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Transmission Fluid Level Check

Suprawill1

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Hi All,
Is this such a big deal? From what I've gathered, just drive the vehicle until the fluid gets to checking temp, put it on a lift, remove the dipstick bolt and check.
I couldn't find an auto shop that even wants to attempt doing this so I called Ford and they want $100 just to check fluid! Is it just me or is this ridiculous? If I had a lift,
I'd do it myself. What are your experiences with this?
Thanks!
 

C

Cdubya

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How many miles do you have? A 2020 may be nearing time to do a drain and fill anyways. If you are still under warranty, you can tell them your shifting is harsh at times. A good dealer, like mine, will check the trans oil level and flash to the latest PCM. If out of warranty, most DIY types will put the car on 4 jackstands as level as possible, or ride up on ramps in the front and then jackstands in the rear. To me, $100 is not unreasonable for a dealer to do it.
 

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Suprawill1

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Cdubya said:
How many miles do you have? A 2020 may be nearing time to do a drain and fill anyways. If you are still under warranty, you can tell them your shifting is harsh at times. A good dealer, like mine, will check the trans oil level and flash to the latest PCM. If out of warranty, most DIY types will put the car on 4 jackstands as level as possible, or ride up on ramps in the front and then jackstands in the rear. To me, $100 is not unreasonable for a dealer to do it.
Click to expand...
I have 72K miles. I had already bought 13qts of Mercon ULV for a fluid change but wanted to check for level and quality of what's already in there first.
It would give me an idea of the condition of the tranny.
If they suggest a drain & fill or fluid exchange, I'll hand them the fluid. I bought the fluid because Ford told me they no longer replace with ULV but with LV.
I don't know why they want to circumvent the shop manual recommendation for ULV but I don't trust their judgement. As it is, the first service rep tried to tell me that it was a sealed unit and you can't check the fluid because it doesn't have a dipstick. These are the Ford service reps that service your $56K vehicle!
 

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Cdubya

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Personally, I would not be going to a dealer that says they use LV instead of ULV or says there is no dipstick! If you can do it yourself, that would be the best way for piece of mind, but not sure what your comfort level is.
 

BrooseDaMoose

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Here is a good video: Trans fluid check. $100 is not bad for a dealership to check it. Just don't let them service it!
 

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Suprawill1

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Cdubya said:
Personally, I would not be going to a dealer that says they use LV instead of ULV or says there is no dipstick! If you can do it yourself, that would be the best way for piece of mind, but not sure what your comfort level is.
Click to expand...
I have no quams mechanically. I've pulled engines, undressed and redressed them and everything in between.
Problem is location and lifts. Being in transition, I'm not in a place of my own and most of my tools are in storage.
Basically I'm at the mercy of other provisions. If you can't trust the so called pros, where the flock do you go?
Back some years, I enjoyed a shop that had a rent-a-bay but they've since terminated that notion for insurance reasons.
 

BrooseDaMoose

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Suprawill1 said:
I have no quams mechanically. I've pulled engines, undressed and redressed them and everything in between.
Problem is location and lifts. Being in transition, I'm not in a place of my own and most of my tools are in storage.
Basically I'm at the mercy of other provisions. If you can't trust the so called pros, where the flock do you go?
Back some years, I enjoyed a shop that had a rent-a-bay but they've since terminated that notion for insurance reasons.
Click to expand...
Find a good reputable transmission shop and specify you want ULV.
 

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Suprawill1

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BrooseDaMoose said:
Here is a good video: Trans fluid check. $100 is not bad for a dealership to check it. Just don't let them service it!
Click to expand...
Thanks. I've seen vids on this procedure and still not convinced it's worth a $100 tab for shops with a lift but it is what it is. I just didn't want to get it checked by one shop and then get it serviced by another because that would incur more of a charge than just having one shop do both.
 

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Suprawill1

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BrooseDaMoose said:
Find a good reputable transmission shop and specify you want ULV.
Click to expand...
I tried that too and all the transmission shops told me they just rebuild, not service transmissions. I already have the ULV fluid, just looking for a place that knows what they're doing.
 

