Dealer says 5 years/75k miles for 8 speed fluid swap?

[chrisbh17]

At $400 we're pretty sure they didnt do the whole thing, or maybe nothing at all.

Honestly its best if they charged $400 to do nothing instead of half-assing it.

 

[Tim Garceau]

He probably just got a new pan/filter and a top off of fluid for that price, which is adequate IMO and plan to do myself at 100K.

or... he has a 6 speed.

 

[QwikKota]

He definitely has the 8 speed. I too think he either got ripped off or they just did a pain drain. You can get the pan for around $170 at some places. It says "includes filter" but I don't see it, must be part of the pan. Not sure if you can buy it separately but don't think you are supposed to re-use the pan. BND Automotive sells a compatible fluid for $15/quart but I'm not taking that chance. Not sure what I will do yet but it sucks I can't service it myself. I guess I could but it seems riskier as far as documentation goes than an oil change. I keep all of my receipts for that and have a spreadsheet showing when it's done but even that could be called in to questions by a real PITA dealer.

 

[QwikKota]

I read on one of the forums that FCA considered "lifetime" as it applies to the transmission as 100,000 miles.
A call to FCA would confirm what they mean by "lifetime". The dealer IMO was wrong.

I would tend to believe that they strongly support their owners manual, see below. The dealer on the other hand might use scare tactics to try and make money off unnecessary service. That or they are confused by the 6 speed literature. That is 60k though.

"Fluid And Filter Changes — Eight-Speed
Transmission
Under normal operating conditions, the fluid installed at
the factory will provide satisfactory lubrication for the
life of the vehicle.
Routine fluid and filter changes are not required. However,
change the fluid and filter if the fluid becomes
contaminated (with water, etc.), or if the transmission is
disassembled for any reason."

 

[BarbersBlue]

$400 actually seems low, I think Id pay a dealer $400 to do mine if I could be sure they did it correctly (its not a simple drain and refill)

As far as WHEN it should be done...its "lifetime". And your question about MaxCare is a valid one, its one that I and others have asked, since I also have MaxCare Lifetime.

Two paths to choose from:

1. Never change the fluid and put 100% faith that, in the very far future, if the trans dies they will replace it.

2. Change the fluid at the trans manufacturer (ZF) recommended mileage, which is about 60K. If you do elect to have it changed, your best bet would be the dealer so if there was ever a question of coverage down the road, you could at least point at an FCA dealer. But, if its done right, I cant see it being "only" $400. It takes quite a bit of labor, the fluid is expensive, and the pan/filter are usually much more than $85.

The cost of the pan varies a lot depending on model year. The early model years are the most expensive. I think by 2015, RAM was manufacturing them in the US instead of importing them from Germany. I've seen them in the $85 range. The fluid is also coming down in price. $30 to $35 is more normal, and I've seen it as low as the mid 20's. The labor wouldn't be too bad in a shop setting with a lift and a powered fluid pump. I used a pump sprayer and it speeded things up considerably. That all having been said, I would still want to watch the dealer mechanics unless I had a really good relationship with them.

 

[chrisbh17]

I would tend to believe that they strongly support their owners manual, see below. The dealer on the other hand might use scare tactics to try and make money off unnecessary service. That or they are confused by the 6 speed literature. That is 60k though.

"Fluid And Filter Changes — Eight-Speed
Transmission
Under normal operating conditions, the fluid installed at
the factory will provide satisfactory lubrication for the
life of the vehicle.
Routine fluid and filter changes are not required. However,
change the fluid and filter if the fluid becomes
contaminated (with water, etc.), or if the transmission is
disassembled for any reason."

I dont doubt that they believe it. The question is the definition of "life of the vehicle".

Dealer and manufacturer dont want "life of the vehicle" to be 15 years. Buyer/owners DO.

As an owner, do I want to take the chance that the stuff will truly last *my idea* of the life of the vehicle? Because Im pretty sure there is no fluid out there that will last 15 years without ever changing it.

Service manual shows following for labor:

Fluid - A/T - replace - 0.7 hours
Note
To R&R filter add 0.2 hours
With 8HP Trans Fill Procedure, Add 0.7 hours

So looking at at least 1.6 hours of labor, figure like $210 or so for labor.

I have not seen the pan/filter setup as low as $85 but I havent really looked much. But assuming the dealer is doing it, I would figure its the full boat price (~$300). Fluid is the same, so ~$40/qt I think? $500 for labor and pan/filter + however many quarts of fluid you need. Probably a $1K job at the dealer, assuming they do it the right way.

 

[Josh keller]

I wonder how much it would cost to get a transmission reprogrammed to your truck? Local salvage yard is selling the 8 speeds for $1,000 with under 20k miles. And several of them.

 

[QwikKota]

I dont doubt that they believe it. The question is the definition of "life of the vehicle".

Dealer and manufacturer dont want "life of the vehicle" to be 15 years. Buyer/owners DO.

As an owner, do I want to take the chance that the stuff will truly last *my idea* of the life of the vehicle? Because Im pretty sure there is no fluid out there that will last 15 years without ever changing it.

Yeah, I agree. I am planning on keeping this thing forever and handing it down to my son when he is old enough to drive. Would love to see it last him through college. I just called Ram corporate and holy hell, what a waste of time. The lady who I eventually got to after yelling at the automated system was completely clueless. Their computer systems were also down so she had no way to look anything up. She thought I was asking about an "H" speed tranny. Ding ****.

