Should I change it??

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2011 Chrysler town and Country 95000 miles. Bought the van with 45000. I never did a fluid change on it. Was calling around to get prices on fluid and filter change. Called a local dealership they said do not change it. Could lead to problems. Owners manual says do it at 120000 for normal and 65000 for taxi use. But called a few other place they Quoted me and did not say anything about. Just want some input if anyone had it.
 
Assuming we're discussing ATF- yes, change it. It's unlikely to have worn to the point of slipping with that mileage, especially since you're well within spec for fluid change.
Drain and fill, do not flush.
 
Originally Posted by benhen77
Assuming we're discussing ATF- yes, change it. It's unlikely to have worn to the point of slipping with that mileage, especially since you're well within spec for fluid change.
Drain and fill, do not flush.

^^
This.

A drain and fill with the correct fluid can only help.
 
I changed the ATF in my 2009 Town & Country 3.8L at 40K and 80K. I now have 130K on the van.
I had the dealer do both changes. They said they hooked it to a machine for a complete flush.
We used it for towing our pop-up camper (3000 lbs) and i wanted good fluid in there. So far so good. Never had any transmission problems.
Not planning to do any more changes as we bought a 4Runner for towing and the T&C is not driven much anymore.

My Honda CR-V I did a few simple drain and fills in my driveway at 50K. Then I had the dealer do the 100K mile ATF fluid change service as called for by the maintenance schedule. I'm not sure if the dealer did a "flush" or if they did multiple drain and fills. They definitely did something because I could instantly tell it drove and shifted better.
 
I did 2 or 3 drain & fills with my SIenna when it had never been touched after about 140-150K. I took advice here and elsewhere not to do the flush, and I used Maxlife multi vehicle ATF (because it had very good reports online from people who used it in their transmissions) and if anything, shifting was smoother & quieter after this.
 
My '99 Camry came with what I assumed was OEM fluid, and after 140k it kinda looked dark to me. Did a flush without thinking about it--fresh fluid trumps nasty fluid. It might have shifted better, or it might have been my imagination. I did a pan drop and refill, then pulled a cooler line so as to pump out as much old fluid as possible. Full flush that way.

Second flush 20 or 30k later and it's been nice and clean since.

That's a singular datapoint I know, but I don't see how a flush can damage anything. Is there any other auto fluid that we'd be hesitant to change if we accidentally drove too far on, and were afraid to change, for fear that fresh fluid would actually damage it?
 
Originally Posted by Ride_Red
My Honda CR-V I did a few simple drain and fills in my driveway at 50K. Then I had the dealer do the 100K mile ATF fluid change service as called for by the maintenance schedule. I'm not sure if the dealer did a "flush" or if they did multiple drain and fills.
Honda (corporate) is adamant against doing fluid "flushes" using a machine. I can't imagine any Honda dealership even owning one based on that. Honda says drain and fill only. The number of times to repeat that varies with every situation.

In your case, the amount they charged should be an indication, i.e. $89-129 or so would suggest a single drain and fill. Closer to $300, I'd hope they did 3-4 drain and fills. If they knew you did a drain and fill at 50k, there's no need for them to do more than a single as well.
 
Do a drain & fill and see how black your fluid is.

Decide to do additional D&Fs or a full pump-out accordingly.

Make sure the correct fluid is used.
 
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
Originally Posted by benhen77
Assuming we're discussing ATF- yes, change it. It's unlikely to have worn to the point of slipping with that mileage, especially since you're well within spec for fluid change.
Drain and fill, do not flush.

^^
This.

A drain and fill with the correct fluid can only help.



Agree 100%
 
Originally Posted by mpgo4th
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
Originally Posted by benhen77
Assuming we're discussing ATF- yes, change it. It's unlikely to have worn to the point of slipping with that mileage, especially since you're well within spec for fluid change.
Drain and fill, do not flush.

^^
This.

A drain and fill with the correct fluid can only help.



Agree 100%



Agree 100%. Do not flush.
 
I am not a mechanic, but I suspect some people with failing transmissions try to get a free transmission by having their transmission fluid changed and then blaming the mechanic. Other customers may not know their transmission is on its last legs and when the fluid change makes the problems obvious they will blame the mechanic. It would be much easier for shops to just say not to change the fluid.

I have done both flushes and drain and fills on some of my vehicles with no problems. All the vehicles were north of 100,000 miles when the transmission fluids were changed, and likely the fluid changes were the first change those vehicles got.
 
Yes, and I'd recommend doing the fluid exchange through the cooler return line too. My 2010 Sienna, over 200k, had a shift solenoid warning go away after that, I thing it was a shift solenoid E sticking(?) but ask your dealer what problems do they have, that should get interesting if they actually know there is specific problems with a transmission model or if they are just generalizing. My thought is the transmission is a hydraulic machine and operates better on clean fluid. I'd do the filter too, maybe skip that every other time, thinking I am doing mine every 30 to 40k.

Here's the example I learned from, at 5:40 starts the fluid exchange which is also sometimes referred to as a flush, difference being the motor is run so the transmission pump does the exchange vs an external machine doing a flush;
2009 Toyota Sienna Transmission Fluid Flush and Filter Change
 
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If it's functioning as it should drain and refill. Don't flush. 95k miles is still relatively low miles although 95k is really stretching an original fill. I do every 50k miles.
 
I do not plan on flushing. It would be just and drain and fill.
 
Pull the pan and drain ALL the fluid into a extra clean pan. Save the fluid so it does not get contaminated.

If red, pink, or dark red, install a new filter and fluid (measure whatever you took out).

If brown or black, install a new filter and put the old fluid back in.
 
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