[Giri]

I had the first flush done around 55k (mid 2018) if I remember correctly. The shudder went away for a few months and then came back.

It’s back worse than before and I’ve probably driven a full year between then and now with the car shuddering. I’ve gotten pretty good at avoiding it with my foot on the gas but obv I want to fix this problem before it gets worse. My aftermarket warranty also expires in 25k miles.

[JCunningham]

take it back they will do the flush 3 times then replace the torque converter. you reported the problem befor the warranty was up. it should be covered.

[Giri]

Originally Posted by JCunningham

take it back they will do the flush 3 times then replace the torque converter. you reported the problem befor the warranty was up. it should be covered.

I called two dealers in addition to the one I bought the car from and had all of its service done at. All of the dealerships say they'll apply for the "GM Cost Assistance Program" and GM will come back with a percentage they'll cover. Sometimes 20%, sometimes 50%, often 0%. That's what they told me.

It really seems like I'd have to fight for them to even cover the fluid flush which I find to be ridiculous. Worst case scenario I come out of this having paid hundreds of dollars of cash for a fluid flush that may not even fix the problem.

I really don't want to be paying to replace the transmission in a few years! This is my first car and I've paid so much for it emotionally and financially. I really want to see and own this car even past getting something newer and better.

My extended warranty is offering to pay for me to get an aftermarket torque converter if it'll fix the issue. They will cover everything except for taxes, fluids, and shop supplies. I've already a local Florida place that claims their upgraded torque converter fixes the A8 shudder. If I give them my car and they install it I might get away with paying less then $200 for this fix.

I'm trying to figure out a few things:
Is there even a chance that a new torque converter would even fix the A8 shudder.
If it fixes the problem is the aftermarket torque converter going to negatively affect my car in other ways?
If the upgraded torque converter is a good thing all around, how much of a performance increase can I expect?

[HCI2000SS]

18-NA-355 is the service bulliten that you want done. Is this the one you had done?

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by Giri

I called two dealers in addition to the one I bought the car from and had all of its service done at. All of the dealerships say they'll apply for the "GM Cost Assistance Program" and GM will come back with a percentage they'll cover. Sometimes 20%, sometimes 50%, often 0%. That's what they told me.

It really seems like I'd have to fight for them to even cover the fluid flush which I find to be ridiculous. Worst case scenario I come out of this having paid hundreds of dollars of cash for a fluid flush that may not even fix the problem.

I really don't want to be paying to replace the transmission in a few years! This is my first car and I've paid so much for it emotionally and financially. I really want to see and own this car even past getting something newer and better.

My extended warranty is offering to pay for me to get an aftermarket torque converter if it'll fix the issue. They will cover everything except for taxes, fluids, and shop supplies. I've already a local Florida place that claims their upgraded torque converter fixes the A8 shudder. If I give them my car and they install it I might get away with paying less then $200 for this fix.

I'm trying to figure out a few things:
Is there even a chance that a new torque converter would even fix the A8 shudder.
If it fixes the problem is the aftermarket torque converter going to negatively affect my car in other ways?
If the upgraded torque converter is a good thing all around, how much of a performance increase can I expect?

Giri, if your extended warranty covers an aftermarket torque converter, it would definitely also cover a standard GM one, doesn't it? I would simply get that one (part number is 24290214 as far as I can tell, it's a $350 unit), then have the dealer flush the trans with the 2019 fluid listed in 18-NA-355 (part number is 19417577, it takes 20 quarts at $5-6 a bottle), then after the relearn cycle everything should be good.

Once this is done, hopefully under warranty because the issue began while you were still under 60k miles, you will want to get the transmission tuned and finally enjoy its true potential.

The new fluid seems to have fixed the shudder for everyone who cared to post here, I'd say why go for an aftermarket converter unless you really want to. Someone with more experience will correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there is any appreciable power to be gained from a different torque converter.

[Giri]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

Giri, if your extended warranty covers an aftermarket torque converter, it would definitely also cover a standard GM one, doesn't it? I would simply get that one (part number is 24290214 as far as I can tell, it's a $350 unit), then have the dealer flush the trans with the 2019 fluid listed in 18-NA-355 (part number is 19417577, it takes 20 quarts at $5-6 a bottle), then after the relearn cycle everything should be good.

