# When is the trans service due??



## smkn600ctd (Dec 16, 2013)

When is the trans service due??? Was thinking about it today while it's slow at work. Car is at 44k miles


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

smkn600ctd said:


> When is the trans service due??? Was thinking about it today while it's slow at work. Car is at 44k miles


From what I understand, the diesel trans has a lifetime fill, but having said that, you might want to check this out: HOW TO: Service "Lifetime Fill" Tranmission fluid for Diesel AW AF-40-6 Transmission


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## Aaron/VA (Oct 23, 2016)

I believe its lifetime, but 50k severe service interval. With that being said, I'm going to have mine replaced with amsoil signature series fuel efficient atf. That's seems to be the general consensus here and It meets specs for our transmissions. 

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

I've changed mine twice now. First time at 124K and second time at 191K, both with Amsoil. Now at 201K and transmission is still performing well.


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## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

The general consensus from people with experience with this same tranny in other vehicles is a drain and fill every 30k after the initial change over


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## oilburner (Jun 13, 2013)

changed mine at 30,000 miles an it had started to discolor already. amsoil for me an nothing but.


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## Aaron/VA (Oct 23, 2016)

I've seen the drain and refill write up, but would it be ok to just do a complete flush on these transmissions?

Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

Aaron/VA said:


> I've seen the drain and refill write up, but would it be ok to just do a complete flush on these transmissions?
> 
> Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk


I think the prevailing theory on this (some will disagree) is that when a flushing machine is used, it may have residual of some incorrect fluid that might get in there and possibly screw things up. I am not sure of other implications. That being said, I think at least one member here did have a flush done, but I don't think they ever posted long term results, and I can't remember who it was.


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## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

Aaron/VA said:


> I've seen the drain and refill write up, but would it be ok to just do a complete flush on these transmissions?
> 
> Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk


Yes, you could disconnect the cooler lines and turn the engine on and off carefully keeping that what you pump out and add back in


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## TDCruze (Sep 26, 2014)

I flowed the "How To" guide as posted above and changed out my own transmission fluid with the proper AmsOil ATF at 36,000mi and my OEM ATF was already getting a bit dark. It seemed to improve my shift response and firmness slightly. 

If you are willing to do this yourself I would avoid the flush, if you follow the "how to" it does about as good of a job as a flush anyways. Even with a flush you never get 100% of the old stuff out before refilling. There is always some old stuff left. 

When I did mine, I drained and filled the ~3 qts. of ATF 3 times. The first time it was still fairly dirty, the second time it was still a bit dirty looking, and by the third it looked like I was dumping out a new fluid. So, it worked well.


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## money_man (Feb 25, 2014)

How much does the dealer charge to change the atf?


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## BrightParrot (Jul 22, 2016)

I had the dealer do the flush to replace the OEM with amsoil. I can't locate the service order right now and I don't remember how much they charged me. I had mine done right before 45K, I was under the impression that was the 1st service interval. The dealer did tell me that the old fluid did look a little, well, bad. I believe the general consensus is that the OEM tranny fluid is junk. I now have about 65K on the car, so far, so good. I'm considering a single drain and fill in about another 5K just to keep up on things, "freshen up" the fluid so to speak. I can't say for certain that the amsoil fluid improved anything as things were good to begin with and I haven't really noticed any difference - shifting and all is just as good as it always was. But I do feel better having a better quality fluid in there.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

The factory fill has a corrosion inhibitor in it that makes the fluid look brown, even new.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

diesel said:


> I think the prevailing theory on this (some will disagree) is that when a flushing machine is used, it may have residual of some incorrect fluid that might get in there and possibly screw things up. I am not sure of other implications. That being said, I think at least one member here did have a flush done, but I don't think they ever posted long term results, and I can't remember who it was.


I believe it's the other way around; if you just do a drain and refill, you guarantee you'll leave a great deal of the old fluid still in the transmission. Modern flush techniques do not use solvents and simply allow the transmission's internal pump to cycle out fluid while a machine re-fills at an identical rate through the transmission cooler lines. It is 100% safe, and the best way you can service a transmission since it replaces all of the fluid instead of just some. 



BrightParrot said:


> I had the dealer do the flush to replace the OEM with amsoil. I can't locate the service order right now and I don't remember how much they charged me. I had mine done right before 45K, I was under the impression that was the 1st service interval. The dealer did tell me that the old fluid did look a little, well, bad. I believe the general consensus is that the OEM tranny fluid is junk. I now have about 65K on the car, so far, so good. I'm considering a single drain and fill in about another 5K just to keep up on things, "freshen up" the fluid so to speak. I can't say for certain that the amsoil fluid improved anything as things were good to begin with and I haven't really noticed any difference - shifting and all is just as good as it always was. But I do feel better having a better quality fluid in there.


The OEM fluid turns dark prematurely due to corrosion inhibitors left in the transmission and clutch material from the break-in process. I don't think the transmission fluid actually burns. I wouldn't be too concerned about the old stuff, but it's definitely a good idea. 

