I agree with you on the fluid needing to be changed even though Chevy doesn't say when. I plan to change mine around 30k to 50k range myself. Weber Auto did a teat down of the motor and in it he talked about how to drain and refill the motor. I would also say getting a service manual wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

I agree with you on the fluid needing to be changed even though Chevy doesn't say when. I plan to change mine around 30k to 50k range myself. Weber Auto did a teat down of the motor and in it he talked about how to drain and refill the motor. I would also say getting a service manual wouldn't be a bad idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APhRPSdmdmk

"teat down" ?


<snicker>

 

I think you are worrying to much. First the transmission in the Bolt is nothing like an ICE transmission. There are far fewer moving parts, far fewer moving interfaces, far less heat and far fewer ways for contaminants to get in. Transmission fluid typically doesn't need to be changed because the fluid itself is bad, its mainly from all the contaminants. Metal particles/pieces from the changing of gears and rubbing of clutches and moisture getting in causing the fluid to be less effective.

I saw on a Volt forum someone sent a sample of their transmission fluid in at 120,000 miles and the tests showed everything was just fine, no evidence of moisture and very low metallic particle content.

 

The 2018 Chevy Bolt EV Owner Manual has no maintenance schedule event for the transmission fluid change:
https://my.chevrolet.com/content/da...na/dynamic/manuals/2018/Chevrolet/Bolt/2018-chevrolet-bolt-ev-owners-manual.pdf

See page 324 for the schedule and see page 327 for the electric motor drive. As indicated, your dealer knows when to change the fluid according to driven miles and vehicle age. It will probably be after ten years or over 200K miles. The filter will catch most of the metallic particles.

No other vehicle in production has lesser maintenance!

 

I would trust the engineers who produced the car and follow the maintenance schedule. That saying, I haven't brought my Bolt to the dealership since my second free service. I monitor my fluid levels, change my cabin air filter as scheduled since I live in an area that has bad air quality, and Les Schwab rotates my tires for free. For high mileage drivers the Bolt saves you so much time. Changing oil every 3000 to 5000 miles was a PITA!

 

Thank you for the input and video.

 

I agree! Lifetime fill is total crap. I plan to change mine at 35K miles.

 

I agree. Been resisting posting the video showing the "lifetime" transmission fluid, or at least their change it at 150,000 mile, transmission fluid. We still have heat, though not the heat of an ICE vehicle, in these motors and also have gear shearing occuring. I could also show what happened on the BMW R1200 series "lifetime" final drive fluid. Let's just say, it was expensive. Now, it's possible the fluid might last well beyond your owning of the vehicle, but then again it is cheap insurance to just change it. If you would rather not, just get a sample and send it out for analysis which can also tell you if it's time to change.

Oil and grease are cheaper than steal and iron.

 

This is definitely a case of maintenance deprivation. There is just not much to do on this car - which is a godsend for most of us. Others found a sense of security when we took our ICE cars in for a "tune-up" or fluid changes, feeling like we were doing something meaningful to our vehicle. Personally, I like to watch internet videos of all the problems engines and transmissions that ICE cars have. If I get that "itch" to do some maintenance on our Bolts, I wax them. They sure shine nice when polished up....

 

The Bolt EV transmission fluid is a lubricant and a coolant, so it can degrade with mileage, not much with age, so it is not a true "lifetime" fluid, but that depends what GM defines as "lifetime". I believe that it is over ten years, and maybe as long as twenty years.

My 2009 Chevy Equinox has an Aisin AF33 transaxle, and after ten years it still holds the original factory lubricant. The transmission fluid change isn't in its maintenance schedule and it is also described as "lifetime". It gets hot due to its proximity with the gasoline engine and its clutch usage, but its fluid is cooled with a heat exchanger (radiator) inside the engine coolant radiator, so it is working as designed.

As discodanman45 posted above, I trust the GM engineers, and changing the fluid ahead of its schedule is only a waste of time and money. If you do it because you wish to, it is your loss.

 

Only problem is GM hasn't listed an interval. Essentially saying it's lifetime. I know of no lubricant that is truly "lifetime".

 

It's fascinating how some members of this forum are so desperate to find things to make life with their Bolts more complicated.

