A Transmission Fluid Change
Cost is not usually something that we budget for. There are so many fluids that help keep your vehicle running smoothly. One of the most important and commonly overlooked is the transmission fluid. A transmission fluid change is often something that is debated. We rea here to tell you that you should. The question is how much money should a transmission fluid change cost. Also how often should this task be performed? //gandgautorepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Red-and-Cream-Structured-Blocks-Pizza-How-To-Food-169-Video.mp4 Transmission fluid changes can vary. Some manufacturers’ maintenance schedules call for fresh fluid every 100,000 miles. Some Ford manufacturers even advise every 150,000 miles.
There is a popular opinion among mechanics that call for a transmission fluid change every 50k miles. If you drive a manual transmission this will require more conventional gear oil than your automatic transmission oil. Either way, you will want to consult your owner’s manual for your vehicle’s maintenance recommendations. Like all of the other fluids in your car, the
transmission fluid will at some point deteriorate. Frequent stop-and-go city driving as well as continually hauling heavy loads will speed up this process. Driving in these ways, which are unavoidable in some cases, will raise the transmission’s internal temperature. Increased heat will put more strain on the transmission as well as the fluid. Transmission fluid, unlike oil which acts solely as a lubricant serves two purposes. It is both an oil and a hydraulic that helps facilitate gears
while shifting and serves as a coolant. If you are prone to driving in high-stress conditions like the ones mentioned earlier. You should consider a transmission fluid change. If not be more vigilant about checking the transmission fluid levels. Or have a repair shop check the condition of your fluid on your next service. There are times when your vehicle may be having trouble shifting. Shifting gears is a vital component to safe and efficient driving. A transmission fluid flush can extend the life of your
transmission. This routine maintenance can save you costly repair dollars down the road. Having your fluid flushed not only replaces your old and used fluid. But, it also cleans the transmission components. These components over time can build up dirt and debris that can cause transmission failure. Fluid flushes also help you get more performance than a simple fluid replacement does. To avoid costly damage to your vehicle, you will
want to change the fluid frequently. This will ensure maximum longevity. Dirty fluid will not disperse heat well. Cleaner fluids are a more effective lubricant. Not changing the fluid will cause wear and tear on the clutches as well as other transmission components. When the clutch components begin to lose their grip, older fluid will be the only thing keeping your transmission from slipping. To prevent this damage, ensure that your vehicle’s fluids are flushed according to the owner’s
manual. Typically an automatic transmission fluid change cost is higher than a manual transmission. This is because the job may also require that your oil filter and pan gasket be replaced as well. The total cost for this service you can estimate to be anywhere from $300-$500. With parts costs coming in at around $150-$275, and labor costs compromising the remaining balance. For manual transmissions, you can get away with spending as low as $150. This is because there is no filter. Therefore no need to replace it or the gasket. The cost of this service will significantly drop, keeping the cost of parts at around $50-$60. With labor costs staying at around $75-$100. However, you will need to perform manual transmission fluid changes more often.When should you replace your fluid?
Typically you will want to change or flush your fluid if you notice any of the following conditions:
Why it’s important to perform a fluid flush on your vehicle:
HOW TO AVOID DAMAGE TO YOUR TRANSMISSION
How Much Does it Cost to Change Transmission Fluid?
