Trustworthy chain to change transmission fluid

[Stinger63]

Check YouTube and some Hyundai forums, or wait for others to chime in.

Has the fluid ever been changed before?

They could have
The Carfax prior to buying the car shows it was at the dealer for oil every 3,000 like a clock
Googling the Vin number showed me the property tax record of the 1 owner who was 86
But it’s not on the car fax and my local dealer can’t pull up the service records for that dealer 90 miles away

 

[928]

You need to find and establish a good relastionship with a quality mom & pop independent shop. Ask around for recommendations & when you find one that you are happy with stick to them. If you always shop every time, you will find that often times they figure that they only get one shot at you and they will try to upsell you. A good independent that you have a relationship with should advise you as to what needs fixing now & what can wait, but advise you as to when ie brakes etc

 

[Creekside]

Ask around for an independent transmission shop. You want the one with the old guy and a cigarette hanging out building transmissions in the back corner. He will tell you like it is.

 

[khittner1]

I have a '10 Sonata with the 2.4 liter/5-speed automatic trans. My transmission is a simple drain & fill--there is no serviceable filter without removing the transmission entirely. The V-6 edition may be similar or identical. There's no need for OEM fluid; Maxlife and Amsoil SS ATF have both served me well, with total miles on car at 122K and smooth shifting. Do it yourself. You'll need to remove the plastic bottom shield to get to the transmission drainplug, but it's right there once you get the shield out of the way. Refill through the dipstick. Easy if you're already doing your own oil changes.

 

[haggler]

Kia/Hyundai transmission are very similar.

2017 Kia Optima EX Trans fluid?

Hi- Just bought a Kia its at 28,000 miles. Cant seem to find any info on how to change the trans fluid. I can see an inspection port bolt on the top of the trans but no dump bolt anywhere.

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[Gimpy1]

The dealer I worked at used bulk fluid. A lot of people think they use genuine fluid but they don’t.

Yup agree 100% the large chain shop I used to manage used the absolute cheapest oil in bulk and a " one size fits all" transfluid in bulk from an unkown supplier. The only different fluid was for CVT. Even the brake fluid was in gallon containers that had been unsealed and open forat least a year. The only sealed non bulk fluids where the BG upsell crap we had to push on EVERY customer.

 

[Kawiguy454]

There is a certain segment of society that would just go ahead an have them "Fix Everything" ...they live in a bubble of fear and the idea that an expert certified they'll then be safe helps them sleep at night. from the Shops perspective this is good service preventative maint.

 

[Greasymechtech]

I would call around for a simple drain/refill of the transmission. If the shop can do that without problems, maybe you can trust them to do more later. Otherwise, DIY!

After the 1st drain/refill of the pan, and if all is well, I would visit dealer for a pan gasket and filters kit. Some have a standard ATF pump pickup filter and others include an additional screw on filter. Using your VIN, have the dealer provide both filters, pan gasket... and service the transmission again at whatever shop you picked before, this time replacing the filter(s)....

Fluid... guessing SPIII... so either grab some Aisin SP3 from Rockauto... or use any universal/multivehicle/Asian ATF from your local autopart store that lists the SPIII spec on the back of the bottle. Pretty sure Castrol, Pennzoil, Valvoline... have compatible and capable ATFs for your vehicle.

 

[CheezWhiz]

wendy’s?

 

[Snowflake White]

There is a certain segment of society that would just go ahead an have them "Fix Everything" ...they live in a bubble of fear and the idea that an expert certified they'll then be safe helps them sleep at night. from the Shops perspective this is good service preventative maint.

No, it's just making sure they take as much money from a sucker as possible.

 

[dlundblad]

I wouldn’t be worried about using the dealer as long as they know you only want the ATF change done.

 

[Lubener]

I wouldn't trust chains to do it.Most have flunkies working there who are just passing time. If I couldn't do it myself, I would go to a privately owned transmission or repair shop. Dealers would be my next choice.

 

[Kawiguy454]

On My GM's the dealer has the equipment to do it now that its a sealed system with no dipstick to fill. Haven't had a problem at my dealer like some have had.

 

[wemay]

I wouldn’t be worried about using the dealer as long as they know you only want the ATF change done.

This^

 

[MattPersman]

The dealer I worked at used bulk fluid. A lot of people think they use genuine fluid but they don’t.

I work at a dealer. We almost exclusively use OEM fluids unless customer asks for something else specifically

depending on the transmission there may or may not be a machine used to exchange the fluid. We do have a Flo Dynamics machine that is around 5 grand

I would be a touch nervous if you have a pan that can be dropped small shops or chains may use a filter/gasket kit with a low quality gasket that will likely leak shortly after and let’s just hope all the bolts are installed nicely and not cross threaded or over tightened

 

[MParr]

Don’t let the dealership treat you like Firestone Stores. Ask for a transmission fluid change and that’s it. The End!

 

[MParr]

If you are mechanically inclined, you can do it yourself. It’s fairly easy. Drive the front of your car up on Rhino Ramps. Jack up both sides on the rear until the car is level. Make sure that you have jack stands under the rear. You will need 3.5 quarts of Hyundai SP III equivalent fluid.

 

[Snowflake White]

I work at a dealer. We almost exclusively use OEM fluids unless customer asks for something else specifically

depending on the transmission there may or may not be a machine used to exchange the fluid. We do have a Flo Dynamics machine that is around 5 grand

I would be a touch nervous if you have a pan that can be dropped small shops or chains may use a filter/gasket kit with a low quality gasket that will likely leak shortly after and let’s just hope all the bolts are installed nicely and not cross threaded or over tightened

I had a Ford dealer put Mercon LV in our 2005 Ford Five Hundred even though Ford itself specifies Aisin specific Mobil 3309 fluid which is Ford
Motorcraft part number XT-8-QAW and SW actually wrote down that part number on the work order and that customer wanted to make sure it was the correct fluid!
Outrageous.

 

[Cmobile]

I have used Valvoline instant oil change on an 05 Santa fe.
That was 2 years ago.
I was surprised to learn they didn't disconnect any lines to hook to a machine.
They sucked it out of the fill tube, refilled, ran engine, cycled through the gears with brake on,, sucked it out, rinse and repeat multiple times.
Receipt shows they used 32 quarts.

I checked it when I got home, it was bright Red. It was dk brown when I brought it in, so they certainly got most of it.
Not sure what process they use today, or if the process varies by location and make and model though.

I was happy with my "Fluid Exchange"