34 Transmission oil leak from the case seam
34 20 49 2052421/3 November 13, 2020. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 34 number 19-42 dated
November 21, 2019 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

R8

2013 - 2019

All

With S-tronic transmission

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

3

-

Revised header (Added missing model)

2

11/21/2019

Revised header (Added missing model)
Revised Warranty (Updated Claim Types and Labor Operations)

1

09/18/2018

Initial publication

Customer states:
 Oil leak from rear of the vehicle.
Workshop findings:
 Transmission oil leaking from case seam at the front of the intermediate housing.
Or
 One or several steel bolts of the seam at the front of the intermediate housing are loose.

Technical Background
Deviation of tightening torque of case seam bolts.

Production Solution
Improved installation procedure.

Page 1 of 6
© 2020 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Service
Check and record the transmission build date for your records or possible Audi Technical Assistance Center
contact. The build date is located on the top of the transmission bellhousing on the passenger side (Figure 1).
The date is stamped into the bellhousing in Day-Month-Year format.

Figure 1. Example of a gearbox production date.
1.

Clean the transmission thoroughly with brake clean (or another degreasing solvent) and make sure the
transmission and case seams are completely dry before proceeding.

2.

Apply oil leak detection spray (part number G 001 900 A1 or a locally available talcum based oil leak
detection spray equivalent) to the suspected leak area, case seams, drain plugs, mechatronics cover, or
any other areas suspected of leaking.

3.

Test drive the vehicle and reassess the oil leak after the test drive.

4.

Take clear pictures of the leak location for your records or a possible Audi Technical Assistance Center
contact (Figure 2).

Page 2 of 6
© 2020 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Figure 2. Oil leak example.
5.

If the oil leak is from the seam at the front of the intermediate housing shown in Figure 2 proceed to step 7
in this TSB.

6.

If the oil leak is not from the location shown in Figure 2 this TSB does not apply and you should complete
your diagnosis outside of this bulletin. Take clear pictures of the leak location and open an Audi Technical
Assistance Center contact. Attach the pictures of the oil leak to technical inquiry and contact the Audi
Technical Assistance Center.

7.

Check the seven steel bolts (Figure 3) for a torque of 25 Nm. The seven bolts have a hex head with an
internal polygon socket (triple square). If one or several bolts do not have the specified torque (25 Nm),
document which bolts (1 through 7) were not tightened correctly.

Page 3 of 6
© 2020 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Figure 3. Bolt locations.
8.

Replace the incorrectly tightened bolts individually with a torque of 20Nm + 90°. Do not replace any bolts
that were not loose.
Note:
Never remove two or more bolts at the same time.

9.

Check and adjust the transmission oil level according to the Repair Manual.

10. Clean off any residual oil and apply oil leak detection spray to the case seam again.
11. Test drive the vehicle and recheck for leaks. If there are no more leaks the repair is complete.

Page 4 of 6
© 2020 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

12. If there is still a leak from the case seam, open an Audi Technical Assistance Center contact. Attach the
pictures of the oil leak to the technical inquiry. Enter the transmission build date into the inquiry and contact
the Audi Technical Assistance Center for further directions.

Warranty
Claim Type:

 110 up to 48 Months/50,000 Miles.
 G10 for CPO Covered Vehicles – Verify Owner.
 If the vehicle is outside any warranty, this Technical Service Bulletin is informational
only.

Service Number:

3435

Damage Code:

0050

Labor Operations:

Model Years 2013 to 2015 (Model Code 42):
Noise dampening pan remove + reinstall

1082 1900

See SRT with
associated
operations

1082 1902

See SRT with
associated
operations

1082 2001

See SRT with
associated
operations

Check gearbox housing for leaks (incl. photos)

3435 2999

40 TU

Replace and properly tighten bolts (As needed)

3435 5199

30 TU

Transmission oil inspect + add

3401 3550

See SRT with
associated
operations

GFF

No allowance

0 TU

Road test prior to service procedure

0121 0002

10 TU

(Coupe and Spyder)
Model Years 2016 to 2018 (Model Code 4S):
Noise dampening pan remove + reinstall
(Coupe only)
Noise dampening pan remove + reinstall
(Spyder only)
All Model Years:

Diagnostic Time:

Page 5 of 6
© 2020 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Road test after service procedure
Claim Comment:

0121 0004

10 TU

As per TSB #2052421/3

All warranty claims submitted for payment must be in accordance with the Audi Warranty Policies and Procedures
Manual. Claims are subject to review or audit by Audi Warranty.

Required Parts and Tools
Always check with your Parts Department and/or ETKA for the latest information and parts bulletins.
Part Number

Part Description

Quantity

G052529A2

Dual Clutch gearbox oil

As needed for level correction

N 91145501

Bolt, Steel Hexagon with Polygon socket

Required quantity according to
the result of diagnosis

G001900A1

Oil leak detection spray (or equivalent)

Shop Supply

See ETKA

Fasteners, Bolts, Nuts, and Screws as needed per the
Repair Manual

See ETKA/ELSA

Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2052421) are subject to change and/or removal.
©2020 Audi of America, Inc. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest
information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies, and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any
time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Page 6 of 6
© 2020 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.