 

[Tim Garceau]

Damn, I remember when that fluid was $12 bucks a quart on ebay. Should've stocked up on it and sold it for $40 a pop to you guys!

 

[tap4154]

My old F150 had 150K miles on it's second transmission when I sold it. Still was shifting fine, and I never had it serviced, just checked the fluid occasionally, and it still looked good. It had an in-line Magnafine filter on the return cooling line that the dealer put on, that I changed at about 70K miles. The first tranny I had serviced once at about 70K miles, then the dipstick came loose and it leaked, and became contaminated (took me a while to notice it). It died at 140K miles.

The way these 8 speeds are sealed, with no dipstick or other way to introduce contaminates, I plan to just drive it until it acts up, or MAYBE have the fluid and pan changed at 100K. But IMHO with normal driving in the mild climate here, and little or no towing, it should last a very long time (I hope).

 

[kurek]

My old F150 had 150K miles on it's second transmission .

my other 4x4 (Mitsubishi) has 307k miles on its first transmission with no rebuilds or funny business, just routine filter/fluid changes. I'll be doing the same sort of maintenance on my Ram, cheap insurance if you ask me

 

[16RamHemi]

couple of things that pop into my head...ill preface this with stating im not mechanic. not even close. i did do this service on my 14 ram with 8 speed in my driveway. i switched to redline d6. used 4 quarts for a pan drop and refill. went with an atp pan (with new filter cost was $115..)

what i find odd is someone posting a dealer with a low price for a service we all know is involved. since when are dealer prices low? secondly, concerning to me is the fact that the MANUFACTURER of the transmission says to change the fluid and pan/filter around 65-70k or so miles. yet fca says lifetime. very odd..

and my trans didnt need a reflash or reprogramming.

 

[Malveaux0089]

I have a 2017 with the 8-speed. The dealership told me that there is no service on the transmission. Once it goes, it has to be replaced.

 

[chrisbh17]

I have a 2017 with the 8-speed. The dealership told me that there is no service on the transmission. Once it goes, it has to be replaced.

Aaaaaand dealers wonder why customers dont trust them lol

Did they also say they are the only people capable of replacing the (expensive) disposable transmission?

The company that manufactures the actual transmission (ZF out of Germany) has a 100,000 km service schedule. Thats about 62K miles. 60K miles just to be safe.

I see you have a V6 so it might not be the actual 8HP70 used with the Hemi, but AFAIK its the same service schedule. And honestly ANY automatic trans I have will get fluid changed by then, if not sooner. Maybe even at 30K.

 

[MidTennMtneer]

I’ve always changed mine at 60k and then every 30k in every truck I’ve owned.

The V6 essentially has the same trans. Only difference is that the Hemi one is made by ZF, Pentastar by FCA. Why, who knows.

But I myself plan on doing it myself at 60k like always. I don’t tow and only haul to dump or a load of lumber now and then. Like said above. Our lifetime is different than FCA’s.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sgtryanusmc]

Dealer told me it was 'non-serviceable'.

 

[Larmo]

Hmm, so going back a few posts, let's say to make it simple, I pull the pan myself and let's say I measured the exact amount that came out, then jacking up rear of the truck i added exactly what came out- bit back in..would I still have to do the process of going threw all the gears and what not..not that I would get in the truck and floor it lol...i i just mean if you put in what you take out it should be the correct level? Or am I missing something...just curious

 

[Larmo]

Dealer told me it was 'non-serviceable'.

Mine told me the same..they said according to FCA it's listed as non serviceable, but go on the ZF web site, it sure as hell has a procedure for servicing this transmission..they also mentioned they would do a service on it, but it wouldn't be cheap.. depending on your relationship with your dealer , you may be able to get the parts and fluid at employee prices..in the past the dealer I go to has been nice enough to discount the parts , or even the labor to do work...just have to ask Nicely...

 

[chrisbh17]

Hmm, so going back a few posts, let's say to make it simple, I pull the pan myself and let's say I measured the exact amount that came out, then jacking up rear of the truck i added exactly what came out- bit back in..would I still have to do the process of going threw all the gears and what not..not that I would get in the truck and floor it lol...i i just mean if you put in what you take out it should be the correct level? Or am I missing something...just curious

That is assuming the level is correct when you start. Could be a good or a bad assumption.

The first step in the long drawn out process is to get the fluid up to temp, open the fill plug and if nothing comes out, add some until it does. That should get you to the correct fluid level. At that point I suppose you could drain out and refill, but because trans fluid expands with temperature, you would need to make sure the outgoing and incoming fluid are the same temperature so they will occupy the same volume.

Also note the rail alongside the trans pan needs to be level or else the fluid level will read incorrectly.

 

[Larmo]

That is assuming the level is correct when you start. Could be a good or a bad assumption.

The first step in the long drawn out process is to get the fluid up to temp, open the fill plug and if nothing comes out, add some until it does. That should get you to the correct fluid level. At that point I suppose you could drain out and refill, but because trans fluid expands with temperature, you would need to make sure the outgoing and incoming fluid are the same temperature so they will occupy the same volume.

Also note the rail alongside the trans pan needs to be level or else the fluid level will read incorrectly.

Hmm, good point on the fluid expansion. Seems it's best just to do it the correct way, esp seeing it doesn't get done to often...