Scheduled 30K DCT maintenance?

[scott7278]

Originally Posted by Tiger-Heli

Well ...

http://www.motorcraftservice.com/pub.../12focog5e.pdf

Page 390 says it isn't REQUIRED until 150K miles, but it is supposed to be done every 30K if you PRIMARILY (not occasionally) either:

• Tow a trailer or use a car top carrier or camper
• Extensive Idling or commercial use
• Dusty Conditions or unpaved roads

It's a sealed unit, so it's similar to manual transmission fluid change intervals (which I think were around 75-125K miles for most cars, but most people ignored).

$200 seems reasonable, but I wouldn't really want anyone opening up the system. If it were my car, I might think about it at 100K or 125K rather than 150K, but there's a good chance I'd just run it to 150K miles.

The dealers like to sell fuel injector cleaning also ...

Page 394, 395 and 396 of the Owner's Manual makes a special exception to the Focus. All three conditions suggest changing the automatic transmission fluid every 30,000 miles, but they put in parentheses "except Focus."

[Tiger-Heli]

Originally Posted by scott7278

but they put in parentheses "except Focus."

Thanks - I didn't catch that ... But then again, I wouldn't expect to see non-Focus maintenance info in the FOCUS OWNER'S MANUAL.

Actually - Ford seems better - but the manufacturer's used to "game" the system a bit.

For example, you might see "Standard Oil change interval is 50,000 miles, but you should change it every 5,000 miles if you drive on paved or unpaved roads or on any day ending in Y, or if the car sits idle for several weeks at a time, or ..."

Translation: The car magazines judge us on cost of ownership, so you won't have to pay for an oil change until the warranty expires, but if you want the car to last, do it more often.

[Kabigon]

Originally Posted by Tiger-Heli

$200 seems reasonable...

Would you consider $200 for an engine oil change reasonable?

[scott7278]

Originally Posted by Tiger-Heli

Thanks - I didn't catch that ... But then again, I wouldn't expect to see non-Focus maintenance info in the FOCUS OWNER'S MANUAL.

Actually - Ford seems better - but the manufacturer's used to "game" the system a bit.

For example, you might see "Standard Oil change interval is 50,000 miles, but you should change it every 5,000 miles if you drive on paved or unpaved roads or on any day ending in Y, or if the car sits idle for several weeks at a time, or ..."

Translation: The car magazines judge us on cost of ownership, so you won't have to pay for an oil change until the warranty expires, but if you want the car to last, do it more often.

I know...who knew there would be a Focus exception in the manual? I had to re-read it just to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me.

I probably won't wait until 150,000 miles for the reasons you gave, but I'm not going to do it every 30,000 miles. Every 50,000 - 75,000 miles should be sufficient.

[Tiger-Heli]

Originally Posted by Kabigon

Would you consider $200 for an engine oil change reasonable?

If there were no drain plug and I had to pay someone (at probably $75/hr shop labor) to drop the oil pan and replace the gasket, yes (assuming that includes the fluid and parts)...

Actually, with the splash-shield, under cover, most budget oil change shops probably lose money on a Focus oil change.

[SydneyRoo]

On a slushbox auto trans, yes, you have to change the fluid often.

DCT on the Focus = no reason to for a very long time. Essentially it's a manual transmission. Has no torque convertor.

[dan50]

Originally Posted by Tiger-Heli

If there were no drain plug and I had to pay someone (at probably $75/hr shop labor) to drop the oil pan and replace the gasket, yes (assuming that includes the fluid and parts)...

Actually, with the splash-shield, under cover, most budget oil change shops probably lose money on a Focus oil change.

I think there is a drain plug on the Focus trans so no need to replace a gasket, the DCT fluid capacity is quite small (< 2 quarts) and there's no filter, so $ 200 seems pretty outrageous to me. As a matter of fact, this should be well within the capabilities of most DIYers. Just make sure you buy the fluid from a Ford dealer.

[Tiger-Heli]

I'm more familiar with the slushboxes than the DCT's and they didn't have a drain plug, so I thought the DCT would not.

If there is one, how do you add the new fluid?

(If it is that simple, $200 does seem excessive ...)

[dan50]

Originally Posted by Tiger-Heli

I'm more familiar with the slushboxes than the DCT's and they didn't have a drain plug, so I thought the DCT would not.

If there is one, how do you add the new fluid?

(If it is that simple, $200 does seem excessive ...)

I suspect there's a fill plug higher up on the transmission case. So the drill would be: 1) raise the car ensuring it's level 2) make sure you can remove the fill plug 3) remove drain plug, drain old fluid and replace plug 4) using one of the simple pumps for 1 quart bottles found at auto stores, pump fresh fluid into the fill hole until it starts to overflow 5) replace fill plug.

This is my assumption based on a look at the DCT case, but someone with access the shop manual could confirm or correct.

[pozi240]

Originally Posted by dan50

I suspect there's a fill plug higher up on the transmission case. So the drill would be: 1) raise the car ensuring it's level 2) make sure you can remove the fill plug 3) remove drain plug, drain old fluid and replace plug 4) using one of the simple pumps for 1 quart bottles found at auto stores, pump fresh fluid into the fill hole until it starts to overflow 5) replace fill plug.

This is my assumption based on a look at the DCT case, but someone with access the shop manual could confirm or correct.

Yes, that is spot on for the procedure (exactly the same as a manual transmission )... The fluid used is a bit thicker (although not nearly as much as the older manuals that used 80W90 gear oil), so, the hand pump used for manuals is the easiest method of putting in the new oil through the filler/inspection hole.