Disco 3 (LR3) Issue after transmission oil change

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J

Jay8135

Member
Posts
95
Location
Cumbria
Morning all.
I was recently having transmission issues spoke.to my local garage who suggested a transmission oil change. I bought a kit from jgs 4x4 which included

1 x Easy-Change metal sump with replaceable filter
1 x Set of new bolts
1 x Gearbox sump gasket
7 Litres Liqui Comma MVATF Fluid - Enough to complete a 'double flush'

After fitting the garage took it for a test drive who stayed it still.had an issue in 5th gear. I drove the car home and dropped my daughter off at her friends. The car started surging revs changing gear jumping when coming to a stop. It didn't do this before work was carried out. This was happening under 30mph. Spoke to garage who refused to look at it again stating it was like that when it went in. Which it 100% was not. The car is undriveable it's over revving searching for a gear change and jumping when changing gear. After a heated argument with garage I've sent them an email stating I'm seeking a second opinion on work carried out by them. What else can I do? Any thoughts on why the car would do this? It's like it doesn't know what gear to select. Really upset by the fact the garage states it was like that when I brought it in when I know it was not.
 
Jay8135 said:
Morning all.
I was recently having transmission issues spoke.to my local garage who suggested a transmission oil change. I bought a kit from jgs 4x4 which included

1 x Easy-Change metal sump with replaceable filter
1 x Set of new bolts
1 x Gearbox sump gasket
7 Litres Liqui Comma MVATF Fluid - Enough to complete a 'double flush'

After fitting the garage took it for a test drive who stayed it still.had an issue in 5th gear. I drove the car home and dropped my daughter off at her friends. The car started surging revs changing gear jumping when coming to a stop. It didn't do this before work was carried out. This was happening under 30mph. Spoke to garage who refused to look at it again stating it was like that when it went in. Which it 100% was not. The car is undriveable it's over revving searching for a gear change and jumping when changing gear. After a heated argument with garage I've sent them an email stating I'm seeking a second opinion on work carried out by them. What else can I do? Any thoughts on why the car would do this? It's like it doesn't know what gear to select. Really upset by the fact the garage states it was like that when I brought it in when I know it was not.
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So sorry for you!
First thing, remember whenever you take a car to a garage get them to drive it first to agree what its condition is. Shutting the stable door now i know but what else can you do in future?
Then get another garage, preferable a LR specialist to drive it and put it on their diagnostic, and also contact Trading Standards and or any motoring association you are a member of.
Be prepared to take them to court via the "Small Claims Track".
I'd ask whether the car is now in a dangerous condition because if it is and you have an accident dure to this the garage could be held at least in part responsible.
Infuriates me that this happens, especially to a female, so sexist!
 
The car in my opinion is not drivable due to the surging gears and jumping when coming to a stop I've emailed the garage with my intentions and asked if they are a part of the motor ombudsman bit no reply my summer plans with the kids no in ruins. I've asked them to return the old parts that came off the car so I know they have done what I asked. Seeking a specialist to test drive the car and inspect it at present due to work commitments my next day off is Friday. Reporting to trading standards and also going to speak to my bank as I paid with my visa debit but not sure if I'll have any luck with that.
 
After work was done he test drove it and said it still had a fifth gear problem. No mention of surging gears etc. 5 mins after getting it back the issues started and for the garage to say it was like that before why didn't they mention it after the test drive? So ****ed off....
 
Sorry to hear about your issues. I would be suspicious of the ATF, does it satisfy the technical specification for the gearbox?

Disco 3 transmission problems with juddering are well documented and indicate the torque converter may need replacing although it is also possible that the symptoms you describe could be due to internal seal failures or possibly sticking solenoids. Ideally, you should also have looked to change the mechantronic seals and bridge seal as well.

If you supplied the parts and the garage have fitted them it may be difficult to point a finger, after all, changing the gearbox sump would (should) not affect the way the gearbox works in any material way I am aware of. Diagnostics is the way to go, without seeing what the box is trying to do (or not) you are stumbling around in the dark. Sorry if that sounds negative but I hope you get it sorted.
 
