Just for reference, my BMW’s ZF transmission fluid change costs $400-600 at the dealer, which is very similar to what OP did on the Macan.

My buddy has a lift in his garage so he and I did the fluid change on my BMW for the cost of the fluid plus a few shop items costing less than $100. It took 1-2 hrs. Before we started I took him out for lunch and we had a beer afterwards.

Guess we will do it again on my Macan for $200 something plus a lunch and a few beers. :laugh:

 

If you get aftermarket fluids and filter you can do it for less than $100

 

I really do not recommend that. I have seen too many issues with aftermarket fluids in Porsches.
You can buy Porsche approved fluids at some discount dealers and parts stores.

 

Loren. Good to see/hear from you. When I had a 996 I lived in renntech. I do miss it but I like my 9a1 better

 

So seriously. This has the correct part number and is from a reputable company but is 1/3 the price. Would you avoid this? If so let us know. View attachment 211496

I for one would not hesitate to use this.

Looks like you have established that not only this is the product Suncoast is selling for the application, but it’s also the product your dealer used when they serviced your transmission before.

I will say that the dealer has a lot of audacity charging $38.99 a quart for something that they are buying for less than $10 a quart in bulk. I did note that they gave you a one dollar per quart discount off the list price, Woohoo!

 

Macan Tranny fluid change

Thanks for the write-up. You gave me pointers and confidence. Just did mine for the 40K mi service. And it runs and shifts great, thank god. I was a little nervous. It really was pretty easy. The exterior canister filter is great. That's any easy change. I only got 4 1/2 liters out of it, but that might be because I had it up on ramps. The hard part is the refill. I used one of those cheap $10 hand siphon pumps. The first 4 liters went in easy. Then I let it warm up and it only took another 1/2 liter. Its a little messy and drippy, but not too bad. That Suncoast kit looks perfect. I got the fluid from RockAuto, Pentosin FFL-4. I checked with Pentosin and they confirmed it is OE fluid. I got the filter and o-ring from FCP Euro. Not really much cheaper than the Suncoast kit, and I had to scrounge around for the drain plug washer because it wasn't included. Oh and it said "Put car in Park!" a couple of times after I was done, but that cleared after it saw the fluid level was good, but that scared me at first. I'm figuring on doing it at 30K mi. interval next time because I only got the 4 1/2 liters out of it. I don't have a scanner tool for the Macan yet so I was unable to monitor the fluid temp. I was looking at the Autel MaxiCheck MX808. Any suggestions? Coolant, brake fluid and plugs up next. Any tips?

 

It is pretty easy if you have 2 people to do it.

Brake fluid flush is just like any other car. I think there is a DIY here for the spark plug change. Coolant is usually good for 5 years/100k miles.

 

Thanks. Yes, I saw the spark plug DIY. They just came today. Should be pretty easy. I don't know where I saw the coolant at 40K mi. You're right, it's not listed at all on the Porsche maintenance checklist. I'll put it off...

 

So I’m new to the forum but I’m staring at my wife’s Macan S in the garage and hoping I’m going to put the trans fluid in the correct hole.... this write up got me a ways along in this project but not very detailed at all.. am I pumping the oil into the 10mm plug on the drivers side of the trans? Or is there a trick I’m not seeing?

 

Changed the fluid in my wife's S a few weeks ago. Process went very smooth. Found out VagCom will read the trans temp.

 

Here is a video of what I believe is a Porsche dealer tech performing the PDK fluid change.
Also, I just got quoted $1000 by my friggin Indy to do what looks like an oil change!!

 

LOL some dealers charge less.

 

Here's a couple of things I found so far.
1. There are 2 ways to do this job. One is to just change the external canister filter and the other is to actually pull the pan off and change both the internal and external filters. This would explain the wide discrepancy in pricing.
2. We don't have to be so anal about temperature. Treat it like an oil change. Get it warm but not hot enough to burn the living s#$t out of you.
3. The fill procedure is quite simple. Fill it until fluid comes out the fill hole. Then start the car and let it run for a minute, fill again. Then start the car and put it into gear a few times and fill a final time.

hope this helps

 

I agree there are apples and oranges, but in this case I think we’re only talking apples. The Porsche dealer has absolutely zero intention of removing the pan. What they quoted me was the fluid drain and PDK filter only. Same as Indy. I would be surprised if any dealer quotes a pan drop as part of a regular PDK maintenance interval without the customer specifically asking for it.

 

Tough choice for me. $900 at dealer or $405 at top Porsche shop.
Let me get my calculator...

 

Tough choice for me. $900 at dealer or $405 at top Porsche shop.
Let me get my calculator...

