2011 Sonata--LIFETIME ATF and no fill/drain plugs

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Originally Posted By: The Critic

At this time, the vehicle must be a horizontal state


So the FSM says I should take a Hyundai to somewhere like Tennessee to get the ATF checked?
 
Agree with most posters here that no lifetime ATF exists. Service life of ATF depending on AT capacity, fluid quality, and driving style is 40k-60k at most. For smaller capacity ATs, mineral fluid used, and/or severe service fluid life can be anywhere between 15-30k.
 
Originally Posted By: poiuy223
sorry to revive an old thread...
so while researching on the internet for options for ATF SP-IV, i came across this:

http://www.skzic.com/eng/product/content16.asp

from the chart on the bottom, is this the equivalent to Dexron VI?


DexronVI isn't even close. So, they're are not equivalents.
 
Lifetime? Whose? Some live way longer than others!

It's the same in many cars. Read the manual, follow the severe service schedule, and if you're lucky you'll have a 'lifetime' slushbox!
 
My 1996 Cavalier Z24 had this with its 4 speed auto. No dipstick to check the fluid with, etc. The engine blew at 190k miles, the transmission still ran fine when sold.

Oh, and the engine wouldn't have blown had I not switched to a heavy cleaning synthetic with MMO combo from the cheap conventional it ran on for its life. I ended up cleaning too much too fast on it and it cleaned so well it clogged up the pickup screen and starved the top end from oil. That's back before I knew better. I wish now I had just stuck w/ conventional on that old engine... or did what I should have and took the oil pan off and cleaned it up after the PP / MMO treatment.

Anyhow.... that was an old 1996 car and it was spec'd a lifetime fluid, so this is nothing new. The tranny still ran fine at 190k miles and I beat on that car for over a decade. And I mean BEAT! lol. I doubt it even had synthetic fluid either.
 
The best time to change the fluid is after a few thousand miles of break-in.

SAE studies show that ~70% of all wear particles a transmission will ever see are present when it is new (manufacturing, ect...).

If the Sonata doesn't have a transfilter then adding a Magnifine is very cheap insurance. The sooner the better. Assuming it is still low miles then a filter would be my first move.
 
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Anyone here actually sample/test this type of "lifetime fluid" to see if it's indeed spent at an interval less than 150-200k miles? I read a lot of "looks spent", "no fluid is lifetime", "cheap insurance", etc but does anyone have facts to back it up in this instance? Are these transmissions having a shortened service life due to factory recommendations?
 
Originally Posted By: JakeR22
Originally Posted By: lexus114
No fluid is a lifetime fluid!


Except blood.
wink.gif




and is constantly cleansed.
 
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No, but the manufacturer does. Hyundai/Kia transmissions are the epitome of reliability
smirk.gif


Do you want to wait a few years and find out that the trans is junk, or the engine is a sludge monster, or the heatercore/radiator rusts out or clogs or... ?

Every automaker should know what they're doing. Too bad that recalls, TSBs, and known issues exist with them. Known issues are usually all those problems on the 'specific auto forums' that come out after a few years. Because of the internet, there is no hiding the TSBs and recalls anymore, and dealers can't play dumb.

If you want facts, just wait about 5 years and we'll have them.

Obviously, some people fall for the car-payment-lease-payment eternally for life crowd. Others want to keep their investments as long as possible, and live without a monthly payment or note.
Its your choice, $20000 every 5 years, or $20000 and $200 maintenance until it wears out on you in 15 years or more.

I have a 30 year old car, 20 year old car, 12 years old car, and a 2 year old car in the driveway. I don't have the 'common issues' that every has with my Ford, Mazda, Toyota, and Kia. No one in my family does with their vehicles either(Toyota, VW, Ford, Jeep, Mazda, Nissan). Mods, upgrades, and preventive maintenance works for me because obviously the automakers do NOT know what their doing.
 
Originally Posted By: crinkles
another reason to stick with a manual transmission.
01.gif


Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: JakeR22
Originally Posted By: lexus114
No fluid is a lifetime fluid!

Except blood.
wink.gif


and is constantly cleansed.


And continuously replaced!
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Undummy, the mfgr's DO know what they are doing!

They are trying out their technology on us, we are the proving ground.



Very well said!!
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Undummy, the mfgr's DO know what they are doing!

They are trying out their technology on us, we are the proving ground.


bull. it is called planned obscolescence. There could be cases of products rushed to the market; but on the whole, they just don't care if you make 150 or 200k or 250k, to engineer mass produced vehicles for 300k lifespans no one would be able to afford it.
 
Originally Posted By: unDummy
Originally Posted By: poiuy223
sorry to revive an old thread...
so while researching on the internet for options for ATF SP-IV, i came across this:

http://www.skzic.com/eng/product/content16.asp

from the chart on the bottom, is this the equivalent to Dexron VI?


DexronVI isn't even close. So, they're are not equivalents.


Actually, that's extremely similar to DexVI, viscometrically. DexVI must start out below 6.4 cSt @ 100C, and must drop to no thinner than 5.5 cSt in the certification testing. In practice, we see licensed DexVI products ending up in the 5s in UOA.

Here is an example data sheet for a licensed DexronVI product:
http://le-inc.com/products/documents/1136_tdb.pdf

Extremely similar to the Hyundai fluid, viscometrically. Given the previous similarities between the Mitsu/Kia/Hyundai spec and the Chrysler spec, my own personal bet is that this 'new' fluid would be a low-viscosity ATF+4 equivalent, if there was such a thing.
 
Originally Posted By: MetalSlug
what the deal with life time fluid these factory come up, mabe peoples dont own a car long any more.

To me, it was an obvious jump from longer life to lifetime fluid. Most people don't change their fluid anyway. With Dex-VI and similar fluids that don't drop below 5cst.. *shrug* It's so amazingly thin to start. If people aren't gonna change it anyway, might as well make it lifetime.

People saying lifetime fluid is outrageous, but my Lexus GS300 is life time also, and it's a 2000. It's been around long enough that you'd think we would have heard about transmission popping off left and right if it were a big problem.

BTW: this thread is a bit old. =\
 
Originally Posted By: MonumentOiler
The best time to change the fluid is after a few thousand miles of break-in.

SAE studies show that ~70% of all wear particles a transmission will ever see are present when it is new (manufacturing, ect...).

If the Sonata doesn't have a transfilter then adding a Magnifine is very cheap insurance. The sooner the better. Assuming it is still low miles then a filter would be my first move.



I think that's why Mercedes now says to change it at 30k miles than never again after that. Get all the break in stuff out of it and it will stay clean until a part fails.
 
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