Jiffy Lube $99 Tranny Flush

[danobean]

Just bought XC70, 52k miles, never had tranny flush. Reading this very helpful site, sounds like needs to be done, but right now rather pay someone.

Is what they do/the fluid they use good enough? Anyone have experience with/thoughts on this?

[skibo]

haven't given this much thought yet - I see chatter on this site about some special tranny fluid (special = expensive).

[BillAileo]

As has been said in other threads: If you do not use a fluid meeting the JWS-3309 standard in these transmissions you could ruin the transmission. I question whether Jiffy Lube stocks such a fluid....

Bill

[volvoshad]

Just bought XC70, 52k miles, never had tranny flush. Reading this very helpful site, sounds like needs to be done, but right now rather pay someone.

Is what they do/the fluid they use good enough? Anyone have experience with/thoughts on this?

If they use 3309 ATF, and if they do a complete flush, and if they don't break anything, it sounds like a good deal!:D

[RedXC]

Same. If they use 3309 ATF and have the two o-rings that connects to the hose. Then go for it.

[beloosh]

Would you mind explaining the o-ring thing? What should I ask for/about? Thank you very much for your help.

[Ragman]

I wouldn't let those losers check my tire pressure let alone flush my transmission.

Costs:
Volvo dealership:$350-400USD
Independant Volvo Mechanic: $130.00-150.00USD
Yourself-if you're well experienced with this sort of thing: $50.00USD

Truth be told, I'd trust you to flush my tranny before I'd trust Jiffy Lube.

[Lady Lorelei]

Check out this link before even considering Jiffy Lube:

http://mfile.akamai.com/12924/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2006/0503/9152183.200k.asx

[funglenn]

Do not do Juffy Lube, they may just dump the regular trans oil for a ford and be done with it. You will pay the price for cutting such a corner!!!

[swedeng]

$99 is too cheap. I have too many customers call with dead trans. because they used cheaper lubricants or only changed the fluid (as opposed to flushing it). Unless you want to spend like $3K on a new trans., use the Volvo ATF or this: www.bgfindashop.com

[JRL]

Just bought XC70, 52k miles, never had tranny flush. Reading this very helpful site, sounds like needs to be done, but right now rather pay someone.

Is what they do/the fluid they use good enough? Anyone have experience with/thoughts on this?
No and no.
Don't let JL touch anything on a Volvo

[MoeB]

$99 is too cheap. I have too many customers call with dead trans. because they used cheaper lubricants or only changed the fluid (as opposed to flushing it). Unless you want to spend like $3K on a new trans., use the Volvo ATF or this: www.bgfindashop.com

Swedeng, I'm assuming you are referring to the BG trans cleaner and not their all-purpose fluid. If so, what has been your experience with the BG Quick Clean trans service on XCs with AW-5 speeds? Does it require the BG power flush service, or can you use the cleaner yourself and do your own flush?

[VWVespaVolvoinVA]

Swedeng:

My seemingly very highly qualified and definitely very highly recommended independent Volvo shop just used BG products transmission fluid (presumably their "universal" fluid) for my transmission flush (2004 XC70). They said that the BG product fluid is now recognized as a Volvo-recognized fluid, even though it does not appear to be Mobil 3309 qualified. Is this the fluid that you use too? Apparently it is a synthetic, whereas the Volvo fluid is not. Do you agree with that?

Ken

[volvoshad]

Volvo's standard for the ATF for the AW 55-50 tranny is 1161540-8. Aisin Warner's standard is JWS 3309. Unless I see one of those numbers on the bottle or in official product literature, it is not going into my transmission. This is one of the fussiest automatic transmissions ever made, and I am not taking any chances putting the wrong fluid in it.:eek:

[Blackstone]

I flushed with BG Products transmission fluid at 57K and now have 89K. I am going to flush again with BG Products in the next few weeks. So far I am very happy with the product, plus it is fully synthetic.

