Where do you go to get your Trans Fluid changed?

[buster]

I'm trying to avoid the dealer and want to take my wife's Mazda 3 somewhere I can trust to do a good complete flush/fill of the trans fluid.

It will be getting this:

http://www.valvoline.com/pdf/maxlife_atf.pdf

 

[Donald]

Typically in my driveway, sometimes in the garage. I guess it depends. Always Amsoil.

 

[barlowc]

For our Saturn, I do it myself. It has a Honda engine/transmission with a drain plug, so the drain/fill procedure is very easy. I just recently did a 3x drain/fill when it hit 60K. Out came the Z-1 fluid and in went MaxLife DEX/MERC.

For my Nissan which has a CVT and unfortunately no drain plug, I think I'm just going to let the dealer do it when I hit 60K. Between the NS-2 fluid being very expensive to buy and the vehicle having a 10-year/120K-mile warranty on the transmission, I'm going with the safe/easy option.

 

[chevys10]

Garage. I once took the Mazda to the dealer to do it an found it wasn't much more expensive than local shops.

 

[shell_user]

In my driveway or garage with the VALVOLINE DEX/MERC MAXLIFE.

 

[buster]

Ok, not including driveways.

 

[95busa]

The driveway...mercon v

 

[SteveSRT8]

In my driveway. Used to own a B&G fluid exchange machine but sold it and now do the same thing with a length of tubing and a bucket!

We were devoted Amsoil clients until the birth of the Dex VI spec. Now all our GM products get only Dex VI.

 

[Dave Hess]

Inside my garage with basic tools for all maintenance.

 

[tig1]

I trust only myself to change my ATF. Been doing that for 45 years.

 

[Gabe]

I took my truck to an AAMCO Transmissions. They don't add new fluid; they collect the old and run it through some filtering machine. I think it cost $120 if I remember correctly.

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: tig1
I trust only myself to change my ATF. Been doing that for 45 years.

Tig1,

You don't look a day older than 46! LOL.

Same as most others, I DIY in the garage. I've never done the complete flush, I stick to a drain and fill in the Civic and I drop the transmission pan in the Sienna and do a drain and fill. I used to use M1 universal ATF, but I've switched to Valvoline MaxLife which is under $25 for a 5 litre jug.


Regards, JC.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: buster
Ok, not including driveways.

next to the rose bushes then

 

[riff1006]

I took my pickup to a transmission shop and had them change the ATF and differential. I thought it was reasonable. The Honda should be pretty easy and I'll do it myself.

 

[Phishin]

I to go to Valvoline.

You can find a $20 coupon anywhere on the net, so it should only be $80.

And I'm pretty sure they always use Maxlife. But you can ask and check it out. I know mine does, I saw them filling their machine with gallon jugs of it.

Oh, and ask what technique they use. My Valvoline shop used to hook a line to the transmission cool and use that method of flushing. Now they basically stick a tube down the fill hole, suck out fluid. Then start up the vehicle and add the missing volume with fresh. Let it run for a bit, shift the car/truck through the gears, and suck out the torque converter again. Then re-fill. They repeat several times, thus changing out a big portion of the ATF. At least they claim it does. My ATF is always nice and red and clear when they are done.

And I interrupt them before they top it off, and drop in a bottle or two of Red Lubegard.

Does anyone think this method of removing/replacing the ATF in the torque converter is effective or not effective? Does it make sense or are they really not getting most of the old fluid out?

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Phishin
I to go to Valvoline.

You can find a $20 coupon anywhere on the net, so it should only be $80.

And I'm pretty sure they always use Maxlife. But you can ask and check it out. I know mine does, I saw them filling their machine with gallon jugs of it.

Oh, and ask what technique they use. My Valvoline shop used to hook a line to the transmission cool and use that method of flushing. Now they basically stick a tube down the fill hole, suck out fluid. Then start up the vehicle and add the missing volume with fresh. Let it run for a bit, shift the car/truck through the gears, and suck out the torque converter again. Then re-fill. They repeat several times, thus changing out a big portion of the ATF. At least they claim it does. My ATF is always nice and red and clear when they are done.

And I interrupt them before they top it off, and drop in a bottle or two of Red Lubegard.

Does anyone think this method of removing/replacing the ATF in the torque converter is effective or not effective? Does it make sense or are they really not getting most of the old fluid out?


Only a very few cars have a drain for the torque converter so I do not think they do anything with the torque converter. They are just doing multiple drain and fills (suck-out and fills). The percentage of new ATF depends upon the ratio of pan to total capacity. Most are around 1/3. What about the filter.

The quick lube places do not want to drop the pan. So they either use a flush machine or multiple drain & fills,

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: shell_user
In my driveway or garage with the VALVOLINE DEX/MERC MAXLIFE.


+1

 

[Phishin]

Originally Posted By: Donald

Only a very few cars have a drain for the torque converter so I do not think they do anything with the torque converter. They are just doing multiple drain and fills (suck-out and fills). The percentage of new ATF depends upon the ratio of pan to total capacity. Most are around 1/3. What about the filter.

The quick lube places do not want to drop the pan. So they either use a flush machine or multiple drain & fills,


That's what I meant. I guess I assumed that the tube they stick down the transmission's fill hole went into the TC. Am I wrong?

But yeah, basically they suck what they can out of the fill hole with a tube, then fill it up. Then suck it out, then fill it up. Repeat a few times.

 

[SteveSRT8]

An extremely safe if unprofessional way of doing this service!

The dipstick tube leads straight into the pan. Very few cars even have a TC plug any more, and it's not relevant to a cooler line exchange anyway.

As asked above: What about the filter?

 

[ARB1977]

At home.