Hello Folks,,

As the title says Jagaur dealership quoted me $900 for transmission oil change!!!

I have a 2004 Vanden plas V8 with the ZF 6speed transmission. Between gear changes especially (2-3-4) wether upshift or downshift there is a little "Squawk, linch, bark, however you want to call it).

I have read a lot of threads (old threads) and it I came to the conclusion that 90% of the members who did the oil change had the transmission noise go away. I decided to do the same so I called multiple Jag dealerships in which most of them said it is a sealed for life unit and we don't recommend changing it. The one that agreed to change it quoted me $900 for this service which is outrageous.

I didn't get into details with why the price so high because even if they discount it for me it is still going to be around $600 or $700+ which is a LOT!!

The threads that I have read around here are all old (Dated back to 2012)

So I wanted to get advice from those who have the experience or recently changed their ZF6speed transmission oil, how did they go about it? where did they do it? I am located in the Maryland/Virginia/DC area any shop within 100 miles radius (an hour and half away is an acceptable driving distance for me) or I could find a local shop but I would have to bring the parts myself for my peace of mind.

I just have few questions if anyone can help,,

1. Which oil would you recommend choosing? I don't care for the Jag's recommended oil because it is priced so high and I am sure there are oils out there that are just as good if not better and for the fraction of the price.

2. Where do I get the oil pan from? cause I read that the filters are integrated into those units.

3. Any other parts or additives I need to add with the oil so my transmission doesn't go out?

Please help and thanks in advance

 

Your quote is on the high side.
A ZF shop will charge you around 600 (cost in the EU), an indy maybe less but not by far.
If you make it on your own, buying the stuff (pan, oil, etc.) and following the right procedure, you may save some bucks but I would still recommend you use Lifeguard 6.

 

Just went thru this with my 05 VDP. A non-dealer specialist pulled the pan, drained the trans and the entire TC segment by painful segment to force it empty, replaced the pan & filter with OE Jag parts, filled the thing with the Jag recommended fluid quart by quart through the inaccessible (remember - not designed to be maintained) filler hole, fired it up, ran it through the gears, and repeated the fill two or three times to make sure the TC and the trans were both full, drained out and discarded enough fluid to add the unobtainium Jag service-bulletin recommended additive that cost an arm and a leg from the sole source left in the US who has a secret supply, topped it off, cycled it all through the gears again to distribute the additive, and road tested it. I will admit I paid more than $900 for the parts, fluid, additive and (lots of) labor. My specialist said it was the most expensive fluid change he has ever done and that he was embarrassed to send me the bill. So, if the Jag dealer is really doing all of that for that amount, then you are doing pretty well IMHO. The squawk went away, and I hope it should therefore be good for another 12 years. I'm sure you can do bits of the entire process cheaper, but no one appears to be certain of what kills the squawk short of doing all of it. If I live that long and we are still allowed to drive cars in 2029, I might just replace the trans with a newer one with the supposedly better clutch materials, but there were only trace amounts of dust in the pan this time around, so that seemed premature. Not sure how helpful this is to you as my specialist is Indiana based. YMMV... Cheers, cjp

 

My indi shop charged me somewhere around $300 including the pan.

 

If you do not do it yourself it will cost you.

I was quoted $1300 from a local Jag dealer near me here in MD and that was not a full flush!

I did it myself about 18 months ago and saved a heck of a lot and that was using the Lifeguard 6 ZF recommended fluid and a full flush.

Others on this forum swear by a specific Mercon fluid that is cheaper than LF6.

The procedure is pretty exacting but not that difficult if you are used to basic wrenching.

 

Hi croco,

Sorry this will be so long:

1. Based on the research of several of our members, there are only three fluids you should consider using in your ZF 6HP26 gearbox. Any other fluid will almost certainly have the wrong combination of viscosity, friction modifiers and other critical characteristics. The three fluids are all the same fundamental chemicals packaged, dyed and branded differently:

ZF Lifeguard 6 (the most expensive)
Ford Motorcraft Mercon SP (less expensive and the easiest to find in the U.S.)
Shell Spirax S4 ATF MSP (perhaps easier to find in Canada)

2. There are many sources for the new pan/filter because this transmission is used on a wide variety of vehicles (Audi, BMW, Porsche, Land Rover, Maserati, Rolls Royce, etc.). Our forum sponsors are great resources for the pan/filter, as is ZF specialist California Transmission Supply Co. (thectsc.com). Whomever you purchase from, be certain the seller is knowledgeable enough to confirm the pan is correct for your Jag since there are at least a couple of different variations. Also purchase several new screws or a full set because the original ones are known to snap during removal. Lots of good advice on the forum about applying penetrating oil to the top ends of the screws a day or two before you swap the pan.

