I need a good, reasonable place to get my transmission fluid changed in eiher Contra Costa or Solano County. I got quotes from British Car Service in Sacramento and Cole European in Walnut Creek and they are both in the low $600s. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Dave

DaveC,

I don't live in your area but JFYI my independent English car mechanic wants $600 to do that job. Apparently the fluid is quite expensive and they have to replace the pan on the bottom of the trans because the filter is built in, along with a couple of magnets for collecting metal dust. I checked on-line and the lowest price I saw for one of those was about $160 just for the part.

The lack of a trans fluid dipstick/filler tube complicates the change on these ZF transmissions. They have to make sure it is absolutely level, make sure the temperature is just so to avoid over or under filling due to heat expansion, and then pump exactly the amount they drained out back in with a tube inserted in the side of the casing. Hence, high labor costs. Some guys do it themselves but I am not that handy nor do I have all the tools.

The local Jag agency charges $150 per hour labor. I suspect they would charge something for just driving by and looking at the building if they could. ;-) So, I will probably be forking out the required cash at the indie shop next month.

Wish I could help more, but that's what I know as of today.

Tom

Remember you guys have different transmissions in the 1999 and 2004 models so it's not a direct comparison.

Graham

Fluid was quoted at $50/quart and 8 quarts so $400 for fluid alone.

I put much cheaper fluid in my 2004 and it actually worked better (I had the transmission growl and it went away). However I know yours is an older car and that may not work. I'd give Jaguar Purrformance a yell. Los Gatos.






Jaguar Purrformance Center - Los Gatos, CA | Yelp

Rob,

That's 100 miles from me. Do you want to loan me "thundercat"?

Dave

Dave, I'm not familiar with fluids in the XK, but when I was looking for gearbox oil for my X, jag dealers (and other local retailers for that matter) quoted me ~$65 per quart. I would probably have paid that price if I had not known that it was just Castrol, which one could get from the UK for ~$12 per quart.
Anyway, my point is - maybe there are cheaper alternatives to the $400 price tag?

Your dreaming but you could give him a call and ask for a recommendation. Good guy. BY the way it isn't a particularly difficult job if you have a lift. When you have it done have them check and clean the transmission connectors on the side. Mine were full of oil and crap.

Thanks for the tip. I didn't expect you to let thundercat out without adult supervision!

I know what you mean. My only concern is that the Indy I use says to go with the $50 stuff. Maybe he has stock in the company.

Regarding the fluid, remember that the trans fluid mixes with the torque converter fluid. They drain out about 8 quarts from the trans, but they can't drain the torque converter. So, once you replace the fluid it will mix up with the old fluid. Therefore, I do not want to use cheaper fluid that might not be an exact match with what's already in there.

I am told that a rebuild on my X350's trans costs about $5000. I definitely do not want to take any chances on causing any problems.

Just my .02

Tom

I've taken my 2000 S-Type to Joe's Foreign in Walnut Creek for years and been pleased with their service and pricing. Many years ago my transmission was slipping and they serviced it very inexpensively and I've not had a problem since. Dealer probably would have wanted to replace it.

Actually had the work done yesterday for $500. Dealer upped their price to $800+. Nice people as well.

Last week I had the trans fluid changed by my indie. Cost me $541. He ordered the parts from the ZF supplier. With his markup the fluid cost $25 per quart. He used 7 quarts. The dealer wanted $50 per quart.

I examined the old pan after he changed it. There was a very small quantity of "metal mud" on the magnets, but I couldn't detect any more than that. The fluid coating the interior of the rest of the thing was perfectly clear. That, to my mind, would mean that the original filter was still working.

I have not detected any change in performance, but since I did not have any issues anyway I am content. This was done for preventative maintenance, not to cure a problem.

Tom

http://www.thectsc.com


This is the place the jag mechanics go to