I was wondering if someone could give me some advice. It says in my owners manual that I should have my transmission fluid changed at this point. I called the dealer and the service advisor I have used for many years suggested that I do not change the fluid. She advised that even though the manufacturer suggest it. They are telling their clients not to change it. My fluid is dark. She said that my transmission is used to it viscosity and changing the fluid would make the transmission act up....What should I do?

 

Is it leaking at the connector? How do you know its dark there is no dip stick

Actually iirc it should have been done at about 75k or that's what my tech friend told me when I bought mine

 

Interested in the current views on this as well. I'm at 95k and had planned doing it, but it shifts fine. I'm not sure I've heard of anyone having a problem after changing it early though.

 

My current theory is

ZF recommends new pan/filter/fluid at 75,000

LR says no, 150,000 sealed for life, and this is so you only get to it after you're out of the warranty period...

My advice is do it as soon as you can after 75,000. Did mine at 90k

 

Plan on doing mine as I'm getting some hesitation/slip after I come to a stop and then try to accelerate quickly (basically, stop and immediate throttle to giddyup). Not sure if this is fluid related... anyone else's 3 do this?

 

East coast that's a computor issue there is a software update for that iirc

 

My theory is that the issue is not computer related but can be "masked" by doing a computer update. It seems that if it was computer related it would have been doing it since new/last update.

My wife's 3 has 218k miles. We swapped in a 90k mile Trans and it shifts perfect with no CA stop problems. I have not done anything to the software.

 

I am surprised to hear that the manual suggests a fluid change. I don't recall reading that in my 2005 manual. That said, I changed my fluid (not filter/pan) at around 100k miles. I have heard that if the tranny shifts fine then you can change the fluid and the difference in viscosity will not affect the tranny, but that if it's got shifting issues already, changing the fluid can make it worse. Not sure if that's true...

 

Could be attributed to the fact that when the dealer changes fluid they typically reset the adaptive values, so it will shift a bit worse regardless. What I have heard is that one should reset the values again after a few thousand miles once the fluid isn't quite brand new.

Not saying the manual suggests it that way, its just the number I have heard from dealers when they are asked to change fluid. They insist it is lifetime but when pushed have said 150k

FWIW I reset values a few months after new pan/fluid, shifted a little worse for a while then tightened up again. Still does a bit of the California stop issue still, not as bad. Am debating whether or not to try out the GAP shifting values firmware.

 

I change fluid on ZF Trans will high mileage. I have yet to have a problem. I use the ZF lifeguard 6 fluid and not any aftermarket oil. This is the biggest problem with Land Rover's Recommend Service Intervals. If you read the find print, the recommended intervals say under heavy vehicle use cut intervals in half.

ZF recommend 8 years or between 60k to 80k; Click on TE-ML 11 on this link.

List of lubricants - ZF Friedrichshafen AG

Since your Transmission Control Module is located inside your transmission, swapping between vehicles require Car Configuration File update. Depending on which diagnostic tool used, you may have to update the software of the Transmission Control Module during replacement.