Quote:
Originally Posted by JGard
a lot of manufacturers are doing this now and I'm not sure how I feel about it. My Lexus (that I'm about to trade in for an X5) says lifetime coolant and transmission fluid. My wife's Outback claims lifetime CVT fluid. I'm just not comfortable with any of that, although they are closed systems and in theory they shouldn't ever have any contaminants introduced. That said, seals break down and leak and things will eventually become problematic.
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It's not about "closed systems." It's whats in it that matter.
take an automatic transmission as an example. There are clutches, and clutch packs. material wears, and will get suspended in the fluid. This is why transmission fluid turns dark over time. This is why it should be replaced periodically.
Brake system are supposed to be closed too, but somehow, water gets in.
Coolant? Well it goes around an engine block, in our case turbos too. gaskets can fail, blocks can fail, etc; contaminating the supposedly closed system.
Manufacturers are looking at the bottom line, looking at sales history, forecasting car ownership, etc. If they can give you the perception of less maintenance, that would boost image, and potentially more sales. Knowing all the while they'll get you (or the next owner) on profitable service work in the future due to misleading maintenance schedules.