Hi,

New here ... have a question about the need for transmission fluid changes on the above car. The manual says it doesn't need any for the lifetime of the car. Lots of differing opinions here and around the Internet car forums. My reason for asking: my wife yesterday put her faith in a mechanic at a local lube shop who said she needed one, as the "fluid is brown". (She's kicking herself for agreeing to it in retrospect).

He apparently replaced 12 quarts of the fluid. The transmission seemed to be working fine before this, and is fine now.

So my main question: does a flush do any harm ? Of course the invoice said nothing else about the specifics, only a flush for $99, and another line indicating one unit of Coastal S/B ATF (no charge).

I'll be giving them a call at some point to discuss it further, but want to come a bit more up to speed in the meantime, from folks who don't have any skin in the game.

Many thanks!

 

Two things here. First, changing transmission fluid from time to time is a good idea, particularly if the fluid is brown. If the fluid is black and smells burnt, then you already have damage and may have small bits floating around which warrants dropping the pan to inspect/clean. Many recommend every 100,000 some even suggest every 50,000.

Now the down side - the biggest risks are a shop putting in the wrong fluid type and not refilling to the correct level. The latter can be checked, but "Coastal S/B ATF" doesn't tell you enough info as to the nature of the fluid they put in. The correct fluid for your model is listed in the owners manual (its likely to show JWS 3309) so you may need to get the shop to certify they used the correct product (ie NOT Dextron III). My guess is the S/B refers to synthetic blend but that's not enough info.

To me the red flag is the $99 charge. Yes a full flush does require about 12 quarts but a flush requires opening the transmission cooler line to have the transmission pump out the old and then fill with the new. Even the cheapest brand of 3309 goes for about $5-6 a quart so that doesn't leave much room for labor (by comparison, my dealer quoted $300 for a full flush servicing on my S40). Either they used the cheapest possible fluid or they didn't do a true flush.

My 2 cents is look at your owner's manual for the required ATF type, then go back to the shop asking them to verify compatibility of their product.

 

Thanks for the reply. There's nothing to be found in the owner's manual except a statement that you shouldn't need an ATF change except in extreme situations, so no help there. As a number of people around the net (and live) have pointed out:" "Well the transmission will probably go AFTER the warranty is up, so what's it to them ?"

I did go back to the lube shop and actually had a decent conversation with the manager, who said that they don't stock all the particular manufacturer recommended types of ATF, but Volvos were included on the approved list for the one they used for our change. That goes back to what I found at the Coastal website.

The whole thing got me thinking to what degree I have faith in "generic" products/services. I've been slowly coming around to them, in part because their quality control has gotten much better over my lifetime while their prices remain extremely competitive.

Two examples off the top of my head: a local garage where I bought tires and had brake work done on my own car, and the local Stop and Shop (large chain grocery store) who has a great line of their own branded organic products. Used to be I had a much deeper mistrust of those things than I do now.

So I found myself giving the benefit of the doubt to that lube shop (not that we will go there again for anything but an oil change), that: #1 - they have some decent corporate level quality control, #2 - they try to put it into service every day at this particular shop, and #3 - basically that they don't want customers coming back with problems.

Now before I get flamed on this, let me say that the philosophy has to be used judiciously, and with some common sense. For instance, I chose to get a name brand computer, and my main guitar is an old Martin. There is something to be said for companies that have been around for a long while, and figured out how to make a good product or offer a good service for a good price.

Long winded, but there it lies. Thanks again!