Pay for a flush? Or Drain and Fill?

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Hi All,

i've recently purchased a second hand honda Torneo (Accord in most places) with about 170,000 miles on the clock. There was no history regarding the ATF but judging by its colour, its not red, nor very dark.
I dont plan to keep this car for very long. So would paying for a "full flush" be worth it?

I know a DIY "drain and fill" doesn't get all of it out, but would a bit of new fluid be good>
 
I personally know someone that had a perfectly fine Ford Econoline Van and had a Valvoline Instant Lube do a transmission flush. The van didn't go one mile before the transmission went out.
People claim if that happens, there was already a problem with the transmission anyways. That may be true, but why make it fail sooner?

The sad thing is, he went in for an oil change and was talked into the transmission flush.
 
Depends on the fluid and method they use. IF they don't know what they are doing then they probably caused it and there likely is no recourse with them. I would sure try though. Proving it was fine coming in might be challenging though.
 
If its not a keeper then i wouldn't bother. Drain and fill is like throwing the money out the window, total waste of time and money.
 
Unless being able to say, "I did a drain and fill a few months ago and the vehicle shifts fine", will help sell the car.
Then it isn't throwing money out the window.

You'd have options to say things like, "The fluid is serviceable but if you want to get it clear, do several d&fs yourself". Having the right things to say to the right people really helps. Kira
 
Wouldn't it be nice if someone with a pedigree definitively answered the "flush ruined tranny" scenario? 1 example doesn't make every tranny flush a death sentence.

Not sure how a simple drain/fill could be anything but goodness.
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
I personally know someone that had a perfectly fine Ford Econoline Van and had a Valvoline Instant Lube do a transmission flush. The van didn't go one mile before the transmission went out.
People claim if that happens, there was already a problem with the transmission anyways. That may be true, but why make it fail sooner?

The sad thing is, he went in for an oil change and was talked into the transmission flush.



well considering there was just a post about tranny failure after a fluid change, and the cause of the failure was over-filling, is it possible all these tranny flush failures are caused by over or under filling and not the actual tranny flush?
 
You can do a "flush" yourself. Via the cooler lines. It will be a near total exchange. However any transmission maint should involve a filter change if it has one, at least if you do not know prior history.

Also many places who do a flush add some "cleaner" before the actual flush and let it run for 20 minutes. And many quick oil change places who do a flush do not change the filter. The flush does not clean the filter.

Remember if they use a machine to do a flush or you do it, the pump in the transmission is what is moving the fluid through the transmission. The flush machine merely keeps adding new ATF at the same rate the transmission pump is pushing out old fluid.
 
Since you aren't going to keep it very long, I wouldnt mess with it.

I dont think saying you drained/ filled the ATF will be a selling point. Many folks still think ATF never needs changed unless there is an issue.
 
I believe that Honda DOESN'T recommend power flushing.

I would do 3 D&R's 500 to 1000 miles apart.

PS: I think Valvoline Maxlife ATF or Castrol IMV are fine for your Honda....
 
It's a Honda AT. Doing drains and fills on them is easier than an engine oil change. They've got a drain plug, a fill plug and a dipstick.

I would never say a drain/fill is a waste of money. ANY new, clean fluid is better than nothing.
 
I wouldn't touch it. Ford did a tranny flush on my gf's 07 Mustang (had barely 100k on it) and a few days later the tranny went out.
 
Originally Posted By: pbm
I believe that Honda DOESN'T recommend power flushing.



This is true. 3 drain fills on a Honda AT are considered a flush.
I would do one. Use Honda OE fluid as it is compatible with their clutch friction material.
 
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Drain and fill. Flushes disturb the cooler lines. Some hacks even chop them then put in a barb and hose clamps. No to that!
 
NEVER flush a Honda transmission!

A drain-and-fill with the provided drain plug is sufficient.

The only time to even consider flushing is if you used the wrong fluid, or if you went like 200k miles on the original factory fill. And even then, the proper "flush" procedure is the regular drain-and-fill done 3-4x, with some driving in between drains (anywhere from around the block to 1000 miles between the 3 drains)
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Not keeping so why bother?! Only reason i do drain and fills is because I plan to drive my car til it breaks!


To be fair, one could take the same approach with motor oil as well.

While the failure rate is different, the failure mode is the same.

I would do a fluid exchange without any cleaning agents. Change the filter if you wish, but most generally, if the filter is plugged it is because the trans has failed. The filters dont really filter much.

Even if it doesn't increase the value of your vehicle at time for sale, it will usually make it easier to sell. People will quicker buy a vehicle that is not neglected than one that obviously is.

Jmo
 
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