Re waste of time servicing without Megaflush. I'm sure ours wasn't megaflushed/ I'm not too anxious about this issue though:

1. Are there LR UK TSB's about the need (or not) to do a Mega Flush when an approved garage undertakes a gearbox service?

2. If the length (and expense) is gone to, to have an approved garage carry out 'a gearbox service' and they do not do a megaflush contrary to a TSB, in the event of a future failure, you might have grounds for recourse even if you don't have an ongoing warranty (dependent upon the period of time/ mileage that lapses from the service to your encountering a failure)?

If an approved garage carries out 'a gearbox service' and your car is under warranty thereafter, the gearbox will surely be 'bombproof' covered if it fails (although not a desirable thing to happen)?

3. I wonder if any so called 'non approved garage' doing a a gearbox service might be deemed to invalidate the gearbox aspect of a warranty if the gearbox thereafter failed during an approved/ warranty period?

Yes, so this issue has been done to death in many forums, especially regarding Land Rover, their warranty, ZF Gearboxes, the ZF recommendations, how other manufacturers service the same range of gearboxes and so on.

Land Rover say it is "Sealed for life". So define the word 'life' Is it the life of the car? The life of the owner?, The life of the warranty? Or just the life of the gearbox?

The same box, a ZF 6HP28 (minus the transfer case) in a BMW has a fluid change recommended at 60k miles. Go figure how LR can then say it's sealed for life.

What LR don't do though is provide a way of draining the torque converter without removing the thing from the car so getting fluid out is not exactly easy, hence they came up with the infamous "Double flush" which is nothing but a half-arsed way of changing a bit more than 50% of the fluid. Kind of like changing half the engine oil really. Imagine if the engine oil drain plug was half way up the side of the sump and you begin to understand how badly thought out it all is. Just exactly how is one supposed to get all the contaminated oil out?

Think about a gearbox service centre either replacing or overhauling the box. Unless they flush the pipes and cooler there remains old contaminated fluid in there to start the life of the new box. So, if you replaced an engine with a re-con unit, would you use some of the oil from the outgoing engine to put in the new one?

Personally I see the "life" word as being just long enough to ensure the Land Rover warranty doesn't have to pay for it, but then I'm just a cynical old git. The thing is, I've never seen anything to suggest anything else. And my personal view is that a dialysis type of oil change is the only way to get all the old fluid out.

I think I wll have this done. but I'm contrary so I want the megaflush AND the filter done. my question is:

Is the correct order;

Megaflush

Drop sump, change filter clean magnets etc,

Top up with more clean fluid?

mzplcg wrote:

Something to point out here though. That "Filter" which everyone's going on about is actually a STRAINER !!

Think about the engine oil pickup strainer and you're in the right ball park. When mine was done the plastic sump was removed and the strainer inspected. This is destructive BTW, it can't all be refitted afterwards. Anyway, the fluid was black and burnt but the strainer was clean. Complete waste of money changing it.

Would I megaflush without changing a strainer? Yep, every time.

Megaflush changes ALL the fluid.
Sump replacement and replacing drained fluid changes about 50% at best. It doesn't drain the TC or the pipework & cooler. Half a job then.

To quote 47P2, that would be like taking a bath......in a muddy puddle.

Well my 6 speed TDV8 doesn't just have just a strainer! Ive opened my old one (OE JLR) today and its a filter behind a strainer!

The original reason for this thread is to raise awareness that there seems to be lots of companies out there doing Megaflushes without changing filters! Now imho i would NOT change the fluid without the filter! But thats just my opinion! So, if this raises awareness that the filters may not get changed during a Megaflush... Questions can be asked by the consumer...
A, do i want my filter changed?
B, does this company take the easy "high profit, quick turn around" approach & is this the best route for me or infact the best company to be carrying out this work?

So, i am not against Megaflushes, not at all... But i do take offence to consumers being IMHO mislead and if your offered a service and in fact only get half the job compleated... What else might the company be cutting corners with?

Totally agree with what you say.
I asked a very well respected Land Rover specialist in Sydney for a costing on filter and fluid change recently.
I must admit I was puzzled when I was told that there is a strainer in my trans and that they "never" change them
A quick look in any online manual for the trans clearly says there is a filter assembly in the trans.
Luckily for those of us that are capable and willing, plenty of options and information are available to ensure the longevity of our mechanical parts

Very interesting thread this. Preventative maintenance is a good thing. As mentioned earlier, I wonder how LR would view a warranty claim for gearbox problems were they to be aware of an owner having previously commissioned a "mega flush"? 4.4 TDV8 Vogue Baltic Blue MY11

mzplcg wrote:

Megaflush changes ALL the fluid.
Sump replacement and replacing drained fluid changes about 50% at best. It doesn't drain the TC or the pipework & cooler. Half a job then.

