"Lifetime" is a marketing myth, helped along by 'sealed' transmissions that lack a trans fluid dipstick under the hood. ZF have their own recommendations; 50,000 miles for heavier service, 70,000-80,000 miles for regular service. Any automatic transmission vehicle I buy, I do the transmission fluid, the diffs, and transfer case (if applicable) if the vehicle odometer is
>80,000 KM.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PepsiFree
People should maintain their cars according to the recommendations of the people that know how the cars were designed.
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The problem is when such guidance and changes are not motivated by longevity but by
money.
The 0W20 oil example from Mr. Bumface is the best example of this. In the real world, the fuel economy difference between running a 0W20 versus a 5W20 is pretty minimal if you'd even notice it, but over hundreds of thousands of vehicles produced every year, a manufacturer saves a lot of money due to Corporate Average Fuel Economy requirements. The AJ133S V8 was introduced with a recommended oil weight of 5W20; it changed to 0W20 for CAFE reasons.
Just because a manufacturer built the vehicle doesn't mean they made
all the right decisions for that vehicle. Decisions are made and components are built to a price (my stock clutch, for example). When they make the wrong call, we get recalls ... or just really inconsistent service life of wearable parts.