service - and hope for the best! But unless you are feeling or noticing any issues - I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

As to battery - a tender is the best option:
Battery Tender on Amazon

I use one on my Camaro that sits in the garage all winter - starts right up in spring - prior to using it though it would require a jump in the spring. If you so have to jump the car - just be aware that it may take some driving around to recharge the battery.

[Audibot]

Fwiw I left my q5 parked in a garage untouched for 29 days over the winter. Started up no problem when I returned.

Should be somewhere in the owner's manual, but the newer cars begin to deactivate certain systems (such as proximity) after a few days to save battery. So if you're not leaving it for a real extended (>1 month), I would say not to worry. Otherwise, take the suggestion above.

[USAF_Danny]

This is the tender I used while I was away on my deployment.

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tende...YYQMAAHKXHKPWP

Came back with zero issues. When it notices the voltage dropping, the tender just recharges it to full. Kept it plugged in for 6+ months and no issues whatsoever.

[superswiss]

The sport diff fluid change is not part of the recommended maintenance for the S4. Only RS cars have that. In the S cars the fluid is supposed to be lifetime. Take that for what it's worth, but essentially most S owners never replace the sport diff fluid. As for the S-tronic hydraulic oil change, I would do that when it's due. If kept unchanged too long it could contaminate the mechatronic circuit board. The S-tronic also has a second oil circuit for the transmission gears and center differential. Again the RS5 maintenance schedule calls for a regular gear oil change, but for the S models it's considered lifetime.

[Envy187]

Thank you all for responding! I plan on looking into the battery tender, and look forward to the DSG/S Tronic oil and filter change in the near future.

[Dippy]

It is difficult to spend much time on forums where the B8 S4 (and S5) is being discussed without coming across reports of DL501 s-tronic gearbox problems, and some of those are related to late service. There is even a class action going on for the problems. So I think I can safely state without fear of contradiction that the reliability of the DL501 is less than both Audi and Audi's customers should expect. Now since recommended service intervals are at least in part based on reliability calculations, I therefore suggest that it is wise for every owner of a B8 S4 with DL501 to have it serviced before the recommended mileage.

[superswiss]

It is difficult to spend much time on forums where the B8 S4 (and S5) is being discussed without coming across reports of DL501 s-tronic gearbox problems, and some of those are related to late service. There is even a class action going on for the problems. So I think I can safely state without fear of contradiction that the reliability of the DL501 is less than both Audi and Audi's customers should expect. Now since recommended service intervals are at least in part based on reliability calculations, I therefore suggest that it is wise for every owner of a B8 S4 with DL501 to have it serviced before the recommended mileage.

It should be said that this depends on MY. There are three generations of DL501 out there. Gen 1 is <MY12, Gen 1.5 is MY12 and Gen 2 is >MY12. The one with most of the reliability issues is Gen 1. OP's got a Gen 1.5, which has remedied some of the issues that plagued Gen 1, but Audi finally got it pretty much right with Gen 2. Very few reported issues with MY13 and higher cars. So, Audi has recognized the reliability issues and mostly fixed them in later variants. Not all that unusual considering it was an all new transmission back when it debuted in the B8 S4.

[GandalfTheIbis]

Some early facelifted cars also have Gen 1.5. It doesn't seem like that change was made in line with a model year per se but rather a build date... and I don't know at what build date it was changed. So no peace of mind for early B8.5 owners.

To the OP, get the DSG service done asap. I've read that the recommended interval was moved up by Audi due to the mechatronics issue.. My thinking is that cleaner fluid will lubricate better and or be more temperature stable. That's just my logic. I've also seen some tuners recommend 25K mile intervals for DSG fluid on modified cars. Again my thinking is that the higher power levels and clamping forces the DSG is subjected to will degrade the fluid faster.

My car is a 2010 and I let it sit through the winter and have never had to jump it in spring. The electronics must be pretty well done.

[scmtkings4]

Some early facelifted cars also have Gen 1.5. It doesn't seem like that change was made in line with a model year per se but rather a build date... and I don't know at what build date it was changed. So no peace of mind for early B8.5 owners.

To the OP, get the DSG service done asap. I've read that the recommended interval was moved up by Audi due to the mechatronics issue.. My thinking is that cleaner fluid will lubricate better and or be more temperature stable. That's just my logic. I've also seen some tuners recommend 25K mile intervals for DSG fluid on modified cars. Again my thinking is that the higher power levels and clamping forces the DSG is subjected to will degrade the fluid faster.

My car is a 2010 and I let it sit through the winter and have never had to jump it in spring. The electronics must be pretty well done.

Are you guys changing both the internal and external filters on the dsg?

I believe this might just be for MY13+. It seems some guys are doing both filters, some are not.

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