Show me one Bolt, just one, that has had a problem that would have been solved by changing the transmission fluid!

 

That may be true, but we should all be changing the transmission fluid every 3,000 miles, just to be on the safe side, and also, always keep your Bolt charged to between 65-70 percent.

That somewhat reduces the range to just over 11 miles, but you can’t be too careful.

 

Nobody is twisting anyone's arm. It's your car and you can do or not do whatever you like.
I certainly know what I'll be doing. You can believe whatever you like. Posting childish drivel
is also your choice. It just shows how closed off some people can be. How far they can bury
their heads in the sand. That's also your choice.

Common sense isn't common. Lifetime fluids are..........LOL! YMMV! I own my Bolt.

I've seen this lifetime fluid marketing BS first hand. I've also seen the damage it can do.

Happy Motoring

 

I believe in evidence based automotive maintenance, please share your evidence for the necessity of performing transmission fluid changes on the Bolt at the mileage interval you’ve determined is appropriate.

I’m willing to concede that no automotive fluid is “lifetime”, but absent any documentation of fluid contamination or breakdown at a given mileage, any recommended fluid change interval is simply a wild guess, whether it’s every 10, 50, 100, or 500k miles.

If changing the transmission fluid at, say, 25k miles is prudent, why is that better than 50k or 100k, or worse than 10k?

Childish minds want to know.

 

Two different videos and yes, these are Fords. Other makes have the same deal. You do you though. Myself, the fluid isn't expensive and/or hard to change. I consider it cheap insurance.

 

Let the posters change the fluid as they wish. It is their loss. My 50 years of ownership and maintenance experiences (a 1967 Old Cutlass Supreme was my first) has proven me that GM transmissions are the best in the world (Prof. Kelley has proven that). I have NEVER seen or read of any GM vehicle with a bad transmission. My previous GM vehicles all lasted twenty years or more, and two had one transmission fluid change during my ownership, which I did it myself. The 1995 Buick Regal, which had one change, is still running under a new ownership.

I saved hundreds of dollars and I expect to keep saving with my 2009 Chevy Equinox. In its ten years it had just one engine oil change every year (with Mobil 1 synthetic), and in February 2019 it had is first and only engine coolant change by the GM dealer. Nothing else has been needed, and has no fluid leaks.

GM still builds the best and longest lasting vehicles!

 

I'm hoping there will still be engineers old enough to remember this by the time it becomes necessary to change the fluid! LOL

 

This thread got me curious to look up the warranty for the transmission.
I did some digging up and found this under powertrain:

Taken directly from the warranty manual (Canadian models):

Powertrain Component Warranty Coverage 5 years/100,000km
Chevrolet Volt,Bolt EV, Malibu Hybrid Warranty 8 years/160,000km

Transmission/Transaxle Coverage
includes: All internally lubricated
parts, case, torque converter,
mounts, seals, and gaskets as well
as any electrical components
internal to the transmission/
transaxle. Also covered are any
actuators directly connected to the
transmission (slave cylinder, etc.).

Exclusions: Excluded from the
powertrain coverage are
transmission cooling lines, hoses,
radiator, sensors, wiring, and
electrical connectors. Also excluded
are the clutch and pressure plate as
well as any Transmission Control
Module and/or module
programming.

Transfer Case Coverage includes:
All internally lubricated parts, case,
mounts, seals, and gaskets as well
as any electrical components
internal to the transfer case. Also
covered are any actuators directly
connected to the transfer case as
well as encoder motor.

Exclusions: Excluded from the
powertrain coverage are transfer
case cooling lines, hoses, radiator,
sensors, wiring, and electrical
connectors as well as the transfer
case control module and/or module
programming

The only info regarding bearings that are not covered are wheel bearings. Those do not fall under power train warranty. It's weird because I also owned Nissan and Infiniti cars and they include wheel bearings as part of the power train warranty yet GM does not. To me it's not the usual wear and tear item like brake pads, brake rotors, and clutch.

