MG5 State of reduction drive oil…

[WigglePig]

Morning all,

Has anyone here changed their reduction drive oil and, if so, what sort of condition was it in vs mileage?

Thanks in advance.

Piggly.

 

[Gomev]

Is this something we need to do ? Wouldn't this be done as part of a service if necessary ?

 

[Alb]

It isn't a routine service procedure so your dealer won't do it unless you specifically request it.

 

[BugEyed]

It's a big issue with Nissan LEAF where likewise it's not a service item. Obviously different design/manufacturing processes etc, but it gets horrible after a few years or 20,000 miles. A replacement gearbox is ~ £2k, oil £20 + 20 minutes labour.

 

[WigglePig]

Is this something we need to do ? Wouldn't this be done as part of a service if necessary ?

All sorts of things aren’t done because they are thought unnecessary but turn out later to have been very much advisable.

 

[Lovemyev]

It's a big issue with Nissan LEAF where likewise it's not a service item. Obviously different design/manufacturing processes etc, but it gets horrible after a few years or 20,000 miles. A replacement gearbox is ~ £2k, oil £20 + 20 minutes labour.

There are number of videos on Youtube carrying out this process.
Here is a typical one from Matt from Go Green Auto's.

 

[Gomev]

James in this video does some and in the comments below when asked he reckoned about 60,000 miles is about the right time.

 

[BugEyed]

There's two different failure modes for the lubricant, either age/mileage or debris from manufacturing. The former may be as high as 60,000 miles, but the latter will be mainly in the first 1,000. If you intend keeping the car long term an early change is probably a worthwhile investment.

 

[Macadoodle]

There's two different failure modes for the lubricant, either age/mileage or debris from manufacturing. The former may be as high as 60,000 miles, but the latter will be mainly in the first 1,000. If you intend keeping the car long term an early change is probably a worthwhile investment.

I truly don't know why the manufacturers don't suggest a change after the break in period all transmissions go through.
The oil I drained from my MG4 was really dark and obviously contained suspended metallic particles from all the gears bedding in for 1600 miles. The drain plug magnet was utterly coated in a metallic silt.
I think a change after 1000 miles and maybe every 50k thereafter would be prudent if you plan to keep your car for a while.

 

[smokie]

Noted, I'll ask for them to do it on this year's service (that's the 2 year but better than not doing it, from the sound of it). Unless you think I should do it before.

Ta for the heads-up.

 

[Macadoodle]

Unless you think I should do it before.

I did it myself so the cost was negligible, I had some good quality synthetic oil on my garage shelf looking for a purpose.
Just about every EV or ICE on the road runs around with its factory fill gear oil for all or most of its life, so I guess they're designed to cope with it.
Tesla is unusual in that they fit a filter for the oil to pass through, they clearly think there's a benefit in doing this.
Will those suspended metallic particles I saw eventually drop out and stick to the magnet ? I'm not so sure they will, the magnet looked to be at max capacity on mine

My car seems to be a little quieter and the miles/ kWh came up by 0.2 since I did the change, which surprised me TBH.

 

[smokie]

I did it myself

I wish I were so handy...

 

[m4rmite]

@Macadoodle silly question, but where is the reduction box located?
And is it accessible from above or below.

 

[Macadoodle]

Bolts to the side of the motor, drain plug is accessed from underneath, fill plug generally is too.
Not too familiar with the MG5 as I own a 4. They're all similar setups other than one being front wheel drive and the other rear.

 

[WigglePig]

I truly don't know why the manufacturers don't suggest a change after the break in period all transmissions go through.
The oil I drained from my MG4 was really dark and obviously contained suspended metallic particles from all the gears bedding in for 1600 miles. The drain plug magnet was utterly coated in a metallic silt.
I think a change after 1000 miles and maybe every 50k thereafter would be prudent if you plan to keep your car for a while.

That would be somewhat concerning. Did you filter/save any of the silt and, if so, was it smooth and rounded or sharp chips?

 

[WigglePig]

Does anyone have any information about the size of the drain plug on the 5? I plan on fitting a magnetic plug if I can source one.

 

[Adee]

I see this post seems to have fizzled out.
I am considering changing my own transmission oil on an MG5 at 54k miles and from my findings so far I am assuming that the recommended oil is Shell SL 2808 and it takes approx 0.9L (which at £25+ per litre is comfortingly low). Does anyone agree (or disgree) with this assessment?. Thanks in advance.

 

[Alb]

It's never going to be a bad idea to do this but I'd only ever have it done by the dealer whilst the transmission was still under warranty.

 

[Macadoodle]

Tranny oil is under a lot of shear stress from the gear teeth which will thin the viscosity over time, so definitely worth the small investment around the 50k mile mark.

These simple reduction transmissions should be capable of 300k miles or so without failure but they're dealing with a bucket of torque.

The Nissan leaf we ran for a couple of years had sizeable bits break off it's diff planetary gears It was a high mileage ex - taxi it must be said.

Still ran ok even with the issue though, tough old thing.

 

[dragon2611]

I truly don't know why the manufacturers don't suggest a change after the break in period all transmissions go through.
The oil I drained from my MG4 was really dark and obviously contained suspended metallic particles from all the gears bedding in for 1600 miles. The drain plug magnet was utterly coated in a metallic silt.
I think a change after 1000 miles and maybe every 50k thereafter would be prudent if you plan to keep your car for a while.

Because as long as it lasts for at least the warranty period then they don't care...

They want to sell you a new car as frequently as possible so they have little interest in keeping yours running.