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Thread: Transmission Fluid Change

  1. #16
    Consumer Reports says it’s not necessary until at least 100,000 miles.

  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Daily View Post
    Consumer Reports says it’s not necessary until at least 100,000 miles.
    Is that for a specific vehicle/transmission? If not, that's a completely irresponsible statement from CR.

    There are many modern vehicles that can go 100,000 miles (or longer) under normal (i.e., not severe) usage but some designs that cannot.

    Again, the owners manual should be the guideline. The OEM's set those guidelines based on significant controlled durability testing that are not duplicated by anyone else including CR.

    Note: I cannot speak for every OEM but my personal experience - including involvement in a specific transmission fluid verification program - was that oil change interval recommendations were/are based on testing to millions of customer equivalent miles. I am skeptical that any reputable OEM does otherwise.
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  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Daily View Post
    Consumer Reports says it’s not necessary until at least 100,000 miles.
    I assume you're being sarcastic, but CR is one of the least credible, least informed sources out there.

  4. #19
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  5. #20
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    As manufacturers take on more or the initial maintenance they are recommending longer intervals.

  6. #21
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    I bought a "previously owned" (why can't they just call it used?) 2013 F150 that upon closer inspection...the kind you're really not able to do well until after you've bought it and brought it home...was showing signs of usage from it's previous owner that bordered on abuse. It looked like he'd had bed loaded with rocks or gravel at one point (and since had the bed spray-lined) which likely put a strain on the drivetrain. The truck ran fine at only 48,000 miles, but I wanted to be sure it was going to be good for hauling the cargo I had at home (horse and trailer...and lumber, of course). So I had all of the fluids drained, flushed, and refilled including the transmission, coolant, brakes, and differential case. Sure, it cost a few shiney pennies to have someone else do the work, but it made it possible for me to pull a live load without having to worry about anything but traffic and the cost of hay.

    And I've always done that sort of thing with used gear that I've purchased over the years, including in the shop, and especially when safety is a concern.

  7. #22
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    My Honda dealer refused to change it any more frequently than the manufacturer's recommendation. I don't do any maintenance including trans fluid anymore frequently than recommended.

  8. #23
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    I'd like to believe that the manufacturers make honest engineering based recommendations, but I don't. If you buy a Toyota Prius in the US, the maintenance cycle says oil change every 5000 miles. Exact same car in Europe, with same synthetic oil, it's 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers). They can't both be honest, wea vast recommendation no.

  9. #24
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    If you knew what kind of engineering work goes into creating the maintenance schedule, you would not so quickly disregard its recommendation. If you knew how misinformed some dealership mechanics are, you would never again trust their advice. This opinion is coming from an automotive engineer who has seen both things first hand.

  10. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Demuth View Post
    I'd like to believe that the manufacturers make honest engineering based recommendations, but I don't. If you buy a Toyota Prius in the US, the maintenance cycle says oil change every 5000 miles. Exact same car in Europe, with same synthetic oil, it's 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers). They can't both be honest, wea vast recommendation no.
    You're assuming all things are equal. Unfortunately there's different governments and different regulations for both gas and oil.
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  11. #26
    I dropped the pan on our old 4Runner at 120K miles for the first time and was expecting it to be nasty but surprisingly, the fluid was still bright red and smelled fine. Very fine layer of sediment in the bottom of the pan but not a coating of sludge by any means. This would still have been the factory fill. But we never towed anything with that vehicle. A friend who worked at a transmission shop suggested adding a bottle of this stuff called Lubegard. I guess because he was a friend with no agenda rather than a dealer, I trusted his suggestion. Maybe snake oil, maybe not, but the 4Runner ran fine until we sold it at 160K miles.

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  12. #27
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    gmc added friction inhibitor fluid to their transmission oil from the factory in my 99 pickup. This adds milage to the need for a fluid change.

    The newer premium transmission fluids may already have this added to their fluid, that you buy at the auto parts stores.

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