A megaflush replaces around 98% of the old oil.

A drain/sump/refill replaces around 55% of the oil.

While not so much of an issue on the FFRR, it is on the TDV6 D3/RRS, and it is vital to replace as much of the oil as possible

advantage of mega flush :changes all the tranny oil
advantage of filter change : remove all the trapped debris.

so in what order should the tranny oil change take place?

megaflush
filter change
megaflush again?

or
filter change
mega flush
filter change
top up/mega flush 2011 4.4 TdV8 Nara Bronze

Well,
It depends weather you have the GM trans or the ZF.
Looks like you have a TDV8, so Im guessing you have a ZF.

Cheapest option;
If you are sub 100,000km a mega flush would most likely be fine, except if you are towing a lot, in this case I would do the filter for sure as the pan magnets will be fairly well loaded up with swarf.

If you change the filter first then mega flush I believe personally that this is the best way forward, why?
Because if you mega flush THEN change your filter you are effectively dumping half of the new fluid that you have just put into the trans when you flushed it...............unless you capture it and put it back in.....again.

With my doing the work my self Im quiet happy to;
1/ Drain the trans
2/ Drop the filter and replace
3/ Clean the pan and magnets
4/ Fit pan
5/ Recharge the trans
6/ Drive for 1-2,000 km drain the pan and recharge again.
Based on how the fluid looks on the second drain, I MIGHT DROP THE FLUID AGAIN in another month.
From this point on I will be changing the fluid every 40,000-50,000kms and the filter every second fluid change.......if I keep the FFRR that long.
I do about 15-20,000km a year.
Some years I will do an 8-10,000km out back trip in a few weeks, I usually do all my fluids when I return from a trip like this, havnt done it in the L322 yet but have done it plenty of times in the P38, I have never mega flushed the P38
(ZF4HP 24) trans just drained the fluid (dexron 3) and changed the filter at the above intervals.........350,000km on the P38 trans with plenty of hard driving and its still going fine.
The fluid in the 5hp24 and later transmissions is extremely high quality full synthetic and able to withstand up to 8 years
use.
If you have the GM trans and it does ONLY have a strainer, a mega flush could in all likely hood dislodge some muk and cause a trans failure or poor shifting/faults
I really cant believe any automatic transmission only has a strainer and not a particulate filter, I will stand corrected on this, but I just cant imagine its right.Reason being a particle (swarf) 0.5mm could jam the valve body or at the very least cause damage as it repeatedly gets circulated through the system. A strainer can be quiet small having said this.
The first rule when working on any Hydraulic system is cleanliness, if you apply this philosophy its unlikely you will have any dramas at all with an extremely high quality trans such as a ZF.

For the TD6 GM 5L40E: you can look here, also available at YouTube the second part! L405 SDV8 2017 + Lancia Flavia Coupe 1964 + RRS L494 3.0 SDV6 + C220CDI Convertible 2021

i have just been to Quattro autocare in riccall yo19 6ql. This morning and had my gearbox flushed and all I can say is my gear changes are a lot smoother the mileage on my rr is 102000 they did not change my filter they also added two lots of dr tranny which they say elimates torque converter lock up and shudder worth putting in. They also reset the adaptation which makes the rr learn the way you drive and adjusts the gearbox accordingly.
Well worth doing at the year and mileage mine was.

Last edited by Tang37 on 7th Feb 2016 3:47pm. Edited 1 time in total

Could know how much this cost please.

Thanks for the question.
I paid £280 for the flush.
The lads at Quattro autocare in riccall yo196ql. Said to me that ever since they took the plunge and bought one of theses Wynns flush machines they are so busy and people are traveling from all over the place to come and have it done. I don't no how much it is all over the country but I thought that what I paid was very reasonable.

What are opinions about having the gearbox ecu adaptation reset? Quattro also reset mine when I took it in but in hindsight it might have been better leaving it as it was. I understand that it compensates for wear in the gearbox which is surely the same even after an oil change - but does it do anything else?