Is the dealer lying or just stupid?

Sitting in my 17 Limited and the 20k service message just popped up. I called a local dealer to schedule the service and asked an advisor how long I should expect to wait for a physical check of the transmission fluid as I understand the temperature of the vehicle is critical. I was told that "There is no way to physically check the fluid level as the unit is sealed and that I should just wait for the 100k mile flush."
Now I read these forums and I know some of you guys know your shit and many of you are simply full of shit, but I have read that some Tacomas come with low transmission fluid and I want some piece of mind knowing I'm ok on transmission fluid.
Someone who knows their shit, please weigh in on this for me, please?

 

I had mine check the transmission fluid at 5000 miles and they found it a quart low. Seems like that couldn't have happened if it was a sealed unit and couldn't be checked

 

There is a way to check the fluid level... need to the remove the overflow/ fill plug and and stick your finger in. If there is fluid then it's good. If you have to angle your finger down to feel fluid, it needs topped off.
Edit keep reading... proper procedure below.

 

It is easy to check yourself. I did mine in my garage in under 30 min. from start to finish. Mine was 1/4 of quart low. There is a procedure posted somewhere on here. In a nut shell, you have to put the truck into the transmission temp display mode, overfill the tranny via fill plug, wait until it reaches oper. temp., open overflow plug and let the excess drain out. When it's down to dripping reinstall the plug and you're done!

 

Personally, I would leave it be and have faith they put the right amount in. I imagine the likelihood of having low fluid from factory is miniscule, unless its leaking somewhere.

 

I would call them out on this just for the fact that the service dude is an asshole!

 

Or they sold you a quart of oil and the trans wans't low in the first place. Theres a reason we call them stealerships. Some places will charge people for shit that was never done.

 

Here's one post detailing the procedure... sounds like a PITA

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-automatic-transmission-fluid-level-check-diy.547455/

 

Yeah engine needs to be running, trans needa to be at temp and you pull the spill plug to see if anything comes out. If it drips you have enough oil.

 

Didn't 3rd gens have an issue with low A/T fluid from the factory? Not all, but some? Maybe I'm just remembering that wrong. Either way, there is absolutely a way to check to see if you have enough...it's just a PITA and they likely don't want to go to the trouble.

 

"Is the dealer lying or just stupid?"

Yes

 

I didn’t read anything but the title.

I don’t need to read anymore to answer the question

The answer is both

 

They did. Mine was .75 quart low. I know this because I checked it myself. There is a procedure. It is a PITA compared to pulling a dipstick, but it's not overly complicated. As someone else stated, can be done in your garage with no special tools or software in about 30 minutes, give or take. Half of that time is waiting for the tranny temp to get up to check temp if it's been sitting overnight.

 

It sounds worse that it actually is. Well worth the time.

 

Possibly, I'm not sure.

Doesn't the check engine light come on with low tranny fluid?

 

Here we go:
https://www.obd-codes.com/p070f

Not sure if the Tacoma has a TFL sensor.

 

Depends. Did they tell you they can update your truck with Android Auto and Apple Car play?

 

Ok so I was in at the dealer yesterday because my trans was shifting hard from 2-1 when slowing to a stop. My guess was the fluid was low so I had them check the fluid level. They came back and told me that the trans had an update that needed to be done, and what I was feeling on that shift was the motors atkinson cycle... What?
So the trans was updated, fluid level on my '17 was deemed correct, my trans still shifts weird from 2-1, and dealers are definitely stupid.