According to the Owner's Manual, the automatic transmission is a sealed unit that should need no service. There is no method provided for the owner to check the level, add, or change the fluid or filter.
And yet the fluids are sold. With the Manual transmission, which I get is different with the clutch being a wear part, it recommends changing fluid under some conditions.
Does it have a vent tube? I've never checked. It's not like it can be used to easily check the level or add fluid.
If you ask Scotty Kilmer (youtube car mechanic) he claims it doesn't matter if it's "lifetime" fluid it should still be changed every 40k miles or so. "Lifetime" just means the life of the transmission, aka end of the warranty. Not saying he's right about everything. He hates Jeeps but I enjoy watching him.
I had an older E-class Mercedes, and, while it had a fill/dipstick tube, it had no dipstick. It was another, "Lifetime," transmission, but everybody recommended changing fluid at 100k miles. The fluid still looked/smelled OK when I changed it.
It's considered life of the transmission but you can service it... it's just a lot more complicated than hitting a line on the dipstick.
FCA maintains it is a lifelong service. The German manufacturer recommends changing the trans oil with flush every 80,000 miles. It is entirely serviceable, the bottom pan must come off however. Kits also include a new pan with cooling fins in some cases.
My honda element had a Transmission fluid dipstick. I loved having it when all of a sudden one day I come to it after work and there's a giant puddle under it. Ended up being a combination of power steering fluid, break fluid, transmission fluid, and gear oil. I checked all the fluids I could, and the transmission fluid dipstick was DRY. I could see inside a bit, looked pretty dry/empty as well. Drove fine for the 5mi or so to the dealership.
He's been posting elsewhere. So I'm assuming he's alive. Someone want to tag him in another thread? Maybe he typed a response but didn't hit submit, so he thinks he's already answered the question. I've done that before.