3. You should also replace the sealing sleeve for the electrical connector which is know to leak and allow oil to contaminate the connector pins. Some suggest also replacing the Mechatronic Seal Adapter, but CTSC does not include one in their standard transmission service kits. You don't need any oil additives.

To achieve the proper fill, a specific procedure must be followed carefully, including measuring the temperature of the fluid. The Jaguar Workshop Manual and several ZF service documents spell out the procedure.

One more note: I recently did a preliminary service on a 2006 XJ8L that was exhibiting rough gearshifts similar to yours. I completely flushed the fluid via the cooler lines and refilled with Ford Motorcraft Mercon SP. The shifts smoothed out quite a bit, but the harshness did not disappear completely until I cleared the Transmission Control Module (TCM) stored adaptations and reprogrammed (reflashed) the TCM with the latest updated calibration file available in SDD 131.03 (the dealer diagnostic system). I then carried out six adaptation drive cycles per TSB JTB00040 Version 2. After all of that, the gear shifts were nearly perfect, and the owner reports that they have become perfectly smooth as the TCM has adapted to his driving style.

I should also add that the reason I just flushed the fluid and reflashed the TCM without replacing the pan/filter was because I wanted to see how much improvement could be gained with new fluid, and if necessary a reflash, before I went through the effort of replacing the pan/filter. I didn't want to do all that only to find that the gearbox had more serious internal issues such as a misbehaving solenoid or bad clutch. My advice to the owner is that within the next 10,000 miles we should drain the fluid, replace the pan/filter, and either reuse the Mercon SP we drain (which should be fine) or refill with new fluid if the owner wants to spend the money.

Cheers,

Don

 

Just to add to Don's comments, a Jaguar dealer will not use anything but ZF fluid so you'll need to seek an independent mechanic if you want to use something other than ZF.

Did the dealer quote of $900 for a full flush and replace, and a reflash?

If so and you can't find an indy mechanic, $900 is reasonable given the time it takes and the liquid gold.

If you get an indy mechanic, be up front about using your own parts and fluid and tell them to include an itemized estimate for a reflash. You may or may not need it.

Lastly, if you swap to Mercon, or any fluid other than ZF, you must do a full flush. You should not mix fluids.

Best of luck and keep us informed please.

 

I did a full ZF fluid flush and new pan at transmission shop for around 6-700 1 year ago. The fluid is expensive and I recommend following Don's advice on not mixing fluids.

 

I got my gearbox serviced just two weeks ago at an official ZF dealer in Barcelona, and I was charged €400. The Jaguar dealer' s estimate was more than double.
Instead of just draining the old oil (only half is removed, and the other dirty half stays in the torque converter), they replaced ALL the oil via cooler pipes. They also replaced the pan-filter and that sealing sleeve for the electrical connector mentioned by Don B.
I know that the ZF dealer used the most expensive fluid, but I wanted to have peace of mind because automatic transmission' problems can be very expensive to fix if serviced improperly. Sure the ZF people were not the cheapest, but they were much cheaper than the Jaguar dealer.

 

That's a very good deal for a change by ZF!
Life is cheap in BCN

 

Just a little info on fluid. Jaguar's specification is Shell M1375.4 fluid. ZF obtains their fluid from Shell, refined in Belgium. It is brown in color, much like motor oil. ZF's additive package used in LG6 was under license to ZF only for a number of years. This is now no longer true. In the USA, Shell's refinery in Houston, which supplies Ford's Motorcraft division with Mercon SP for their ZF 6HP26 vehicles, was in fact originally the same color as Shell's fluid made in Europe, but reformulation (around 2007) and some prodding from Ford, it is now red in color. Motorcraft's Mercon SP is Shell M1375.4.

 

An important issue to be aware of is that many third-party transmission fluid makers claim their fluids meet the Shell M1375.4 specification, but when you compare their actual viscosities, viscosity indices and other specs you will find that they may vary greatly from those of Shell M1375.4/Lifeguard 6/Mercon SP/Spirax S4.

