I've got an Audi with, supposedly, lifetime fluid in it.
I stopped by the shop I use for servicing, the owner being
an Audi factory trained tech, and he said to change it every 90,000 miles.
So much for lifetime fluid, if he's right.

Audi also put out a change to the 100,000 mi internal belt change to 70,000 miles, so changing the program in midstream is nothing new to me.

I stopped at a tranny shop to talk with them; they don't touch Audi's, but
read an interesting blurb while I was there. Basicially it said if you wait too
long to change your fluid, and there is some residual old fluid in the tranny, when it combines with the new fluid, it may cause problems.

It basically causes some jel like stuff to form, gums up the tranny, and hence
the number of tranny's failing soon after servicing. It also discussed
the recommended service interval being reduced for "severe service" like towing, very hot weather, or driving a lot of mountainous roads. Going uphill empty is
"towing" your truck, so to speak.

So, with these thoughts in mind, I checked my Ford manual and it has
the 150,000 mile
Ford recommended interval for my 2012 EB.

If you take you truck to the dealer, is there a standardized procedure they use, that would get all the fluid replaced, and new filters? Is this the best place to go?

I've used Tanner Transmission with other vehicles in the past as they
say they flush all the fluid out, plus drop the pan and change all the filters.

The say some other shops use a machine to flush all the fluid, but don't drop the pan to change the filters. Like the quickie oil change places.
Or the one's that do drop the pan, will change the filters but don't get all the fluid out.

So, what do you think we should look for to get the best tranny servicing?
And where should we go, or not go?

 

I never change my transmission fluid. My 08 had 130,000 miles still worked perfect, my 2012 has 82,000 miles still works perfect. I asked the dealer about changing the fluid early & they said I would just be wasting my money. They recommended 150,000 miles.
I feel those quick change places use scare tactics to get people to change fluids way too soon.
I have a friend who is a mechanic & he swears there is no reason to drop the pan anymore.

 

What year and model Audi? My wife has an '11 Q5 at 52k and this is interesting to me

 

Mine is a 2001 A6 4.2 (V8)

I don't know if all models have this lifetime fluid, or just some.
Now I don't know if it's really "lifetime." Or whether changing it
is that smart a thing to do.

Audi forum wasn't much help.

 

I intend to have the Ford dealer flush mine at 100K miles along with the coolant system. The at 150K, I'll have the transfer case and the front / rear axles changed.

 

I typically try to change transmission fluid at 100k. I had my expedition done around the 110k mark and the fluid was very dark. no problems or indications otherwise, but it was time, IMO. I had the shop use a synthetic fluid.

i changed my transfer case at around 125k, and that fluid was really dark! again, JMO, 150k is WAY too long on the Transfer Case. For the amount of work involved with changing the fluid in the TC, 60k is a reasonable interval. mine was dark enough that i'm going to do a short drain interval on the TC to "flush it out" then replace it with a synthetic fluid.

i changed my rear diff at about 130k. that fluid could have probably gone a lot longer. but now i'm good for the life of the vehicle have not done the front diff yet, but i suspect i'll say the same thing when i'm done with that.

Our resident transmission guru (mark k.) says there's no need to change the internal filter. if the filter is plugged, it is because the trans has failed. being that he designed them, i just take that at face value.

If you are going to change the transmission fluid, it needs to be done with a machine capable of heating the fluid. most of your quick change places don't have the right machine, nor do they know how to do it properly. the result is they waste your money and you don't actually get any fluid changed. the 6r80 has an internal thermostat which has to be open in order to circulate fluid through the coolers. so one has to get the transmission hot enough to open the thermostat, then keep it hot enough (heated fluid) so that it doesn't close.

the dealers are well versed with this (or should be, anyway) since they have been dealing with it for over a decade with the 5r110 in the super duty.

where ever you go, just make sure they have the right machine and know-how. i'd also stick with the motorcraft fluid, if at all possible. so many of the fluids say they can be used in everything, which is hard to do. My expedition, and the explorer it replaced, both used the same "global synthetic" from the same shop, and it's fine, but if i could have paid a little more for a ford certified fluid (i wanted synthetic) i would have ... there just weren't any to be found. At least if you buy the motorcraft name, you know you are getting a fluid that is guaranteed to meet ford's specifications.

 

I refuse to let any fluids in my truck go over 4 years or so. For me, that's ~50k. I won't let coolant go more than 2-3 years. @ 50k (and every 50k after), diffs, trans, transaxle, and brake fluids will all be changed. My coolant will be changed next year.

I don't honestly care what others think here -- 100k+ or "lifetime" is a load of BS, and 10 years of garbage & moisture in a fluid ain't good...

 

The problem that would be run into with waiting too long to change the trans fluid is when the varnish builds up and becomes part of the wear surface, then you change the fluid and the detergents in the fluid wash away the varnish and now you have excessive tolerances in the transmission and it starts to slip.
That being said transmission fluids have advanced allowing for the longer/lifetime intervals.
The DEXRON/MERCON III FLUID had an interval of about 30K miles, then the MERCON V went to 75K miles. Not sure what they call the newest stuff, but I am sure it is expensive and more robust and can go many more miles.
Plus add in larger fluid capacities and better trans cooling capacity and your fluid will not break down as easy and last a lot longer

Matt

 

Just keep in mind that it's always cheaper to change the fluid (oil) than to replace the transmission.

 

I'd use Ford's recommendation.
Period.
As noted in one of the replies above, they built it and used a good synthetic fluid in it.
We tend to over think these things and end up wasting money and time and fluids.

 

I remember having this discussion with Mark K about my old Contour. That car and it's CD4E transmission recommended a 150,000 mile drain interval. Mark told me that the reason for the long interval had to do with competitive cost of ownership comparisons, and that regardless he recommended a shorter dump cycle.

I believe modern transmission fluids are better than they were, but I've seen an awful lot of cars where following the factory recommended extended interval proves to be disastrous. I would do the same thing Tim does and change it around 100,000 miles with a heated flush machine.

 

I just had my 09 Explorer in for 100K service at the dealership. That is another story. Never again! But, I specifically asked about trans fluid change. They advised 150K miles and they do NOT do a flush. They drop the pan and replace filters fluid etc. I was surprised but due to the other service male bovine excrement that they pulled, I don;t give it much credibility.

 

That's good, don't give them much credibility.

There are lots of great techs out there that work hard to understand their craft well. There are also a lot of parts changers who never bother to understand, just replace parts and get paid.

Mark Kovalsky used to be a transmission engineer for Ford and has explained at least a hundred times why it's beneficial to flush all the old fluid out of a transmission. He's also a staunch advocate of frequent transmission fluid changes as being the most critical thing you can do to ensure a long transmission life. I'll trust his experience over that of a parts changer any day of the week. NO disrespect intended to all of the great mechanics out there, but I don't think you've been dealing with any of them from the tone of your post.

 

agree with tom 100%.


furthermore, if they don't do full fluid exchange I'd look at another dealership or find a good shop with the right machine and expertise.


Clarification on "flush" and "fluid exchange" In the many musings of Mark K, he has advocated for full fluid exchanges, but advises against a "flush" that contains solvents.


That being said, I've used BG's flush chemical with no ill effects, but Mark K advises against them, and that has to carry some weight IMO.


partly a matter of semantic here, perhaps, but a "flush" that doesn't use chemicals would be advisable, and equates to (in my terms above) a "full fluid exchange"