The local Volvo dealer sold me a 12L bag to and said that they use this as a replacement to Volvo fluid. They did a lot of research on the fluid before they started to use it. The dealer even said that the Volvo fluid was too expensive. [thumbup]

[tom's new car]

if you live in the Boston area, Dalzell in Dedham did it for me for $170

[MoeB]

You guys are confusing me (ok, so it's easy). Blackstone, did you buy the BG products from a Volvo dealer, and what products did you buy? Their synth fluid, their Quick Clean trans cleaner, or both? Did you use them yourself? (And do they come in "a 12L bag"?? :confused: )

Tom, is that price for a dealer flush or a BG service flush?

[swedeng]

If you go to the BG find a shop thing, you will find authorized Volvo franchise dealerships listed. Independent Volvo specialists and Volvo dealerships both use the BG trans service with good results.

We are an authorized BG service center. We have two flush machines, one for synthetic and one for non-synthetic.

The transmission service (unless you have the GM autostick) is a flush, cleaning and conditioning.

We use:

BG 3124 fully synthetic ATF
BG 106 automatic transmission cleaner
BG 306 automatic transmission conditioner

I believe that the BG products is an improvement over the Volvo stuff and it costs less. That is why even Volvo dealerships use it, instead of the stuff Volvo of North America supplies them.

The only proper way to do the trans. service is with the actual BG machine. There should be a service center near most anyone that you can find on their website. It doesn't have to necessarily be a Volvo specific place, as long as they have the right equipment and chemicals. I do not personally recommend purchasing the chemicals and doing it yourself because the chance of causing damage is too high, without the proper BG machine, which of course costs $$$.

[swedeng]

We have never seen an AWD with a manual trans. in our shop (and certainly never done any kind of trans. service on it). Double check with Volvo, but our main service writing here (Corky) is fairly sure there is no schedule maintenance for the manual trans.

[MoeB]

swedeng, can you be more specific about your experience using BG products in the AW 55-50. How many have you seen flushed using BG products? Any problems reported from owners? Any warranty issues crop up from use of BG fluids? As you probably know, this is a controversial topic for 01+ XC owners.

PS I think you misunderstood my earlier post...I have the auto 5-speed (AW 55-50SN)

[swedeng]

We have done just over 100 since sept. 2004. Before that we did them, but that info is in my old computer system as is hard to retrieve. I remember back when we first started doing them, I think it was like 2000 or 2001 and the techs didn't want to do it because they were worried about not using the Volvo fluid. They are generally worried about using cheaper anything until it is proven beyond a doubt that it works well.......

To answer your question, we can't afford to use parts, fluids, etc. that cause problems for our customers. They will just bring the car back and then we have to warranty the whole thing (which loses money for my company). Our warranty is twice the Volvo dealership's (two years, parts and labor). It is not in my financial interest to use inferior products. We use BG because it is a superior product and it is proven (we have used it without trouble for 5+ years). BG is a good company that has to keep a good name for itself as well.

We have built a stellar reputation in our community for doing high quality automobile repair service. I can't chance losing that standing by saving a few bucks.

Having said that, we do try to find ways to save our customers money and also do higher quality work than the Volvo dealers provide. One example is the ABS control modules that fail. Volvo buys them from ATE, who have them made cheaply in the Phillipines. They use inferior electrical leads and solder and the parts fail after like 5-8 years. Then they charge the customer like $500-$800 for a new one (that is actually either rebuilt or new from the same cheap source in the Phillipines). We found out how to repair them so that they won't fail again by using superior electronic components, and it costs us so much less than from Volvo, that we share in the savings with our customers. Our shop makes more money and charges our customers less. Its win-win for us and Volvo owners, the only loser is Volvo because they won't be fleecing you out of your hard earned cash......

Using the rebuilt ABS modules also took quite a bit of convincing before the techs agreed to use them. Our guys are very cautious.........

[swedeng]

oh yeah, it is a 5 speed automatic. Actually the AWD is a 6 speed, so I was way off. Sorry.

[volvoshad]

If you go to the BG find a shop thing, you will find authorized Volvo franchise dealerships listed. Independent Volvo specialists and Volvo dealerships both use the BG trans service with good results.