Be especially skeptical of fluid makers who claim their fluid meets the M1375.4 spec but is also backward-compatible in earlier transmissions or forward-compatible to later transmissions. Not even ZF recommends using Lifeguard 6 in their earlier 5- and 4-speeds or or later 8-speeds.

I would also recommend that if you use Mercon SP, use only the Ford Motorcraft brand and not a fluid by another maker that claims to be compatible. For example, Valvoline claims its MaxLife fluid is a suitable replacement for Mercon SP, Mercon LV, Mercon V, Lifeguard 6, Lifeguard 5, Dexron III, Dexron VI and many others. Do just the most basic research and you'll see that it would be impossible for one fluid to be an optimal replacement for all of those very different fluids. For example, Ford states that Mercon SP, LV and V are not compatible with each other, yet Valvoline claims their one fluid can replace all three; ZF does not recommend Lifeguard 6 for its earlier transmissions and instead recommends Lifeguard 5 for most 5-speed boxes and Dexron III for most 4-speed boxes, yet Valvoline claims its one fluid is just fine in all those applications.

In the U.S., Motorcraft Mercon SP is widely available for less than $10.00 per quart, so IMHO there is no reason to use anything else, unless you feel more comfortable spending the extra money for ZF Lifeguard 6.

Cheers,

Don

 

Myself and a few others have had ours done here in the UK by a ZF dealer called Mackies Transmissions ( these guys really know their stuff )
Using Lifeguard6 it was around £300 albeit that was around just over a year ago.


Jim

 

I agree with you Don on using only Motorcraft's Mercon SP, if you chose to not use LG6. It's the only other, outside of Shell's Spirax S4 line of fluids, (and MerconSP or MSP is getting hard to find in 55 gallon drums anymore) and actually are the same fluid. Interestingly, in the Spirax line, S4 is a semi-synth. And lastly, these are the only Shell M1375.4 fluids that are sold to my knowledge.

 

Thanks everyone for the input

I have booked an appointment at an independent Jaguar specialist. I was not told about the price but I will drop the vehicle tomorrow and see whats going on with pricing and all that stuff. Meanwhile I am going to order the parts through FCPeuro.com. I believe in other fluids but I am one of those people who isn't comfortable going other than OEM stuff when the difference in price is minimal.

I will keep everyone posted of what happens. Vehicle should be ready in couple of days from now.

Thanks everyone,, HELP WAS MUCH APPRECIATED!!!

 

Wow, 3 months ago I did this and paid $860 for an indie (They said they were giving me a "friend" discount, which I rolled my eyes at later), but looks look I got a good deal!

 

Ok here is the update folks on my 2004 Vanden Plas V8 ZF 6speed

I ordered the parts from FCPeuro.com ZF life guard 6 and the oil pan. I did the work at jaguar shop (not dealership) but those folks really know what they are doing. I ended up with a $580 bill total for parts and labour. High but still not the ridiculous $900 the dealership quoted me and quite frankly they weren't even sure that it should be changed nor they were supporting the idea so that alone drove me away from doing it at the dealership let alone the price.

Anyways, With fresh oil and filter the transmission RUNS AMAAAAAAAZING. IDK why I didn't do this the first day I got it but I have to say,, THANKS A MILLION TO ALL THE JAGUARFORUMS.COM MEMBERS. Y'all helped me a lot with the process, costs and ideas about it. The squwak is gone and the transmission shifts so smooth it is unbelivable. The hard shift from 1-2 and 2-1 is completely gone. I recommend everyone to do this service if you have had 50+k miles from your last transmission oil change it should keep those boxes alive.

However, there are some bad news, the shop told me that my transmission cooling lines are leaking and that I should get them changed asap. Sadly I was quoted $900. I don't know what my luck is with $900 bills or if my face screams "Slap me with a $900 bill" LOL.

So my next step is to start researching the forums for the cooling lines but again, if you folks have any input on those and can help me that would be great

 

Hi croco, good to know.
600 at ZF, I was spot on!

And mind you, at my last oil change, my car was diagnosed with small leaks on the gearbox cooling lines, actually the inserts at the end of the lines. ...
Now repaired, and the cost by my Jag indy was also 900!

 

LOL, IDK what is it with Jags and $900 bills. I thought I was the only one lmfao

 

All you need to know is right here. You can have your indy fix the crimp as described or replace the lines. Part numbers included.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ne-leak-71819/

Glad you resolved the other transmission problems.