Transmission Fluid Change Question

[Ah GetFd]

You can dress this up any way you want

Severe means severe.

I don't see people racing down to the dealership saying "my driving is bordering on severe, give me an (fill in the blank here XXXXX)

Oil change
Coolant change
Brake fluid change
Diff oil change
etc

Just because it says SEVERE, doesn't mean you have to go and do it! oh oh MUST change my Transmission Fluid.

Out of the servicing required, the dealer says Transmission Oil , Not Required.

But Americans......you have to fcuk with it.

Leave it alone.

 

[D.J.]

You can dress this up any way you want

Severe means severe.

I don't see people racing down to the dealership saying "my driving is bordering on severe, give me an (fill in the blank here XXXXX)

Oil change
Coolant change
Brake fluid change
Diff oil change
etc

Just because it says SEVERE, doesn't mean you have to go and do it! oh oh MUST change my Transmission Fluid.

Out of the servicing required, the dealer says Transmission Oil , Not Required.

But Americans......you have to fcuk with it.

Leave it alone.

Kia did the kindness of translating precisely what they mean by severe.... So there really is no ambiguity.

 

[Ah GetFd]

Yep.

These are the cars that end up on the lot with oil leaks.

I dont begrudge people wanting to do their own servicing but most do it with a screw driver and a kitchen towel.

 

[LordKOTL]

Kia did the kindness of translating precisely what they mean by severe.... So there really is no ambiguity.

View attachment 92570

Exactly, and not just that but the severe driving conditions list actually cross-references that table, so you know which severe maintenance schedules you need for what severe conditions you drive under. The others don't apply.

Severe conditions A, C, E, F G, H, I and K specifically list transmission fluid to be replaced at 60k. I would bet dollars to donuts that US dealerships being US dealerships would deny a 10yr/100k Mile warranty claim if they could prove that the owner used their Stinger as an Uber (condition I) and failed to get their transmission fluid replaced at 60k, and the transmission defecated itself at 70k.

Other country's conditions will vary based on local laws and warranty length, as well as who could change the fluid and have it count as work which doesn't void the warranty (Magnusson-Moss would apply in the US, so the owners are not obligated to use the dealership for maintenance, and Kia would have to prove that shoddy work led to, in this case, the transmission failure if the dealership did not perform the work. Further, if the transmission pan was installed incorrectly and the fluid replaced incorrectly--like with a screwdriver and a kitchen towel, the dealership could point to the shoddy work and void the warranty because it was done incorrectly, so there is reason to make sure that it's being done right).

 

[Volfy]

Argue this if you are so inclined, but at the end of the day... it's my car, my decision. I go by what the manual states explicitly, my usage cases do include conditions listed in the "Severe Driving Conditions"... and then some. The kinematic viscosity profile of ATF degrades over time, mostly due to heat. That reduces the efficiency of your torque converter. Inefficiency generates more wasted heat, which further accelerates ATF breakdown. Higher temp means the myriad of o-rings and seals inside your transmission also degrade faster, leading to premature valve failures.

Some people argue brake fluid doesn't need flushing either, even though just about every single OM states explicitly it does need periodic replacement. And properties of "wet" brake fluid supports those recommendations. But hey... do whatever you want. Your own car is your own risks to manage.

If you lease your car for 2-3yrs, you probably don't give two slits. I tend to keep mine for a lot longer, so proper maintenance is mighty important to me.

 

[Ah GetFd]

I kept my last three cars, GM, concurrently for 22 years, 21 years and 14 years. I never did a brake fluid change, transmission fluid, diff oil change. I did rigidly service them at 10,000kms with an oil and oil filter. I kept all repairs to genuine GM parts. I never had any problems with them other than the usual maintenance items.

When I got nervous I put one in at 150,000kms for a transmission service. The dealer afterwards said, looks brand new, replaced the fluid (didn't need to) replaced a filter there somewhere it was like brand new and said...........dont bother with the other two.

But now I have two My 23 top of the range Stinger GTs and I have opted for dealer servicing. At 20,000kms they changed the brake fluid, now, i think that's ridiculous but it only cost $80 with their machine so whatever.

The Kia Stinger here has a 7 year Unlimited km warranty so to maintain that I will turn my head and cough while they probe around. Outside that. I don't think I need it.

 

[blnewt]

I kept my last three cars, GM, concurrently for 22 years, 21 years and 14 years. I never did a brake fluid change, transmission fluid, diff oil change. I did rigidly service them at 10,000kms with an oil and oil filter. I kept all repairs to genuine GM parts. I never had any problems with them other than the usual maintenance items.

When I got nervous I put one in at 150,000kms for a transmission service. The dealer afterwards said, looks brand new, replaced the fluid (didn't need to) replaced a filter there somewhere it was like brand new and said...........dont bother with the other two.

But now I have two My 23 top of the range Stinger GTs and I have opted for dealer servicing. At 20,000kms they changed the brake fluid, now, i think that's ridiculous but it only cost $80 with their machine so whatever.

The Kia Stinger here has a 7 year Unlimited km warranty so to maintain that I will turn my head and cough while they probe around. Outside that. I don't think I need it.