This is as stated in the manual:

Drive Systems Coverage
includes: All internally lubricated
parts, final drive housings, axle
shafts and bearings, constant
velocity joints, propeller shafts and
universal joints. All mounts,
supports, seals, and gaskets as well
as any electrical components
internal to the drive axle. Also
covered are any actuators directly
connected to the drive axle (e.g.,
front differential actuator).

Exclusions: Excluded from the
powertrain coverage are all wheel
bearings, drive wheel front and rear
hub bearings, locking hubs, drive
system cooling, lines, hoses,
radiator, sensors, wiring, and
electrical connectors related to drive
systems as well as any drive system
control module and/or module
programming.

Cheers!

 

Yep! It's all covered. I never want to have an issue and feel changing it after break-in is a beneficial service. At least the one time service will make my long term ownership feel less worrisome.

Lifetime fluids just make no sense to me. A fluid change is a very minimal maintenance item.
When I do this, I'll post an image of the material that comes out and into the drain pan.
I've seen it before. I've done it before. My final drive was full of metal to the point of turning silver.
I can't find the pictures so you can see for yourself. We shall see what the Bolt looks like

I plan to run mine past the warranty, so why not take care if it. If you don't care about it
after the warranty period, that great for you. I have long term plans for this car. YMMV!

 

And I can agree with you on this. Lifetime, never have to change, fluid just doesn't really exist in this application. Extended change interval though does make sense. We don't have the combustion byproducts or heat contaminating the fluid. We do have bearings and a few gears causing shear. So while we don't have to change it like an ICE vehicle, we do need to change it. I figure a fluid change at 35,000 to 50,000 miles or somewhere in there just makes sense.

 

I am somewhat interested in the topic and want to ask the contributors some questions for consistency.


If I pick some of the mileage figures given for transmission fluid change in a 'lubed-for-life' system, say 60,000 miles, there seems to be the belief that after so many cycles or time there will be a degradation of the fluid that can be mitigated by changing it.


So, at 60,000 miles and at 815 revolutions to the mile for the stock tires, the output gear of the transmission has rotated 48.9 million revolutions.

• Why are there no comments or desires to change the wheel bearing hubs? After all, these also have seen 48.9 million revolutions, plus radial impact loads from potholes and curbs. These are also lubed for life. Why not change these?
• On the other side of the output shaft, the motor turns 7.05 times as much on sealed bearings not in an oil bath. That's 344.7 million revolutions. Why aren't members of the forum replacing the motor bearings to achieve a long service life?

Some other questions for consistency

• The Bolt EV is designed for efficiency. High-efficiency EV transmissions use in-line helical gears to achieve 95-98% transmission efficiencies. This means special metal treatments and polished, matching gear surfaces. It also means reducing the number of pairs of gears. Why would you expect to see metal shavings in the fluid? Why compare these transmissions to motorcycle transmissions?
• The Bolt EV uses a continuous circulating transmission fluid pump driving the fluid through a non-serviceable filter (Weber Auto). Wouldn't the filter permanently trap any debris? What do you expect to see?

A question for implementation.

• The Bolt EV transmission specifies Dexron HP as the transmission fluid. Dexron HP contains oxygen and water scavengers. It is filled under clean, controlled conditions. After a short period in a sealed case, the fluid is essentially working in a hermetically sealed, dry nitrogen atmosphere. Can you complete a driveway drain and fill, with the associated fill protocol, without contamination?

 

I want to open by clarifying a piece of terminology. "Lifetime" anything refers to the service life, which typically aligns with the Warranty period. I personally prefer my equipment to last well beyond the warranty period. In some cases this is done in good faith, other times, less so. Prime example is in Zero Turn mowers. Lower end residential mowers have sealed "Lifetime" hydrostatic transmissions. In many cases the housings for the transmissions have spots marked for drain/fill points for fluid, but those are only drilled/tapped on higher end models. Same guts, just paying a premium for being able to service it as it extends life and allows it to survive under a harsher workload.

