Hard shifts after tranny flush?
 

2005 Auto, G35 Coupe

I got a tranny flush from Nissan on Tuesday, and since then my car will shift/downshift really hard into 2nd, or back down into 1st. Many times is when I'm at a light, and go to start driving again my car will stutter and rev up then shift hard into 2nd.

I'm from New Jersey so it's been above 40 everyday, and way below freezing at night. I was curious with the cold, and the new fluid in there if the hard shifts is a common thing? Or if this is something I should complain to Nissan about?

Also I do notice it to become less frequent after I've driven for maybe over an hour, but it still does occur? Any advice/opinions?

Have them check the fluid level. How many miles are on the car? I have seen at my shop with cars with high miles its better if a trans service has not been done not to do them can create issues. Make sure the correct fluid was used not a universal ATF.

I agree with brjams. I would check with the Nissan dealer as soon as you can and make sure that they used the specified tranny fluid. It used to be manumatic J but there is an updated fluid now. I had my trans flushed and filled at the Infiniti dealer and they used BG (the maker of the flushing equipment) Universal fluid. I experienced similar problems to yours. Not to scare you, but I ended up getting my transmission replaced because of their error. I would not put too many miles on the car before I got this resolved.

Thanks for the advice, it's at about 94k little much =/. But yea, that really does scare me. I had no problems before the service from Nissan, and they were the ones who recommended it. Therefore it something were to break would they cover it? I'm bringing it back in on Tuesday to get checked out, we'll see what happens I guess.

Even if the vehicle is out of it's manufacturer's warranty, the repair facility "warrants" that the service/ repair is performed competently and that it does not create a defect or make an existing condition worse.

I personally own an oil lube shop and have performed thousands of transmission flushes over the past 4 years, so I have a lot of experience when it comes to this. We actually have ALL customers who haven't had the flush done in the last 60K sign a waiver releasing us from liability of damage and this is the reason why: If you don't keep up on the maintenance, performing a flush can actually expose a problem that was existing but you didnt know you had. In other words, you can have a problem with your tranny that is not noticable, but after a flush which removes and cleans all contaminants that was holding the tranny together, you now notice the problem. As long as the level is correct, there is nothing that the flush caused, just exposed the problem you had. It is a very touchy subject and thankfully have only had to deal with a few times in the 4 years of business. Not trying to defend the dealership because I personally think a lot, not all, are not looking out for our best interest. Just giving a view from a business owner. Hope this helps.

I understand how crucial getting transmission flushes are for the longevity of a car, but will there be noticiable improvements to driving after the flush?

I've never driven a manual immediately after a flush had been done :dunno:

^^^if you are getting them done semi regularly then no, won't make a difference, maybe it will make it a little bit smoother and less notchy, but i really didn't notice any difference.

+1 I hate to have to say it....but flushing our transmissions can be a recipe for disaster with all the electronic sophistication involved. A regular drain and refill is fine, but that's where it should end. With higer miles on transmissions, the varnish is actually what keeps the clutches from slipping. Once it is flushed out, all hell breaks loose. I'd go back to the shop and make a stink, just in case you have serious issues down the road.

I got a flush, the dealer I went to has a machine, that they hook up to the return line and put another one where they fill and let the cars pump cycle out the fluid.

Newb question: what's the difference between a drain and refill vs. a flush? What would be recommended for a 2003 83k G35?

From what I understand, a drain and refill is when about 4-5 quarts out of the total 11 quarts of the tranny fluid is drained out, and 4-5 fresh quarts of new tranny fluid are put in. A flush is when all the fluid is removed (all 11 quarts) and new fluid is added. Most people will tell you that you'll never need a flush, that it's over kill, and that a drain and refill every 30k should be fine.

So what do you feel my options are? I'm taking it back on tomorrow to see what they can do, but the only reason I got it is because they kept strongly recommending it a numerous amount of times after I took it in for Oil Changes/Service Checkup's so in my fairness they kind of pushed it on me. Are the liable to fix this now? Or will I be **** out of luck?

Again have them look at the fill level. At our shop we perform hundreds of tranny flushes with out any issues. I also have a 03 Lincoln ls and have it flushed every 60k which is what the manufacture recommends. I now have 146k on it and all works fine. Are rule of thumb is if you have less then 100k and no issues then a flush 99% time will not create issues. On the g35 book tells me to change trans fluid every 30k. Good luck lets us know what they tell you or find out.

Does change mean a drain and refill or a flush? Jw, gonna bring the car in for service soon.