Hi @Jay8135

sorry to hear of the issues

Must confess I’ve not heard good things about that oil, only ones I’ve seen that work are lifeguard 6 and mannol AG55, there are others but these are the ones I’ve read about

the lifeguard 8 is for the later 8 x speed gearbox

The ATF should be as recommend by JLR for the ZF6 is spec TYK500050

personally would get the oil changed by someone else , ensure the oil level has been done 100% to the letter

also hope they changed the connector sleeve at the same time , plus keep an eye on the sump as heard the metal ones can leak

alas at the end of the day there may have been underlying issues with the gearbox in the beginning and the oil change has just amplified it , maybe they reset the adaptions at the same time , never know any oil change may have caused these issues

Never know the torque convertor could be on the way out , best to see id u can find a ZF specialist who can look over it for u , at least then ur know 100% what wrong with it

i better get my coat, lol
 
Last edited:
classic kev said:
Sorry to hear about your issues. I would be suspicious of the ATF, does it satisfy the technical specification for the gearbox?

Disco 3 transmission problems with juddering are well documented and indicate the torque converter may need replacing although it is also possible that the symptoms you describe could be due to internal seal failures or possibly sticking solenoids. Ideally, you should also have looked to change the mechantronic seals and bridge seal as well.

If you supplied the parts and the garage have fitted them it may be difficult to point a finger, after all, changing the gearbox sump would (should) not affect the way the gearbox works in any material way I am aware of. Diagnostics is the way to go, without seeing what the box is trying to do (or not) you are stumbling around in the dark. Sorry if that sounds negative but I hope you get it sorted.
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hiya

that’s what I’m also thinking , plus I wonder if they cleared the adaptions

read several times when the oil is changed that around 500 x miles should pass and then clear the adaptions, alas though there are mixed opinions on this
 
Hi @Bemble , hope u didn’t mind me tagging u , just know ur extremely knowledgeable regarding these gearboxes , hope ur keeping well

alas couldn’t find the JLR spec of TYK500050 for the comma oil

but indeed am wondering if after changing the oil they’ve cleared the adaptions at the same time , which therefore has shown an underlying issue

once again hope u didn’t mind me tagging u , many thks as always
 
gstuart said:
hiya

that’s what I’m also thinking , plus I wonder if they cleared the adaptions

read several times when the oil is changed that around 500 x miles should pass and then clear the adaptions, alas though there are mixed opinions on this
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It feels like the gearbox is looking for a gear and revs surge up and down when you say cleared adaptions would the gearbox forget and have to learn again? Would this sound like the symptoms I'm having how would this be fixed?

My main point in this is the car was not doing this before. Garage test drove it didn't mention the revs surging and less than 3 miles driven it all goes wrong. They have given me my car back in a worse state than when it went in.
 
Jay8135 said:
It feels like the gearbox is looking for a gear and revs surge up and down when you say cleared adaptions would the gearbox forget and have to learn again? Would this sound like the symptoms I'm having how would this be fixed?

My main point in this is the car was not doing this before. Garage test drove it didn't mention the revs surging and less than 3 miles driven it all goes wrong. They have given me my car back in a worse state than when it went in.
Click to expand...

hi

I really feel for u , I really do , because as I D3 owner as well know that some repairs can be very expensive

the surging of revs is normally an indication of a faulty torque convertor , oil level not correct etc

adaptions are normally cleared when new oil has been fitted , or new gearbox, convertor , etc mixed reviews as sometimes it’s better to clear the adaptions after roughly 500 x miles, therefore the gearbox doesn’t have to deal with new oil and cleared adaptions at the same time

When new oil is put in it can clear junk off the clutch plates therefore leading to more issues than before

however when they first drive it they should have said there’s an issue and an oil change may not resolve the problems