...or $185 DIY if that interests you

 

I got the PDK fluid change kit from Suncoast for ~$200, but I don't have a lift and my Rhino ramps are too low.

Called around in SF bay area today: one reputable Indy asks for $700 including parts or $500 labor and one dealer quoted $970. Guess it is worth it to invest in a lift.

BTW, @Sl1 your Indy is quite reasonable.

 

I used Rhino ramps for my PDK but I guess I'm lucky that my driveway is sloped downward. When I have the front wheels on ramps with nose pointing downhill, the car is perfectly level and I have plenty os room to work underneath.

 

Go ahead and remove the underbody panel. Then find a service station that will rent out a drive-on lift for an hour or two. Even at $100/hour, you'll come out ahead.

 

How do I find one? I did a google search and didn't find much locally.

The PDK fluid change procedure is very straightforward. I believe I can do a better job than most mechanics if I have or have access to a lift.

 

Man, I can't help you there. You just got to ask around.

 

OK. Thanks!

 

Perhaps I need to build a new driveway first?

 

One of my neighbors back when we had that downturn in our economy in 2008 bought a hydraulic lift from a failed service station and had it installed in his garage. This instilled in me car lift envy which sometimes keeps me awake at night.

 

Your not alone brother. We here at Car Lifters Anonymous feel your pain...

 

But you still didn’t act after 12 years.......

 

The local Indy here quoted $650-700 for the regular PDK fluid change and one dealer asked for $950. Dropping the pan is more work and materials, but I don’t think it’s necessary at 40k miles.

I got the kit from Suncoast for $200 and plan to DIY. The procedure is really not complicated.

 

I got the kit from Suncoast as well. Plan on doing my PDK fluid exchange next week.

Anybody use the Motive power bleeder to fill the PDK from below? Seems like it would be good.

Also - I do not have jackstands - but i do have a set of rhino ramps. Has anyone done the change with just driving up on ramps and not leveling out the rear?

 

I got the kit from Suncoast as well. Plan on doing my PDK fluid exchange next week.

Anybody use the Motive power bleeder to fill the PDK from below? Seems like it would be good.

Also - I do not have jackstands - but i do have a set of rhino ramps. Has anyone done the change with just driving up on ramps and not leveling out the rear?

Using ramps isn't going to provide you with much room in which to work... especially if you're rolling
around under there on a creeper.

As for level, if the vehicle is not pretty close to level, how would you be able to attain a proper PDK fluid refill?


I have done a lot of DIY on my vehicles over the decades and the PDK procedure is one I'm going to leave to
the pros - especially considering an internal filter refresh, as well as the external accessible filter.


Good luck!

 

I didn’t try it but it’s pretty tight there.

 

Thanks for all the responses everyone.

I will mention that I crawl under my car in "off-road" mode when they are on the ramps for my oil changes...I had loads of room for that.

I also put the car on ramps (front tires) and put the car in off-road mode while i did the transfer case fluid exchange. I still had a lot of room to wiggle around in there. Considering the transfer case is positioned even further back from where the PDK drain and fill plugs are located; I am certain I can squeeze in there without issue. I'm 25 and still can maneuver under the car without a creeper to consider.

I'm more concerned about filling the PDK correctly being that the car will be about 2 feet off level....the more I ruminate about this, the more I want to go get jack stands. Just adds another level of complexity to the whole job.

Side note - I disable the auto leveling feature after the car gets into off-road mode. NEVER go under the car with auto leveling still on.

 

Thanks for all the responses everyone.

I will mention that I crawl under my car in "off-road" mode when they are on the ramps for my oil changes...I had loads of room for that.

I also put the car on ramps (front tires) and put the car in off-road mode while i did the transfer case fluid exchange. I still had a lot of room to wiggle around in there. Considering the transfer case is positioned even further back from where the PDK drain and fill plugs are located; I am certain I can squeeze in there without issue. I'm 25 and still can maneuver under the car without a creeper to consider.

I'm more concerned about filling the PDK correctly being that the car will be about 2 feet off level....the more I ruminate about this, the more I want to go get jack stands. Just adds another level of complexity to the whole job.

Side note - I disable the auto leveling feature after the car gets into off-road mode. NEVER go under the car with auto leveling still on.

Agree that the air suspension allows a bit more clearance which is very beneficial for a quick reach under / oil change without bothering with ramps (I can just reach under). That said, please do not go under the vehicle without a jack stand underneath each jack point. The air bag, valve set, or tubing connections could leak or fail.

It is absolutely not worth the risk - even for a quick reach underneath the vehicle or tire change. I unfortunately know of a family who lost a family member over Christmas this year as they were underneath a vehicle on a jack that failed.

oh and $2300 is highway robbery. Does the service include a whole new mechatronics?