andyaff

The debate going on here reminds me of the heated debate that went on for a while after BMW, MB and Porsche started using full synthetic oils and extended the engine oil replacement intervals to 10K-13K miles. All the independent mechanics were up in arms about this change and argued that it made no sense, that even if the oil could withstand extended replacement intervals, the filters couldn't, that BMW made this change at the same time as they started including all maintenance in the price of the vehicles, so that BMW was just trying to reduce its service costs, and that there would be engine failures around 100K miles, long after the warranties expired, etc...

As we now know, all those mechanics arguing against extended replacement intervals for engine oil were dead wrong. They were upset not just about the loss of the immediate revenue that came from the more frequent oil changes, but also got to see those cars less often, which took away their opportunities to sell additional services to their customers. In fact, the manufacturers were correct, there were no engine failures, and the extended oil change intervals are still in place today with no known adverse consequences.

Auto mechanics are not chemists, nor are they automotive engineers, and are in no position to judge the length of time that it takes for certain fluids to break down. So, all this hand wringing about Infiniti being wrong about its recommendation not to replace the transmission fluid in the 7AT is just that, particularly given the fact that the recommendation has been in effect for quite a while, that many of its vehicles have hundreds of thousands of miles on them without any such service, and that there are no widespread transmission failures.

Oh, and the reason that the manufacturers have moved towards eliminating dipsticks is because they've found that lots of people were using them improperly and were only introducing contaminants into the system. Those who argue that manufacturers just don't care about the breakdowns happening after the warranties end couldn't be more wrong. Manufacturers do very much care about the long term reliability of their vehicles, and always have, because that is what drives their ability to sell new vehicles and to maintain their profit margins. This is the very reason, for instance, that many manufacturers specifically advertise their vehicle reliability in their new car ad campaigns, as long term reliability translates into lower depreciation, and lower depreciation means lower ownership costs, which make it a lot easier for them to sell more brand new vehicles.

Baadnewsburr

iTrader: (3)

I was with you until you said this...I think you've confused brand association/reputation for reliability (for marketing purposes) with actual reliability... I.e. the idea of "German reliability" (which is actually not good) and Japanese reliability (which used to be good)... manufacturers go though different branding stages and once the public associates their brand with reliability they begin to capitalize on that association...after that stage they increase profit margins by cutting costs/lowering quality while continuing to trade on the past reputation of reliability (even american cars like Cadillac were considered "quality" well made cars at one point in time and they sold many more cars on this reputation even when they no longer were...

next up Korean cars will be considered the quality standard in a few years until the Chinese build themselves up and then who knows who is next...

andyaff

The point is that long term reliability, whether real or perceived, has a direct impact on the number of brand new vehicles that the manufacturer sells. Hence, a general statement that after the original warranty ends, the manufacturers do not care about the longevity of its vehicles is simply not true.

Regardless, the above is a relatively small point. The biggest point here is the fact that auto mechanics are not chemists or automotive engineers, and have no training or data that would tell them the length of time that it takes certain fluids to break down. I do agree that auto mechanics are obviously on the front lines and can, at least anecdotally, tell you if they're seeing a lot of breakdowns of the same kind, which would then give you some cause for concern. The Infiniti 7AT transmission has been around for quite a while, however, with no reports of transmission failures, which leads me to conclude that all the hand ringing about the lifetime fluid is much ado about nothing. It's common to see this on auto forums, where a small group of active and well meaning posters post so much about something that it starts to seem like they're on to something, even when all the real world evidence points to the exact opposite conclusion.

ezbme

I think the reason they stopped using transmission dipsticks and oil dipsticks is for the same reason that Apple decided to not have a input jack or removable battery for the Iphone. It looks cleaner. It is sad that only a few companies use Aluminum Valve Covers. That is another pet peeve, I miss those things.

I tried to sell my ex's Volvo and the person looking at it, took it for an inspection at Volvo. One of the things they said it needed was a transmission service. I ended up taking it to a small oil change/car wash. The guy must not have liked his boss much, because he drained and filled it with 3 qts of Amsoil ATF and did the whole service for $35.

Another reason they did this was to keep the less seasoned novice out of it.

I had mine changed by Infiniti for $200, I will probably have it done in another 25k, since it has been on the road for at least 5k so far.

Baadnewsburr

iTrader: (3)

Actually my point was that this is not true...there is a distinction to which the correlation and subsequent generalisation suggested does not apply... hence my disagreement ...but whatev's right?

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

All I know is my 7AT has performed better overall since the ATF change, and the plug magnets were quite thick w/ buildup, good enough for me

leebra1

I'm about to change my ATF over the weekend and was just going to do a drain and fill (engine bay). Seems like everyone is using the pump to refill the trans. Is the pump the only option for refilling?

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

There's the regular fluid pump like the ones sold at Harbor Freight, or the one Victory made in his DIY whch should make it a one man job.
https://www.myg37.com/forums/d-i-y-i...the-cheap.html

leebra1

Good to know. Luckily there's a harbor freight down the street. Was hoping changing the atf was same as oil but looks like it can only be pumped in. I've had my 2013 for about 4 months and have only changed the oil. Gonna try to change the serpentine belt, atf, spark plugs, then clean out the TB's and MAF sensors. I feel like the car is trying to find the right gear sometimes, especially on a rolling stop. See if I can help it out by this maintenance. thanks.

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

You have seen this DIY I assume~
https://www.myg37.com/forums/d-i-y-i...rop-clean.html

leebra1

Ya definitely saw that DIY. That's what made me question whether or not a pump was needed for the process. Guess I'll be doing this tomorrow while the wife is also home in case I need to make store runs.

Swindler37

ezbme

Darn you don't drive much. It should be okay. I had mine flushed around 30k more than the last person. It cost about $200. They gave me BG fluid and I made them re-flush with Nissan Fluid. I haven't had the pan pulled, don't know if anyone ever did. My car only has 186k on it.

Swindler37

Love2Drive

The maintenance manual gives you a recommended services based on mileage/time, whichever comes first. There should be no struggle?