Transmission oil change 3 gallons low
I got a message on my Trip Tek system that simply said "oil" When I looked it up on the checklist, it read transmission oil so I figured this was the 5,000 mile oil and filter change that I had heard about.
I setup an appointment at 4 star freightliner in Tallahassee since I was going by there anyway.
When I got there, I described my transmission (Allison 4000 MH) and they recommended changing the oil and filter. Since that made sense to me, I agreed. They proceeded to change the oil and the filter and when they were done, I saw the kid (early 20's) trying to read the dipstick but having difficulties. He blamed it on the filler tube and I didn't think much about it.
Soon, they said they were finished and I was all set to go. Since it was getting late, I decided to camp out in their parking lot rather than driving to my next destination. As I was camped out, I looked at the invoice and noticed that they had only put in 6 gallons into the transmission. I thought that might be low, so I looked it up in my manual. Sure enough, the transmission holds over 10 gallons and a refill should take between 7.5 and 8.5 gallons. I decided I'd check the transmission myself in the morning before taking off.
This morning, I removed the dipstick and found no oil at all on the end of the dipstick. None, whatsoever. So I waited until they opened and asked the kid how much oil he put in. He replied, 5 gallons. (OK, so now there's two problems). I told him that the transmission takes 10 gallons. I went into the office to complain and they had two people go out and put 3.5 more gallons into the transmission.
I checked it myself again to verify that I had sufficient oil and took off after I validated the level.
Lessons learned:
The saddest part is that I didn't even need the oil to be changed in the first place. When I read the manual, it said to only change the filter at 5,000 miles and there is no need to replace the oil. That would have saved me a bundle had I realized that.
But I learned a few valuable lessons and know much more about my transmission now. So I'm pleased about that.
I setup an appointment at 4 star freightliner in Tallahassee since I was going by there anyway.
When I got there, I described my transmission (Allison 4000 MH) and they recommended changing the oil and filter. Since that made sense to me, I agreed. They proceeded to change the oil and the filter and when they were done, I saw the kid (early 20's) trying to read the dipstick but having difficulties. He blamed it on the filler tube and I didn't think much about it.
Soon, they said they were finished and I was all set to go. Since it was getting late, I decided to camp out in their parking lot rather than driving to my next destination. As I was camped out, I looked at the invoice and noticed that they had only put in 6 gallons into the transmission. I thought that might be low, so I looked it up in my manual. Sure enough, the transmission holds over 10 gallons and a refill should take between 7.5 and 8.5 gallons. I decided I'd check the transmission myself in the morning before taking off.
This morning, I removed the dipstick and found no oil at all on the end of the dipstick. None, whatsoever. So I waited until they opened and asked the kid how much oil he put in. He replied, 5 gallons. (OK, so now there's two problems). I told him that the transmission takes 10 gallons. I went into the office to complain and they had two people go out and put 3.5 more gallons into the transmission.
I checked it myself again to verify that I had sufficient oil and took off after I validated the level.
Lessons learned:
- Check all the work done by mechanics and don't trust what they say
- Know what they are doing and what's involved
- Read the manual before you get service so that you at least know what's happening
The saddest part is that I didn't even need the oil to be changed in the first place. When I read the manual, it said to only change the filter at 5,000 miles and there is no need to replace the oil. That would have saved me a bundle had I realized that.
But I learned a few valuable lessons and know much more about my transmission now. So I'm pleased about that.
