Called 3 dealerships $1000 to $1500 for tranny fluid change?

[Tifford]

2022 Ram Warlock with the 3.6 engine and 8speed tranny.

I called 3 dealerships and asked each one for a drain and fill. All 3 said the pan, filter and fluid need to be changed.
I got prices over the phone of 1000, 1200 and 1500. In my mind thats a bit to much. Thoughts?

 

[tron67j]

Check your manual, believe it says your fluid should last the life of the vehicle. Why are you changing it?

 

[Tifford]

The people who actually make the Transmission recommend changing the fluid from what I've read.

 

[White six four]

I've never read the owners manual for an 8 speed equipped truck but I believe it reads the fluid lasts the lifetime of the transmission. Meaning transmission burns up you replace the transmission and as a bonus it comes with new lifetime fluid. I guess a guy could say that about any fluid. Fluid is cheaper then a transmission. Wouldn't make sense for the tranny to crap the bed but keep the fluid and put it in your new transmission since hey it's supposed to last the life of the truck.

Find a good local shop or do it yourself. If you do it yourself follow the instruction sheet that you should be able to find in a search.

 

[Wild one]

2022 Ram Warlock with the 3.6 engine and 8speed tranny.

I called 3 dealerships and asked each one for a drain and fill. All 3 said the pan, filter and fluid need to be changed.
I got prices over the phone of 1000, 1200 and 1500. In my mind thats a bit to much. Thoughts?

Ignore post #2,the transmission is not sealed,it still vents to the atmosphere and can suck moisture in.
ZF reconmends changing the fluid between 50,000 and 80,000 miles or 8 years,which ever comes first,so ignore whatever the owners manual states,as Stellantis is in the market to sell you a new vehicle every couple years,they have no interest in you getting the most life out of a vehicle as you can,that's in your best interests,not theirs.
Use the search button,there's probably a couple dozen threads on changing the fluid in the 8 speed,it's not that hard to do yourself,and you'll save yourself probably close to a 1,000 bucks doing it yourself

 

[EdGs]

What mileage on your truck?

OE pan will run you about $300, 7 qts. of OE Mopar fluid will run about $150, a small garden sprayer will set you back $25.

That and a few hours of time are all you need.

Follow the green sheet copiously posted by @Wild one throughout this site.

There are aftermarket pan/filter/fluid options also, but if you have any kind of warranty in play, OE is the way.

JMHO, YMMV.

Good luck.

 

[Tifford]

Closing in on 70K for the truck.
Called and ordered a new pan directly from PPE in their black finish. They were very helpful over the phone.
I'm working 36 hours this weekend so I will pick up fluid and a gasket on Monday.
I built a kit car myself (still have it after 25 year, replica of a 65 Shelby Cobra) so I can do stuff like this. I figure 3 hours plus getting tools ready and then put away.....if everything goes smoothly...
Ie not snapping bolts. Thanks for the helpful comments everyone.

 

[EdGs]

Closing in on 70K for the truck.
Called and ordered a new pan directly from PPE in their black finish. They were very helpful over the phone.
I'm working 36 hours this weekend so I will pick up fluid and a gasket on Monday.
I built a kit car myself (still have it after 25 year, replica of a 65 Shelby Cobra) so I can do stuff like this. I figure 3 hours plus getting tools ready and then put away.....if everything goes smoothly...
Ie not snapping bolts. Thanks for the helpful comments everyone.

PPE pans are very nice.

You might need 1 or 2 more quarts of juice if you got the deep PPE pan, just to be safe. I'm putting one on my '15 when I get done with my cam/lifter job.

Some have used Valvoline MaxLife fluid with great results, and it's way cheaper than OE.

Here's to a smooth service.

 

[G-Ride990]

Closing in on 70K for the truck.
Called and ordered a new pan directly from PPE in their black finish. They were very helpful over the phone.
I'm working 36 hours this weekend so I will pick up fluid and a gasket on Monday.
I built a kit car myself (still have it after 25 year, replica of a 65 Shelby Cobra) so I can do stuff like this. I figure 3 hours plus getting tools ready and then put away.....if everything goes smoothly...
Ie not snapping bolts. Thanks for the helpful comments everyone.

Tease us with the mention of a kit car and don't even share a pic? We gotta see it!

Transmission fluid for life is nuts, change it for sure. I don't have much knowledge about the 3.6 drivetrain but you might be due for some general maintenance while you're at it. Differentials, (PPE pan & filter) is awesome!, transfer case, cabin air filter, intake filter, sparkplugs?

