Does lifetime transmission fluid really mean lifetime......

[JeffKeryk]

Unless "lifetime" is specifically defined, it is meaningless.
The Lexus forum beats me up, because apparantly I must know more than the Lexus engineers who built the car!!!!!!
Maybe I do?

Service that transmission.

 

[OilUzer]

Unless "lifetime" is specifically defined, it is meaningless.
The Lexus forum beats me up, because apparantly I must know more than the Lexus engineers who built the car!!!!!!
Maybe I do?

Service that transmission.

Exactly. Define "lifetime"!

I had a fitness club lifetime membership. They went bankrupt in my state but still operated in neighboring state and CA. I got $0 back. It was a cheap lesson learned early in life. Never again trusted anything lifetime. Month to month memberships only with no cancellation fees. Their trick actually saved me money by not trusting and buying timeshare stuff.

I agree, I would change the fluid also.

 

[Leo99]

Paging leo99?

Hey! My favorite topic.

It's very common that many professionals say not to touch the ATF in higher mileage units. I don't know anything about Fiat transmissions but the Toyota ones seem to last a long time on the factory fill. I've never seen any data comparing routinely serviced lifetime fluid trannys vs ones that are never serviced. There's no clear cut answer that I've found if you should change the fluid at 130k miles or let it roll.

 

[mightymousetech]

Unless "lifetime" is specifically defined, it is meaningless.
The Lexus forum beats me up, because apparantly I must know more than the Lexus engineers who built the car!!!!!!
Maybe I do?

Service that transmission.

Most auto manufactures say the “lifetime” of a vehicle is only 160k km, the Euro car companies are usually a little higher.

When you get around that point, it is time to service these “lifetime” fluids.

The companies that make these transmissions, usually recommend more frequent servicing.

 

[Wolf359]

Exactly. Define "lifetime"!

I had a fitness club lifetime membership. They went bankrupt in my state but still operated in neighboring state and CA. I got $0 back. It was a cheap lesson learned early in life. Never again trusted anything lifetime. Month to month memberships only with no cancellation fees. Their trick actually saved me money by not trusting and buying timeshare stuff.

I had a lifetime FID card once. It expired. We were also supposed to get lifetime car registration. I think it only lasted 3-4 years before that also changed back to 2 years.

Most auto manufactures say the “lifetime” of a vehicle is only 160k km, the Euro car companies are usually a little higher.

Mercedes had lifetime transmission fluid initially, then they revised it to changing it every 39k.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Most auto manufactures say the “lifetime” of a vehicle is only 160k km, the Euro car companies are usually a little higher.

I have never seen a manufacturer define lifetime.
If they did, why don't they just state the number? Beats me...

 

[clinebarger]

I have always been hesitant to replace ATF on higher mileage units but have never had any issues doing so. @clinebarger hopefully will chime in with his expert opinion on this topic. I'm pretty sure I read here on BITOG, that if the unit fails after a high mileage change, it was going to fail regardless. Happy to hear that your FIAT has been flawless, I'm thinking of getting a FIAT or an ALFA in the future (500L or Stelvio).

Doesn't scare me at all to change ATF on high mileage units. Units that get a fluid exchange because preexisting conditions & subsequently fail were likely to fail regardless. I've never had one fail afterward that looked good in the pan!!!

 

[MrLemonade]

My 4Runner allegedly has this too, and with no dipstick to fill it. I've spoken to many many many transmission experts and watched many online. The concensus is that:
1. No, it's not forever. It does need to be replaced.
2. Do NOT do a flush, as that can cause problems. This did not initially seem right to me but it is the consensus among every transmission mechanic I've asked. Apparently flushing is too harsh and can cause damage to seals, etc. I don't fully understand it, but I'm not a transmission mechanic...
3. Instead, drain only. Measure what you drain out, and replace that amount or fill to appropriate levels. This way, you're removing and replacing about 1/3rd or 1/2 or thereabouts, and putting fresh back in its place. Doing this on reasonable intervals ensures you're keeping fresh fluid in the transmission.
4. Replace any gaskets or filters as necessary.

As a side note, I've never fully understood why they cannot make motor oil out of the same lubrication as transmission fluid, considering the former lasts only ~10k miles and ATF can last 100k miles...

 

[OilUzer]

I'm not a motor oil expert but I think it's a much harsher environment with combustion , fuel dilution, more moisture? and more exposure to heat in the cylinder area.

Good question! I think marketing would put an end to it anyways. They all get together and figure out how to squeeze the consumer.

 

[bbhero]

What I've learned is that where you live & drive has a huge impact on the lifespan of automotive lubes. Drive in dusty roads, very high heat, high humidity, extremes of any sort and you can expect less from any oil. For example, the CVT in my QX60 tracks how many times the fluid has reached 90C and increments the fluid deterioration number I believe each time. If you live in Houston and drive in stop & go, it's a different experience than stop & go in Toronto.

A car driven it's life in Vermont sees a completely different scope of conditions to the driver in Texas.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The above is a tremendously good post in my opinion. It's all about typical conditions that make a huge difference in ATF fluid life.

 

[4WD]

Unless "lifetime" is specifically defined, it is meaningless.
The Lexus forum beats me up, because apparantly I must know more than the Lexus engineers who built the car!!!!!!
Maybe I do?

Service that transmission.

Right, and who is vested how ? Just consider my ZF8 clone where FCA says run ATF longer than ZF

 

[Scuder]

As a side note, I've never fully understood why they cannot make motor oil out of the same lubrication as transmission fluid, considering the former lasts only ~10k miles and ATF can last 100k miles...

ATF isn't contaminated with combustion byproducts.

 

[Accent Abuser]

2012 Fiat 500 Automatic (Insert Fix it Again Tony joke here). First off car has been absolutely flawless in the reliability department. Coming up on 160,000 miles. Car is in perfect condition and well maintained. My mechanic says the transmission fluid is lifetime fluid and at this point leave it alone. Shifts like it did when it was new. Thoughts?

Definitely change it. Modern ATF lasts a long time in sealed transmissions, however it does not last forever. If your transmission shifts great NOW is the time to change it, not when it starts acting funny, by that point the fluid is worn out and the damage has already begun. Would you wait to change motor oil until the valve train starts rattling? No, you change it at specified intervals so the engine never goes without proper lubrication. Same for transmissions.

This is what "lifetime" fluid looks like at 127k. You can't see it from the photo but emptying the pan there was so much grit it blew my mind.

 

[MolaKule]

This topic has been beat to death so we'll close the thread.