[wbarnier]

I just got home with my 2018 camaro1lt v6. I noticed on the highway that I was getting quite a bit of shuddering going on that felt like either engine missing or something in the drivetrain was vibrating through the car. Anyone else experience this in their v6? Its a 8 speed automatic. Could this be a transmission problem?

wbarnier

[S.Macias]

Need a transmission fluid flush

[arpad_m]

Take the car to a dealership and have them perform this technical service bulletin: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...63890-9999.pdf

[CalgaryZL1]

Also, for reference, what are the kilometers/miles? And does it happen to have service records?

[wbarnier]

The car has 48000 miles. The only service records show in car fax that he had the oil and filter changed at an independent auto repair shop. not at the dealer. Not much info to go by. What you guys are describing seems exactly what I am experiencing.Do you know if it is a very expensive procedure? I read the tech bulletin https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...63890-9999.pdf

wbarnier

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

Hope you get it sorted out quickly.

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by wbarnier

The car has 48000 miles. The only service records show in car fax that he had the oil and filter changed at an independent auto repair shop. not at the dealer. Not much info to go by. What you guys are describing seems exactly what I am experiencing.Do you know if it is a very expensive procedure? I read the tech bulletin https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...63890-9999.pdf

wbarnier

As a ballpark amateur guess, the new trans fluid itself costs $8 a quart, the bulletin calls for 20 quarts total, then the process takes about 1.5 hours of labor, so I'd say it should be between $300 and $400 total.

You want to get this done ASAP, and it may already be too late, because if the torque converter clutch is damaged, the shudder will return in the future. If you want to be sure that this is fixed, you'll need a new torque converter ($480-500 for the part) and a whole lot more in labor, because the trans needs to come out for the torque converter replacement.

Sucks, I know, but this is the unfortunate truth... you (or the previous owner if you just bought the car) didn't do the research and let the transmission go 48k miles on the bad original fluid. Yes, this is not something people should have to be doing, but GM will be GM, they certainly won't be proactive about fixing issues that aren't life or lawsuit threatening.

[STYLO LT1]

Torque converter.

[wbarnier]

I just bought this car from a local Ford dealer today. I wish I would have paid more attention to the way the transmission was working when I took it out for a test drive. It was a certified used car, it came with a 90 day 3000 mile warrenty. I willing to bet they wont cover this though. I guess I'll find out tomorrow when I call them about it. The dealer sales manager just moved over to this Ford dealer from a Chevrolet dealership where he worked for 8 years. He may be familiar with this problem from working at the Chevrolet dealrship. I'm not very hopeful about getting this paid for under my 90 day warrenty. Car dealerships are so difficult to get anything out of most times.
I'll let you guys know how it turns out. At least I now know what the problem is and sometimes that's half the battle. Thanks for all of your advice and help. What you have told me makes perfect sense.

wbarnier

[arpad_m]

Good luck, brother, hopefully they will honor the warranty, as this is clearly a preexisting issue. In fact, there is a pending class action against GM, so if push comes to shove, you can try the safety angle, too.

Even if they make you pay some money, though, I would get the work done if I were you, because this won't fix itself and if you don't, eventually the car will be almost undrivable and you'll hate it. No reason to let that happen to such an amazing vehicle.

[Speak99]

Car would be returned, payments cancelled. You dont need that thought hanging over your head every time you hear something weird from the car.

[L2SS455]

What does it say on the "certified used car, it came with a 90 day 3000 mile warranty." You need to be firm and make em' own up to it and stand by it. Don't be so quick to give in. You got nothing to loose. Also, in the future for the Love of God and Car. Never ever by a used car without spending ($150-$200) of your own money and have a quality shop inspect the vehicle prior and get a written report. I've taken a Cert Mercedes-Benz used vehicle that I was considering buying and after that report and showed them (No Deal). Good Luck!

[wbarnier]

The Ford dealer stood by the fact that this was an existing problem before I purchased the car. So they took the car to one of their sister Chevy dealers and had the flush done at the Ford dealers expense. Thank God I didn't have to pay a cent for the flush. Everything is working well now. Thanks to all for their advice on this forum. By the way I noticed that the dash showed a 4cyl. then a 6cyl. symbol on the dash. Is this like the v-8s with the cylinder deactivation? Is this going to be another thing I have to worry about going down the road?


wbarnier

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by wbarnier

The Ford dealer stood by the fact that this was an existing problem before I purchased the car. So they took the car to one of their sister Chevy dealers and had the flush done at the Ford dealers expense. Thank God I didn't have to pay a cent for the flush. Everything is working well now. Thanks to all for their advice on this forum. By the way I noticed that the dash showed a 4cyl. then a 6cyl. symbol on the dash. Is this like the v-8s with the cylinder deactivation? Is this going to be another thing I have to worry about going down the road?


wbarnier

Great news

Yes, the V6 label changing to V4 and back is an indication of AFM aka cylinder deactivation working as designed.

While this feature helps a bit with fuel economy (1-1.5 mpg in my past experience), it isn't good for the engine or your lower spec variant (8L45) of the A8 transmission specifically, so I'd consider disabling it if I were you. The V6 has great fuel economy already anyway.

Of the various solutions you can try, the easiest and most warranty friendly is an OBD-II device that you can plug in and unplug as necessary, and it will prevent the ECM from activating V4 mode as long as it's plugged in: https://www.rangetechnology.com/prod...-dfm_disabler/