My Dad’s ‘12 Cruze is supposed to lifetime fill.
No dipstick, no drain plug.
I still did two spill and fills, 10K apart, at 100K…
It's my understanding that that is an urban myth. I've checked over the years and have not found anything to substantiate your assertion. Do you have access to any documentation that supports your position?There is a discussion of what the word "lifetime" in a Toyota.
If we assume the lifetime is in Japan, cars have to be retired when they are 60K miles or 100K km.
So, in Japan, there is never a need to change ATF during the life of a car.
Those engines and transmissions ended up in other countries including US as JDM engines.
Well, I would say don’t nickel and dime.I agree that there might be a problem with the choice of fluid, but how is one to know there's a problem unless the fluid is checked? Is a dipstick needed to check the fluid condition? No, but the alternative is time-consuming and/or expensive, even as a DIY project. Toyota (even with their "lifetime" fluid), at least in the manuals I've read, includes checking the fluid at 60,000 miles (if I recall correctly) as part of their routine maintenance schedule.
And the fluid level...At least you can see the fluid and get some idea as to its condition. Is it dark? Does it smell burnt? That sort of thing ...
It’s almost like the automakers and lube manufacturers know what they’re doing.Bought a brand new 1999 Volvo S70, sealed transmission. Used daily for 21 years, 276,000 miles. It was donated to the local public radio station with the same ATF that the factory installed. That car had 99 problems by then, the tranny wasn't one.
I have to disagree. The Aisin transmission in our GS350 has lifetime fluid according to Toyota. Unless you exceed certain parameters.Not really. Transmissions have been fitted with better cooling and protection from moisture. There are hundreds of thousands of units on the road which led easy lives and have never had the fluid changed.
Which is why I prefaced it with "led easy lives". Autobahn speeds and certain high load scenarios are a different animal and consequently it's why there's a severe service interval by some manufacturers.I have to disagree. The Aisin transmission in our GS350 has lifetime fluid according to Toyota. Unless you exceed certain parameters.
In Europe, the same car has a transmission service schedule.
Aisin has a service schedule for this transmission.
Unless there is a definition of "lifetime", it is a meaningless term.
You're correct. It is an urban myth. Japan requires a periodic stringent inspection called "shaken" (pronounced shah-ken) for on-the-road vehicles. Often it isn't worth repairing a car to get it to pass the next shaken, even though the drivetrain is still in great shape, so the car gets junked or exported. That's how we have used Japanese car engines available here with no more than 50K miles on them.It's my understanding that that is an urban myth. I've checked over the years and have not found anything to substantiate your assertion. Do you have access to any documentation that supports your position?
They are vented, so they get atmospheric moisture. Having said that, I point to the crappy dipstick on my '97 Civic... which sits on a ledge, substantially low in elevation, and now the second of these dipsticks - the rubber has shrunk . Liquid water could get in unless I soon rectify the situation ..Contrary to ones subjective observations fluid analysis has shown that factory fill is capable of reaching 100k miles. That's just reality and it has been this way for over 20 years.
There's a reason why automatic transmission over the last 20 years have been fitted with coolers and sealed to prevent excessive exposure to moisture.
From my own research the issue is water vapor rather than liquid water but imo it's definitely a holistic approach of better cooling, better fluids, etc.They are vented, so they get atmospheric moisture. Having said that, I point to the crappy dipstick on my '97 Civic... which sits on a ledge, substantially low in elevation, and now the second of these dipsticks - the rubber has shrunk . Liquid water could get in unless I soon rectify the situation ..
Indeed ... there has to be a way to deal with the expansion and contraction of the fluid, much the same way differentials are vented. At least that's my understanding.They are vented, so they get atmospheric moisture. Having said that, I point to the crappy dipstick on my '97 Civic... which sits on a ledge, substantially low in elevation, and now the second of these dipsticks - the rubber has shrunk . Liquid water could get in unless I soon rectify the situation ..