I’ve been busy researching the subject of ATF change as in the past I’ve had a problem with my MY10 gearbox. I find the topic very confusing indeed. The maintenance schedule says it’s to be done once every 240 000 Km.

I did a bit of sifting through the Russian Freelander 2 forum, as I heard they are quite a large market for LR. - It wasn't easy but I learned that it’s not uncommon for them to change ATF every 40 – 60 000Km.

Australian Volvo forums (they use a similar box) also advocate more frequent changes. Automatic transmission web pages written by “experts” often question the notion of fluid lasting that long and suggest a more frequent schedule too.

So, I am very interested in hearing your opinions on the matter, and also whether or not gearboxes get modified by the manufacturer from model-year to model-year ie is MY11 gearbox in anyway different from MY10? MY10 TD4 SE Auto

I agree with you, auto box oil should be changed & personally I would change every 30-50K
I wanted the oil changed on mine but the filter cannot be changed without gearbox removal & there is no proper draining , they just need a drain, refill, run, drain and refill & you cannot drain the whole system.

Seems crazy, old cars used to have a convertor drain & sump drain & a cooler pipe could be removed with ease & filters could be changed

My Pals volvo was a filled for life box that expired at 60K and the oil was burnt to a cinder ! so if it had been serviced may be it would of survived !

VW for the same boxes recommends 60.000 Kms. So this figure is about it.
And also is recommended a Haldex oil change at the same mileage.

Indeed, MY11 box is different then older ones. It also uses a different oil. And guess what: the mileage for changing oil on MY2011 and later, at least on Russian Federation, is 48.000 Km.

oldgeezer wrote:

I agree with you, auto box oil should be changed & personally I would change every 30-50K
I wanted the oil changed on mine but the filter cannot be changed without gearbox removal & there is no proper draining , they just need a drain, refill, run, drain and refill & you cannot drain the whole system.

Seems crazy, old cars used to have a convertor drain & sump drain & a cooler pipe could be removed with ease & filters could be changed

My Pals volvo was a filled for life box that expired at 60K and the oil was burnt to a cinder ! so if it had been serviced may be it would of survived !

alex_pescaru wrote:

VW for the same boxes recommends 60.000 Kms. So this figure is about it.
And also is recommended a Haldex oil change at the same mileage.

Indeed, MY11 box is different then older ones. It also uses a different oil. And guess what: the mileage for changing oil on MY2011 and later, at least on Russian Federation, is 48.000 Km.

I was talking about the car's MY... The box that equips MY11 car...

Has anybody actually changed the oil in their auto box yet? Mine has done 50k and still seems silky smooth to me.

OK, I did it. I changed the ATF.

Background; Three years ago I had new gearbox fitted under warranty. In three years my vehicle travelled 36,000km. I’m always very gentle on the car when driving as I don’t really want to go through the drama of getting another gearbox. The vehicle has only been off road once when I participated in the Land Rover Experience day. The Land Rover Experience day took place soon after the replacement (new) gearbox was fitted by the dealership.

I’ve been studying the subject of the ATF change in the Freelander 2 for some time now and of course read the procedure as described by ToPix and the Haynes manual. I’ve also worked my way through the mountains of posts on the subject on the Russian forum and considered the advice from the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association.

By all accounts on the Russian forum partial fluid change, which is what I was aiming for, was going to require between 3.5 to 3.9L of the ATF.

I decided to go with the genuine stuff. So I ordered 4L of the ATF, and relevant washer and seals, from the dealer. - Very expensive exercise that was.

I also purchased one of those ?ELM327 gizmos that would tell me the temperature of the ATF, so I could gauge the level correctly. Incidentally, I found that normal operating temperature range (transmission) for my car is between 79C and 83C. Even on a 40C day the car does a great job of keeping the temperature in that range.

Before letting the old ATF out I of course removed the filler plug first. It was very tight. To get it undone I had to remove the air filter box, clip on a couple of extensions on to the ratchet to raise the ratchet above the engine block, and add a pipe (it was that tight) on to the end of the ratchet. I’m guessing the dealer didn’t bother with the torque wrench when they filled the replacement gearbox with the ATF.

I had a look inside the filler plug and almost changed my mind about changing the ATF. The fluid looked a beautiful, clear red/pink colour. See pic bellow.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Great post and it seems like you did your homework.

However, as well as glowplug, turbo hose, rear diff whine, throttle motor, haldex paranoia etc etc Ive now got ATF paranoia - anybody else feeling this????

But, if it wasn't for this excellent forum, most of us wouldn't have a clue what was wrong or more importantly, how to fix the problems or make a great car even better with all the modifications.

On the plus side though, most of us hopefully will never have any of these problems but its very reassuring to know there's a wealth of knowledge and "how to's" on here.

Now, where did I put my measuring jug.........  MY2010 TD4 HSE Santorini Black, 19" Alloys, Almond Leather, Lux Pack, Rear Spoiler, Adaptive Xenons

It would have entered the whole quantity, if, at 60 degrees, with the engine running, you kept added oil until started to flow out at the oil level plug.
When the engine is running, a large quantity of oil will be circulating inside the box (just in the case of an engine) and you would need to add a lot more to start to flow out again through the level plug.

PS: The boxes come filled with the oil from factory, so the guy who changed the box don't even needed to unscrew the plugs. He just exchanged the boxes as sealed items. I have the feeling that the ordered oil is now on somebody else's car...

I have a 2012 HSE TD4 Auto 40 000 km (5 years warranty)

the dealer says they change the ATF at 200 000 km

If I insist to have it changed now, they will do it but It will void warranty ..

I’m actually considering doing a few more changes, until I can get the ATF to a more acceptable shade of red, and from then on doing on more regular basis.

I originally opted for the genuine ATF because I thought that perhaps Land Rover include some proprietary additives to their ATF that makes it more “stable” and therefore capable of lasting up to 240,000km. I don’t place too much weight on that idea anymore, after I’ve seen the colour of my ATF.

Where I live the Mobil ATF 3309 is 5 times (no exaggeration) cheaper than genuine. So, I thought that perhaps if I’m going to be doing this more often, maybe it’ll be a better idea to start using Mobil product….

Does anyone know if Mobil ATF 3309 is just as good as the genuine stuff, or is genuine still somehow better? I’m aware that it meets the specs but is there more to it, or am I reading too much into this price difference? MY10 TD4 SE Auto

Here, on Romania, a liter of 3309 is about 15 Australian dollars (in your currency).
At dealer is about 3-4 times that price.
I've changed the oil in another Aisin automatic box where they said that's filled for life.
Used Mobil 3309, not dealer's. Not a single problem. More of that, the box is changing smoother than before.

Thanks Alex. I've now ordered 3309. It's only available in 20L drums. Looking forward to it..... MY10 TD4 SE Auto

In my opinion, considering the price of a gearbox if something bad occurs and considering the few needed liters I won't take the risk of putting inside an oil different than the one recommended by LR ...