manual transmission oil change

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stu - 10 Nov 2007 15:57 GMT

I have an 04 Eclipse 2.4 with manual transmission- 50k

It was bought during a promotion that provided 3 years free scheduled
maintenance and an extended warranty from Mitsu. The dealer has
provided the "free" maintenance.

The last 2 visits (one free and one for fee after the 3 years) has had
the dealer putting extreme pressure on me to purchase a $90+
transmission service- "preventative- you can pay me $90 now or $1900
when the transmission fails". He claims that any "warranty" claim on
the transmission in the future will be denied unless I do the work
"NOW!" yet it was not done during the "free scheduled" period.

I have driven only stick shift cars since I was 16 and have NEVER
heard it necessary to change transmission oil as a preventative
measure. I'm not grinding gears, and my previous Eclipse (2000) never
had this service.

Is the dealer just trying to rape me, or is there something I'm
missing here.

Thanx
Stu

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G. R. Woodring - 10 Nov 2007 21:47 GMT

> I have an 04 Eclipse 2.4 with manual transmission- 50k
>
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> Thanx
> Stu

If the transmission service is listed in the owner's manual or service log as a
scheduled service, they may have you on the warranty thing. But $90.00! You
can probably get the gear oil changed for far less at a private shop or quick
lube. Ask the shop to include the brand name of the oil used on the receipt.
If the dealer claims that the oil used was to blame and denies a warranty claim
then Quaker State (or whatever brand) will defend their product on your behalf.

That said, unless a leak causes the lubricant to run low, you might reasonably
expect the transmission to last more than 100k without the service. It wouldn't
be a bad idea though to remove the drain plug and examine the oil. Look for
discoloration, signs of water or metal particles. Some drain plugs have a
magnet attached that should be cleaned before replacing.

Signature

G. R. Woodring

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Stewart DIBBS - 10 Nov 2007 22:03 GMT

> ... the dealer putting extreme pressure on me to purchase a $90+
> transmission service- "preventative- you can pay me $90 now or $1900
> when the transmission fails".

On an automatic transmission, yes, maybe. The great thing about manuals is
that they can sound like a rock crusher and still the car will move.
Automatics get one little thing wrong and you're stopped by the roadside.

Have the dealer show you the warranty schedule where it shows EXACTLY what
has to be done during this preventive service. There's little else to do
other than change the oil and check that the clutch fluid is correct and the
slave cylinder is not leaking. So lets see ...
put the car on the hoist, drain the oil, refill with about 1 litre, check
the slave cylinder and lower the hoist. Can't see that taking more than 30
minutes. So, $8 for oil and $30 for labour, but let's say $50 tops. What's
the other $40 for?

Also, ask him to show you some warranty statistics for manual vs automatic
failures that cost $1900+. He WILL have this information, but may not show
it to you.

Signature

Stewart DIBBS
www.pixcl.com/lancerproject

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David Geesaman - 11 Nov 2007 12:48 GMT

> I have an 04 Eclipse 2.4 with manual transmission- 50k
>
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> Thanx
> Stu

Yes, I think the dealer is trying to rape you, but regularly changing
gear oil DOES have benefits. I suggest you have it done every 60k, but
simply drain/replace using a good synthetic oil. I dunno which variety
the Mitsu nerds prefer, but in the Mazda and Nissan world Redline MT-90
works awfully well.

IMHO, the far more often overlooked service is coolant, which NEEDS to
be changed every 60k. It definitely loads up with Bad Things as it gets
old, and if you change it on schedule, water pump failures become less
common.

Dave

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