We are an authorized BG service center. We have two flush machines, one for synthetic and one for non-synthetic.

The transmission service (unless you have the GM autostick) is a flush, cleaning and conditioning.

We use:

BG 3124 fully synthetic ATF
BG 106 automatic transmission cleaner
BG 306 automatic transmission conditioner

I believe that the BG products is an improvement over the Volvo stuff and it costs less. That is why even Volvo dealerships use it, instead of the stuff Volvo of North America supplies them.

The only proper way to do the trans. service is with the actual BG machine. There should be a service center near most anyone that you can find on their website. It doesn't have to necessarily be a Volvo specific place, as long as they have the right equipment and chemicals. I do not personally recommend purchasing the chemicals and doing it yourself because the chance of causing damage is too high, without the proper BG machine, which of course costs $$$.


As I said on another thread, you will be a fine resource for volvoxc.com members. I have read hundreds of posts on the AW 55-50 tranny, and this is the first time I have seen this information of BG. Interesting, to say the least. I take it from what you are saying that the numerous members of this forum that are home flush and fill devotees should stick with Volvo or Mobil 3309, and not the BG synthetic, correct?

Thank you for your insights![thumbup] :D

[swedeng]

Volvoshad -

I think that the service on this Aisin Warner trans. should be a flush. Maybe that is my opinion, but people who "just had their fluid changed" call me looking for used transmission. So take that for what its worth. I think there are probably many fine lubricants for this auto trans., I can't comment on anything that I don't have experience with. We have only used the Volvo stuff and BG Products.

I think it really should be flushed. We charge $245.00 for the job. Volvo has some instructions, move to first, add fluid, move to second add fluid, etc.

I think the safest thing is to flush it. Flushing it makes sure that the oil strainer/filter screen gets all the crap that gets gummed into it out. And the way the trans. sits, a drain leaves residual oil. Just my $0.02.

[Blackstone]

MoeB - the authorized Volvo dealer sold me a 12 liter box (bag) of BG Products #4123 flly synthetic ATF. I have been running it for 1 year 32K. I did my own flush using Gibbons method.

Before I flushed I experienced 2-3 shift problems. It appears that the 2nd gear solenoid does not release before 3rd is engaged. [cussing] This causes a harsh shift , lurch. It does it every time if shifts. Flushing with BG did not help this but improved the overall shift performance and acceleration.

The 2nd-3rd shift problem after 32K has not got any worse. I do not have any warranty so every time the car shifts it sure pisses me off. I do not want to fork out 4K so I am living with it.

Is any one else living with thie kind of 2-3 problem? Is it a solenoid problem? Would flushing again and using conditioners help?

Otherwise I would endorse BG Products and it is good that Volvo dealers are also using it. Plus it will save you a lot of money. [happy]

[volvoshad]

You are not alone, Blackstone. I too have experienced a less than smooth 2-3 upshift many times. No shift flare, just the lurch. I recently added a filter, and the shifts are much better. My guess was residual dirt in the valve body (after my flush and fill last summer), and the filter has trapped this, improving shift performance. It's an easy installation - you might want to try it.[thumbup]

[MoeB]

Question: does anyone feel a difference in the 2-3 shift when using the manual shift mode? On mine, I get what feels like a subtle two-stage upshift beteen 2-3 when using manual mode, as if it first gets halfway into 3rd, then after a second settles in the rest of the way. It doesn't happen when in auto mode. I wonder if this is the delayed release of the 2nd gear solenoid mentioned by Blackstone, due to dirt in valve body mentioned by Shad.

[swedeng]

I have some Volvo fluid, part no. 1161540. We don't really use them anymore, so if any of you guys want some, I will let them go at like $14.00 each (1 liter bottles). I have 15 of them. If someone wants them all, maybe the price will be a little better....