To the OP and anyone else reading this, it is advised that the transmission fluid be changed at the severe service interval. If you know for a fact that you don't meet that interval, you can double that, but no transmission fluid is truly "lifetime." All lubricants degrade in some form, whether it's viscosity shear or oxidation, and clutch material from wear also compromises the fluid's friction properties, which affects shift quality. Transmission fluid should be serviced on a regular basis.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Specific to the diesel, AMSOIL makes one of the better options as it is priced at about half the cost of the OEM fluid and lasts much longer. It has been tried and proven in this transmission. If anyone is interested, please shoot me a PM and I can get you a quote, and can possibly get you wholeseale pricing on it. If you'd like to shop on your own, here's the fluid people are using, which meets Aisin AW-1 specifications:

AMSOIL Signature Series Fuel-Efficient Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid

If you are purchasing enough for 3 drains and refills (9 quarts), a 6-month preferred customer account will save you some money:

https://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/buy-wholesale/?zo=5224266

If anyone has any questions about this transmission fluid or the AMSOIL preferred customer account, let me know.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Specific to the diesel, AMSOIL makes one of the better options as it is priced at about half the cost of the OEM fluid and lasts much longer. It has been tried and proven in this transmission. If anyone is interested, please shoot me a PM and I can get you a quote, and can possibly get you wholeseale pricing on it. If you'd like to shop on your own, here's the fluid people are using, which meets Aisin AW-1 specifications:
> 
> AMSOIL Signature Series Fuel-Efficient Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid
> 
> ...


I'm very happy with the Amsoil transmission fluid in my car.


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## NHRA (Oct 12, 2014)

TDCruze said:


> I flowed the "How To" guide as posted above and changed out my own transmission fluid with the proper AmsOil ATF at 36,000mi and my OEM ATF was already getting a bit dark. It seemed to improve my shift response and firmness slightly.
> 
> If you are willing to do this yourself I would avoid the flush, if you follow the "how to" it does about as good of a job as a flush anyways. Even with a flush you never get 100% of the old stuff out before refilling. There is always some old stuff left.
> 
> When I did mine, I drained and filled the ~3 qts. of ATF 3 times. The first time it was still fairly dirty, the second time it was still a bit dirty looking, and by the third it looked like I was dumping out a new fluid. So, it worked well.


I just did this same thing about 2 months ago after discovering at 37,000 miles my trans cooler lines were leaking, ( NOT COVERED PAST 36k ) Fluid was extreemly filthy. I used the Amsoil Signature also.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

A couple people have mentioned trans cooler lines. I should probably take a look at mine.


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## NHRA (Oct 12, 2014)

Diesel if you live in a warm climate where there is no sub zero temps you might be ok. I believe the problem is from the cold hot cycles that makes the connection go bad. Just look under your car for a heavy film of fluid on the drivers side on the plastic belly pan. Just under the radiator area. Noticed mine when i went to do my first oil change myself. Ill bet it had been leaking quite a while and the oil changers at the dealer never noticed.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

It's a GM thing. Most do it every couple years. Lines must be made by the cheapest bidder to get most of them just out of the warranty period.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

jblackburn said:


> It's a GM thing. Most do it every couple years. Lines must be made by the cheapest bidder to get most of them just out of the warranty period.


Is this a new thing? I only had to replace the lower trans cooler line on my Cavalier at 244,818 miles because it broke when I was changing the radiator (the nut became one with the line).


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

MP81 said:


> Is this a new thing? I only had to replace the lower trans cooler line on my Cavalier at 244,818 miles because it broke when I was changing the radiator (the nut became one with the line).


Seems to happen to anything with GM's 6 speeds in them. Very common on the current SUVs (Traverse, Equinox, etc) and Cruze.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

jblackburn said:


> Seems to happen to anything with GM's 6 speeds in them. Very common on the current SUVs (Traverse, Equinox, etc) and Cruze.


Interesting. Guess our Cruze is the only thing we have with a 6-speed in it (at the moment). Cobalt has a 4-speed, and the Camaro isn't an auto. My IROC, assuming it had an integrated cooler, didn't have any issues at ~100k miles either.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

NHRA said:


> Diesel if you live in a warm climate where there is no sub zero temps you might be ok. I believe the problem is from the cold hot cycles that makes the connection go bad. Just look under your car for a heavy film of fluid on the drivers side on the plastic belly pan. Just under the radiator area. Noticed mine when i went to do my first oil change myself. Ill bet it had been leaking quite a while and the oil changers at the dealer never noticed.


I'm glad you suggested taking a look under there. My transmission cooler lines are definitely leaking, and there's an oil leak too. I am going to post a video in a new thread.


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## NHRA (Oct 12, 2014)

I had a 2006 Cadillac CTS with a 5 speed trans. 140,000 miles and the cooler line decided to pull the threads out of the radiator and dumped all of the trans fluid on the expressway one day on my way home from work. Had it towed home, refilled the trans, fixed the cooler line and one month later the trans began to slip when cold. Put a quart of trans medic in and traded it in on the Cruze Diesel.


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## plasticplant (Mar 26, 2013)

diesel said:


> A couple people have mentioned trans cooler lines. I should probably take a look at mine.


Mine were found leaking (trans temp got up to almost 240F) at 62k and were replaced under warranty along with my transmission. Seems to be a somewhat common problem and I feel that was the root cause of my transmission failure; not the actual OEM fluid.


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