[UncaDanno]

I realized that I was past due some CVT attention. The MO has just over 37K (miles) and the owner's manual sez the CVT needs a looky at 30.

So I call the dealer (pucker time!).

Talked to some guy who kept insisting that I had an '02 MO. After a couple of minutes, another guy takes over the conversation. Very matter-of-fact and sounded like he was very tired...

I told him I needed CVT service and when I told him the MO had 37k, he said that they recommend only a fluid change at 30 and to wait until 60 for a full flush. He also said that the fluid was pricey.

"Pricey" was his term. I appreciated that. So I arranged to drop it off Wed. evening and pick it up today. All he had was my name and cell #.

When I dropped it off yesterday, I told him what I wanted. That's all. He said "UncaDanno, right?" He had looked me up in the pooter and knew my MO's history up front.
I REALLY appreciated that.

Today, I called to check on my baby and he told me that the work was done and he was "rearranging" the paperwork. Seems the service guys priced the fluid more (by about $5/qt) than he had quoted me. When I told him that price sounded more realistic, he insisted on keeping the price at what he had quoted.

Even knocked another $40 off the entire ticket ("for the hassle of the price mixup"). When I got there, there were two people in line in front of me. As he talked to the first customer, he handed a work order to another guy.
As he talked to the next customer, my MO pulled up outside.

When he got to me, he asked how often I changed the oil. I told him "every 3k". He said that, based on the number of filters I had bought at the parts counter (all before he ever worked at the dealership) and the look of the MO, he figured that I was an over-maintainer. I am. Usually.

He said that whenever I got around to some maint that I wasn't equipped to handle, to please give him a call. Told him I would.

 

[SugarRushMurano]

That is one goo ddealer you have there...

You are lucky to get such treatment from NISSAN dealers, most of them are not as 'customer oriented'.

 

[GMTURBO43]

I think our dealership cringes when we show up.

I must say - we used another dealer slightly further from our house and the experience was better. It isn't the most convenient - but it'll do.

 

[Tyler_Canada]

It's good that you got the service for less than usual, but as far as I know there aren't '02 Muranos or CVT flushes.

 

[toofargone]

Nice post. Thanks for positive feel-good vibes, UnncaDanno!

 

[UncaDanno]

Yeah, Tyler. That's why I was glad that the second guy took the phone away from the one who insisted that I had an '02.

I asked the second guy what he meant by the drain and flush. Know in the service manual where it talks about pumping out the CVT when you service it? That's what he was talking about: he drains the fluid and pumps out the old while sucking in the new fluid. Until new fluid starts coming out. Then he knows he's done a complete exchange and no old fluid is left in the tranny.

 

[Tyler_Canada]

I was told they can't do that yet with the CVT, although that was a few months ago.

 

[jaak]

I wonder how they empty the torque converter?

 

[hfelknor]

They don't, IMO.

Homer

 

[jaak]

That's what I figured... So you really don't get it all changed.

 

[Tyler_Canada]

Well, I'm sure you probably know this, but with a regular automatic, they remove the lines from something like the cooler, and force fluid into one until new fluid comes out the other. Does this not change what's in the torque converter? I don't know much about the fluid routing type stuff.

 

[Eric L.]

Changing it via the cooling lines will flush out all the fluid, including the torque converter. I suspect a drain and refill will just use the drain plug and not touch the cooling lines.

 

[Tyler_Canada]

Ok, that's what I thought. So if they actually have the device to do a flush, then they did change all the fluid, otherwise they just did like they did mine, and drained and refilled.

I expect all they mean by having the machine to do the flush, is buying another tranny fluid flushing machine so they have a separate one for the special CVT fluid.

 

[zagato27]

Regarding CVT fluid change/flush. I was curious about this too, so I asked the dealer. Here's a link to what I found out and some responses from the "other" forum:4: CVT change/flush Anyway, you might want to talk to your dealer a bit more and ask him about the procedure to check the "status" of your CVT fluid and THEN ask him how many quarts and at what cost. Cheers

 

[KSmurano]

UncaDanno - so how much was the CVT fluid change?

 

[UncaDanno]

$117 (USD).
Caveat: That is after the SM lowered the price/qt for the CVT fluid by about 20%.

 

[DerosaET]

CVT Fluid Change

OK, help me out here. I am totally confused. I've heard 30K, 60K and even NEVER. What is the deal with changing the CVT Fluid? I took my MO to the dealers the other day and asked him what he thought and he said 30K so I told him to go ahead and do it. When I went to pick it up, they had not performed the service, the svc writer told me that his manager said that it NEVER needs it and that the fluid was somewhere's around $20/qt.

Does anyone really know the scoop on when the CVT Fluid should be changed??

I was thinking about contacting Nissan directly for their take???

 

[Eric L.]

Officially, the FSM tells the dealer technician to hook up the Nissan Consult-2 scan tool to check the fluid condition by reading a number from the computer. When it reaches something like 250,000 or something like that, its time to change it. There have been a few guesses, but no one here knows for sure what the number measures. When I asked my dealer, the service manager told me they've never changed the CVT fluid on any Murano because the "computer never told them to" - saying that the highest number they've ever gotten was "two or three thousand."

 

[DerosaET]

I called Nissan and they had the service manager from my local dealership call me. He left me a five minute voice mail (and he didn't sound happy...probably cause I called Nissan) but he stated that at the scheduled service intervals, that it should be hooked up to the computer and a reading taken. He referenced the same numbers as stated in some of the other postings (approximately 200,000) he couldn't explain what it meant. He did state that under normal driving conditions (even high mileage...I do about 3,000 commuting miles a month) it will probably never come up to the 200,000. He did say that if you are doing any towing, that's when it will start to add up.

The fluid is about $20 per quart and he said it takes about 17 quarts then you have to add on labor.

I'll just have to keep an eye on it.

 

[Eric L.]

I called Nissan and they had the service manager from my local dealership call me. He left me a five minute voice mail (and he didn't sound happy...probably cause I called Nissan) but he stated that at the scheduled service intervals, that it should be hooked up to the computer and a reading taken. He referenced the same numbers as stated in some of the other postings (approximately 200,000) he couldn't explain what it meant. He did state that under normal driving conditions (even high mileage...I do about 3,000 commuting miles a month) it will probably never come up to the 200,000. He did say that if you are doing any towing, that's when it will start to add up.

The fluid is about $20 per quart and he said it takes about 17 quarts then you have to add on labor.

I'll just have to keep an eye on it.

The amount of fluid is correct. The transmission holds about 10 quarts, but to get out all the old fluid, the service manual says you will need ~50% extra fluid, so ~15 qts give or take. I checked my CVT fluid this past weekend and noticed is was slightly brown (still somewhat clear, but definitely amber, like brand new motor oil) - called my dealer and I'm taking the car in next Monday to have them look at it. I'll let everyone know what they tell me.