ATF dipsticks & engine temp missing ?

What's the manufacturers reasons for doing away with ATF dipsticks & a growing number of vehicles with no engine temperature gauges ? 2 important things a vehicle owner should have in my opinion. What you say ?

Because dipsticks cost OE's money! :silly:

Personally, I think it's all down to cost savings. You could also say that they want owners to come back to the dealer for service? But procedure for checking fluid level on those transmissions is usually just a Google search away.

I have a bigger problem with the use of thermostats in some transmissions. It forces you to get the fluid burning hot to check the level. Anyone who's checked a Ford 6R80 knows what I'm talking about.

Not just transmission engine oil dipsticks no dipsticks on some Audi and Mercedes, then of course oil drain plugs are also vanishing.

Dashboard coolant temperature gauges have been a work of fiction for some time on a lot of car I work on the gauge stays firmly on "N" between 65 and 115c ---- and on modern BMWs 125c is not only a normal temp but the desired target temperature under Eco mode running conditions, on BMW the coolant tank pressure cap hase ben raised to a crazy 30psi/2 Bar.

Where fitted dash oil pressure gauges are an even bigger lie on many modern US models they show either Zero or "N" as they are operated by a simple NO pressure switch not a sensor transducer.

I agree Tyler about cost savings & you can YouTube it but average vehicle owner doesn't have a universal dipstick & scan tool to read trans fluid level & temp on the side of the road when a tranny cooler line springs a leak & you just need to get it somewhere without cooking tranny or when your cooling system springs a leak n you cook cylinder head because you reach 300 degrees before the steam is rolling out of your tailpipe before you know it! Average joe had a chance back in the day

At 115c even a tiny leak is fatal and a small leak won't even be visible as it will flash straight off into invisible steam, add the fact that modern FWD cars are very prone to air locks if the coolant level drops and you have expensive trouble. Often the first sign of any problem is the heater stops working or emits strange gurgling noises.

Matts Auto wrote: I agree Tyler about cost savings & you can YouTube it but average vehicle owner doesn't have a universal dipstick & scan tool to read trans fluid level & temp on the side of the road when a tranny cooler line springs a leak & you just need to get it somewhere without cooking tranny or when your cooling system springs a leak n you cook cylinder head because you reach 300 degrees before the steam is rolling out of your tailpipe before you know it! Average joe had a chance back in the day

Early auto transmissions were just about un-burstable the first just prior to WW2 they were put on the market then simply scaled up and put straight into various armored vehicles where they proved very reliable. But since the late 1970's with every new development reliability has went down the drain.

Sometimes for peace of mind you have to take action --- not pretty but less than £30/40$ from Amazon made by Autool works off OBD2 socket

Andy.MacFadyen wrote: Sometimes for peace of mind you have to take action --- not pretty but less than £30/40$ from Amazon made by Autool works off OBD2 socket

Nice