Living in MBZ City, how do you handle Audi gearbox oil in this heat?
-
My neighbour and I got talking about our cars outside the building yesterday, and he said I am crazy for never touching the gearbox oil on my Audi Q5. I have lived in MBZ City for three years now, and the car has about seventy eight thousand kilometres. It drives well, no jerks, no lights, no noise. But the summer heat here is no joke, and the car sits in the sun a lot because my parking has no shade. Last night I looked around for some guidance and found some Quality Audi transmission fluid change tips for MBZ City drivers, and the main thing I understood was that hot weather ages the oil faster, so waiting for a problem may not be the best plan. That got me thinking. Should I be changing it earlier than the number in the manual because of the temperature? Also, I do mostly short trips to the mall and the supermarket, and I read that short trips can be harder on the oil than one long drive. Is that true? Another thing I wonder about is whether a small workshop can do this properly, or if it is safer at the dealer, because the price difference is quite big. And is it normal for the mechanic to change the filter at the same time? I would love to hear what interval you follow, how much you paid, and if you felt any difference after the change.