Take care of it, it will take care of you.

 

[Curmudgeon]

@Tifford

Here is the "green sheet" mentioned above, it was obtained by @Wild one for everyone's benefit and posted repeatedly here at RamForum. It is not a guide, but precise step-by-step instructions that ought to be followed exactly, for... reasons.

 

[Tifford]

Off topic But:
Here the kit car I built. She 's dirty. I live at the end of a 1/2 dirt road not maintained by the state.
Dart block based off a 351w engine
Bored and stroked to 427
492 Hp 512Tq
Ceramic coated short headers
duel plane intake edelbrock
650 edelbrock carb
Petronix distributor
Side pipes XL
Enigine was built and dynoed by a professional on the East Coast
TKO 600 Tranny 5 forward 1 reverse
I had to install the tranny 5 times to get it right.
90 model mustang rear end. I had the gears taken out and a professional install 3:55 with locking rear.
Installed a 3 core radiator
Stuart Warner guages
CAT scale said right at 2,200 pounds

 

[Wild one]

Closing in on 70K for the truck.
Called and ordered a new pan directly from PPE in their black finish. They were very helpful over the phone.
I'm working 36 hours this weekend so I will pick up fluid and a gasket on Monday.
I built a kit car myself (still have it after 25 year, replica of a 65 Shelby Cobra) so I can do stuff like this. I figure 3 hours plus getting tools ready and then put away.....if everything goes smoothly...
Ie not snapping bolts. Thanks for the helpful comments everyone.

The hardest part is jacking the rear tires roughly 9" in the air to level the transmission.
Before you start draining the transmission,make sure you can crack the fill plug loose.
Here's the factory instructions that come with a brand new truck specific 8 speed when bought through the dealer.Cost me a good chunk of change to get these instructions
Number 1 /#2 and #6 through #14 are the only steps you really need to worry about.
Start with a cold transmission,by the time you get through the procedure,you'll be well into the checking temp window.
The ideal checking temp is between 100F and 105F,the 122 temp listed is the "max" checking temp,not the ideal checking temp.
I usually jack the truck up and drain the transmission the night before,while it's still hot,and let it drain overnight,then install the new pan in the morning and fill it back up.
As stated a cheap garden sprayer makes it easy to get fluid back into the transmission.If the exhaust is anywhere close,a few cold wet rags draped over it or a set of long welding gloves keeps the cursing to a mininium

 

[Wild one]

Off topic But:
Here the kit car I built. She 's dirty. I live at the end of a 1/2 dirt road not maintained by the state.
Dart block based off a 351w engine
Bored and stroked to 427
492 Hp 512Tq
Ceramic coated short headers
duel plane intake edelbrock
650 edelbrock carb
Petronix distributor
Side pipes XL
Enigine was built and dynoed by a professional on the East Coast
TKO 600 Tranny 5 forward 1 reverse
I had to install the tranny 5 times to get it right.
90 model mustang rear end. I had the gears taken out and a professional install 3:55 with locking rear.
Installed a 3 core radiator
Stuart Warner guages
CAT scale said right at 2,200 pounds
View attachment 573710

Wow i love it,at only 2200 lbs it'd be a wicked little toy.Have you ever taken it to the track.
If you have any build pic's,you should post them up in this section,i'm not the only one who'd drool on them,

Other Vehicle Discussion

Talk about other vehicles that are not Ram specific here.

www.ramforum.com

 

[danielmid]

I grabbed a set of these on sale for next summers transmission flush, I figure with a set of work gloves it should cover me, hopefully.

https://www.harborfreight.com/heat-and-cut-resistant-kevlar-sleeves-57515.html

 

[Burla]

1,000 bucks is like 2018 pricing, not even considering what happened to pricing since COVID. Mopar sells the pan for 300 when not on sale, ad 10 quarts zf fluid I'm sure the dealer gets over 20 per for, call that 200. Not even considering dealer markup, nobody sells parts for nothing. Not sure how little someone expects to pay, of course dealer has lights, rent, advertising, payroll, insurance etc etc to pay for, oh yeah mechanics salary. No 1,000 bucks for this isn't too high at all, they would go broke in a hurry if this was all they did at that price.

