Got My ATF Replaced.

[Mr_Luke]

I was referred to a reputable tranny place where he replaced the ATF with Motorcraft ATF for DCT for half what the local Ford stealership wanted to charge me. But what I don't get is, the Ford Fiesta owner manual says I should replace the timing belt and ATF at 150,000 miles. When i asked Ford this, they told me 30 to 50k miles. Why this discrepancy?

 

[dave1251]

Did you ask Ford or a Ford dealership?

 

[UG_Passat]

First, you should be wondering why the tranny place is considered reputable when he used Motorcraft ATF for the DCT. He should have used the Motorcraft DCT fluid for the DCT transmission.

 

[Mr_Luke]

Originally Posted by dave1251

Did you ask Ford or a Ford dealership?

A local Ford dealership.

 

[Mr_Luke]

Originally Posted by UG_Passat

First, you should be wondering why the tranny place is considered reputable when he used Motorcraft ATF for the DCT. He should have used the Motorcraft DCT fluid for the DCT transmission.

He did. I just don't have the exact name for it. they've been in business for over 40 years if I'm not mistaken. The best and most honest in town, so they say.

 

[Mr_Luke]

Also, when I asked him how the old AT fluid looked, he said it was just slightly darker than stock yellow MC ATF. In videos I've seen people drain very dirty ATF, but mine wasn't that dirty. Then I asked him if he thought I wasted my money to have the fluid replaced and he said no, you should do it around every 50k miles.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by Mr_Luke

But what I don't get is, the Ford Fiesta owner manual says I should replace the timing belt and ATF at 150,000 miles. When i asked Ford this, they told me 30 to 50k miles. Why this discrepancy?

Automakers or the cars they produce want to have "low cost of ownership". Automakers used to say change the oil every 3000 miles, then 5000 miles, now 10,000 miles isn't uncommon. Some automakers say to leave the filter on for (2) intervals. More oil changes, more filters, it costs more to own the vehicle. Years ago, changing transmission fluid involved more labor as well as replacing a filter. I think more fluid is removed and needs replaced this way as well. Or, flushing the fluid which means literally ALL of it (8, 10, 12 quarts or more). Labor plus more fluid, it costs more to own the vehicle. The dealers don't give a poop about this. More importantly, they get paid more frequently by telling customers to change the oil 2-3x more frequently than the people who developed the vehicle ! You won't hurt the car by doing it more often so dealers are safe in suggesting this. Our son recently bought a '12 Accord and the previous owner had been taking it to an independent shop for service. They put a window sticker on it for when the next oil change was due and combined with the Carfax telling us when the last oil change was, they were "advising" 3000 mile oil changes in 2019 !

 

[CharBaby]

Congratulations on having your DCT fluid changed.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted by Mr_Luke

When i asked Ford this, they told me 30 to 50k miles. Why this discrepancy?

It is called a "wallet flush."

 

[Kira]

I checked the glossary but no luck. What's a DTC?

 

[thescreensavers]

Originally Posted by Kira

I checked the glossary but no luck. What's a DTC?

Dual Clutch Transmission/Transaxle (DCT)

 

[LotI]

Yup, the infamous DPS6.

 

[Ed_Flecko]

Originally Posted by Mr_Luke

I was referred to a reputable tranny place where he replaced the ATF with Motorcraft ATF for DCT for half what the local Ford stealership wanted to charge me. But what I don't get is, the Ford Fiesta owner manual says I should replace the timing belt and ATF at 150,000 miles. When i asked Ford this, they told me 30 to 50k miles. Why this discrepancy?

Since the timing belt is comprised of rubber, I would be much more concerned about the age of the belt...not the mileage. The ATF fluid is a different topic. 30K to 50K might be appropriate and smart, depending on your driving style. Do you tow with your Fiesta (not likely)? Do you drive short trips that are stop and go, staying mainly on surface streets where the transmission never goes into "lockup"? Or do you do freeway miles, etc., etc. In my opinion, 150K miles would be a guarantee that your transmission would be shot...or at the very least, close to it if you drive that far without changing the fluid. Ed

 

[dave1251]

The dealership wants to sell you unnecessary service for cash flow.

 

[Jetsfan421]

Originally Posted by dave1251

The dealership wants to sell you unnecessary service for cash flow.

Dealership bashing gets us nowhere. We all know they are terrible, that's why some of us learn to work on our own. TRUST. We aren't going to rip ourselves off.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted by thescreensavers

Originally Posted by Kira

I checked the glossary but no luck. What's a DTC?

Dual Clutch Transmission/Transaxle (DCT)

Correct! And a DSG(dual shift gearbox) is the same thing, just different name & acronym. Basically a manual tranny shifted by the vehicle's computer, slipping the clutch, jerking, rolling back on hills and everything.

 

[Luke352]

The belt in the Sigma engine family based Fiestas used to be changed at 150000 km which is about 90000 miles. I believe the new 3 cyl 1.0l EcoBoost and 1.5l 4cyl ecoboost ones use a belt in oil which as long as the engine oil is changed appropriately allows for a more controlled environment for the belt so should technically last longer. I think 150k miles is the 1.5l the 1.0l is meant to last longer again.

 

[Mr_Luke]

Originally Posted by dave1251

Did you ask Ford or a Ford dealership?

I called Ford Motor Co the other day. She said I should do 50k mile transmission fluid changes. She said the 150k is "suggested" but not recommended or something like that.

 

[Mr_Luke]

Originally Posted by Ed_Flecko

Do you tow with your Fiesta (not likely)? Do you drive short trips that are stop and go, staying mainly on surface streets where the transmission never goes into "lockup"? Or do you do freeway miles, etc., etc. Ed

No, I don't tow with it. I give it easy miles, mostly around town, trips to grocery store, etc. I drive it out of town once a week just to give her some exercise.

 

[Mr_Luke]

Originally Posted by dave1251

The dealership wants to sell you unnecessary service for cash flow.

It could be, but if so, then I think most Ford dealerships are this way. I haven't called too many of them but I'm willing to bet they all would recommend 30-50k trans fluid flushes / replacements. It's hard to know if I wasted that money or not. The tranny had no symptoms and he told me the old fluid looked very similar to brand new fluid.