Ford Mondeo Auto Gearbox Servicing

If you do a lot of towing then could be worth a fluid change. Why not take to a good indipendant garage and get them to do as probably half the price.

£195 vs the cost of a new gearbox?

No idea what flavour of auto it is, but I know that at least Merc & Vauxhall used to consider their slush box auto as 'sealed for life' but they now suggest an ATF change (Merc at 37000 miles)

Parkers suggest it will be a "Powershift" auto, so not a "proper" TC auto.....

https://www.parkers.co.uk/ford/mondeo/

A quick look on the forums seem to find owners being told they need an oil change at anything from three to five years at costs up to £300. I couldn't see anything definitive from Ford either, obviously a bit cagey.....!

Although the OP doesn't say what actual mileage his has done, it looks like it's 3 years old & towing so probably due a fluid change.....

The price looks fair compared to quotes on the forums.......

Hi use to be 3 years or 36000 miles mondeo Has changed to 2years or 18000 miles service gearbox oil now changed 4 years or 36000 miles about £200 for gearbox oil and filter a lot cheaper than new gear box if you use ford dealer will use right oil peace of mind

The ford auto box is very reliant on the fluid being intact. I breaks down with use and can lead to failure of the box if in poor condition. I have no issue with this, it works hard and its a good gearbox. Change the fluid and it will last the lifetime of the car.

The thing that really annoyed me is that it is not in the service schedule. It is not accounted for when getting a major service quote and is not included in the quote for full service. You will be told it is recommended at about £300 and if you chose not to accept the recommendation then the warranty is void for the powertrain. 

I suspect that this is due to the service cost figures for the vehicle being artificially low due to them not showing this in the service plan.

In fairness they didn't realise the fluid would not last as long as expected in real world driving, but it still is a bit of a low ball adding £300 to a service.

Hi fords only give 3 years warranty on car or 10000 miles which ever comes first

We have 2011 S-Max 163 Powershift and it requires an oil change every 3 years (with filter) at about £200.

The oil is very expensive and there is a strict changing procedure (because there are 2 compartments, actuators and gears) so it is important that the Ford procedure is followed.

Despite this, the box (we feel) is excellent and deserves a regular change to ensure that we get the best life out of it.

We have found that different dealers charge different prices so it pays to shop around.

Unsure if normal garages understand what is required.

It could be a DIY job but as all wheels need to be off the ground to give access and keep the car level then it is potentially difficult.

Thanks for all your replies and comments. It seems the service should be done but what still puzzles me is why there is no reference to the requirement anywhere in the car's handbook or service portfolio. DougS, is there anything in the S-Max handbook about the need for it? The car is 3½ years old and has done 38,000 but with only 4,400 miles towing so hasn't been overworked. The only comment I would make about the box itself is that when going from forward to reverse there is sometimes a bit of a lag before starting to move. Otherwise I'm very pleased with it. As Mitsi F says, £195.00 is a lot cheaper than a new box so I'll book it in on Monday.

I had the SMax, and no there was nothing in the book about changing the fluid. I used the Ford extended warranty that was given as long as the vehicle was serviced by a Ford garage. You could only have the extended warranty only if you paid for the fluid change.

There are thousands of posts about this on the web, it is to do with the very clever chemistry of the oil, a bit too clever, very expensive and not a durable as Ford would like. This box was designed as sealed for life.

Apart form that no issues, it towed well and is a bit smoother than the VW DSG variant in both take-up and shifting.