wildcat08 wrote:The fluid in the transfer case was in much worse condition than the fluid from the rear diff, although both looked pretty bad.
I was wondering, what are your thoughts on the CVT fluid? Should it be changed every 30,000 as *some* dealers recommend, every 60,000, never?
thats funny you said that. thats exactly what i wrote in my write-up
"The fluid that came out from the transfer case was extremely black, and in much worse condition than that what came out from the rear differential. It really shows how much use this fluid really takes." so how awful did it smell? lol the gear oil in the transfer case almost made me vomit!(and i have a strong stomach)
QUESTION: did you notice any smoother operating at slower speeds with your car? did you notice that 3-10mph & when you accelerate gentler have become a lot less jerkier? I HAVE! as soon as i drained the transfer case my car instantly lost that rubber-band jerk upon gentle acceleration.
regarding your question on the cvt fluid. im really in the middle on this. nissan obviously is running real-world-tests regarding their fluid and making slight adjustments to the fluid and or cvt tranny for the future based upon the real-world-test results (and or complaints). they raised the warranty for CVT cars from the get-go to 2010. my car falls under that extended warranty, so im not really stressing it.
normal ATF is really a great detergent, and can last 100,000miles easily under normal use(except towing, etc).
normal automatic tranny's have also a lot more moving parts, gears, etc. I dont know anything about this fluid, and what abuse it takes inside the CVT.
i know my year 2008 SL with paddle shifters has the tranny cooler as well.(that helps prolong the fluid life). i installed a tranny cooler in my maxima before this rogue and noticed a lot smoother shifts, etc. keeping temps cooler in the tranny extends the life exponentially.
i also know that draining the tranny fluid, removes tiny particle in the fluid. those particles after 80,000 SHOULD NOT BE REMOVED from the fluid. they help aged, old, smoothed out clutch packs grip. its a hard thought to grip, but having dirty fluid can be a huge help to aging tranny's. i have seen guys replace fluid on a tranny with 100,000miles, and the car wont even make it out of the service bay; why? because the clutch packs have nothing to grip to, and simply slip with the new fresh oily tranny fluid. i would only suggest draining the tranny fluid once, and thats right after you bought the new car.(with the first 10,000 miles) AND I CERTAINLY WOULD NOT DO THE WORK MYSELF. I DONT HAVE THE CONSULT COMPUTER, NOR DO I WANT THEM TO TURN AROUND AND BLAME ME FOR ANY FUTURE PROBLEMS.
so to be honest, would i spend almost $200 for a tranny fluid drain.... doubt it. i would wait right around the 90/100,000miles - then drain it, so i have 20,000-30,000 miles left to test the results of that; ON THEIR TAB lol