Trustworthy chain to change transmission fluid

S

Stinger63

Joined
Oct 12, 2020
Messages
219
What chain would be trustworthy and cheap to change transmission fluid on a 09 Sonata Limited V6 (96,000)

The last time I went to the female owned “woke” dealer they hit me with an 1800 estimate for other work desperately needed.
They had tested my antifreeze and it was old and needed to be flushed and replaced
It was 1 day old. I had done it the day before.
They said I needed brakes badly.
I went one full year and had to put in two front pads at my friends shop. They said I had 10k left on the rear.
I hate doing business like that.
It reminds me of that old Sears Roebuck lawsuit
 
You can try Valvoline Instant Oil Change. I think they charge around 130 for a full atf exchange. Since they don’t do brakes, tires, alignment, etc you shouldn’t get a bunch of unnecessary upsells.
 
Not sure I follow--you had some front pads installed, but the dealer said the rear was getting close to being done. That could have been true. You could just decline to have the brakes fixed. Along with the rest of it. [Plus there is always the chance that you lost a caliper since the last time you checked.]

I have a tough time trusting chains. Any given location could be good--or bad. They pull from the same talent pool as any other shop. I'd be more inclined to trust a dealer than a chain, although I'd rather find a good indie--only issue is, finding a good indie.
 
supton said:
Not sure I follow--you had some front pads installed, but the dealer said the rear was getting close to being done. That could have been true. You could just decline to have the brakes fixed. Along with the rest of it. [Plus there is always the chance that you lost a caliper since the last time you checked.]

I have a tough time trusting chains. Any given location could be good--or bad. They pull from the same talent pool as any other shop. I'd be more inclined to trust a dealer than a chain, although I'd rather find a good indie--only issue is, finding a good indie.
Click to expand...
I’m sorry if that was not clear
I went into the dealer just to have the transmission fluid changed which they did

leaving they gave me an estimate for $1800 for work that needed to be done
Brakes were there. “Needed badly”
I went 30 thousand miles on them after they said that.
Then, 1 year later at my friends shop I needed and did 2 front pads (didn’t need rotors) and the rear was still OK.
 
What's your approximate location?
What's a "woke" dealer?
What's the "old Sears & Roebuck lawsuit"?
edit: Your friend has a shop? Go there even if he has to follow directions on how to do your particular fluid change.
 
Kira said:
What's your approximate location?
What's a "woke" dealer?
What's the "old Sears & Roebuck lawsuit"?
edit: Your friend has a shop? Go there even if he has to follow directions on how to do your particular fluid change.
Click to expand...
My woke dealer is advertised as female owned and giving money to the dog rescue.

I guess that’s 2 dollars of the 1800 she was trying to charge me on work I didn’t need. 😃
Car dealers now have service writers on commission and a tiny salary so they are incentivized to sell sell sell
That’s what Sears was doing

I think I will visit my friends shop

apnews.com

Class-Action Lawsuit Accuses Sears Auto Shops of Fraud

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) _ A class-action lawsuit filed Monday against Sears, Roebuck and Co. accuses the giant retailer of overcharging customers at its automotive centers and performing unnecessary repairs.
apnews.com apnews.com
 
Last edited:
supton said:
They pull from the same talent pool as any other shop. I'd be more inclined to trust a dealer than a chain, although I'd rather find a good indie--only issue is, finding a good indie.
Click to expand...
I really tend to agree here
Maybe a lower talent pool
 
I don't know if this would work in your Sonata. My son has 2012 Honda CRV and I use Mityvac to extract all the oil through dipstick tube from his AT.
Then I switch the lever to evacuate, pump few times and all the oil gets extracted into used oil metal can. Open the Mityvac canister, clean it with paper towel, pour in fresh trans. fluid, stick the tubing back into transmission through dipsticks hole, pump few times and all the fresh oil gets transferred back into transmission. Change the filter and we're done. Fast, simple, clean job at the cost of under $30 for fluid and filter.
 
The words "Trustworthy" and "Chain" in the same sentence constitute a true oxymoron.
Find yourself a good, honest mechanic in a small independent shop.
If you are having trouble finding one, ask around.
The only thing that "Chains" excel at are wallet flushes.
 
Not sure if this is a regional thing, but I heard a radio ad that Aamco Transmissions has a deal right now for $109 where they will do a pan drop, replace the filter, install a new gasket, and top up the trans fluid. For us here, this isn't a deal, but for someone who doesn't work on their car, that price isn't terrible.

Sure beats paying $350 for one of those machine flushes that often seem to cause trans failure.
 
Davejam said:
I prefer dealer for transmission fluid. At least they are not going to use something that is grossly incorrect.
You'll just have to tolerate the pressure to do unneeded work.

Otherwise find an independent that you're comfortable with that will use the correct fluid...or do it yourself.
Click to expand...
The dealer I worked at used bulk fluid. A lot of people think they use genuine fluid but they don’t.
 
Stinger63 said:
I’m sorry if that was not clear
I went into the dealer just to have the transmission fluid changed which they did

leaving they gave me an estimate for $1800 for work that needed to be done
Brakes were there. “Needed badly”
I went 30 thousand miles on them after they said that.
Then, 1 year later at my friends shop I needed and did 2 front pads (didn’t need rotors) and the rear was still OK.
Click to expand...
They meant THEY needed the brake job badly, not you.
 
It is very easy to check if brake pads need replacement.
Go to Youtube and they have a few videos on it.
Shop sometimes just say you need it badly without even checking.

One time, they say I need to replace ATF and I just replaced it a couple of weeks before.
I asked him, how do you know it needs change badly?, he could not answer.
He said based on mileage, I said I just changed it a couple of weeks ago, that means you did not even check the fluid condition.
 
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