Hello!
I have bought a 3.6 TDV8. I know that the car is tuned by a relatively known tuning company. Before I bought the car, the converter was changed.
Now I of course want to keep the transmission healthy for as long as possible. I am planning an oil change on the transmission, and perhaps a few seals and/or solenoids if that is necessary?

When it comes to driving, is there anything I can do to extend the life of the transmission? I try to put the gear selector in sport when driving on long and steep inclines, to increase the oil pressure in the gearbox, and then increase the clamping force on the lock up clutch. Is there any point in doing that?

What are the usual failure points on these transmissions, and is there anything that can be done with the transmission in the car?

The main pressure control for the transmission is adjusted by the EDS 5 solenoid. This modulates the clutch pressures according to the torque being produced by the (standard) engine. The clutches are therefore clamped with a force proportional to the load that they are seeing.

My concern would be that, if your engine has been mapped and is now producing more torque than the calibration stored in the transmission controller, the clutches are operating on a lower factor of safety than they were designed for. Unless, of course, the tuning company also re-mapped the transmission controller?

There’s certainly no harm in draining and refilling with new Lifeguard Fluid 6 and replacing the sump pan/filter, as long as you use a genuine IDS Filtran part. You need to follow the procedure for setting the fluid level to the letter, though.

A good indication of the transmission’s health is to read the clutch adaptions (charge pressures and times) as these will tell you the health of the clutches, the rear stator bush and the solenoids.

Phil

The easiest and safest way would be to have the remapping removed. Also EGR replacement or removal will prevent shock loading of the TC if the valves are sticky and slow to shut when power is applied. 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

Thanks for good answers.
Does the gearbox produce enough oil pressure at all RPMs, to deliver what the EDS 5 solenid requests? If so, would it be best to leave the gear selector in Drive on steep inclines? I'll check if anything has been done to the transmission controller. I've seen that some companies offer TCU remapping—would that be something to consider if it hasn't already been done?
Some transmission tuners adjust for earlier lock-up, but is that actually beneficial for the clutch?

I'll check the clutch adaptations.
As for the EGRs, I believe they were programmed out with the engine mapping, but I'm not sure if they've been physically removed from the engine.