Just made an appointment at the dealer to take my 2020 in for the 7500 mile transmission filter change and the 3-year transmission fluid change. Was quoted just over $1300 to get this done! The fluid is $48 per quart, and it takes 12 quarts. The filter cartridge is $300.

GM's maintenance schedule calls for the fluid to be changed every 3 years regardless of mileage.

Ouch!

 

that’s a service annuity … a la ink for a printer.

$48/qt … must be some voodoo in that bottle.

 

Ask your dealer to get a little more aggressive on pricing...
Filter ($102): https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...&pt=8600&jsn=9
Fluid ($27/qt): https://www.summitracing.com/parts/a...EaArJREALw_wcB

$426 + labor. To throw them a bone if you wanted, even $500 + labor would be decently fair while still profitable for them. You should be able to get out the door for under $1k as it appears they're quoting you about $400 in labor. Dealerships have gotten insane with the C8 tax.

 

That's crazy!

 

Such is the price of admission into the "fast lane." GM has borrowed more than it's mid-engine configuration from Ferrari.

 

Ouch indeed. DCT filter from Rock Auto is about $100. Fluid is about $26/liter on line. Won't take 12 liters. Probably 9 as a fair amount stays in the transmission. I'll be doing it myself. About $350 total. The one thing I won't get if I do it myself is the hydraulic system flush. Will discuss with a local dealer to see if they can run that and then drive home to change the filter. Saving a $1000 to me is worth the "risk" of not having that solenoid flush performed. And I know I'll do the fill and drain correctly. Including adding an addition 2 liters. Something to consider.

 

This is likely the route I'll be taking too, but have another year or so to figure it out so I'll watch how this topic progresses.

 

The $48 is the standard GM parts cost and no discussion with the dealer parts department will reduce the cost. If you have a dealer that will allow you to supply the correct GM parts then you can buy the fluid at the $30 cost and bring them to the service. Same with the filter . You might also talk with the dealer and see if they would charge you labor only and tell them you will bring them the car without the belly pan attached. Some dealers will help and others use the GM set pricing regardless of how long it takes. My 2 cents

 

There is no need to change the transmission fluid at 7500 miles, they just need to top it off (a half quart?) after they do the "transmission flush" service procedure and then change out the transmission filter The transmission FLUID change is at 45K miles.

From the 2023 OM:
Every 72 000 km (45,000 mi)
. Change the transmission fluid and
external canister filter. Change the
external canister filter every 36 000 km
(22,500 mi) thereafter. This service can be
complex. See your dealer.
Or when the CHANGE TRANSMISSION
FLUID SOON message displays, change the
fluid and external canister filter within
the next 1 000 km (620 mi).

 

I believe the dealer is quoting you a little high by a few hundred dollars.

1300 is in my opinion probably 300 too high. I’d suggest a GM credit card to garner points to use to pay for any dealer service as well as the GM rewards program ..as well as shopping for a new dealership for service.

dealerships are desperate to increase revenue to pay for the requirements to be allowed to sell GMs electric vehicles.

unit sales of vehicles is way down although profit per sale is way up. Factory incentives are way down.

these service departments are under a lot of pressure.

 

every three years or 45k miles whichever comes first you need to change the dct fluid.

this dct is turning into a very expensive proposition.

I love it and I’ve been driving manuals for 45 years but the servicing requirements are quite dramatic to say the least.

I’ll pay the money and spend the time but it’s becoming more annoying than just shifting for myself ..(kidding)

technology is impressive and the service costs are a lot higher than a traditional manual probably for many brands of vehicles,

I have a sneaky suspicion many exotic car owners found the same thing over the years,

the only thing I can suggest is don’t skimp on activating the solenoids or having these services done because the dct is a sensitive piece of equipment and their failure for whatever reason outside of warranty is close to 20 grand installed.

spend the money and let these world class GM techs be responsible.

I do recommend an extended GMepp warranty or whatever it’s called.

im just daily driving my c8 like a normal 60 something year old man…with 22k miles on my c8 and the transmission has been replaced twice. The car drives wonderful but the vehicle couldn’t get past 7500 mile service two out of three times.

I just recently got past the service and the cars still communicating to the transmission whatever that means…to me it means the car is able to drive like a normal vehicle.

trust me guys..don’t leave any room for any reason to not have a warranty covering this dct..not even for an extra few dollars for materials and service.

jmo

ive purchased a 7 year 70k additional coverage on this vehicle on top of my current 30 month and 22k miles for this exact reason. I choose a 250 deductible and the cost is well worth the piece of mind.

these dct s are no joke to replace…

this is big bucks. Follow the guidelines and stay with the dealer service departments doing the work..let them carry the responsibility.

jist my opinion and my advice based off of what I’ve seen.

 

Or every 3 years, whichever comes first.

 

OP, I'm curious what the DIC says your remaining fluid life is. Is your monitor counting down with time or does it indicate you still have a lot of life left?

 

I'm coming up on 3 years ownership and the transmission is at 64%. I don't think the transmission counter has a time element in the number.

 

Not true. Many dealer parts counters are willing to offer discounts or match online prices. A lot of these online parts websites are just dealerships with a side hustle. Heck, my dealer's parts department sells GM Genuine parts on eBay.

 

I agree, it doesn't appear to include time which is strange since GM has the technology.

 

Good luck finding a GM dealer who will run the flush program so you can change the fluid & filter yourself.

 

Some dealers will let you bring your own supplies, and just charge for labor. It can't hurt to ask.

 

I agree, some dealers are reasonable and would do this for you. The bigger question is if you are doing more harm than good by driving the car without changing the DCT filter after you have had the hydraulic system flush performed. And is your warranty still protected if you do it this way.

 

This is Porsche maintenance cost. Crazy!
I had the transmission in my SL serviced for $400 including fluid and filter.