Lexus Toyota "Lifetime ATF" - baloney

[Shel_B]

An inspection of the maintenance schedule of many Toyota vehicles reveals that there is a 100,000 km (60,000 miles) replacement interval for transmission fluid if the vehicle is used for short trips, city driving, hauling heavy loads, trailer towing, or using a car-top hauler. Check your own maintenance schedule for your vehicle's requirements. My maintenance manual (2011 Camry) states that transmission fluid should be changed at 60,000 miles for severe use, which is the use cycle many of our cars are running.

Furthermore, my car’s maintenance schedule calls for the transmission fluid to be inspected every 30,000 miles

The idea - the belief - that there’s no need to inspect or change the fluid in Toyota transmissions is false. The belief that the fluid is good for 100,000 or 150,000 miles is, to say the least, optimistic at best.

 

[meep]

I couldn't read it all. 1. My basic calc based physics from decades ago gives me enough knowledge to not quite understand it all. 2. The intellectual chest thumping isn't entertaining when I have things to do between the two. 3. What's the conclusion? Are these CVT fluids lifetime, or should we change them? What page of this thread are those opinions listed? LOL My warranty and maintenance booklet eludes to/mentions changing in the severe service portion.

I think Molakule gives the best answer, regarding observing of shearing in CVT ATF. I changed the CVT ATF in my wife’s CR-V (this acronym soup reminds me of work) at around 50k miles. Not that my eye is a good tool, but the honda fluid which went in felt to pour in thicker than what i pump-extracted out. Color on the old fluid was darker but not bad at all, you could still see through it.