At the end of the day i wouldn’t drive it as it could cause a lot of damage to the gearbox , would search for a ZF gearbox specialist and discuss with them the issues ur having , then when you’ve found someone and it’s that bad ur more than likely need it to be transported onto a flatbed seeing it can’t be towed

Hope the above is useful to u in a small way
 
Jay8135 said:
Also the concerning thing is from the 7ltrs of fluid I gave them they returned 3.5 litres???
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would they answer if u asked them, did they check the oil level with the engine on or off and at what temperature did they check the oil level at

sometimes when changing oil that only 4 litre or so come out , due to the torque convertor still holding some , alas don’t know if they measured what came out and refilled with the same quality instead of ensuring 100% that the level is correct

was the garage specialist at all please , would u be mind naming them plse, u can send a private message to me if u wish to keep the name private and can look into them for u if they’ve fit a good name of not
 
Jay8135 said:
Also the concerning thing is from the 7ltrs of fluid I gave them they returned 3.5 litres???
Click to expand...

I dont know the D3 but I would guess that 7 ltrs is not enough to do a "double flush" (from your first post) and if they have given oil back, the first thing to do is get the level checked and topped up using the correct procedure, then see what you have.

J
 
marjon said:
I dont know the D3 but I would guess that 7 ltrs is not enough to do a "double flush" (from your first post) and if they have given oil back, the first thing to do is get the level checked and topped up using the correct procedure, then see what you have.

J
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The website stated 7l was enough to do a double flush. I've emailed the company I bought from to confirm the kit I bought was suitable for my car. As I'm currently putting together all info I can before getting further advice on what I can do
 
Jay8135 said:
The website stated 7l was enough to do a double flush. I've emailed the company I bought from to confirm the kit I bought was suitable for my car. As I'm currently putting together all info I can before getting further advice on what I can do
Click to expand...

hiya

also hope they will answer a few questions , so please ask them

did they clear the adaptions
At what temperature did they check the oil level at and did they check it with the engine running of engine off
How much oil did they get out of the gearbox originally

there are a few other questions regarding this and have tons more information in some links / manuals / oil specs ,:/ oil leaks etc that I’ve saved regarding these gearboxes , but wish to find out what they say first

hope this is helpful to u
 
gstuart said:
hiya

also hope they will answer a few questions , so please ask them

did they clear the adaptions
At what temperature did they check the oil level at and did they check it with the engine running of engine off
How much oil did they get out of the gearbox originally

there are a few other questions regarding this and have tons more information in some links / manuals / oil specs ,:/ oil leaks etc that I’ve saved regarding these gearboxes , but wish to find out what they say first

hope this is helpful to u
Click to expand...

Thanks for your help.

I will email the garage as I'm at work at 0730 till 1730 and unable to make or receive calls during that time. I'll let you know if I get a response.
When I got to the garage the car was on the lift engine off. Not sure if they checked temp etc as when the car came down the garage owner took it out and was back in 10 mins
 
Oil level is everything, all you need is to take rear section of undetray off, 4 bolts then an allen key to check the oil level, it does have to be at a certain temperature.

The garage were taking one hell of a risk changing them customer supplied parts on an old car.
 
lynall said:
Oil level is everything, all you need is to take rear section of undetray off, 4 bolts then an allen key to check the oil level, it does have to be at a certain temperature.

The garage were taking one hell of a risk changing them customer supplied parts on an old car.
Click to expand...
Forgive my lack of knowledge but when the transmission oil is changed does it need to be filled/ran at temperature? What would happen for example if this wasn't done and just filled up with what looks like they used 3.5l of 7l I provided which I have back and then taken straight into a ten minute test drive.
Gargae agreed to fit the parts if I purchased them this isn't my fault. Charged £240 Which I paid. My gut feeling is they haven't followed procedure and now refuse to rectify stating it was like that before.....
 
I've emailed the garage detailing what I'm going to. A further inspection what questions should I be asking regarding procedure? Someone mentioned to ask what temp was the oil level checked at. Anything else I should be asking?
 
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