RAM

Thank you for all of the info. I don't have time or desire to change the fluid at home. That's why I was wondering about the cost, but I guess you guys all do your own! Around here they seem to get around $250 - $300 for a flush (not just a dump and refill). Yes the ford guy told my which servo and he also said with the history of it malfunctioning for so long a complete rebuild would cost almost as much as a new trans without the unlimited mile warranty I could have gon the cheap route and it may have been fine but I hate getting stuck and needing a tow, so I did the new trans. Got it back yesterday it's like new again! I'm happy!! I have to say that this is the first car I've ever had that needed a transmission before it needed front brake pads! The front pads still have over 50%, another indication I don't drive it hard!

What are you guys paying for a trans flush? Or are you just dumping the fluid in the pan and not doing a thorough flush?

Ford's warranty is 3 years vs 1. And unlimited miles vs 18,000. Fluid level was full, never had a leak or even seepage. The fluid was a little dark. I drove it into Ford after it popped a trans failure/service now code. the code was for a solenoid failure.

Yes

I have followed the standard maint. schedule, not the severe. My cars typically last quite well using standard maintenance schedules. My last Toyota Matrix went 190,xxx miles and I sold it to a friend who is still driving it with 240,+++ miles last I heard. My Honda element currently is over 160,xxx mi and if I replace it soon it will be because the Connect fits my usage better. I can't say that my employee that drives the Element is as nice to it as I am with the Connect but it is still in great shape and the engine runs very clean also. My MPG on this van varies from 24 - 31ish MPG depending on city vs freeway(usually it's a mix) and whether I'm on the gas pedal or the cruise control is. I always get better MPG's than the cruise control which seems to max out at 27-28 or so at 65mph freeway cruising. Based on these MPG's I think you can assume I do not drive it HARD! My cars, this one included, typically start in the morning and will not cool down until parked for the night so they don't have a chance for moisture to stay in the engine building sludge. The oil is checked often and is always still honey colored when it gets changed, only a little darker than it was when new so the engine is running very clean. As for the transmission, the code it's putting out is a solenoid failure, who knows what else is wrong inside. I assume this failure was an anomaly and that a reasonably well-treated Connect should last a fairly long time. So I've decided to have ford put in a new trans. I may add an aux trans cooler also! Thanks for the replies, It's helpful to hear differing opinions and ideas.

I am curious how many miles people get on their Connect before it needs engine, transmission or other major work? The reason I'm asking is I have a 2018 with 66,xxx miles and the transmission has died. I drive a lot, 22 months and 66,000 + miles. The tranny started real minor acting up about 55,000 but started getting worse at just over 62,4xx miles. I didn't realize the powertrain warranty was 60,000 mi. I thought it was out of warranty at 36,000 so I never thought I should take it to a dealer for something extremely minor before the 60K mark. So I'm screwed warranty wise. My options are: • AAMCO (All Automatics Must Come Out) Re-man trans. $3,500 to $4,500 - 18,000 mile warranty (six month warranty with my annual mileage). • Ford New Transmission $7,000 - 3 year, unlimited mile warranty. I really like this car , it fits my usage perfectly, and I'm thinking about adding another to the company fleet, replacing a Honda Element. But I don't know if I should cheap out on the tranny then sell the car in the next year or so if these cars don't last very long. But if people typically get 150K mi or more out of these without major repairs then it would probably be worth it to me to go with a new ford tranny and drive it for 3 or so more years. Thanks in advance for your opinions.