Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Wyndham
Al's Answer:
This round of “Ask Al” focuses on the Camaro 8-Speed Automatic Transmission. I want to be clear in that we will only be talking about the Camaro application, not any other GM products in this response. You asked for information on the complaint of Transmission Shudder. We define “shudder” as a shake or vibration during light throttle acceleration, and it usually occurs between 25 and 80 mph (40 and 128 kph) at a Steady State. I hope we have generally categorized the concern properly to what you are experiencing.
We regret that we did experience a number of customer warranty cases in the 2016 Model Year. While the 2016 Model Year was a fairly short one, we did our best to rapidly collect enough data about the fluid to determine a solution. The initial findings showed an issue with the quality of the friction modifier in the fluid collected from customer cars. This is an additive to the transmission fluid to prevent a ‘shudder’ feeling during a torque converter clutch operation. If a car that is experiencing shudder is not serviced early, the torque converter clutch material could become burnished and may require a torque converter replacement. The dealer has a specific service procedure that they will follow to determine the required service for your vehicle. So, if you believe you are experiencing shudder, see your Chevy dealer right away, because the earlier you get it serviced, the better. Please keep in mind, not all 8-Speed Automatic Transmissions exhibit this issue.
So, what is the service procedure? Once we determined the issue was due to the quality of the friction modifier in the fluid, we developed a service procedure to flush and fill the transmission fluid 3 times, which eliminates most of the shudder concerns. This service process may not work for a vehicle with shudder that goes too long without service, in which case it will most likely require a new torque converter. Since we started using Dexron HP transmission fluid in March of 2017 both in production and for service, we believe we have basically eliminated the shudder. When used for service, it only requires a single flush and fill.
To summarize, if you have not experienced the shudder, you probably won’t experience the issue. If you have a 2016 or 2017 (built before March 2017) that is experiencing transmission shudder, you should get it serviced as soon as possible. If you had the ‘triple flush’ and your problem is fixed, great. If not, you will likely need a new torque converter. As always, your first stop with questions is your qualified Chevrolet dealer service station.
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It's an unfortunate situation, with a whole variety of combinations of what may or may not have been done...And it seems there is really no explanation of why some transmissions do not have this problem and are no different than the ones that did have a problem....or, all of them just may not have had issues "yet"...
Personally, if I were in the market for a used Camaro, I would steer clear of the A8. Too many variables and too much relying on the luck of the draw and a likely untraceable or honest maintenance history.