transmission fluid

[john Goodwin]

Hello to everyone. Ive registered tonight since i am now the proud owner of an (09) GTR
It is due for its 36 month (36K) service having only done 20K. I was going to book it in at one of the nissan high performance approved garages (it has been serviced up to now at middlehurst motors near st helens) however after doing some ringing around i have found quite a difference in price between the various garages.
Middlehurst are currently charging £999
Lightcliffe at halifax £1280 initially but will match the £999
One of the london garages is £920

However there is a garage near cheltenham called Lichfield Motors who I have spoken to (and looking at there website claim to use nissan parts. They are coming in at £780).
They dont however use nissan transmission fluid specified in the warranty hand book (thats the original first three year warranty) They do however use pentosin double clutch transmission fluid. I have asked them about this and they say it is fine and will not effect the warranty. This may be the case but is it as good as the genuine nissan transmission fluid (which appears to twice as much) or could it be detrimental to the cars performance.

Any thoughts on what i should do guys and where i stand warranty wise. Oh yes sorry i forgot to say that i have extended the original Nissan warranty for a further 12 months at a cost of £2600, so obviously I dont want to void it

Cheers John

[WSMGTR]

Do a search for litchfield on this forum and there's plenty of information about them and what other members think of them.

[Tigerruss]

Litchfields every time for me but Ive only heard good things about Middlehurst, something that cannot be said for a lot of other so called NHPCs

[Anders_R35]

I've been running Pentosin FFL4 for about 1000 miles and the gear changes are just as smooth as the oem fluid. I think the general thought is that FFL4 is slightly better than the oem stuff.

And with the price so much cheaper, I'm going to replace the fluid once a year instead of Nissan's 36 month schedule (I do track days).

Anders

[digi]

Litchfield from what I've read are great, as Middlehurst. FFL4 is what I'm changing to as well. Better ask other members whether the FFL4 will affect your warranty. I believe from what I have read here that many UK GTR's out of warranty are on FFL4 and many in Singapore, Germany as well.

[digi]

NAGTROC also has quite a number of users of FFL4 with Blackstone analysis to verify (scientifically) that in no way is FFL4 inferior to OEM GR6 oil.

[countvonc]

I have been on Litchfield juice for 19 months, no problems at all so far.

[SamboGrove]

Another on the FFL4 here. As others have said it has been proven to be as good as or better than the OEM stuff. And you can't go wrong with Litchfields. Do a search and you'll find many many happy customers.

Realistically though if you've just shelled out £2600 for the extended warranty (which quite frankly is ridiculous) what's an extra couple of hundred quid to get it serviced at a HPC and get the oem fluids in?

[David.Yu]

Although I use and recommend Litchfields and the Pentosin, if you've just paid £2600 for a Nissan warranty you'd be mad not to take it back to Middlehurst and keep everything to the letter of Nissan's warranty.

I am absolutely 100% certain that Pentosin would not cause a gearbox problem, but if the gearbox had a glitch, why risk the warranty being refused?

And yes, all new users should peruse the forums (in this case brakes, tyres, suspension sub-forum) and do searches before posting!

[Adamantium]

why did you get the warranty?

Are there specific parts of the car are you worried about failing and needing replacing?

I ask this because most people are concerned that they'll need to shell out £20k for a replacement gearbox having heard horror stories when in fact a ridiculous proportion of the failures (all on the earliest cars) can be prepared for under £2000.

In your position I would look at the terms of that warranty, see if you can get out of it within a cooling off period and discuss your concerns with Iain Litchfield.

[john Goodwin]

Thanks for your valued comments guys. I think I will contact Nissan uk and ask if my warranty will still be honoured if I go ahead and use a different transmission fluid other than the one indicated in the owners manual. I will keep you all posted....cheers

[Steve]

Iain everytime !

[robsm]

I got my FFL4 online for about £280, got local garage to do it. Fitted new suspension, new tyres, balanced, coolant tank and engine oil all for £200. Changing the transmission fluid is really easy.

The mistake I made was, it turned out I changed my transmission oil 1000m ago, but forgot. Looked like new lol.

[Aerodramatics]

John,

it's worth noting that Rob bought 20L of FFL4 which is enough for two gearbox changes. Capacity is 9.7L dry, but when wet 8L there or thereabouts is a full change.

Right now I believe Powerenhancer are currently offering 20L of FFL4 for £247 inc. VAT with a special offer code of "GTR" on purchase.

As it was, I bought 11L of 1L for £158 with their newsletter discount of 10%. I also bought 6L Motul Sport 5w50 engine oil and 3L Castrol Syntrax 75w140 diff. oil. Altogether I sourced the lot for £250.

Service at MH was £510 and £50 for the M.O.T. Pass with flying colours on a Litchfield Stage II. So altogether, less M.O.T., the service cost me £760 at MH including V.A.T. cf. £780 at LI with no travelling. Plus I also had the benefit of the free pick-up and return and RAC courtesy car for the 36 month service (i.e. concierge service) and of course some last chance saloon warranty work. A strong factor in my choice. Plus the fact the MH are a good HPC and do a reputable job.

For OEM fluids (Mobil 1, Nismo diff. oil and OEM "Special" GR6 trans. oil) MH charge £994 plus £50 M.O.T. i.e. £1044 but this is a no questions asked warranty stamp until the next 6th month service (just motor oil and filter change, usually about £200 from a HPC).

According to the EU Motor Vehicle Block Exemption it is unlawful for any manufacturer to state that use of an equivalent fluid such as Pentosin FFL4 invalidates their warranty.

However, the reality is manufacturers may force consumers to litigate by refusing warranty and rely that on the balance of probabilities consumers shall not risk expensive and time consuming litigation.
Then the customer pays distorted prices for OEM fluid which is falsely described as a captive part (i.e. OEM supplied only).

Your move! Don't rely on my opinion, seek expert legal advice from a legal professional.

I think the reality is that FFL4 will do no harm. In fact I find it the gearbox is far more assured and positive in its changes and judder/kangeroo free with the FL4 over OEM GR6 fluid.

It appears some garages plant seeds of doubt in customers minds and play up the perceived risk to persuade customers to buy the price inflated OEM fluid, presumably to maximize their profits.

Ok, hope this missive helps you decide what option to pursue! Obviously, do what makes you happy. Good luck!

Dom.

[john Goodwin]

Thanks for the advice Dom. Much appreciated.
I'll have to go with my gut feeling on this one ...... Let you know how it turns out