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Just noticed this today (sorry for the terrible photos) on my 2016 A4 B9 2.0 tdi Quattro while it was up on the lift to replace a panel. The gearbox lower pan always seemed a little wet to me since I acquired the car a little over 35k km ago but my indy said it's just "sweating" so to speak and not a big concern. But this time it looked extra wet to me. There is also wetness visible from the bottom on the panel below it which caused my concern this time. I've had the dsg fluid replaced at an Audi dealer a year ago at 60k km as per the schedule. Right now the odometer reads 68k km.
Is this something to worry about?
I feel the car is starting to fall apart since yesterday was the first time I got a major fault the infamous adblue fault. It's likely the car is reaching it's economic limits at 9 years old. Considering selling it before something else big fails big.
Not sure if it's common but probably not very normal. I have the same condition. I know it's happening quickly since I washed that whole area a month ago after replacing my DSG fluids, and it's looking wet again. The proper fix would be to drop the plastic oil plan and reseal/reinstall it but it's not an easy task with the frame cross-member in the way. Some including LightningTruck have done it. I elected to leave it as it is since I'm aware I didn't lose any significant amount of DSG fluid (ATF) over at least 40k mi as a result of this weepage so I should be good for another few years. YMMV...
Thanks for the reply. Since there is no dsg fluid level sensor it's impossible to tell how much is lost. Especially with the temperature requirements to determine the correct amount it's maybe not even technically possible.
I had my dsg fluid changed about 8k km ago, and clueless how much is in there now. The more complicated the systems the more things can go wrong. I think the economic lifespan of an Audi is much less than that of a say Renault.
Thanks for the reply. Since there is no dsg fluid level sensor it's impossible to tell how much is lost. Especially with the temperature requirements to determine the correct amount it's maybe not even technically possible.
I had my dsg fluid changed about 8k km ago, and clueless how much is in there now. The more complicated the systems the more things can go wrong. I think the economic lifespan of an Audi is much less than that of a say Renault.
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OK well sounds like you are getting rid of the car. Good luck with your new Renault.
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OK well sounds like you are getting rid of the car. Good luck with your new Renault.
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=) yes, looks like that's what's going to happen, in the mid term. Only after I fixed the adblue fault.
Replacement won't be a Renault though, I just gave it as an example because that's what I had experience with. I've had several Renault's and one I owned longer served me 9 solid years (of abuse) with absolutely zero faults. But it's a Renault, not a fair comparison I agree. It's such a car that you can't really complain much because it takes the job done and reasonably at that. But obviously lacks the finesse/performance of an Audi.
I love the A4, it ticks all the boxes for me, it's a great car as long as it works. My next car would be a younger A4 or a next gen allroad, I think those are going to be released as A5 since all even numbers are going to be electric and odd numbers ice as announced by Audi.
My comment was about my overall experience with the brand, I've had an A3, a face lifted C6 A6 and finally this one the B9 A4 and all have been less reliable for me on the long run. I still have the A6 from 2011, similar story.
I am thinking a bit like @LightningTruck that perhaps the service tech had a spill during the mechatronics service which slopped oil on the outside of the housing and that wind and surface tension is distributing the oil around the outside surface of the pan. If you think you might have a leak, I would be inclined to remove the underbody trim panel below the transmission and drive around for a couple of weeks and see if anything accumulates on the ground where you park the car. If nothing significant accumulates that means there is no leak or the gasket weeping is not a particularly significant issue. If you do get accumulation then perhaps you have leak and then you can decide what you want to do about it.
Gasket weeping used to be a pretty standard feature on cars in to the '90s. The Japanese got around that in part by gluing things together. Try separating the oil pan or the cam chain cover on any Honda product designed and built after about 2000 and you are going to be saying F**k an awful lot. You need a special gasket separator tool (expensive chisel) and a hammer to get those suckers apart. Works OK if you never have to do maintenance underneath those covers.
When doing things that require separation of flanged surfaces, I always dress the surfaces with Hylomar Blue or Permatex Permashield. They are non hardening easily separable sealants which are the darling of mechanics in the aircraft maintenance business where engines require regular tear down for inspection. Auto mechanics do not like the stuff because you need to apply the sealant to the separate surface and let it dry before joining which takes time and time is money.
I am thinking a bit like @LightningTruck that perhaps the service tech had a spill during the mechatronics service which slopped oil on the outside of the housing and that wind and surface tension is distributing the oil around the outside surface of the pan. If you think you might have a leak, I would be inclined to remove the underbody trim panel below the transmission and drive around for a couple of weeks and see if anything accumulates on the ground where you park the car. If nothing significant accumulates that means there is no leak or the gasket weeping is not a particularly significant issue. If you do get accumulation then perhaps you have leak and then you can decide what you want to do about it.
Gasket weeping used to be a pretty standard feature on cars in to the '90s. The Japanese got around that in part by gluing things together. Try separating the oil pan or the cam chain cover on any Honda product designed and built after about 2000 and you are going to be saying F**k an awful lot. You need a special gasket separator tool (expensive chisel) and a hammer to get those suckers apart. Works OK if you never have to do maintenance underneath those covers.
When doing things that require separation of flanged surfaces, I always dress the surfaces with Hylomar Blue or Permatex Permashield. They are non hardening easily separable sealants which are the darling of mechanics in the aircraft maintenance business where engines require regular tear down for inspection. Auto mechanics do not like the stuff because you need to apply the sealant to the separate surface and let it dry before joining which takes time and time is money.
Thanks for the advise, makes sense to me to remove the cover, though I don't have the means to do it myself. On the other hand the fill port being at the bottom and the wetness being so even, I don't know... but I still hope its that sloppy mechanic (btw I truly believe they are actually very sloppy at the dealer).
I miss the times when things were built to last. Even the Japanese lost the game. I wouldn't believe it if I was told in the 90's that that was going to happen.
Anyhow, working in commercial aviation maintenance (airframe) we have a lot of "weeping" in many parts where oil is involved. This includes the hydraulics and the engine accessory boxes. Pressurized systems usually drip when the system is not pressurized for a long time and that goes away once you have the pressure on.
BTW my indy was not impressed by the looks of it, he was not alarmed at all and was reluctant to do anything about it. I don't know if it's because he regarded this as a high risk job or just because it was going to be messy or he really didn't see it as a problem. I don't think I will ask the dealer about this, I'm pretty sure they will ask me to replace the whole gearbox. I will look for my older pictures, I always take pictures when the car is on the lift. Maybe will give me some idea if I can compare the pictures.
Found the pictures from last year's service. LH view definitely looks dry but the middle rear facing side above the mid cross member looks as wet. This was a month after the dsg servicing.
I've had Audi technicians from the Audi dealership in New York perform a sloppy job, spilling fluid all over the place.
I would get that car up on a lift and remove the cover. Inspect the drain plug and clean everything.
Audi has issued a couple bulletins for leaks.
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07-11-2024, 08:19 AM
Gearbox sump cover wetness cause for concern?
