about ATF

kk370

according to the manual guide Z34 ATF is free maintenance...\
how do you guys think about this issue...
my 09 z...is about 15K miles.....should i have change ATF
IF i dont....do harmful to my transmission system?

PapoZalsa

ATF free maintenance?

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11Thumper

Depends how long you keep it. The fluid is claimed to be lifetime. If something goes wrong under warranty it's their problem, not yours. If you plan to keep the car past the warranty I would change it at some point, but not 15k miles.

I purchased an extended warranty (100k miles) and I don't plan to keep the car past that, so I'll never have it changed.

Red__Zed

auto trans fluid



If you plan to keep the car long term, I would change it. It is a PITA to do yourself though, IIRC

UNKNOWN_370

I think he meant maintenence free?

kk370

ye....original manufacturer suggests no need to chage ATF...
if i still want to change it routinely...
how many miles should i do this...50k or 30k miles...
a lot of carmates here ...odo is above 30k
did you change AT fluid?

bvl

Additive packages for many fluids have gotten quite good. I am of the opinion that it can't hurt to change over time, so 5 years is a nice round number i use (often 50-60K as well) for ATF, PS fluid etc...I use OEM fluids often for this. Nissan recommends J-Tronic for example in many of their cars and I recently had my shop do it for a 2006 G35 we own. Cost was < $100.

- b

11Thumper

For what reason do you want to change it? Just because you think it will make things last longer? Do you plan to keep the car forever?

I have the 7AT and only plan to keep the car 6-7 years max. If I wanted a car for a long long time (10+ years) I would buy manual for ease of maintenance.

If you really want to change the 7AT fluid then you'll have to decide when. I personally wouldn't bother changing it prior to 30k miles and would likely go to 45k miles.

gurneyeagle

Unless there was any chance you got water in the case; i.e. from driving through high water, it's way too early to worry about changing your ATF.

As a simple rule of thumb, I've always changed my ATF at the 50k mark. I'd probably change the rear diff fluid then too.

Just did it on the wife's MDX. along with the transfer case oil.

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Jamaica

change it after 30k. I had mine changed and the fluid was horrid was 30k

m4a1mustang

30k is usually the interval I use for an AT. 15-20k for a heavily abused MT.

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11Thumper

Horrid as in dirty? If you had it changed (didn't do it yourself) are you going by what the service tech told you? I'm not picking an argument, just looking to get more info.

If it was at a Nissan dealer how much?

kk370

really? what a terrible thing...only 30k ...dirty AT fluid shown...
i just afraid about horrid fluid will affect transmission efficiency..

ImportConvert

I wouldn't screw with it. My G20 had never had its fluid changed that I know of, and at 110K miles I had it changed as I was told import cars were different that domestics (I was new to the import world then) and that you can change fluid in the transmissions without it screwing things up. Well, I liked the little car and it had done well for a few weeks and I wanted to treat it, so I had them (dealership) drain and re-fill. No flush, just a fluid swap. It died at 115K miles. Slipping horrible, etc. Now I have heard that if you do it every 15-30K miles when new, this won't happen, but the manufacturer says not to, so why the hell would I?

My 2001 WS6 was a 6-speed, and I had the fluid in it changed (@75K miles). It didn't have any problems afterward, but it never shifted as smoothly in my opinion.

So I'm just not a fan of messing with it.

Just because it LOOKS dirty doesn't mean it's not working just fine. Anyone who has ever checked the oil on a diesel can tell you that.

Nissan says not to screw with it. Do you really think their master-plan is to have your transmission go out at the 100K mile-mark and that's to be their big money-maker? Seriously? Just don't **** with it.

My .02

bvl

The WS6 is a manually: different fluid properties. Many trannies tend to like a particular additive package a tad more if you are that sensitive to shift feel (you trade off smoothness for bearing wear over a long time. Few good docs on this, including Redline as they make several different packages for manuals and diffs)

As you note: dirty does not mean bad. Unless you run an analysis on the used stuff, you don't know the additive package and fluid composition. Regular motor oil will darken in 1-2K (if not less) miles but is working just peachy.

100K maintenance free is really a demand of consumers: they feel its a hassle to maintain a car (face it: most americans can't check air pressure, its sad but true).

That said, most manufacturers have 'premium' style service intervals which do still replace fluids more aggressively. Varies by car of course. Diff, transfer, MT, AT, and brake fluid are just a few that often go un-maintained.

- b