Just my 2 cents. Def not expert but I also have a 2011 I bought with 37k a few years back. I recently did a major service (oil,plugs,coolant flush etc) and was also on the fence about doing a tranny flush. After I posted here and had time to think about it I decided not to. Main reason for was the fact that transmission still feels great and the treg is at 70k miles. So I figure I will hold off until I feel tranny performing ANY different or at 100k whichever comes first.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

That's perverse reasoning for not doing timely maintenance!

Change the ATF every 60-80K, or sooner if you do a lot of towing, and the diff oils too.

I think the ATF might even be a VW service item at 80K now anyway, and, if not, it should be.

 

Like I said I'm no expert and you'll get different opinions and on here just like I did when I brought up same question. I guess it comes down to personal preference. VW dealer actually advised me NOT to


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

As we have discovered over the years, regrettably a lot of VW dealers worldwide know absolutely jack ****e about the Touareg!

 

It is interesting you say that, because when I ask them about doing a complete service over the phone. The service writer said they hardly do transmission services then quoted me some over the top price of $800.00 I can get the fluid and having drained and refilled at an Indy for under $200.00. At least I will have the peace of mind that 3/4 of the ATF will be new.

What about the battery, I think it is under the driver's seat? In a way it is kind of smart it protects the battery from all that engine heat hot summer sun. From my understanding it is heat over time that cause a battery's performance to deteriorate, you just find out about in cold weather. Does a Touareg require a special VW battery or can I just replace it with an Interstate Brand battery?

 

I stay far away from dealers, unless there are parts that I need that can't be purchased from the automotive stores, or can't be repaired by the local independent shops. My wife got recommendation from dealers that are utterly useless, as tactics to scare the crap out of her to get certain oddball jobs done that didn't need to. She always referred things back to me, as she told them to hold on, and placed me on the cell's speaker. Didn't hear anything from them after I responded to their recommendation for the past years.

As nooby said, 60 to 80k miles. Me, since we performed light to moderate towing from time to time, I cranked mind down to 45k miles. If I feel like being lazy, I would bump it to 55k miles, as max, on tranny, differential, and coolant as the trio. ~$300 out the door, but this practice had kept all our towing vehicles in good shape for the past 4 decades.

Cherish your T'reg, and keep her/him nice and maintained. Don't skip out on the pampering, or you'll get one major backlash later down the road. Your T'reg is like high maintenance woman, that will work hard for you. Treat her/him right, and she'll/he'll you right.

 

Thanks for the advice, this is my first European vehicle and it is a bit of a learning curve understanding this VW. The half German part of my heritage was calling me buy it.

 

The battery is under the drivers seat. Can find on YouTube how to access. The seat essentially can be pivoted like on a hinge to the rear. The hold down bolts are like 12 pts so need proper socket to remove. You can get a multiple pack at pretty much any auto store in US. The ones I have fit into a 1/2 inch socket.

My original Varta battery made by Johnson controls lasted ten years which is probably unusual. You can use interstate, diehard, etc. Nice thing about the location the battery is generally pristine, no corrosion etc. a small hose vents the battery to the underside of the chassis.

 

LOL Bad way to answer. Wife spent 7 years of her life living in Germany, and she said the same thing, "My childhood is calling me to purchase the VWs". Here I sat, with receipts of for components to maintain, repair, and take care of her childhood's calling. Oiiyyy...

 

As @G6mdxvct indicated, it's a 12 points bit called triple square socket, which you can find at automotive store. Look for M10. Extremely handy tool to have. Suggestion though: before attempting to unscrew these two bolts, make sure to add a bit of rust buster/WD40 to soak into the threads 24 to 48 hours before. Use the righty-tighty turn just a tiny bit to tighten the the bolts a tad, increasing the chance to easily remove the bolts as you left-loosy them, preventing the bolts from being stripped. The damn dealer screwed my bolts over because they overtightened with the power tools, then forced the bolts to loosen.

 

Mine were not corroded at all but did notice that VW puts Locktite substance on the bolts at the factory. Had to use a cheater pipe on the ratchet to loosen. Had same experience with rear seat when changing out fuel pump. Couldn't get to one of the nuts for the cover plate without loosening the bolt.

 

Apparently not all T3 seats hinge.

It seemingly depends on the amount of adjustment electrics in the seat itself.

So some seats do need to have all four seat bolts taken out to lift the seat out of the away.

 

Sorry. Have a T1 so can't speak to future year provisions. I think the first time I just took out all bolts and set the seat on the back bench until I realized it could hinge. My experience with the car has been on the job training. Most of the dealers are somewhat inept.

 

http://www.mytreg.com/index.php?/topic/7606-changing-the-t1-t2-t3-and-t4-battery-including-both-batteries-in-the-v10/

 

If you drain the ATF you might as well drop the pan and replace the filter. I found severe gunk in the pan at +- 80k miles and suspect that the gunk or metal particles can block the filter and restrict the flow of ATF. The filter intake sits only millimeters from the bottom of the pan so any gunk washing around will find its way to the filter intake.

 

I am probably going to go with your recommendation. Will 8 liters or quarts be enough fluid?

 

I recall +- 6.5 quarts but will check my notes on the weekend.

Are you aware of the lengthy thread with lots of information on how to do the ATF fluids?

http://www.clubtouareg.com/forums/f95/diy-transmission-fluid-change-pics-atf-82168.html

 

Please keep us posted on everything

 

I will. I plan to get most these items done before next Fall. DW wanted me to buy a CPO, for a lot more money problem was I could not find any that fit my criteria in the area. I wanted a Sport with Tech and Nav package no sunroof. I am not crazy about panoramic sunroofs, too much heat gets generated for one, and for other reasons I stayed away. So I was limited in what I could buy, I could have bought a pristine 2014 White Executive for under 30K but we did not want the sunroof. So I got a 2011 Charcoal Grey 65,000 miles for $18.5K that had completely up to date services. It will need tires, I will probably buy Cooper HT Plus, eventually a battery and transmission service. Other than for what I paid another $1500 to $1800 in maintenance seems like a deal. I keep vehicles for a long time still have 17 year old Honda Accord with 196,00 miles that runs like a champ. The Touareg is really solid and stable if I lived in Germany I would drive it at 100 mph or more on the Autobahn without breaking a sweat.