
It just needs the right tool and the right expertise. You need to break the clip to access the ATF dipstick tube in a W220 S500. For example, the “sealed for life” transmission in the W220 S500 Mercedes-Benz has a one-time-use lock that needs to be broken off to access the dipstick tube.
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Maintenance free transmissions still have accessible service points. “Sealed” transmissions are sealed from the owners only. If your car doesn’t come with “lifetime transmission fluid”, proceed to follow the recommended service interval in the owner’s manual.Ī: No, it’s not. But you might want to do it after the warranty period of your car ends, which is usually at 100,000 km. Q: So, I need to do scheduled maintenance on my lifetime transmission fluid?Ī: If you plan to use the car longer than the “standard ownership period”, we’d recommend that. Looks like we know what “lifetime” means now. ZF did a presentation on this subject matter a long time ago, and according to them, “lifetime transmission fluids” are only meant to last 100,000 km. And ZF never claims their transmissions to run on lifetime transmission fluids. Q: What do manufacturers have to say about lifetime transmission fluids?Ī: Apparently BMW's "lifetime transmission" transmissions are manufactured by ZF. Naturally, fluid transmission degrades over time due to the heat and the shear forces that it experiences. What's in the box? Photo: Father Edward Barlow You'll have to remove the drain plug to find out. It could be perfectly fine and it could be terribly broken at the same time. Go any longer than that (5 years & 100,000 km) without servicing, and your automatic gearbox becomes Schrödinger’s cat. If that’s the case, then we can confidently say that “lifetime transmission fluid” does last a lifetime. However, it seems that it is understood as the “lifetime of the warranty” or the “standard ownership period” of a brand-new car which is 5 years or a 100,000 km mileage. There is no clear definition on lifetime. Q: Can a transmission fluid last a lifetime?Ī: If by lifetime, you mean Queen Elizabeth II life time, then definitely no.
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If you’re curious whether your car is equipped with a LTF or not, you can always check your owner’s manual under the “scheduled maintenance” section. The design of the “ATF dipstick” makes it only accessible to Mercedes-Benz service centres.īrands like Toyota, Hyundai, and Jeep also have their own version of lifetime transmission fluid in their model line-up. Mercedes-Benz also has something like this called the “Sealed for life” transmission. There is a sticker that explicitly says “Lifetime Oil” on the transmission oil pan. Some BMW cars with ZF transmissions also claim to have Lifetime transmission fluids. He could get the ATF changed in outside workshops, but that would void the warranty. Adrian hashad a Mazda 2, and the official service centre would not do an ATF change upon request.

The interval for the manual transmission is clearly stated. Q: What cars use lifetime transmission fluids?Ī: The 2015 Mazda 2 doesn’t have an ATF maintenance interval stated in the owner’s manual. The bold “lifetime” claim is not due to a magic transmission fluid, but has more to do with the “sealed” design of the transmission. Lifetime transmission fluids are usually found in automatic-transmission cars. Q: What are lifetime transmission fluids?Ī: Transmission fluids that last a “lifetime”. After all, the name itself implies that the fluid lasts a lifetime. However, there are cars that come with “lifetime transmission fluids” that claim to not require scheduled maintenance. They all require some sort of scheduled maintenance if you refer to your owner’s manual. You’re probably familiar with terms like ATF, CVT fluid, DCT fluid, or manual transmission fluid. "Genie in a bottle" can also have several interpretations With that, l ifetime transmission fluids also depend on the definition of what a lifetime is.

The point is, “lasting an entire lifetime” is only as good as how long a lifetime is. He could also not give you anything at all, but make you die the moment your money runs out. He could give you a billion ringgit to let you live lavishly for a good 50 years. If you found a genie in a bottle and wished for enough money to last an entire lifetime, things could turn out several ways.
