Auto gearbox oil.

[Kev0607]

Originally Posted by gvmnt

i must admit i am struggling in my head on the atf change.

my 2.4 petrol auto transmission is just under 230k miles. never changed the atf - just blindly did not think about it given the operating manual.

in the last few months the transmission begun rumbling at times, whining at others - but still goes through gears without trouble.

i got in touch with the local specialist who does transmissions only - nothing else. they basically said - sit tight; no issues with gear changes then do not touch it, otherwise you might cause more issues that you are trying to solve.

granted they are not volvo specialists, but they ARE transmission gurus.

any practical input, especially if anyone has been without atf change for as long or longer?

I've never had a car with that mileage, but I wouldn't have left it that long either.

I think the garage is sticking to the side of caution. Changing fluid at 230k could cause problems (dislodging old dirt etc). Its also worth noting that if the transmission is whining/grumbling, then a fluid change probably wouldn't make much difference anyway. That sounds more than internal wear, which there's bound to be with that mileage. I highly doubt a fluid change would solve the noises you're hearing.