2000 New Beetle 5-speed Manual Gear Oil Change

[mullardel34]

As part of the refurbishment program on our recently-acquired 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle ("Klaus"), we had the gear-oil replaced in our car's 5-speed manual transmission. We just had the "timing belt" service performed at 70,000 miles (i.e., timing belt, timing belt tensioner roller, timing belt tensioner assembly, metal-impeller water-pump, accessory drive belt, thermostat, camshaft seal and crankshaft seal) and it seemed like a prudent time to "zero the counter" on our manual transmission's gear-oil. The OEM transmission gear-oil came out looking pretty damned tired; while you could still tell by touch that the old goo was related to the new stuff in the containers we had just purchased, the old GL4 goo had obviously been in there for awhile...

We had our trusted local independent VW/Audi service facility replace the 5-speed transmission gear-oil with the OEM synthetic GL4 75W90 gear-oil and we've been absolutely amazed at the improvement! Our 5-speed not only shifts much more easily into any gear, but the transmission is significantly quieter (far less transmission noise entering the car's cabin)! And the somewhat balky behavior the transmission used to exhibit when the car was started cold in the morning (our morning low temperatures have been near freezing for the past few weeks) is now completely gone. Like Mike Myer's character, Linda Richman, used to say during the Saturday Night Live, "Coffee Talk with Linda Richman", sketches, "It's like buttah...".

While VW considers the OEM gear-oil for the 5-speed manual transmission to be a "lifetime" fill (there's no service interval specified), we'd recommend that it be changed-out at each timing-belt service; that's our plan-of-record going forward. It's only about $35's worth of GL4 plus about an hour's worth of technician time and the improvement in transmission performance is simply astounding! Highly recommended!

"Talk amongst yourselves..." --- Linda Richman

[TechnoTrix'd]

Best of luck with Klaus, looks like you are starting his new life on the right foot!

Yep no such thing as "lifetime" when it comes to fluids.

Keep us posted on you new journey with Klaus.

TechnoTrix'd


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app

[Smileybug]

I change it out every 100k-ish.

[mullardel34]

Wow! Everyone thinks this is a good maintenance idea? How do we get this thread converted to a "sticky"?

[D2Beetle]

Well I guess that my '98 is way overdue, as it is 5,000 short of 300K!

[IndyTom]

Congrats on your new to you addition "Klaus" I also have a 2000 Beetle 1.8 with 5speed manual tranny and just changed the transmission fluid myself. My Brunhilda has a little over 160k miles on her but the engine still purrs and all the regular maintenance including timing belt services have been done on regular intervals except for the transmission fluid change. So I thought it was about time to refresh it with some fresh fluid. However, I called my dealer up and he didn't have any Manual Transmission fluid on hand and would have to order it. So I took a chance and went to Autozone and purchased some Penzoil Synchromesh. Yes, I know it isn't API Rated etc. but I did do a lot of research on it and even though it isn't API GL4 rated it does comply with the viscosity of a GL4 spec oil and it does have a pretty decent additive package. A lot of VW, Audi, Honda owners swear by this stuff and so I thought I would give it a try.
The difference was like night and day. No more notchy shifts.
Shifting feels a lot more positive then before and as you said it shifts like Butta I will see how it goes especially with the extreme cold weather that is on the way and which is going to be with us for the next few months. More than likely I will switch back to the OEM G70 VW fluid in the spring just to be safe. With all the hype about GM/Penzoil Synchromesh in the forums I thought I give it a try myself and so far I am pretty pleased with the results.
PS: Autozone had it on Sale for $6.99 a quart. (Penzoil, who makes the Synchromesh for GM) I let the fluid drain for about an hour. It took just under 2 quarts to fill the gearbox.
I am sure some of the old fluid remained even after letting it drain for over an hour while I was cleaning my winter wheels and tires. It only took me about 20 minutes plus the drain time
to change the fluid.

[mullardel34]

IndyTom,

Outstanding! Glad to hear that Brunhilda is enjoying life beyond 160K-miles and responding well with her fresh gear-oil in the manual transmission!

I've always maintained that German-engineered cars (even ones assembled in Mexico... ) have no designed-in lifespan. With an aggressive maintenance program, 250K-miles without any major sub-system rebuilds (engine, transmission, etc.) should be a very achievable target.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by mullardel34

IndyTom,

Outstanding! Glad to hear that Brunhilda is enjoying life beyond 160K-miles and responding well with her fresh gear-oil in the manual transmission!

I've always maintained that German-engineered cars (even ones assembled in Mexico... ) have no designed-in lifespan. With an aggressive maintenance program, 250K-miles without any major sub-system rebuilds (engine, transmission, etc.) should be a very achievable target.

Did you know that the "Beetle" is the longest single running production car in the world and Ferdinand Porsche actually came up with the design in the early 1930's. In 1938 they called it the KdF-Wagen (Kraft durch Freude-Wagen) Power by Joy/Fun Car. Well, Ferdinand Porsche never liked that name and preferred the name "Volkswagen" the informal name under which the car had been developed. But even when only prototypes were skittering about in 1938, the nickname "Beetle" (Käfer in German) was already being applied by the public (the name appeared in a New York Times article that year). Considering the car's shape, how could it be called anything else?

Known by Porsche as the "Type 60," the very first production-ready Beetle debuted at the 1939 Berlin Motor Show. 1 liter engine /985cc's engine and 23 Horsepower.

Now 72 years later it is still going strong with 200+ Horsepower and technologies that would rival a Lamborghini just a few years ago.

I really enjoy my yellow Beetle and I hope with proper care it will make it another 160k miles or until I can afford the Next, Next Generation beetle