2003 Volkswagen Passat Transmission Oops!

THATVWGIRL

MEMBER
2003 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT
100,000 MILES

My boyfriend was to have one of his friends "change my oil". That's not what they did. They drained the transmission pan. They were not at that instant alarmed because the fluid was not red. Murky and a deep burnt orange color. I guess they figured it out when they checked the oil dipstick to find that yep still full up. The oil was changed after they figured it out. And now I'm stuck with my car having fresh oil in it, but an empty transmission pan. I know I can't drive it anywhere, but what kind of service would I need to fix this. Since the fluid was dark do I need a flush, or a more complete transmission service and what is the approximate cost for something like this? Also the transmission pan is dented. So that's an added expense. What type of shop should I consider performing this maintenance on my car? Thanks for your help. I have no idea what to ask a shop to get a quote. I could explain to 10 shops what happened but I'd rather just know what I need to be asking for.

3 Replies

EXOVCDS

MECHANIC
1,883 POSTS

Find a vw repair shop.

Tell them the same story. At minimum you need to have the transmission filled to the correct level (measured at a specific temperature).

Even though fluid was drained, the transmission will still be holding several liters in the torque converter. So if you decide to get the pan repaired / replaced, along with the filter that is above the pan, the only way to do a full fluid flush, is with a machine that is attached to the transmission while the engine is running.

Giving you dollar estimates is really no good, since it will vary from shop to shop and depending on what you want (simple top up or full flush with filter or even a pan replacement.

Friend a good vw shop through word of mouth and stick with them.

Thomas