Automatic Transmission:
Manual
Transmission:
Visit Our Facebook
Page
| #1 |
Newbie
Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: mumbai Posts: 5 Thanked: 0 Times | Hi Everyone, I have Honda ZX CVT automatic. I read somewhere that because a CVT is different from a regular auto-box the oil is also different a CVT specific oil needs to be used for replacement. Of course the service centre guys seem clueless and talk about manual synthetic gear oil only. any tips suggestions on what oil to get ? |
|
| #2 |
Senior - BHPian
Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,427 Thanked: 1,181 Times | Have you checked the car's owner manual? The manual will have the specifications of what type of oil needs to be used. |
|
| #3 |
BHPian
Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Bombay Posts: 841 Thanked: 912 Times | Use ONLY genuine Honda CVTF (Continuously Variable Transmission Fluid), not Honda ATF Z1 or DW1 (For the normal torque converter Automatics) Any reputed Honda A.S.S. should be able to do it -my personal recommendation would be Linkway Honda Andheri(E) |
| |
| #4 |
Team-BHP Support
Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 65,509 Thanked: 253,360 Times | A Honda expert mechanic has this to say: - Very important for CVT oil changes to happen at 20,000 kms tops! Honda recommends a change every 40,000 kms, but that is NOT recommended due to our driving conditions (continuous stop-go traffic, heat, dust). This is one of the primary reasons you see so many bust CVTs on 75,000 km Honda Citys. - Some Indian Honda dealers wrongly use EP80 oil for transmissions. This is apparently not well-suited to CVTs. AS d_himan posted, genuine Honda CVTF is your best bet. - If you want to buy from the after-market / online, he recommends Idemitsu's CVT-specific oil. Last edited by GTO : 10th November 2012 at 14:07. |
| |
| #5 |
Newbie
Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Mumbai Posts: 18 Thanked: 4 Times | I recently had an incident where the CVT Unit had to be replaced as the previous owner hadn't ever changed the oil once in >40,000 kms. The system had jammed up the car wouldn't go past 1st gear. I did, however, manage to find a refurbished unit to fit in. Honda CVT Oil costs about 400 Rs/Litre when I last checked (Dec 2012) and in Mumbai it seems to be available only with Honda. (I also highly reommend Linkway Andheri (E)). You will need about 4-5 litres for the model you specified. They charge about 1500 more for filter/labour. |
| |
| #6 |
BHPian
Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: GOA Posts: 28 Thanked: 8 Times | Quote: Originally Posted by enkash I recently had an incident where the CVT Unit had to be replaced as the previous owner hadn't ever changed the oil once in >40,000 kms. The system had jammed up the car wouldn't go past 1st gear. I did, however, manage to find a refurbished unit to fit in. Honda CVT Oil costs about 400 Rs/Litre when I last checked (Dec 2012) and in Mumbai it seems to be available only with Honda. (I also highly reommend Linkway Andheri (E)). You will need about 4-5 litres for the model you specified. They charge about 1500 more for filter/labour. Could you let us know as to what was the estimated amount given by Honda to replace/repair the CVT box and how much did you end up spending on purchasing the refurbished CVT box?? Your info would help us compare maintenance costs of a CVT with that of a DSG as we've seen many instances where people have to shell out a fortune over DSG repairs. |
| |
| #7 |
Team-BHP Support
Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,261 Thanked: 12,247 Times | Quote: Originally Posted by GTO A Honda expert mechanic has this to say: - Very important for CVT oil changes to happen at 20,000 kms tops! Honda recommends a change every 40,000 kms, but that is NOT recommended due to our driving conditions (continuous stop-go traffic, heat, dust). This is one of the primary reasons you see so many bust CVTs on 75,000 km Honda Citys. - Some Indian Honda dealers wrongly use EP80 oil for transmissions. This is apparently not well-suited to CVTs. AS d_himan posted, genuine Honda CVTF is your best bet. - If you want to buy from the after-market / online, he recommends Idemitsu's CVT-specific oil. This is quite an eye opener. Slightly OT perhaps but is there comparable critical oil change advice for the Honda torque converters as well? I'm asking from the standpoint of the Civic ATs. |
|
| #8 |
BHPian
Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: hyderabad Posts: 119 Thanked: 161 Times | Hello Everyone, |