Now I'll address a couple of your questions:

• Why are there no comments or desires to change the wheel bearing hubs? After all, these also have seen 48.9 million revolutions, plus radial impact loads from potholes and curbs. These are also lubed for life. Why not change these?
  • These aren't change preemptively because wheel bearings don't suffer catastrophic failures that cost a fortune to fix. (as long as you're monitoring them at least). Start hearing excess noise and notice some play? change the bearing as needed. Cost/Benefit of pre-emptive changing doesn't exist.
• On the other side of the output shaft, the motor turns 7.05 times as much on sealed bearings not in an oil bath. That's 344.7 million revolutions. Why aren't members of the forum replacing the motor bearings to achieve a long service life?
  • Again, cost benefit analysis. Time, Labor, and special tools required to tear down to that level put it on a very different field vs. a fluid swap. Here's a good video walking through at least a partial teardown of the Bolt EV traction motor.

All that said, looking at the design of the motor and the fluids used. IF I bother with this at all, it'll be at either 100 or 150k miles. Then it'll depend a lot on how the rest of the car is holding up. If lots of things are falling apart at that point, then obviously it's not worth it investing time and effort into preventive maintenance that likely won't provide any benefit unless going well over 200,000 miles.

 

Gear oil change



This is a great question. I've called my dealer, I've called another dealer, And I've contacted Chevrolet customer care with this question. Not one person at the company knows the answer to this question. I've requested they escalate the concern up, and Chevy will not do this. I truly believe that if they get enough kick back from their customers, they will finally amend the Owners manual to depict when this oil needs to be changed. No Oil lasts forever, and it does need to be changed at some point and Chevy is fighting so hard to not disclose this info.

 

I'm of the opinion the Bolt's transmission is similar to a rear wheel drive rear differential, which 90% (I'm not looking up the actual number but its definitely the majority) of them out there go the life of the vehicle without service or failure. Hundreds of thousands of miles. Unless you find a way to severely overheat the fluid, or a seal fails and it starts leaking out, its going to last decades.

I just checked the service manual for my '69 Firebird, it states on page 4B-3, "No periodic lubricant change is recommended." So this is not a new thing on maintenance. Only reason engine oil is changed is because the combustion gases getting by the rings contaminating and degrading the oil.

That being said. I can see me replacing the fluid around 8-10 years just because.

 

Yeah I'm going to side with the crapola. I have another older vehicle that made that claim. With this ones longer history than the Bolts, its well known to be BS. Metal gears meshing together eventually degrades a lubricant, no matter the temperature or contaminants. It probably lasts a lot longer.. but not forever. My educated seat of the pants guesstomater agrees with cataract's mile recommendation.

 

It probably lasts a lot longer.. but not forever..

Yeah, I'll be casually watching this thread.
I mean obviously as mentioned, Lifetime != forever.
But how long will it last? I own my Bolt and put about 25k on it per year.
I expect to go well over 100k while I own this car.
I don't expect to have it till 200k.
Hoping that if it does look like it needs it, we'll know.
I think NewsColoumb is near 100k on his Bolt. Maybe we'll see a vid from him on it!

 

I think "lifetime" = 150k/8yr in vehicle maker parlance. To them, that is any given vehicle's lifespan.



If your opinion on lifespan differs from the the vehicle makers' defination, take the appropriate action.

 

Instead of engaging in endless debate about the transmission oil, why doesn't someone just do it and report on the procedure, how hard it is to do, and what the fluid looked like. Jeeez

 

I'm trolling this forum looking for the same thing. however hard to identify the drain bolt and refill bolt. I bought mine with 125k mi. I'm at 130k mi. getting worried a bit.

 

Oh come on, a lube thread... how can we resist! We just slippy slide right on in here and start posting.

 

My 2019’s drivetrain is noisier than my 2017 (especially at lower RPMs) so I’m going to ask the dealer to drain the transmission fluid to see if there are metal shavings and/or another indication of premature wear. It will be done around 1000 miles so maybe there will be something interesting to share back with this thread. Stay tuned.

 

P.S. The service manual states that after the initial drain/fill, a scan tool must be used to command the transmission fluid pump to speed to ON for 1 minute for circulation. I’m assuming no one here has access to that, nor do I know if there are other ways to power on the pump (or even if that’s necessary). Just something for you DIYers to think about.

 

Hi y’all - I realize most of us are distracted with the recall, but has anyone performed this procedure yet? Just curious what the process is like.