You do you.

 

[Ah GetFd]

You do you.

DH

 

[Ah GetFd]

You do you.

Sook

 

[blnewt]

Sook

Didn't mean to offend, I meant you do what you feel is best, and I do what works for me~peace out!

 

[SRV]

I kept my last three cars, GM, concurrently for 22 years, 21 years and 14 years. I never did a brake fluid change, transmission fluid, diff oil change. I did rigidly service them at 10,000kms with an oil and oil filter. I kept all repairs to genuine GM parts. I never had any problems with them other than the usual maintenance items.

When I got nervous I put one in at 150,000kms for a transmission service. The dealer afterwards said, looks brand new, replaced the fluid (didn't need to) replaced a filter there somewhere it was like brand new and said...........dont bother with the other two.

But now I have two My 23 top of the range Stinger GTs and I have opted for dealer servicing. At 20,000kms they changed the brake fluid, now, i think that's ridiculous but it only cost $80 with their machine so whatever.

The Kia Stinger here has a 7 year Unlimited km warranty so to maintain that I will turn my head and cough while they probe around. Outside that. I don't think I need it.

Yeah, good for you - thanks but no thanks...

I'll be changing my fluid like I've been for years with for all my Porsches with zero problems.

My newest sport car requires transmission fluid changes every 3-years, or every 7000 miles, whichever comes first, for the life of the car:

 

[BIG-D]

Didn't mean to offend, I meant you do what you feel is best, and I do what works for me~peace out!

Ignore the arrogant retard... he doesn't know any better, mummy issues I think ?

 

[ht_addict]

Kia did the kindness of translating precisely what they mean by severe.... So there really is no ambiguity.

View attachment 92570

From this list, I would fall in D,F,K. D for maybe 3-4 mths of the year, yet salt depends on conditions and what exactly is very cold. GTHA doesn't get extreme cold for lengthy times unlike the north. F and K depends on when I leave work. Luckily I'm only 22 km from work so fluids get up to temp. I also have a BMS transmission cooler installed so high temperature are not an issue. Some people may fall into more of these conditions for lengthier times through out the year. I'm not one of them. I've had a Kia Soul for 8 years, and KOH for 8yrs and neither one had transmission fluid or brake fluid changed and had no issues. Warranty remains valid aslong as you follow the manual.

 

[SRV]

My newest sport car requires transmission fluid changes every 3-years, or every 7000 miles, whichever comes first, for the life of the car:

This is the car, a 2024 C8 Z51:



In order to maintain the factory warranty, its transmission fluid must be replaced in the interval listed above.

All oils/fluids have a finite life and needs to be changed.

 

[LordKOTL]

From this list, I would fall in D,F,K. D for maybe 3-4 mths of the year, yet salt depends on conditions and what exactly is very cold. GTHA doesn't get extreme cold for lengthy times unlike the north. F and K depends on when I leave work. Luckily I'm only 22 km from work so fluids get up to temp. I also have a BMS transmission cooler installed so high temperature are not an issue. Some people may fall into more of these conditions for lengthier times through out the year. I'm not one of them. I've had a Kia Soul for 8 years, and KOH for 8yrs and neither one had transmission fluid or brake fluid changed and had no issues. Warranty remains valid aslong as you follow the manual.

Exactly. My guess is that if you drive in situations which do not fall under severe conditions, the expected lifetime of the fluid is going to be beyond the warranty period, and thus the manual says you don't need to change it. If it does fall under severe, there's enough of a risk that fluid breakdown will cause a mechanical issue that would result in a warranty claim, hence the need for the fluid change.

Thus, the manual is written specifically for maintenance up to the end of the warranty period. Not longer. I'm not a materials engineer, but I'm willing to bet that even with "normal" driving conditions that the tranny fluid will break down at some point, but that point might far enough beyond the expected life of the car that Hyundai/Kia just doesn't care. If I render a guess and say 120k miles (twice the severe interval) would be the expected life under "normal" driving conditions, that would be about 10 years assuming 12k miles/year. That's beyond the 100k mile warranty. I think their logic is that they'd just expect us to consider the car life over and buy a new car.

The flipside is that at least in the states, if your transmission fluid did fail and cause transmission damage, and you never changed it, the the dealer would be trying very hard to prove that you fell under a severe condition to deny your warranty claim.

This is the car, a 2024 C8 Z51:

View attachment 92683

In order to maintain the factory warranty, its transmission fluid must be replaced in the interval listed above.

All oils/fluids have a finite life and needs to be changed.

Exactly. The question is not whether or not the fluid has a finite life or not. It's whether the expected lifetime under a given driving regime is within the timeline that would make the manufacturer care. If the expected lifetime is beyond the usual vehicle lifetime, chances are the manufacturer will just say you don't need to change it - as I mentioned above.

Assuming I didn't drive me car under severe conditions, I wouldn't expect any "lifetime" fluid to last long beyond the warranty. i.e. If my warranty ran out at 100k miles and and the car fell under "normal" conditions and I passed 100k miles, I wouldn't expect the transmission fluid to last to 200k, or 300k, etc.