Audi DL501 Transmission Service DIY (RS5/S5, RS4/S4)

At this rate the 2013 Audi RS 5 will be ready for anything. At just 28,000 miles it is not easy to understand why I would be replacing the transmission fluid. Well it turns out that the DL501 transmission had a few issues 2013 and prior. The internal PCB in the transmission would fail through contamination and heat. Improvements were made but early on Audi were replacing entire transmissions. Now you can get a PCB kit but with a regular trans flush we should be able to put that off for a while.

I still need to change the MTF side of the transmission and to a complete fluid change on the rear differential. More on that another time.

In the video I will show you how to drain the fluid, replace the internal and external filters as well as the proper method to fill the transmission and do a final level check. Spoiler you will need a tool to read the transmission temperature. I used OBDEleven which I picked up when working on the GTi. Ross-Tech VCDS will also work. I do have one but I am ashamed to say I actually haven’t used it yet!

Video link