[csaba]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

Don't drive the car any more and get it to a dealer asap. Something is definitely wrong.



Uhh, no. Transmission fluid and gear oil breaks down just like engine oil, just as a much slower rate. It should NOT last the life of the car. Your trans fluid/oil should be changed at every 30K service.


That's excessive and it pisses me off that manufacturers are doing this more and more on new cars. They say they're doing it because people can't tell the difference between the engine oil dipstick and the transmission dipstick. They much think their customers are all idiots. (Yes, quite a few are, but not all). But it keeps people from easily checking their fluid levels which is just wrong. As above, at least one car has left the factory with no transmission fluid, and this might be the second. Without a simple dipstick, it can't be checked without a lot of work, so it's not done during a PDI where it could be easily discovered.

Forget being empty, do we know that our transmissions were filled to the power level? Maybe they're low? But we can't tell unless we have at least a floor jack and four jackstands and an hour of time.

Drives me batty. I think I'm going to request my dealership spend some warranty time on checking my trans oil level...

Good for you than change it at 30K!