Something I feel i HAVE to clear up about transmission servicing.

[Mark S.]

What would be more wasteful of resources-changing 4-5 quarts of oil every 30-60K miles or replacing entire power units at 100K, or scrapping the whole vehicle?

This is a logical fallacy called "begging the question." You have worded this question such that it posits a conclusion--that failure to follow your recommendation will result in catastrophe--without evidence. The right way to make this argument would be to avoid unsupported opinion by showing us the data proving that Ford's recommended maintenance schedule is the proximate cause of major component failures. I'm all ears...

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[Desert Bronco.]

So I just had the transmission fluid changed on my Badlands at 50,500 miles and it was very dark and dirty. The dealer used a cleaner and an extra 4 quarts of fluid to flush out the system. he then added 4 quarts of fluid. They gave me a huge break on the price since he had said that I could go till 60k miles according to factory recommendations.

The ford dealer and Ford Motor recommends a service interval of 60,000 miles. That’s way too long and would probably shorten the life of the transmission. You could say Ford is interested in selling expensive parts not fluid. I’m surprised Ford hasn’t gotten sued in court for intentionally misleading consumers so they opt-out of correctly maintaining their vehicle. It’s shameful and the Ford dealers in service typically just default to the ”big fluid lie” because that’s how they stay in business with high dollar service bills.

i would say 40,000 miles is the maximum on the OEM ATF and between 30k-35k a better option. A 25k-30k for the initial fluid change is gratuitous, but might catch factory defects or premature wear if there’s metal in the oil. Luckily there was no metal so I don’t think I harmed the transmission.

The rear differential fluid was fine at 50,500 miles

 

[Kelpie]

I have the GM 9 speed version of this transmission (2023 AWD Cadillac XT4) and I drained/filled it at 21,000 miles. The fluid was dark and looked like it needed to be changed. I plan on changing it every 20,000 miles but GM says 45,000 mile service for the severe duty schedule. I saw the "fordtechmakuloco" video where he changed fluid at 20,000 miles and it looked the same as mine. I drive my car normally; I don't baby it per se but I don't drive hard. FWIW GM calls for regular Dex 6 but Ford calls for ULV. I thought that was interesting.

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