Quick question.. I am at 60k on my 2010 Maxima and I am about to perform a CVT drain and fill as per Ghozt's excellent write up. My question is if I have any tranny problems down the road (within the 120k warranty) is there any chance they could deny a warranty claim since I didn't have the service done at a dealer and don't have any proof that the fluid was changed at 60k? Thanks

 

Thinking back on my discussions with the service department members where I do my oil changes. They told me that if I do the oil change myself and prove that I did; e.g. receipt of oil and filter then the warranty is not voided.
I would be inclined to believe it is the same for the CVT fluid.
Your best bet is to ask a Nissan dealer and see what they say.

 

You'll be fine. Just keep your receipts and document the service. I keep a repair/service log for my car with dates and such just for this type of thing

 

My dealer told me not to touch the CVT in my 2012 until 200,000 km.

 

The dealerships don't have a clue as far as the cvt maintenance, I've asked 3 different dealers and got 3 different answers. 60k, 90k and 120k

I think it all depends on your driving habits, inspect it and if it's off color or smells burnt change it otherwise leave it alone

 

yea this just so conveniently lands outside the warranty so you'll be paying out of pocket for that new trans when it goes. general rule of thumb is its based on how hard you drive. all maintenance schedules say to inspect it every 30k and replace if necessary. i did a drain and fill at 45k and will do another at 90k. some wait until 60k and then 120k, but you definitely shouldnt skip maintaining the car.

 

For those who would like a real easy drain and refill method go and buy one of these from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hydro-Turf-Oil...=oil+extractor
I used this to suck up 6 quarts from the dip stick tube on my wife's 2010 Altima. It does take a while, but it is very easy. I'm not sure about you 7th gen guys, but the CVT drain on my wife's car was actually on the side of the transmission. It wasn't ideal to drain a lot of fluid out.

 

Ours is on the bottom, for us it's basically like changing the oil.

 

This thing does look great anyone else try it?

 

My car was working fine went in for a oil change and the Nissan dealership vendor said your car is a lil pass 60k and go and do the tranny service as per manual.one week later my tranny was blown and getting replaced as per warrenty.

 

Success!! You my friend just got yourself a new tranny for free! The new cvt is more responsive. I know it's hard to see the silver lining now but this was probably a good thing.

 

yea any dealer that would service the trans based on mileage, as opposed to what the Nissan Consult III told them, is a bunch if idiots. doesnt surprise me the trans got messed up. and unfortunately what you get for warranty replacement is almost always a rebuilt unit of the same model, you wont get the new one. you dont want the new one though anyway, looks like the Altima is having lots of problems with it breaking.

 

So the CVT was serviced by changing the oil at the 60,000 mile recommendation and that is what caused it to fail?

 

i couldn't even begin to tell you why the other person's transmission failed. what I'm saying is, if the dealership was too stupid to use their computer diagnostic equipment to even determine if the CVT needed servicing, then it sounds like a bunch of idiots all around. the kind of idiots that would screw up a trans fluid drain/fill.

 

So then as I read this post I'm prone to conclude that.

Mileage isn't the key.

Dealer diagnostics are.

Only service CVT when the dealers computer interface says so.

 

I would be prone to think that mileage is key also. You dont want to be at 100k and not changed it yet. Regular service and maintenance is key for the max to live a long and healthy life in your garage. I dont trust dealerships for anything tbh. Imo i changed mine at 40k and have seen amazing results, no more whining, its faster, more fuel efficient. I agree with ghozt too you will only get a fancy rebuild. The new cvt would require I'm sure small retrofitting and updated ecu software.

 

What fluid did you replace it with?

 

mileage is a good indication, but they are supposed to go by what the Consult tells them. it shows CVT fluid lifetime left, which is broken down much quicker if you drive the car hard (CVT running on the hotter side most of the time, heat breaks down these liquids). for those who just want to guess, 45-60k is a good time for you to do a drain/fill more than likely. i guessed, and did mine around 45k. it was black fluid but not thick yet.

 

Factory NS2. Took about 4.5 quarts to re-reach the 2nd fill line. I know some have gone synthetic but ill wait for that just yet.

 

when you're reaching that fill line, its when the car is hot right? the car should be hot so the fluid has expanded

 

Yes Sir. We took it a quart at a time while it was running until we reached optimum fill level. My tech is a mercedes/amg/nissan master tech here in vegas :-P

 

ok just making sure. from what Nissan tells me overfilled CVT's is a pretty common reason they have to service them, when the fluid heats up and expands it can bust the seals

 

My dealer only charged 148.95 for a drain and fill. I have a 2012 and had the service performed at 50K. I specified that I only wanted a drain and fill. They told me that's all they ever do on CVT's. The fluid itself would cost around 100.00. I figured it was worth the extra 48.95 to have a record of it being done at the dealer.

 

5 qts * $20/qt = $100 ?

That is expensive CVT fluid.

 

Can you use any CVT Fluid or should you only use the recommend NIssan CVT trany fluid?

 

For factory and warranty purposes id say stick with the ns2. But Ghozt and several others have tried some other synthetic and have had no issues and possibly better results. Totally up to you but youre going to be safe either way. Ghozt will tell you also that this other company will fight for you if something goes wrong.

 

That's correct, half a dozen at least running it now with no problems. Haven't had anyone go toe to toe with Nissan yet over it; even though Amsoil is on your side I'd imagine they'd still put up a fight

 

I thought Honda's ATF fluid @ $12/qt was high. It is just oil after all.

Now having said that, I plan to use Nissan CVT fluid regardless of the cost.

With 60k mile change intervals, you won't have that many drain & refills over the life of the car. Why not use the good stuff?

 

Churchill729, that's the most logical answer I've heard yet.

 

Thanks for the insight.