Is a recommended transmission flush/replace fluids really necessary or recommended for any veihicles with about 70K miles? I have never had this done to any of my vehicles previously (all of which I have owned well over 100,000 miles) and I am wondering if this is a “nonsense” repair since they want about $200.
Transmission fluid should be changed on an automatic about every 30k or so miles. Many people do not do this and their cars may easily go 100k miles without a problem.
For every person who goes 100k miles with no problem there are going to be others who suffer transmission failures or problems because of not changing the fluid. The purpose of regular changes is to try and keep yourself from being one of those sitting on the roadside awaiting the tow truck.
Personally, I’m not a gambling man at all and consider not changing the fluid to be just that; gambling.
Yes the “repair” is needed, but it is maintenance NOT a repair… With that being said, $200 is WAY to much to spend, and you dont want a flush… All you want them to do is Drop the pan, replace the filter (if you had one), and re-fill the trans… That is all…
This is all assumeing you have a car that has a pan, and is servicable.
Follow the transmission fluid drain and refill schedule in your owners manual. I’m not a big fan of transmission fluid “flushes” because they are not properly performed in a lot of places. If transmission fluid changes are not done then the life of the transmission is compromised. You just got lucky on your transmissions.
The standard automatic transmission service has for years been dropping the pan, replacing the filter and refilling with the proper fluid. Transmissions seem to have long, trouble free lives when given that basic service. I would suggest that the cooler be flushed out as well. The pressure flushing of the transmission is a high profit scam for the most part. That bright piece of high tech equipment that seems to be a dialysis treatment for a car is more hype than help. If a shop owns one of those machines and keep it busy it is a gold mine.
As a for example, I just did the pan drop and fill in my car last weekend… I spent around $13 a filter, and $40 on ATF, and becasue I like it $10 on a can of seafoam trans… It took about an hour of time… So for $63, my car is good for another two years…
Drop the pan and don’t flush. I just had mine done last week and it was $96 for a pan drop and included synthetic fluid at $12 a quart.
“Yes the “repair” is needed, but it is maintenance NOT a repair.”
Amen!
I can’t believe how many people are unable to distinguish between maintenance (which is done to AVOID the need for much more expensive repairs), and actual repairs.
Many years ago, I worked with a woman who would remark, “Your car is being repaired again?”, each time that I got a ride into work when my car was having scheduled maintenance done. She adhered to the “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it (and DON’T MAINTAIN IT)” philosophy. Meanwhile, she would have the chaos of breaking down a few times a year and needing a tow, simply because she did not do any preventive maintenance.
I attempted to explain the difference in both cost and inconvenience between doing scheduled maintenance at one’s own convenience and being subjected to random catastrophic breakdowns, but she just did not seem to comprehend what I was attempting to communicate.