Car Has No Transmission Dipstick.... o.O

My theory is that they made it harder to check the transmission level because it is cheaper to not put a dipstick in, plus the maintenance chain will be able to replace a lot more transmissions :smiley:

It is done for marketing reasons, i.e. to be able to market the vehicle as needing less scheduled maintenance. Today’s transmission fluids can easily last for 100,000 miles, and that’s all the manufacturer cares about–getting the vehicle past its warranty period and out of the first and second owner’s hands before any problems occur. The manufacturer doesn’t care about the third or subsequent owners of its products–those people aren’t their customer, and usually don’t buy the used car from a new-car dealer either.

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Doesn’t that go without saying? I meant more that the goal is to provide work for their service departments to fo. You don’t get that by engineering flawless parts. My 2005 ford explorer is on its second transmission. :joy:

Jokes on me haha

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Part of the credit goes to the owners that didn’t know how to check the level properly or put the wrong fluid in, causing warranty claims and headaches for the manufacturer.

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It’s not that big of a deal

obviously, draining the fluid removing the pan and replacing the pan gasket and filter is the same as it’s always been

Putting the fluid in is different, because you need a device that will pump it in and you need the proper adapters. A well-stocked shop should have it. It’s a business expense which will be written off

As for the proper fluid temperature for checking the fluid, it varies based on manufacturer. On some, it’s very easy and quick to reach that temperature with the vehicle hoisted. Others require extremely spirited driving to reach that temperature, because the specified temperature is a lot higher. In those cases, you most likely won’t achieve that temperature with the vehicle hoisted. Some Fords fall into that category, for example. If a proper trans service requires such a test drive . . . which obviously means racking the vehicle TWICE . . . I would expect a shop to charge more.

But $700 - 800 seems excessive

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If that was the case then we’d be seeing a lot more transmission failures
and we’re not. Most people do not know how to properly check the tranny fluid anyways. And most people never did.

That’s exactly why. Marketing.

Only one reason, right.

There is a second reason. People confusing AT dipstick with oil dipstick.
Adding engine oil to transmission. Look at how many people confuse these two words “DIESEL”. “GASOLINE”.

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Eliminating the dipstick reduces the fluid’s exposure to air, slowing oxidation.

“By removing the traditional dipstick, the transmission manufacturer has also removed a potential entry point for oxygen; this reduces the potential for fluid oxidation. A sealed transmission will typically have longer transmission fluid life than a non-sealed transmission.”

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Most trans have vent tubes. Fluid warms and expands. Level rises. Air goes out? Cools down. Air is drawn in? So, it breathes?

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That is primary reason the dipstick/tube it omitted, this is to deter contamination. Without a dipstick people can’t introduce dirt and lint from a rag every Saturday morning. They can’t pour in an additive to cure some type of fictional shift abnormality. The owner and the lube tech can’t over fill the transmission because of a misunderstanding about level/temperature. There are far fewer transmission failures since the dipstick has been deleted.

Is there really a second reason to omit the dipstick?

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You just listed 4 reasons not to have it.

The tube is designed to minimize the amount of air transfer, allowing slight pressure or vacuum to develop before venting.
From the link I posted:
" some older transmission breather vents contained a Transmission Air Breathing Suppressor (TABS) valve to prevent oxygen and water ingestion into their transmissions.[19] Oxygen reacts with high-temperature transmission fluid and can cause oxidation, rust, and corrosion. Automatic transmission fluids using lower quality base oil oxidized more easily than fluids using higher quality base oils.[20] Transmission manufacturers now use smaller, remote mounted, breather vents specially designed to keep out water, but allow a small amount of air movement through the breather as necessary."

I do not like half the new cars new tech. The main reason is greed plain and simple cheap not to put in a dipstick, cables for throttle, using servos for everything now the valves open and close via servos.

I don’t agree with that

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Main reason is to make the vehicles more efficient. Vehicles today are far more reliable then vehicles then when I first learned how to drive. Better gas mileage, safer, pollute less
and the list goes on.

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Well, then we disagree! I agree with the main reason for making vehicles more efficient, but the safety issue has gone past that based on vehicle accidents. Designers are not designing features based on mechanic needs they claim they are making improvements based on customer needs, but really think about it! Designer work for the Company They are trained in the latest, advanced software. The Company has certain points or benefits which they want to see from their design work, New Technology alignment with AI , Long term costs, new Tooling, benefit for: the company, the customer, Public at large. Now, looking back in time: making things to last was a major point in design. Which I feel ended back in the mid 1960’s when the Manufacturer Companies, found that if people only buy something only once was a bad move for the economy less sales. Now how to get people to buy something again and again for less money has been the major point in design. Getting back to the main thought was a car owner being alarmed that being responsible car owner and making sure his transmission is full of fluid, was stopped by the Car Manufacture taking away his dipstick. Weighing in on all the technology it’s true a lot of car owners do not change their own fluids themselves, although I still do. If you do not change the fluids or if the fluids get too low, it will cause damage to the transmission which causes people to buy new cars. This is where greed comes in.

Well, then we disagree! I agree with the main reason for making vehicles more efficient, but the safety issue has gone past that based on vehicle accidents. Designers are not designing features based on mechanic needs they claim they are making improvement based on customer needs, but really think about it! Designer work for the Company They are trained in the latest, advanced software. The Company has certain points or benefits which they want to see a from their design work, New Technology alignment with AI , Long term costs, new Tooling, benefit for: the company, the customer, Public at large. Now, looking back in time: making things to last was a major point in design. Which I feel ended back in the mid 1960’s when the Manufactures Companies, found that if people only buy something only once was a bad move for the economy less sales. Now how to get people to buy something again and again for less money has been the major point in design. Getting back to the main thought was a car owner being alarmed that being responsible car owner and making sure his transmission is full of fluid, was stopped by the Car Manufacture taking away his dipstick. Weighing in on all the technology its true a lot of car owners do not change their own fluids them self, although I still do. If you do not change the fluids or if the fluids get too low, it will cause damage to the transmission which causes people to buy new cars. This is where the greed comes in.

Before anyone responds to this rant, ask yourself: is it worth the carpal tunnel syndrome trying to change one mind?

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Fatal flaw in your reasoning: all those things cost more money to produce.

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