By
melisabeth, January 27, 2006
I have 40K miles on my 2001 CE - yesterday, when getting an oil change, service tech told me my transmission fluid was burnt and very low - so I agreed to have it flushed, etc. Total cost with oil change was $220.
Just seems that I wouldn't need a flush until the car has a lot more mileage. I bought it certified used from a Toyota dealer 2 years ago with 23K miles - previous owner drove it from CA to VA, otherwise I have no idea how they ran it.
I have 40K miles on my 2001 CE - yesterday, when getting an oil change, service tech told me my transmission fluid was burnt and very low - so I agreed to have it flushed, etc. Total cost with oil change was $220.Just seems that I wouldn't need a flush until the car has a lot more mileage. I bought it certified used from a Toyota dealer 2 years ago with 23K miles - previous owner drove it from CA to VA, otherwise I have no idea how they ran it.
Wow that seems like a very high price for an oil change and tranny flush.... I've never paid over $100 to have my tranny fluid replaced (and if you're paying $100 for an oil change you need to go somewhere else). Did they show you the fluid? Anytime a place like that tells me they think I need my tranny serviced, I make them remove a sample of my fluid and I WATCH them do it. They'll usually put it on a little white dish that has little wells in it and they'll put fresh fluid in a well next to it so you can compare their colors... If your fluid is brown/black then it needs changed. If it's still red it's fine. A lot of places are shady and will tell you your fluid needs changed just to milk you out of another $100.
If the fluid is burnt, a flush is what you need to clear out the system. Otherwise, you are just mixing in all that old, nasty, burnt fluid in with the fresh stuff. There is a lot more in the system then what is just in the pan when you drop it. Did you have it done at a dealership? That has a lot to do with the price... especially if they used Toyota's brand of fluid.
Did the technician tell you exactly how many quarts of fluid he used to flush it out? If you know, please tell me. I've been curious about that because I need to have my mother's Corolla flushed out.
Your transmission fluid "burned" after only 40K miles? That hardly seems likely, unless that trip from CA to VA was made in low gear towing a 5,000 lb. trailer! I suspect that your "quickie lube" guy smelled a quick profit and sold you a bill of goods. Normal auto transmission maintenance for Corollas calls for a simple drain-off of whatever ATF (auto transmission fluid) will come out, and replacing that same amount. This is done at least every 30,000 miles. However, waiting to 40,000 miles definitely would not have caused your fluid to be "burned" unless the car was seriously abused. The drain/replace cycle could have been started at that point, and repeated early after the next 10,000 miles just to get back on track.
Did you actually examine the fluid itself? How did it look and smell? Toyota ATF is bright red, and should look no worse than a deep red after it has some mileage on it. It should smell sort of sweet. If you actually saw and smelled it, report back what you saw/smelled.
Keep in mind that an automatic transmission "flush" is something that sounds good but isn't. The "flushing" action can stir up metal shavings and carbonized particles which can be re-distributed throughout your transmission and actually increase wear and tear, in spite of being mixed in with fresh ATF. The drain/refill procedure is ALL that is EVER necessary. Every 100,000 miles, you drop the pan on the transmission and clean out the bottom of the pan, and the magnets which are there to hold metal shavings. On some Corolla's, there is a non-replaceable filter which can be cleaned and returned to service. Then, you replace the gasket, pan, and refill the transmission and that's it.
Remember: NO FLUSHES. At all. Ever. Of ANYTHING.
Except your toilet!
I'm with Larry on this one. Though there are fluid differences between the 8th generation Corolla and 9th generation Corolla. Your 2001 would spec Dexron-III or similar for ATF, while other Toyota are at Type T-IV or 2005+ Type T-WS. The Type T-IV and Type T-WS are synthetic ATFs and Dexron III are mostly conventional or blends. Still - hard to believe that the fluid was burnt after 40K miles, even with hard driving. Fluid level being is very unusual unless there was a problem with the transmission itself. Still - a flush would be the fastest way to get the old fluid out, just not the safest way to do it.
My most recent experience with a transmission flush at the dealership. When I bought my Matrix - dealership flushed the transmission fluid as part of the prep before delivery (used car with ~40K - used a machine with two bladders, one for old fluid, the other filled with 8 quarts of fresh ATF). I checked all fluid levels and conditions before I left the dealership and all seemed well - was concered about the shift logic of the transmission (my XRS was one of the rare ones with AT - had a 6-speed variant model prior to it, but was put off with poor performance under a heavy load). About 200 miles later - the transmission started to shudder and mis-shift. Stopped by the dealership to pickup some ATF and a pan gasket to do it myself. To my great surprise - all kinds of gunk were present in the pan, filter was completely clogged with particulates, and oil was dark red and grey tinted oil (no burnt smell though). The filter was replaced, pan cleaned, new oil poured in. Car drove like new. Third transmission flush with 3 different cars at three different dealerships in two states - they all get the rasberry, doesn't work as sdvertised.
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