Long-Term VW TDI's Transmission Service, Repairs Drive Up Ownership Costs

CARS.COM — Two things have plagued Cars.com’s long-term Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI since we purchased it with 47,000 miles in February: a sticky ignition start-stop button that occasionally wouldn’t let the engine start or stop on command, and a looming pricey transmission service.

Related: Do You Really Need to Change the Transmission Fluid?

Volkswagen recommends replacing the automatic transmission fluid and filter in the SportWagen TDI’s DSG (Direct-Shift Gearbox) transmission every 40,000 miles. Our maintenance records didn’t show the service being done, so at 54,000 miles we played it safe and had the transmission serviced at our local VW dealership. The quoted cost of $440 to change the fluid and filter initially took us by surprise, but a number of other dealers in the area had similar rates.

The cost broke down into $240 for labor ($165 hourly rate), $27.72 for the transmission filter, $10.75 for the filter gasket, $125.40 for the transmission fluid, $1.27 for a drain plug gasket and $34.95 in environmental fees to dispose of used oil and parts, all totaling $440.09, not including tax.

Next up was the finicky ignition button, which always eventually turned the car on or off but sometimes took multiple, repetitive stabs of the button. A technician diagnosed the ignition power switch as the problem and we were charged a total $433.66, not including tax, to replace the switch. That broke down to $165 for the initial diagnosis, which we had done a few weeks prior while getting the oil changed ($81.89) and tires rotated ($25). The switch itself cost $82.50 and $186.16 to install. The new switch is working so far, with consistent start-stop button operation.