Hi Scotty - I have a 2016 Fiat 500l with about 41K miles. (I know-I know) I have noticed when on an incline it will clunk shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. It is an automatic. So I took it in, they ran a diagnostic & came out fine. I said it seems like it may be low on tran fluid. He said this car never needs tran fluid or even a filter change??? New to me. Is this possible? I had a ‘67 Camaro that did the same thing & I just added tran fluid. So just wondering what to expect when I pick her up tomorrow. I truly appreciate any insight. Absolutely love your channel. I’ve learned so much watching - thank you!
Thank you! Well dealership tech just called & now they are saying that it is the shocks & mounts. I am sorry but I have zero knowledge in this area.
Stay away from the dealer and find a good independent mechanic in your area. Dealers are notorious for ripping people off. (Stay away from chain shops like Pep Boys, Midas, Firestone, etc. as well.)
He said this car never needs tran fluid or even a filter change???
Nonsense. Whoever told you that doesn't know what he's talking about.
Is this possible?
No. There is no such thing as "lifetime" transmission fluid or a "sealed" transmission.
You need to take that thing to a competent transmission shop that can properly analyze its operation with a professional-grade scan tool.
Thanks! Unfortunately this was @ a Fiat Dealership - does this sound like a low transmission fluid situation?
Thank you! Well dealership tech just called & now they are saying that it is the shocks & mounts. I am sorry but I have zero knowledge in this area. But would my fiat clunk between 1 & 2nd gear only on inclines due to shocks & mounts? I haven't received the quote yet for fixing this, but they say they have duplicated the sound & this is their summation. If anyone could advise I would be forever grateful. Again my car only has 41K miles. Thank you-thank you!
btw - at a cost of $1640.68 😳
....but wait there's more; 'engine mounts are compressed & have poor dampening upon acceleration.'(per tech report) this will add an additional $1403.95. Sooooooo I'm looking at over $3K to 'fix'
@cyndebo - As I said in another response here, get the car away from the dealer and find a good mechanic who can honestly evaluate what's going on with that thing. Even if any of those items actually need to be done the dealer is always the most expensive option.
Thank you for all your help Chuck 😊 I'm hoping this is not critical to the operation of my car as this is a bit out of what I expected to spend. My fiat had a complete 'go over' less than 1yr ago w/no problems. They did run tech diagnostics with a plug in thingy & it came up clean. (yesterday) luckily I have AAA as a back up 😁
Unfortunately this was @ a Fiat Dealership - does this sound like a low transmission fluid situation?
All that Fiat cares about is that the transmission lasts through the warranty period, they don't care after that. You may have low transmission fluid but if so that means there's a leak somewhere, and the trans can be damaged by running with low fluid for any length of time.