Hi,
The dealer says I need a Transmission Flush on a 2002 Nissan Altima even though it will be my first. I have 93,000 miles on the car. Is this advisable? I’ve gotten conflicting feedback from Firestone and Merlins.
It’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.
First thing I have to ask is why are you going to the dealer with a car that no longer is covered by a factory warranty? Dealers are no better or worse than independents, but they almost always cost more. Those nice waiting areas really cost you.
I would suggest you should have had the transmission fluid changed and filter cleaned twice already. I would advise against a “flush” since the flush does not normally include cleaning the filter.
The usual reason people suggest not servicing a transmission is because they or others they know have had their transmission fail shortly after being serviced. This is not uncommon, but it is not due to the service rather the service was due to the problem. People tend to wait until they notice a problem with the transmission and try a fluid change hoping it will fix it, which it usually can not do. The change does not cause the problem.
I recommend fluid changes (on cars with automatic transmissions) every 20 - 5o thousand miles .I agree with Joseph. Replace fluid and filter at 50k miles preferably, and certainly no more than 10 yrs or 100k miles, even on a highway car…which reminds me, the wife’s '04 has 65k miles. Hmmmm.
A proper service should be done. This is dropping the pan, changing the filter, examining the pan for any debris, cleaning the pan thoroughly, reinstalling and refilling. Unless the fluid is contaminated, you really dont need to flush it. Service your transmission every 25-30k miles, NO MORE…
transman