[volvoshad]

Question: does anyone feel a difference in the 2-3 shift when using the manual shift mode? On mine, I get what feels like a subtle two-stage upshift beteen 2-3 when using manual mode, as if it first gets halfway into 3rd, then after a second settles in the rest of the way. It doesn't happen when in auto mode. I wonder if this is the delayed release of the 2nd gear solenoid mentioned by Blackstone, due to dirt in valve body mentioned by Shad.

Hmmm, I may have to test this one again, but I think the shift "feel" was the same in manual or auto. When cold, it is still sometimes a little less than smooth when in auto, but once warmed up, it has been pretty smooth since the filter went in. Perhaps not exactly Lexus-like, but definitely not that sensation that annoys with every 2-3 upshift as mentioned by Blackstone.

BTW, Blackstone, have you checked to make sure that your front tires are equal to or have greater tread depth than the rear tires? While smaller front tires can certainly be death to your bevel gear, it will also cause harsh shifts.

Oh, one more thing. I noticed long ago that 2-3 upshifts are always perfect at or near full throttle. [cool2]

PS: My experience is that 15L of 3309 is needed for a really clean ATF flush. Someone should just buy the whole lot.[happy]

[Blackstone]

Volvoshad - the dealer test drove the car and the service rep thinks there is a solenoid defect causing the 2-3rd shift problems.

You mention an ATF filter. Where do you get these and where is it installed? Is the filter approved for Volvo's? How often do you have to change the filter?

[volvoshad]

Volvoshad - the dealer test drove the car and the service rep thinks there is a solenoid defect causing the 2-3rd shift problems.

You mention an ATF filter. Where do you get these and where is it installed? Is the filter approved for Volvo's? How often do you have to change the filter?

I installed a Magnefine, which I purchased from Emerging Enterprises for about $22 with shipping. ipd also carries them, as well as others; suggest an internet search. It is installed on the return line from the radiator. My experience is detailed here. (http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9369&highlight=transmission+filter) I plan to change the filter every 20-30K when I do a fluid flush and fill, and that's within the filter manufacturers recommendations.

As far as I know, there is no official approved filter for Volvos.[sly] I am long out of warranty, so this was not a concern. Also, my service advisor did not specifically recommend against it. These delicate transmissions need all the help that they can get, so, as long as there did not seem to be a downside, I elected to add the filter.

Hope that solenoid replacement fixes your problem. Incidentally, I tried manually shifting this morning, and it is smoother in auto mode.:cool:

[winsotaxc]

Blackstone,

I am thinking of doing the gibbons method with the BG products just curious what your experience is now several years later.

Thanks,

Wade

[JRL]

You don't need nor want any BG products...(*$&#*&%#&*(!!!
Just buy a case of 3309 (Mobil 3309 or Toyota Type IV) and use the Gibbons method

[winsotaxc]

You seem pretty adamant against the BG yet there is another mechanic on here that says he has done over 100 trans with it and says it works better than the 3309. The service manager at the Volvo dealership who serviced my car for most of its history has used it for years and it is in all of his vehicles. OTOH, I respect your advise as well. Don't know how to sort this one out. Will be interesting to hear how things worked out for Blackstone given that there should have been enough time to get some good data.

PS. Do you know about where in the SN range the AW started to get more reliable? My XC in an 03 and before purchase I talked to a friend who runs a volvo specialist junk yard and he said by 03 they had the tranny problems pretty well resolved. I don't have any symptoms just want fresh fluid and a filter. This tranny sure doesn't feel like it will self-destruct at any moment but it seems like you think that because they followed Volvo's service schedule (no change) that self destruction is imminent.

I'm probably not understanding you. You must like these cars and you certainly have a lot of experience with them and yet I feel like you are basically saying that an 03 XC with original tranny fluid and 120k on the clock is basically a minute away from a 5K repair bill.

[JRL]

Me?
I would get the fluid out of there ASAP whichever you choose, just get rid of it.
Put it this way, my 07 had 110K on it when I bought it last year
A full flush at home with 3309 and it's as good as new.
It was "OK" when I bought it but the fluid was not too great, OK, but not great [sly]
I'm pretty sure it will be fine now