|
| #9 |
Newbie
Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Mumbai Posts: 24 Thanked: 4 Times | Good info, about changing CVTF every 20000 KM's. |
|
| #10 |
BHPian
Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: TVM/MUM Posts: 368 Thanked: 658 Times | Quote: Originally Posted by greendream Hello Everyone, Honda HCF-2 Transmission Fluid - This is from Honda Jazz CVT manual. I recently changed transmission fluid for my Jazz CVT . Overall cost came around Rs.2028 ( Rs.1718 + Rs.154 CGST + Rs.154 SGST )at service centre. This was done ar 20k kms ( 24 months service ). Do not get it replaced with alternate fluids, Honda transmission is very sensitive. Quote: Originally Posted by fossilalan Good info, about changing CVTF every 20000 KM's. You will lose warranty, but most of the time nothing happens within the first 2 years of ownership. Just make sure you change transmission fluid ( CVT) every 20-25k kms from service center. |
|
| #11 |
BHPian
Join Date: May 2013 Location: Chennai Posts: 679 Thanked: 631 Times | What's the correct interval to get the CVT Transmission oil replaced? My Baleno CVT is due for its 40K service this week. |
|
| #12 |
BHPian
Join Date: May 2013 Location: Chennai Posts: 679 Thanked: 631 Times | Quote: Originally Posted by Prodigy07 What's the correct interval to get the CVT Transmission oil replaced? My Baleno CVT is due for its 40K service this week. Quoting my post again. My vehicle is at MASS for 40K service. Please let me know if I need to replace the CVT transmission oil. |
|
| #13 |
BHPian
Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Bombay Posts: 841 Thanked: 912 Times | Quote: Originally Posted by Prodigy07 Quoting my post again. My vehicle is at MASS for 40K service. Please let me know if I need to replace the CVT transmission oil. Would strongly suggest. CVTs are delicate and fluid changes greatly help. I will be changing mine at 15k, 2 year SERVICE. It lives a horrendous bumper to bumper life |
|
| #14 |
BHPian
Join Date: Oct 2019 Location: OD02/JH05 Posts: 232 Thanked: 1,202 Times | Quote: Originally Posted by Prodigy07 Quoting my post again. Quote: Originally Posted by d_himan Would strongly suggest. CVTs are delicate and fluid changes greatly help. I will be changing mine at 15k, 2 year SERVICE. It lives a horrendous bumper to bumper life Have any of you changed the CVT fluid yet? Neither me nor BHPian Oxy below found anything concrete from the service center. I am still searching for a way to understand the check the fluid and plan for replacement based upon its condition. Can anyone suggest how to find out if the CVT fluid is going bad? Quote: Originally Posted by Oxy Apologies for the late reply. It looks like even the service folks don't have a clue when to change the transmission fluid for the automatic car. When I asked for it to be changed, I got a clueless response saying it is not needed
until 1,40,000 kms. This applies for the manual variant is my guess. |
|
| #15 |
BHPian
Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Bombay Posts: 841 Thanked: 912 Times | Quote: Originally Posted by Researcher Have any of you changed the CVT fluid yet? Neither me nor BHPian Oxy below found anything concrete from the service center. I am still searching for a way to understand the check the fluid and plan for replacement based upon its condition. Can anyone suggest how to find out if the CVT fluid is going bad? From my experience of owning Automatics a little more than a decade, the Service Centre chaps hate doing work on ATs – only select mechanics receive training to work on an AT; fluid changes require a proper flush or ‘cycling’ to get rid of residual oil in the gearbox – much more time consuming than a normal gearbox change; In DSGs, there’s a mechatronics learning manoeuvre which needs to be performed in an open space – a time consuming job without much monetary returns per hour. I managed to get fluid changes done at Honda, Hyundai and VW – much before scheduled intervals. And the gearboxes love it. My VW, with it’s notorious DSG 7 speed is smooth as silk after 5.5 years. Slight roughness disappeared completely in my Honda and Hyundai. With Maruti, the SA relented when I insisted – I anyway knew far more about Automatics than he did. However, there was no stock of CVT Green 2. They said you’ll need to order it in advance ...the 4 Speed Torque converter’s ATF was available though. So, to cut it short, no haven’t done it so far. But I will in the next 5-6 months. Last edited by d_himan : 4th February 2020 at 11:24. |
| |