Sorry... new to this. But what is the general rule of thumb for transmission fluid "flushes"? I have been told this procedure can be harmful to the vehicle even though new fluid will help the transmission last longer. The dealer wants $250 for a flush... but Meineke said they could possibly do it for $99 (if they have the correct key to access the transmission). My personal mechanic couldn't do the work since he doesn't have the key and said the dealer may be my only option.

Thanks for any info you may have.

Don't do a flush. You don't know what has been through the flush machine before. Has it been cleaned or does it have debris left over from a previous use? Also the flush tends to stir up solids that may be in the bottom of the transmission pan.
I would do a pan drop, clean and refill. If the old fluid looks very bad, then I would do another drain and refill after a few thousand miles.

I'm with scr38. A flush in a complicated device like an automatic transmission just seems like a bad idea. I know in theory it's designed to thoroughly clean the transmission, but the complexity of the device means you could just move stuff around and put it in a place that it will cause problems.

I'm at 130k and have never flushed the tranny. I do a drain and fill, dropping the pan every other service. No problems yet, very little debris on the magnet, and the fluid always comes out looking and feeling like it could go another 30k.

is there a filter or screen that has to be replaced or cleaned when you drop the pan?

no filter on our trannies

So... why do the dealers recommend this service?? They push it pretty hard and say "your fluid is dirty".

So... why do the dealers recommend this service?? They push it pretty hard and say "your fluid is dirty".

This may come as hard news - but always keep this in mind: The dealer is NOT always interested in your best interest - his job is to generate profit. And the tranny flush is an excellant way to generate high $$$. Why would he tell you you need a drain & refill for $99 when he can sell you a flush for $250?

Follow the advise of others here at CA - only do a drain/refill with your tranny. You will keep $$$ in your pocket and your tranny will love you for it.

Sorry... new to this. But what is the general rule of thumb for transmission fluid "flushes"? I have been told this procedure can be harmful to the vehicle even though new fluid will help the transmission last longer. The dealer wants $250 for a flush... but Meineke said they could possibly do it for $99 (if they have the correct key to access the transmission). My personal mechanic couldn't do the work since he doesn't have the key and said the dealer may be my only option.

Thanks for any info you may have.

Thanks for checking in with CA! This is an awesome site. The tranny fluid change is easy and straight forward. No special access or key is required. As scr38 says, no filter is required. If you can change oil, you can change tranny fluid. I recently completed a tranny drain/refill including the pan drop/reinstall. Look at my other recent thread regarding tranny fluid change for details. Good luck.

this site is awesome. I want to change out my trannie fluid also. am at 97k and have never touched it. prob way overdue? anyway, never changed it, but have done the oil a couple times, which was a real pain in the *** due to the skidplate.

anyways, pretty sure I can handle it - is it easy to recognize??
also, the video I watched on youtube had the guy replacing the transaxle fluid also. Do I have to worry about that also?

thanks alot!:bow:

Don't know if this is an option or not, being I haven't looked at it yet.

But we used to put a drain on the tranny pans of our automatics, the first time we had them off. Then when it was service time you just use the drain instead of taking the pan off unless we were changing the filter also.

I do not recommend just a cheap compression style drain ( the ones that just squeeze a gasket between two nuts). If you are going to do it get a good drain and have the nut tig welded to the pan. Then it will be just like the oil drain.

Our transmission come with a drain plug from the factory. But I would drop the pan so you can see what is in the pan, clean the pan and the magnets inside it.

It seems like people are 50 / 50 on this debate depending on who you ask. I had a transmission flush done by Aamco on my Explorer at 30K and it never ran as smooth as it did after that. Not to mention I got a 1 - 2 MPG increase as well.

I am on the verge of taking another vehicle (2007 Jeep Liberty) in for a flush. Everyone thinks it is a bad idea???? The flush is the only way to get all the fluid out as far as I am aware.

Has anyone posted a write up with pics on the tranny fluid swap and pan inspection? I'm not really volunteering to create one. :)

LubeGard makes an aerosol tranny flush called Kooler Kleen (http://www.lubegard.com/~/C-184/Dr.+Tranny+Kooler+Kleen). I run an auto parts store and occasionally we sell reman trannys and the rebuilder we buy from always includes a can with each tranny and requires it be used as a condition of warranty.

What kind of fluid is to be used? According to Mitchell Nissan Matic S ATF is required. Does anyone know of an aftermarket equivilant?

Amsoil ATF is used by a few members here with good results.

Use the Castrol. Its as easy as changing the oil. I have changed mine at the last two oil changes with 133K. Noticed it shifted better on the first change. Do it three times to make sure your all clean. Got 4 quarts to come out on both tries.