[Don_S]

What are your thoughts on replacing ATF?   My 2.4L 4-cyl 2006 Highlander only has 52,000 miles on it. I took it to a new shop to get an oil change and you would not believe all the things they wanted to do to it including replacing the power steering fluid (done 10K miles ago) and the ATF.  They wanted to replace the PCV valve just because.  No sign of problems. De-sludge the engine before the oil change without even looking at the oil first.  Add a Teflon compound to the oil.  Add something expensive to my gas tank.  I had already replaced my engine and cabin air filters so I told them to skip checking those.

I looked at my car's service manual and they never mention replacing the ATF under normal driving conditions.  They do have an interval for replacing the fluid if the vehicle is used for towing.  Mine has never been used for towing. The fluid was a little discolored but thought that might be normal.

I have never replaced the ATF in any car I have owned and never had a transmission problem.  My maintenance schedule is replace the oil and filter, replace air filters.  I did change the power steering fluid and coolant at the factory recommended intervals.

So verdict--replace ATF or not?  Any performance improvement expected?  It is not just the cost involved but the annoyance of finding an honest garage to do the work.

[cliffy]

Time to find another new shop

Sounds like they are just looking for more $$$.

[Don_S]

Time to find another new shop

Sounds like they are just looking for more $$$.

I already figured that out.  I recently moved so I have to establish new shopping locations and service providers. This shop is going to get a nasty Yelp and no repeat visits from me.

[Folsom]

70-90k miles is a better time IMO. Shops like to say 50-60k often. But it depends on the vehicle, too. Trucks? Do it earlier that 90k.

Changing transmission fluid cannot be felt, but will keep the transmission in action a lot longer. Automatic transmissions are like decaying parts from day 1, however once the fluid in them gets really dirty they start to decay very fast. Where as up until that point it's a pretty slow process.

Even old automatic Chevy transmissions easily out lived motors so long as they got some fluid changes.

The thing about changing the fluid is its best to have a shop do it, they use vacuum to get most of it out. Unfortunately it takes all day, just about, because the car has to cool down to room temp.

[oem-wheels]

change that oil ! how much does it cost to do the trans oil and filter for that car ? $100 ? for every 4-5 years ? money well spent.. that discoloration is a sign of it getting dirty and it breaking down..

[Folsom]

$150-200 is more like it.

[Mike B.]

Most quick lube places do trans fluid and filter replacement. I assume they only replace the fluid lost when removing the pan? That will leave old fluid in the cooler and torque converter. I know they have machines that flush radiator coolant and replace almost all the old coolant. Perhaps they have that for the transmission as well?

[Folsom]

I'm going to point out I said "vacuum" machine.

[twitch54]

........ and depending how long you keep the vehicle / miles, brake and power steering fluid 60-100,000 miles depending on who you talk to. I suspect some will say as early as 50k

[Don_S]

Anyone know what % of the fluid remains if a "quick" change and filter change are done?

I do plan to keep the vehicle another 4-5 years.  But I drive less than 5K miles a year. Much less now than during the early years of the vehicle. I hate to spend money on a new car that does not get driven and they stopped making the only car that caught my eye or interested me, the Toyota Venza.

Or putting it another way, I will wear out before the transmission does. 

[Early B.]

If Toyota doesn't advise you to change the transmission fluid, then don't bother listening to any of us. Besides, you only have 52K miles on a 2006 vehicle and you drive only 5K per year???  Yeah, you'll get 30 more years out of that car.

[Don_S]

If Toyota doesn't advise you to change the transmission fluid, then don't bother listening to any of us. Besides, you only have 52K miles on a 2006 vehicle and you drive only 5K per year???  Yeah, you'll get 30 more years out of that car.

Like I said, I will wear out first. 

[Peter J]

I'm going to take a dissenting view here.  If the factory doesn't recommend changes what would be accomplished by changing it? Auto trans is essentially a hydraulic pump. Unless something is going wrong that would cause it to overheat, hydraulic fluid really has an extremely long life. There is no combustion to contaminate it and what little metal gets into it is filtered out by, you guessed it, the filter.

It's common to reccomend all sorts of unnecessary service at many places. It's their stock in trade, and easy money compared to troubleshooting and repairing actual problems. They don't have the stellar technicians doing it, either, so it's a gravy train sometimes. Sucks but true. They often prey on people's fear of a broken car and stories of huge expenditures to repair.

Manufacturers have nothing to gain by not reccomending service at intervals necessary for longevity of vehicle. If you're not doing your own service I'd advise you that the reccomendations in owner's manual will be adequate if not overkill.

[Bob2]

.

[Elizabeth]

The one totally forgotten fluid change is the brake fluid.
It should be replaced every three/four years.
The brake fluid gains water(it sucks up water from the air) and that water will corrode the brake parts. Particularly damaging expensive antilock brake parts.
A brake fluid change costs about $125.
(but is easy to do free except for the cost of the fluid)

No complex  stuff needed. a vacuum pump or gravity with a bit of pumping the brake pedal, can do it all.
Just have to watch the brake fluid reservoir does not suck air..

For some reason almost no car manuals discuss brake fluid. Nor do shops.
I guess the shops would rather replace the corroded brake parts?

[*Scotty*]

Transmission fluid wears out due to oxidation and the accumulation of contaminants. Automatic transmissions now days subject the transmission fluid to higher working temperatures than 20 or 30 years ago. In fact, they are designed around the thermal capabilities of the synthetic transmission fluids. I would replace the fluid occasionally and regularly replace the transmission fluid filter, if it gets full of enough crap your transmission doesn't shift anymore.
 On Toyota's recommendation to never change the tranny fluid, I suspect that they would benefit from the car wearing out sooner than later.
If I replaced the tranny fluid I would the manufacturers recommended fluid or the Redline Oil equivalent if the the car was outside it's drive train warranty.
Scotty
See link to Redline Oil below.
https://www.redlineoil.com/automatic-transmission-fluids

[*Scotty*]

On the subject of brake fluid, guess what, they make a brake fluid that does not pull moisture out of the air and corrode brake components but it is usually used in race cars,DOT 5. Street cars generally get the fluid that causes problems, DOT3,DOT4,DOT5.1.
Scotty
More about DOT5 brake fluid vs DOT3,4.
http://www.buckeyetriumphs.org/technical/Brakes/Fluid/Fluid.htm

[Elizabeth]

Folks should NOT use Dot Five with antilock brakes.
Google "Dot 5 and antilock brakes"..

[*Scotty*]

This is a case where the technology applied to brake fluid development has basically stopped at a point deemed good enough and cheap to produce compared developing something better. We get to bear the cost in the form of increased maintenance cycles and very large expenses when you don't remember to flush the damn system every 2 years. 
Scotty

[*Scotty*]

Here is a link to the technical reasons why we can't use DOT5 with ABS and glycol based brake fluids.
https://goo.gl/CwvN1Q
Scotty