2007 Corrolla S: Life time ATF requires no change?

[MileHigh18]

I'm getting ready to do a pan drop and filter change on my Trailblazer, and I had thought about doing the same on the woman's Corrolla S. It has 148K on the odometer, and I know it's never seen a fresh filter or fluid. So tonight I was looking at her OM, and it states that the ATF is a life time fluid and under normal conditions it should never need changing. She would prefer to follow the OM, but I'm a firm believer in fresh fluids after a certain point in time. The tranny still shifts buttery smooth, but a fluid with 148K miles on it just doesn't sit right with me. The car is almost paid off and we are gonna keep it for as long as we can. Does Toyota really use an ATF that never needs changing?

 

[Subdued]

I don't buy the lifetime fluid thing one bit. Lifetime to me is 100k and every 50k after that.

And I'm sure that even makes some here queasy.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: Subdued
I don't buy the lifetime fluid thing one bit. Lifetime to me is 100k and every 50k after that.

And I'm sure that even makes some here queasy.


+1

 

[MileHigh18]

Yeah it's gotta come out lol.

 

[Rolla07]

Drain and fill. Every 60k miles. All guud

It has a drain bolt..so its super easy. No filter change needed.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Lifetime fluid ... until the transmission is dead. If you change every 30K it will last much longer.

 

[Astro14]

Lifetime fluid will last the lifetime of the transmission....but that life might be a lot shorter than you planned....

Hard to believe that your 2007 is a lot different than my 2006, which has a drain plug and a really easy to remove pan. I've done D&F on that one several times (every 30k or so) and it always comes out clean. Shifts perfectly with 125,000 miles on it.

 

[racer12306]

The big question is, what do you consider a lifetime?

Car manufacturers consider it to be the point that you are currently at. I consider it to be much longer.

 

[Silverado12]

Agree with all others, and use the correct Toyota fluid.

 

[cjcride]

Drain and fill, this gets a gradual cleaning happening.

 

[fdcg27]

I'd drop the pan, clean it out, replace the filter (if it has a filter that can be replaced in service), reinstall the pan with a fresh gasket (good idea to use a torque wrench on these little fasteners) replace fluid with a quantity equal to what drained out and you're good to go.
Do drain an fills every 30K or so if you have the convenience of a drain plug in the pan.
Any fluid is lifetime.
It's just a matter of how long you think that lifetime should be.

 

[tommygunn]

You don't have to drop the pan since your Corolla's transmission has a drain plug.

If it has never been changed, you can do a drain-and-fill 3x, waiting anywhere from a few miles to a few weeks in between the thee drains.

After that, a single drain-and-fill every 30k will be fine. Maxlife ATF is great stuff, as is Mag 1

Also, an aftermarket transmission pan might be available for your Trailblazer that includes a drain plug.

 

[Ram01]

Drain and fill the tranny add lubeguard and you are set for life

 

[zeuloa]

Let's see..... It shifts great, engineers that designed the transmission recommend to leave it alone (even though they sometimes get it wrong, they are mostly correct), but you insist on changing.

If you change, I would just drain and fill with correct Toyota fluid. I don't think there is a need to drop pan, fill-empty-fill-empty, etc.

 

[SatinSilver]

What fluid is this, the T-IV? If there is a dipstick, what color is the fluid? Hopefully, it doesn't smell burnt.

 

[Burny]

Be careful on the drain and fill. The W T Fluid expands and there is a top off procedure you need to do. These cars have an internal dipstick and there is a bolt for that. On my 07 Lexus, I was able to drain 3 quarts at a time. After each 3 quarts I went through the gears while on the ramp and then did 3 more until all 12 were out. On the Lexus I jumpered pins 4 and 13 on the OBD and went through a series of gear shifts to get the service light on. Once the light stops blinking(operating temp reached) you have about 1 minute to top off fluid until trickles out the fill hole then you are done. There is a temp range required for final top off. The fluid in the lexus was dark, but still seemed to have its viscosity. This was at 85k miles. I did not notice any difference in shift or ride afterwards. It was apiece of mind thing. Not sure your car follows the same procedure or not.

 

[Tones]

This one has an external dipstick. Changing is as easy as any other transmission. No brainer.

 

[RF Overlord]

Originally Posted By: zeuloa
engineers that designed the transmission recommend to leave it alone , but you insist on changing.
I doubt it was the engineers who said to leave it alone. Saying things like "lifetime fill" is a marketing department trick to make you think their cars require less maintenance than the other guy's cars. They then spin that to make you think it will then cost less to own their car than the other guy's. It's all marketing bunk.

 

[kkspeed]

I recommend buying the ATF from the Dealer.

 

[zeuloa]

Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
Originally Posted By: zeuloa
engineers that designed the transmission recommend to leave it alone , but you insist on changing.
I doubt it was the engineers who said to leave it alone. Saying things like "lifetime fill" is a marketing department trick to make you think their cars require less maintenance than the other guy's cars. They then spin that to make you think it will then cost less to own their car than the other guy's. It's all marketing bunk.


I don't think I've ever heard any manufacturer advertise they have a lifetime transmission. I think it's safe to say most consumers don't base their purchase on maintenance, and don't even look at maintenance guide (if at all) until after the purchase.