Transmission Fluid Replacement Recommendations

My truck is a company vehicle, 2015 with 147,500 miles. We have a fleet of 12 of them and run them 300,000 miles before replacing them. Most of us average 60-70K miles annually. Worked for this company 26 years and always ran Tacomas. Over the years none of them has ever had a transmission issue using original fluid the lifetime of the truck. It is what it is...

I'll stick to that plan. You all can do as you like, It's what makes the world go round ... peace

 

Boom some real world trials right there.

 

People can walk without cartilage in their joints too. Doesn't mean they should. Lol.

 

Did mine @ 185/kms last year, there was definitely substantial wear on the "lifetime" fluid, I could feel the difference in residual lubrication between old & new fluid simply by rubbing it between thumb/forefinger.

My usage is likely mid-pack, I offroad some, tow & haul a little, and daily drive it, the brownish discoloration was noticeable so I went with AMSoil synthetic, it definitely shifts smoother now & I have the peace of mind knowing that should something break, it wasn't due to poor maintenance.

Not certain if that makes it worthwhile for you OP, but coming from an older Honda with transmission issues, the 200$ peace of mind has been worth its weight in gold.

 

Based on the way I use the truck the maintenance and warranty manual says automatic transmission fluid needs to be changed every 60k miles. I think I had the first service around 50k miles and will probably be doing a drain/fill soon since the plan going forward is to do that every 20k miles. I'll be sending a sample to blackstone in the next month to confirm that's an okay interval.

 

Actually of the reputable shops that I have talked to they recommend the flush at 100K. I agree, 100K is NOT high mileage lol. For any vehicle, let alone a Tacoma. They state with my use of the truck 100K is fine.

Of the run of the mill mechanics I talk to... they seem to tell these made up stories about how flushing "old" transmissions loosens debris and will make your truck explode.

 

When I did the first drain/fill on my Tacoma at 100k miles it actually looked pretty good, so I assume the previous owner must have already changed it at some point.

BUT... my Tundra with the same transmission was a different story. At around 95k miles I started noticing a skipping or misfire type feeling occasionally, I blew it off and said "well it's time for new plugs". It kept getting progressively worse and then I actually started thinking I had a bad coil pack, but it never set a code. Then one weekend after seeing how easy the fluid change was on the Taco, I decided to do it on the Tundy, and I was shocked at how brown it looked! Amazingly, after one single drain/fill with Maxlife the misfire feeling completely disappeared. Now I will admit about twice a year I tow a Kubota tractor with a bush hog about 50 miles, but I never dreamed that little bit of towing would degrade the fluid that badly. Supposedly the dealer did a drain/fill at 70k, but I'm thinking now that they never did it, even though I got charged for it.

 

Those are not made up stories. I've witnessed first hand seeing transmissions have major issues after a high mileage flush (100k+ miles) vs. a drain and fill. Not in a Tacoma to very clear but in other makes and models.

The shop I've been taking my Toyota's to for years will do what you ask as a customer, however not without signing a waiver first if you want a flush vs a drain a fill in a high mileage vehicle. If you refuse to sign the waiver they simply will refuse the service. The waiver was adopted based on years of experience and situations with customers. They've been in business by the same owner since 1975 and only work on Japenese makes and models.

If you do not tow, haul or do much off-roading then I'm sure a flush will be fine in your case. After 100k miles I personally would not flush, but would rather drain and fill and a few months later drain and fill again to cycle older fluid out.

 

There is no such thing as "lifetime fluid".

When I bought my 05 with 95k, the ding bat previous owner never had the tranny serviced. Everything was fine at first and then I began noticing an intermittent delayed shift from 3rd to 4th from a dead stop when going downhill. It's also about sent my wife through the windshield once when it bucked from a dead stop.

If you're fortunate enough to have the vehicle early on in its life, maintain the vehicle by changing the damn fluids when they're due. As someone here once said "Fluid is cheaper than metal".

 

I brought my truck in to Toyota for a flush yesterday. After I dropped if off they called me back and said that they couldn't do a flush, only a drain and fill. I told them I could do that myself and picked the truck back up. They qouted me $145 for a drain and fill, a whole case of fluid (12 liters) was only $110, so I bought a case. I plan to just do 3 drain and fills to get most of the old oil out. This is the third place I've brought the truck and nobody will do the flush.

 

Doing the full 12 / 13 quart flush yourself is easy. Just did it in my garage this weekend. Follow the tutorial here in TW and you are golden.

My truck just broke 60k miles. Im not super hard on her, i have towed stuff only once or twice, mobbed through the desert n sand dunes here n there. So its not a highway pavement queen but not nearly as hard of a life as others have lived. That stated, the fluid came out was still decent but im glad i changed it. For the 95 bucks for 13 quarts of toyota WS fluid and an afternoon of my time was well worth it after 4 years of owning the truck.

 

I used the Toyota spec"'d Valvoline fluid in the wife's RAV4 v6 probably 4 years ago...no issues and I push this car hard when I'm driving on the highway. The appropriate Valvoline fluid is fine,otherwise use the actual Toyota fluid.

 

I think I paid around $280 when the dealer flushed mine. They offered to either drain/fill pan or full flush. Drain/fill was about the same price you were quoted.

 

Will be doing a pan drop and full flush this weekend. Will go with Amsoil ATF based upon information I gathered here.

 

For the dudes that did the drain and fill . Is it possible to just measure the amount of fluid that came out and put the exact same amount back in vs doing the temp check with the wire step?

 

Drain & Fill mine every 15K....3.2 quarts

 

Yes you can, only if you are 100% sure that you are properly filled to being with. Temp check method is easy.

 

Yes. Should be 3.25 quarts though, or 104 ounces.

 

Just do the jumper/ temp method. There's no guarantee that your trans started with the exact proper amount of fluid before you drained it and the jumper/ temp method isn't difficult if you can read and follow basic instructions.