I see a lot of guys on here are happy with the Smith and Allan engine oil.

Any thoughts on the Smith and Allan Lifeguard 8 transmission fluid?

The ZF stuff is around £30 / litre .... and to be safe I'd probably buy 8 litres.
8 litres of Smith and Allan £60

I'm just about to change the gearbox oil (not a flush), pan drop & filter only. 2011 TDV8 4.4 Vogue SE

The gearbox guru rr Phil recommends to use the zf, that's good enough for me.

Engine as long as it meets spec suits me, but I have stuck to the zf for the box

I had Smith and Allan Lifeguard 6 equivalent in my 4.2 SC and have had it in my 5.0 SC for 2 years now with no problems. It shifts perfectly and has towed 3.5 tons with no funny behaviour.

David. 2002 4.6 Vogue SE - Alveston Red with Lightstone Leather
2012 Range Rover 5.0 SC Autobiography in Indus Silver with Jet/Ivory Interior
2012 Range Rover 4.4 TDV8 Autobiography in Baltic Blue with Sand Interior
2013 Range Rover Sport SDV6 HSE Black Edition in Santorini Black with Ebony Interior

Just can't figure how S&A is 25% of the price of ZF

I use the S&A engine oil and the vehicle runs great on it. It's that quiet sometimes I think i've stalled  2011 TDV8 4.4 Vogue SE

I use the Westway Oils version in my XF Sportbrake with the ZF8 speed. No issues and is much cheaper the the ZF 'Lifeguard'. A name like that panders to the worry aspect of human emotion.

A 20l drum means you can do an interim flush instead of a simple drain and refill that will always leave old oil in the torque converter. 2010 5.0 SC Autobiography Overfinch in Bentley Silk White pearlescent, 22" Overfinch wheels with 285/35x22 tyres

I agree that Lifeguard Fluid 8 is eye-wateringly expensive. The only ‘official’ alternative, according to TE-ML 11, is Petronas Tutela Transmission AS8, but I think that’s even more expensive than Lifeguard 8 in the UK!

Click image to enlarge

Many thanks guys

i'm still a little unsure what to do but the picture is a lot clearer

Cheers
Neil 2011 TDV8 4.4 Vogue SE

ZF doesn't make the oil, does it? - what company does, I do not know.

Surely someone, somewhere has analysed it hence why there are other suppliers. Is it any different from Dexron ATF? Who knows?

I suspect there is a bit of doom and fear spread about, but that is just my opinion. 2012 Vogue TDV8 in Aintree green over sand

Plenty of sellers on eBay offering ZF fluids

A few odd lot litres of ZF 8 for a tenner

In addition to S&A, there is also Westway

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/126515711470?mk...media=COPY

At the price of the Westway, no reason why the transmission fluid should not be part of yearly maintenance

When someone with the knowledge and experience of RRPhil makes a suggestion about gearboxes I will follow that to the letter.
If using something different only saves £100 during your entire ownership then it becomes a complete no brainer for me.
£100 is a drop in the ocean of Rangerover ownership costs.

my local Land Rover ( Range Rover ) indie has used Motul for the last ten years or more, he swears by it, under £10 a litre in bulk, but available online for 20% more from Opie Oils

Motul ATF VI Fully Synth Automatic Transmission Power Fluid

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-90043-motul-a...fluid.aspx


Oil manufacturer recommendation ZF Lifeguard 6 Plus
Oil manufacturer recommendation ZF Lifeguard 8
Oil manufacturer recommendation ZF Lifeguard 9

Could be interesting to know what Bodsy uses when he does transmission fluid changes on the 8 speed boxes

I recall…but i could be wrong…that he does not use lifeguard 8, but uses a suitable alternative
Anyone that has used Bodsy recall? Was it Febi Bilstein fluids that he uses?

I purchased 20L of Smith & Allen Lubeguard 8 last summer and used it to do a full flush (drained a refilled 4 times) and replaced the filter pan with the vehicle having done 60k miles.

It made a noticeable improvement to the smoothness of the shift/drive and has been great for the last year.

I plan to do a basic drain and refill this summer, again using Smith & Allen. I will probably add this to the annual full service regime.

As others have said, ZF don’t make oil, so they must be buying off an oil producer/blender and packaging it as their own. No reason why Smith & Allen is not as good as the stuff that comes in ZF bottles, but without the mark up for marketing/brand.

I've used the Factory ZF Fluid in the past and just did a service with LiquiMoly Top-Tec 1800 and haven't noticed a difference.

For Australians, Penrite claim their ATF BMV is Lifeguard 6, 8, and 9 compatible. For the earlier 5HP trans they claim their ATF MHP is Lifeguard 5 compatible. Ron B. VK2OTC
2003 L322 V8 Auto
2007 Yamaha XJR1300
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