So, a customer I rarely see calls me up and asks us if we can do a 40,000-mile service on her 2010 VW Jetta 2.0L Diesel.
"Uh, sure, why not?" I respond.
I have a RossTech VCDS (and an Autologic with VW software locked away upstairs if I need it), so I'm confident that I can reset any service reminders or whatever else. What can I possibly run into that's scary?
Both the fuel and transmission filters are cartridge type these days, so it's like doing three different oil filters on a BMW. You need to torque everything to specification and all that jazz. So, we replaced the fuel filter after soaking the new one in diesel* and moved onto doing the transmission filter.
We had to remove the air filter box and the battery tray to access the transmission filter housing. Doing this, we realized that this vehicle had no way to add new fluid to the transmission. It simply had one plug on the bottom of the transmission case for draining AND refilling! You pretty much have to inject fluid into the transmission under pressure. There are alternatives but this is how it has to be done.
VW requires a $315 tool to do the job. The aftermarket version of the tool is $189. We took a MityVac No. MV7201 and drilled a hole in a new drain plug that fits the vehicle, making our own fluid injection tool. So, for less than a $100 we made our own tool to do the job.
MityVac makes the No. MVA7216 so you don't have to make your own "fitting." It comes with a set of fittings for about another $100.
Diesel service is never fun.
*Supposedly on new diesels you do not need to wet the filters. However, we have had no issues wetting the filter. The old school thought about this is that it prevents introducing air in the system.