 

[tron67j]

Ignore post #2,the transmission is not sealed,it still vents to the atmosphere and can suck moisture in.
ZF reconmends changing the fluid between 50,000 and 80,000 miles or 8 years,which ever comes first,so ignore whatever the owners manual states,as Stellantis is in the market to sell you a new vehicle every couple years,they have no interest in you getting the most life out of a vehicle as you can,that's in your best interests,not theirs.
Use the search button,there's probably a couple dozen threads on changing the fluid in the 8 speed,it's not that hard to do yourself,and you'll save yourself probably close to a 1,000 bucks doing it yourself

I stand by my recommendation to review the owner's manual for the required maintenance. My experience in approximately 2 million miles having driven everything from semis to extensive towing with trucks and vans to motorcycles is that the manual will keep things running. Personally, I have only changed transmission oil once in all my years with multiple vehicles over 150k miles put on them and it was a complete disaster: bits didn't flush properly and clogged the filter and I had to pay for it again. I check and change necessary fluids regularly per service recommendations and unless the t-oil looks bad or smells bad, I recommend to leave it alone.

I get that the transmission can vent, however the oil is not hydroscopic meaning it doesn't absorb water that well. However, running with the idea of venting it would stand to reason that brake lines should more often have the fluid changed because moisture is introduced over time and the fluid is hydroscopic. Burla mentioned exactly my belief in a post back in July; brake fluid is one of the least managed services yet it is arguably the most susceptible to water absorption.

I do agree with others, the t-oil service is one that can be done by a fairly handy person with the right parts and tools plus a few hours of labor.

 

[Wild one]

I stand by my recommendation to review the owner's manual for the required maintenance. My experience in approximately 2 million miles having driven everything from semis to extensive towing with trucks and vans to motorcycles is that the manual will keep things running. Personally, I have only changed transmission oil once in all my years with multiple vehicles over 150k miles put on them and it was a complete disaster: bits didn't flush properly and clogged the filter and I had to pay for it again. I check and change necessary fluids regularly per service recommendations and unless the t-oil looks bad or smells bad, I recommend to leave it alone.

I get that the transmission can vent, however the oil is not hydroscopic meaning it doesn't absorb water that well. However, running with the idea of venting it would stand to reason that brake lines should more often have the fluid changed because moisture is introduced over time and the fluid is hydroscopic. Burla mentioned exactly my belief in a post back in July; brake fluid is one of the least managed services yet it is arguably the most susceptible to water absorption.

I do agree with others, the t-oil service is one that can be done by a fairly handy person with the right parts and tools plus a few hours of labor.

If the manual told you to jump off a cliff,i'm guessing you'd jump off a cliff.
The manual is not wrote to promote longevity,it's wrote to bring you back into the showroom every couple of years to buy a new vehicle,once you get that figured out,you'll be farther ahead Years ago the manuals were very good at helping you maintain a vehicle,now the majority of the manual reconmendations aren't really what i'd call ideal.
Common sense goes along way in keeping a vehicle running for a long time
You've been around long enough to have seen the ZF reconmendations of 50,000 to 80,000 miles,so don't give me any excuses about what the manual says

 

[tron67j]

If the manual told you to jump off a cliff,i'm guessing you'd jump off a cliff.
The manual is not wrote to promote longevity,it's wrote to bring you back into the showroom every couple of years to buy a new vehicle,once you get that figured out,you'll be farther ahead
Common sense goes along way in keeping a vehicle running for a long time

Your position on the subject appears to require us to use a remote device to immediately remove the manual from the glove compartment, wrap it in foil, and transfer it to a salt mine for long term storage.

I guess I am an exception to argumentum ad populum that the masses who accidentally consult the manual succumb to. I have never had the urge to follow the manual in the hopes that I would be forced to return to one of the top thrills in a lifetime - spending hours at a dealership.

Maybe tin hats really do work after all.

 

[Wild one]

Your position on the subject appears to require us to use a remote device to immediately remove the manual from the glove compartment, wrap it in foil, and transfer it to a salt mine for long term storage.

I guess I am an exception to argumentum ad populum that the masses who accidentally consult the manual succumb to. I have never had the urge to follow the manual in the hopes that I would be forced to return to one of the top thrills in a lifetime - spending hours at a dealership.

Maybe tin hats really do work after all.

Years ago when we grew up,the manuals were very good for following for vehicle mantence,but now they're wrote to keep operating costs to a mininium so they can splash that info on the window sticker,and get you back into the showroom to buy a new vehicle every few years

 

[Filthy Filbert]

Check your manual, believe it says your fluid should last the life of the vehicle. Why are you changing it?

Kinda like how Cummins said their injectors needed fuel filtered down to 5 microns, but dodge said "nah.... 7 is sufficent" and sold lots of extra injectors because of it...

Those of us who knew better added extra filtration down to 2 microns.