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Transmission fluid to dark to replace at 117k. Leave it?

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Old 01-17-2015, 12:59 AM
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Default Transmission fluid to dark to replace at 117k. Leave it?

117K 2006 LR3

Just got the truck back from the mechanic and they didn't want to drain and fill the transmission. They took a look at the oil and thought it was to dark and may shock the system into failing. Wanted to do it for preventative maint only. Its shifting perfectly now and would like it to continue to! I two other LR/BMW shops and they said the same. They'll do it but don't recommend. What do y'all think?
 
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Old 01-17-2015, 07:42 AM
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I personally have never had a trans fail cause I serviced it, IMO its a wives tale , did they state they have personally done it and had the trans fail? Eventually the oil will get so bad the trans will fail due to clogging something or just burn up / eat it self due to grit grime in the fluid. My .02 in the end its your truck
 
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Old 01-17-2015, 10:51 AM
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Change it, but at a shop that can reset the transmission adaptive values. The computer will re ember how to shift with the old fluid and with the new stuff it might need to start over on the learning process.
 
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Old 01-17-2015, 10:54 AM
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One reputable shop said premature failure is rare but it does happen. They've had 2 out of 50 high mileage LR's have issues after a drain and flush.

Really torn what to do. How can three reputable independent shops say it's not be the right thing to do? Seems like it makes sense to do it for all the reasons you mentioned.
 

Last edited by fso; 01-17-2015 at 11:11 AM.
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Old 01-17-2015, 11:04 AM
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Did they say flushing it? I would think it would be fine without flushing it, just drain whats in the pan, were you going to do the filter as well?
 
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Old 01-17-2015, 11:33 AM
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This is only for a drain and fill. I'm going to wait to do the filter at 150k.

What do you guys think? jafir seemed to have a good point on reseting the computer. First time I heard this. Anyone else do the same?
 
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Old 01-17-2015, 01:45 PM
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Default Drain it....

I would drain and refill what you have in the pan. I flushed mine through the radiator oil cooler lines. Easy job if you have a pressurized garden sprayer. Made my truck run smoother and I lost the stop and go hesitation. I have about 125,000 miles on mine and I flushed it at 120,000. Everything is running great. How long do you plan on keeping the truck? i plan on having mine for at least another 100,000. Gives me peace of mind knowing its done and the oil's clean. i will be doing the metal pan/filter change in the spring.
 
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Old 01-17-2015, 02:06 PM
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I hope to have it for 4-5 years and we put about 10k a yr on our cars. Was your fluid really dark?

I'm comfortable doing the fluid change but not so sure about the thermometer used to keep track of the temp.
 
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Old 01-17-2015, 10:43 PM
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The issues the shop mentions may be from them not resetting the trans ecu like jafir said
 
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Old 01-18-2015, 11:53 AM
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Default 50 to 80 thousand miles for an oil change

The link below contains a number of files related to the ZF 6HP26 tranny in our 3's. While changing the tranny oil on a Hydramatic may be routine, I regard an oil and pan change on the ZF as far from it.

I even wonder how someone claims to have checked the oil given that there are so dip sticks as we know them. The system is effectively sealed, which means too much oil blows the seals and too little oil, well, one is walking.

DISCO3.CO.UK Photo Gallery - ZF 6HP26 Automatic Transmission in LR3

The official LR position on a tranny oil change is that under normal use, "sealed for life" is the term used. This means while the vehicle is under lease, the dealer is not obligated to change the oil for free as a part of the lease maintenance terms.

After the lease expires, the dealer may make some reference to the ZF instructions that recommend an oil and filer change somewhere between 50 and 80 thousand miles depending upon service conditions.

The reality is the dealer, (actually most BMW, Mercedes, LR, Audi etc), does not know much about the tranny regardless. As such, their fix is always to install a new one.

If there is any good news, Ford is building the ZF tranny under license now as the 6R60 so independent shops are starting to learn about our 6HP26 and 28 via the Ford organization.

Going back to the Hydramatic and similar, when it is near its end of life, an oil change with fresh clean oil will most likely cause it to immediately stop working. The accepted fix is then to add fresh iron filings to the new oil, and magic, the vehicle is now ready for the used car lot. That is where the comments re the effects of a tranny oil change evolve from.
 

Last edited by bbyer; 01-18-2015 at 02:42 PM. Reason: spelling Hydramatic or Hydra-matic


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