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Cdubya

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Suprawill1 said:
Thanks. I've seen vids on this procedure and still not convinced it's worth a $100 tab for shops with a lift but it is what it is. I just didn't want to get it checked by one shop and then get it serviced by another because that would incur more of a charge than just having one shop do both.
Click to expand...
In this day and time, nothing is cheap. Some dealers are charging a $200 diagnostic fee if your complaint isn't covered by warranty. WTF is that about??
 

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Suprawill1

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Cdubya said:
In this day and time, nothing is cheap. Some dealers are charging a $200 diagnostic fee if your complaint isn't covered by warranty. WTF is that about??
Click to expand...
Right?!?
A Ford dealer here wanted to do a diagnostic and charge me $170 to ascertain the factory code for the door lock.
I said, "Man! This is a feature that comes with the vehicle and you're going to charge me $170 to use it??"
 

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Cdubya

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Suprawill1 said:
Right?!?
A Ford dealer here wanted to do a diagnostic and charge me $170 to ascertain the factory code for the door lock.
I said, "Man! This is a feature that comes with the vehicle and you're going to charge me $170 to use it??"
Click to expand...
For the door code on the driver's door? I hope you found the free way to do it. There's a youtube video.
 

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Suprawill1

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Cdubya said:
For the door code on the driver's door? I hope you found the free way to do it. There's a youtube video.
Click to expand...
Hadn't seen the vid but I heard it's behind the fuse box. Haven't had the chance to pull the box off yet.
 

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Stone - ST

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If anyone has any tricks or tips please post. I dropped that darn dipstick between the transmission and the cooler 40 times...
Trying to get the fluid covered dipstick in only using 2 fingers (no thumb) was almost impossible. I finally put it in the cover, taped a small stick to it and easily was able to put it in place. It was cold at the time because I let the fluid drain overnight after removing the pan. I drained out 7 quarts and 12 oz including the filter. It overflowed when I put the same amount back in with the PPE aluminum pan installed. Still need to check the level properly.
 

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Cruising68

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Stone - ST said:
If anyone has any tricks or tips please post. I dropped that darn dipstick between the transmission and the cooler 40 times...
Trying to get the fluid covered dipstick in only using 2 fingers (no thumb) was almost impossible. I finally put it in the cover, taped a small stick to it and easily was able to put it in place. It was cold at the time because I let the fluid drain overnight after removing the pan. I drained out 7 quarts and 12 oz including the filter. It overflowed when I put the same amount back in with the PPE aluminum pan installed. Still need to check the level properly.
Click to expand...
Yeah the dipstick sucks as does burning your hand on the exhaust. Some wear gloves but my fingers are challenged sometimes. After my first level check I now use a fluid extractor when everything is cold. Just measure out and in.

Strange about the pan. I have the ppe pan and it took a couple extra qts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

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Suprawill1

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So, I had Koons Ford drain and fill with ULV that I supplied. They spotted a leak and wanted $191 to diagnose. Freakin' pan gasket was $113? I can't find it for more than $60 without a discount. Most places are at $40. Total was $559.
The leak turned out to be the trans oil cooler.
Now they want $843 to replace that. I can get the part for $121 and I saw a guy on youtube replace one in under a half hour. Trust me, somebody is else gonna do this job!
 

Last edited:
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JMCD915

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Suprawill1 said:
Hi All,
Is this such a big deal? From what I've gathered, just drive the vehicle until the fluid gets to checking temp, put it on a lift, remove the dipstick bolt and check.
I couldn't find an auto shop that even wants to attempt doing this so I called Ford and they want $100 just to check fluid! Is it just me or is this ridiculous? If I had a lift,
I'd do it myself. What are your experiences with this?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
i did this today on my 2020, and i can tell you without a lift it was a bitch, the bolt cover on the dipstick was on so F'in tight i had to use a pry bar for leverage. i also had to drop part of the exhaust.
 

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Suprawill1

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JMCD915 said:
i did this today on my 2020, and i can tell you without a lift it was a bitch, the bolt cover on the dipstick was on so F'in tight i had to use a pry bar for leverage. i also had to drop part of the exhaust.
Click to expand...
Oh ya, it's a lift job for sure! Is your exhaust modded?
 

A

Asd434

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I tried to do it cold, just to see how hard it would be. I had to use a jack handle just to break the nut free. I struggled just to get the dip stick & bolt back in, with my fingers cramping up. I can't even imagine doing it hot!
 

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