DB9 Transmission cooler

[blackviper]

Hi anyone had any problems with the auto transmission cooler pipes leaking,i have just had the car serviced at Stratstone they tell me the pipes are leaking and have quoted £1226.00 to supply and install a repair kit,i have looked at the unit at the front of the car and it would appear to be a hose connection onto the cooler leaking slightly,looks a bit of a job to get to ie front bumper removal, but relatively simple to fit new hose clips,any info would be appreciated

[DB9VolanteDriver]

Early car? This was a common problem.

[sportie]

They quoted me the same a few weeks ago on an 05 car. They look fine to me, but I understand the pipes are attached with jubilee clips which could loosen and the pipes come off. I will just keep an eye on them to ensure they are tight and with no signs of sliding off.

[blackviper]

Hi
Thanks for your comments,the car is 05 ,i have had it 6 yrs never seen any oil on the garage floor or had it reported before whilst on extended warranty ,these connections should be mechanical joints not clips, i think this should be a recall, if these pipes came off the cooler matrix the car would surely loose the transmission fluid resulting in major damage,i assume the problem has now been resolved with this kit the dealer refers to,time to get the spanners out maybe,or bite the bullet.

[SS972]

from what I know the new kit is mainly stainless steel hoses vs mild steel ones,as mines where showing light surface corrosion I treated them with rust converter,my car is an early 04.No leaks so far.

[brakedwell]

A main dealer reported oil leaks (bi-metallic corrosion) where the pipes enter the gearbox oil cooler during a pre-purchase service. The vendor paid for a new oil cooler and stainless steel pipe kit to be fitted. I was told this problem is very common.

[DB9VolanteDriver]

blackviper said:

Hi
Thanks for your comments,the car is 05 ,i have had it 6 yrs never seen any oil on the garage floor or had it reported before whilst on extended warranty ,these connections should be mechanical joints not clips, i think this should be a recall, if these pipes came off the cooler matrix the car would surely loose the transmission fluid resulting in major damage,i assume the problem has now been resolved with this kit the dealer refers to,time to get the spanners out maybe,or bite the bullet.

You were actually unlucky here. Most people had the problem surface early on and fixed under warranty. I know that in the US, if something is a known defect (i.e., a service bulletin has been released to all the dealers as is the case for the cooler lines), then regardless of the warranty period it must be covered by the manufacturer. Just because it didn't fail during the warranty period doesn't mean it wasn't bad to begin with.

[blackviper]

Hi Steve
My thoughts exactly,i will contact AM to see if they will oblige,thinking about it i had recall work carried out on two dodge vipers i owned a few years ago,one of those was out of warranty.