10-year-old car 53,000 miles with 10-year-old transmission fluid

Power/Fuel
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Ford dealer says transmission fluid should be changed at 60,000 miles, but the car is 10 years old with 53,000 miles. Does 10-year-old transmission fluid have a negative effect on a low-mileage Ford Fusion?

2

Your manual might have a time as well as mileage figure. But if you are concerned just have it changed you would be 7000 miles early.

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Changing it early can’t hurt anything, as long as it’s done correctly with the right fluid.
Some folks change it early, like 30,000 miles; that’s what a transmission mechanic who used to post on this forum suggested.

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I agree with the others, go ahead and have it changed now. And make SURE the correct fluid is used. Do not have it done at a ‘qwiky lube’ shop, use a trusted independent mechanic. I would do a ‘drain and fill’, that is simpler than a fluid exchange and should work just fine.

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The dealer can also be trusted to change your transmission fluid. You just might pay more than at an independent garage.

Quick lube shops will tell you that they can change the fluid, and they can. They will flush the transmission and replace the old fluid with a generic fluid that they say is perfectly fine. Two problems: the fluid flush might damage the transmisssion and the generic fluid might not be acceptable in your transmission. Fluid flushing in my Honda is specifically prohibited in the owner’ manual. My Honda also uses a special fluid and no substitutes are allowed. Your Fusion might have one or both prohibitions. If so, using anything but the required methods and materials will shorten the life of your transmission.

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You forgot to mention something

Those shops that flush the transmission and use generic fluid will almost certainly NOT remove the pan and replace the filter

it’s all about speed and keeping as few different types of fluids on hand as possible

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Excellent point. More specifically, do NOT take the vehicle to a jiffy-lube shop. You may live to regret it. Make sure a qualified shops does the work and uses the correct fluid.

In addition to addressing the filter as well as the fluid, I also recommend NOT getting a chemical flush. draining and refilling with the correct fluid is the safest way IMHO to service the tranny. Others may disagree, but that’s my humble opinion.

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