Once this is done, hopefully under warranty because the issue began while you were still under 60k miles, you will want to get the transmission tuned and finally enjoy its true potential.

The new fluid seems to have fixed the shudder for everyone who cared to post here, I'd say why go for an aftermarket converter unless you really want to. Someone with more experience will correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there is any appreciable power to be gained from a different torque converter.

You do have a point.

If there's a benefit to simply getting an OEM replacement torque converter instead of an aftermarket one I'm all for it. I just don't understand the difference and would like to know more on the benefits of either.

I will say my confidence isn't too high in OEM parts considering this happened in the first place.

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by Giri

You do have a point.

If there's a benefit to simply getting an OEM replacement torque converter instead of an aftermarket one I'm all for it. I just don't understand the difference and would like to know more on the benefits of either.

I will say my confidence isn't too high in OEM parts considering this happened in the first place.

That is totally understandable, given the pain you went through with the A8.

I'm not an expert, but it seems the actual issue is not with the latest GM torque converter, it's only a victim of the wrong fluid and programming, hence my idea of just getting the converter the trans was designed to work with, then having the trans tuned to avoid any issue in the future. A tune can also improve shift characteristics and speed.

The good aftermarket stuff like Circle D isn't exactly cheap, it goes for $1300 a piece and up. Maybe your extended warranty would cover that one, too, but I don't know about the tradeoffs in performance or drivability, if any.

[JCunningham]

dont know about the camaro tq but with the Silverados the new tq would be the another defective one. i say go with the aftermarket. If you can get the tq replaced id just do that with the mobil 1 LV ATF HP in it. the Fluid alone is going to cost $236. Thats the cheapest i could find it. you dont just want to replace the fluid. do a complete flush. 20qts.

[Giri]

I just saw this comment in another thread quoting Al Oppenheiser

We regret that we did experience a number of customer warranty cases in the 2016 Model Year. While the 2016 Model Year was a fairly short one, we did our best to rapidly collect enough data about the fluid to determine a solution. The initial findings showed an issue with the quality of the friction modifier in the fluid collected from customer cars. This is an additive to the transmission fluid to prevent a ‘shudder’ feeling during a torque converter clutch operation. If a car that is experiencing shudder is not serviced early, the torque converter clutch material could become burnished and may require a torque converter replacement. The dealer has a specific service procedure that they will follow to determine the required service for your vehicle. So, if you believe you are experiencing shudder, see your Chevy dealer right away, because the earlier you get it serviced, the better. Please keep in mind, not all 8-Speed Automatic Transmissions exhibit this issue.

Based off of this comment shouldn't I be needing a TQ replacement anyways since I've driven multiple months on a badly shuddering transmission?

[Giri]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

That is totally understandable, given the pain you went through with the A8.


The good aftermarket stuff like Circle D isn't exactly cheap, it goes for $1300 a piece and up. Maybe your extended warranty would cover that one, too, but I don't know about the tradeoffs in performance or drivability, if any.

That's more or less what I was expecting. I'm expecting final cost of $1,000-1,600 and I expect to pay $1-300 for tax and fluids.

[Giri]

Just in case I end up getting an aftermarket unit I want to put this comment down on the record. I'm at a 7.1 second 0-60 time. It actually got worse after the fluid flush - it almost feels like the "learnt" to be slow after the transmission was put in learning mode.

[JCunningham]

are you spinning for 3 seconds? somethings wrong there you should be around 4sec 0-60. my 86 Fiero 2.8L was 0-60 in 7 sec.

[Giri]

Originally Posted by JCunningham

are you spinning for 3 seconds? somethings wrong there you should be around 4sec 0-60. my 86 Fiero 2.8L was 0-60 in 7 sec.

When I first bought the car I had a 6.0-6.5 if I remember correctly. The only two changes I made since then were
1 - Got a new set of Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus Tires
2 - Got the fluid flush.

It's hard to pinpoint when it got worse since I've always complained about it, but one of those two things made it much worse.

[JCunningham]

o you have a V6. you have the 8l45 transmission. your 0-60 should be around 5sec.