There have been several threads on this. Ram says you don’t need to change the tranny fluid. But the tranny manufacturer (I don’t have the in front of me) says to replace the fluids every 100K. I also have a 2017 Ram. I decided to replace the fluids, which I did at about 105k. I did it for my piece of mind. (Would Ram replace my tranny if something happens that resulted from degraded tranny fluid?) I now have 125k miles and have had no tranny issues.

 

What was your cost to change the transmission fluid? i have been considering changing mine...i have 54,000 miles on my 2017 ram 1500 truck. Or wait for 100,000 miles...i haven't pulled a horse trailer in 2 years now, have not pulled anything for 2 years or more, thanks for some input, Doug Reeves

 

I have almost 200,000 miles on my 2017 and have not changed the fluid. Still running fine with no problems.

 

I change mine every 30,000mi.

 

I just changed the fluid in my 2017. No issues. This same question is asked in every car forum. Stop believing the lies. Change it at 100,000. Or more often if you so choose. Also, I paid $800 not $1200

 

When they wrongfully said mine needed changing, the price quoted was $800. Seems more reasonable than $1200.

 

2014 Big Horn ZF 8spd with 140,00 miles... I regularly pull either a 2000# boat OR a 4500# trailer mostly highway miles. I decided that at 53,000 miles I wanted to change my trans fluid despite what the mfg said... I took it to a trusted mechanic and asked two things... replace the trans pan getting rid of the plastic pan it came with and use Valvoline equivalent fluid. We measured 6+ qts that came out and put equivalent back in having to pump the fluid in through the drain plug. That was in January 2018.

Last year I drained just a bit of fluid and looked at it and sniffed it and it still looked new. At 145K miles I plan on draining and refilling again. I believe the aluminum pan helps a bunch with keeping fluid cool. I have never had a shifting issue.

Attached images show what I used.

 

Assuming you have the ZF 8spd tranny. Many different manufacturers use the ZF transmission in slightly different configurations. If you plan to keep and drive the truck as long as you can, you should maintain it no matter what the Ram book says. ZF recommends changing the fluid every 60,000 miles and in no situation more than 90,000. Personally, I plan to keep and drive my truck as long as I can make it last, so I have changed the fluid along with the pan and integrated filter once so far and plan to continue to do it every 60,000 miles. I did it myself in the driveway for under $300 in fluid (Ram or ZF) and parts (correct ZF deep pan). It is a bit of a process to do it yourself.

 

The only time that I had the trans fluid replaced, is when I have been towing heavy loads. When I had it done, I let the dealership do it.

 

I have a 2019 and had my tranny oil changed at 92K. I noticed the shifting is smoother. I asked the shop to check the oil and they said it was dirty.

I also bought an aluminum pan from PPE power: 2013-2025 RAM/Dodge/Jeep/BMW ZF 8-Speed Heavy-Duty Cast Aluminum Transmission Pan – Deep

What a nice pan! It has a drain plug and the filter is $40 to replace and it holds an extra quart of tranny fluid and has cooling fins. It was cheaper than the $400 from the stealership.

Hope this helps.

 

It's according to the transmission fluid. My service manager said mine needed changing at approximately 70,000 miles. I disagreed, and he double checked and said I was correct. It did not need changing because of the fluid in it. The pan has to be removed to change it.

2019 Longhorn Hemi