Need new transmission

Drain, fill and filter change

 

usually people change their fluid when there's already a problem. new fluid isn't going to damage a transmission. that's like saying changing your old, dirty motor oil is bad for your engine.

 

The difference between motor oil and transmission fluid is that the crap in old transmission fluid is the friction material that the transmission is relying on. That's why they can slip after changing the fluid.

My advice is worth what is paid for it, but I'm a fan of transmission drain and fills, particularly on newer vehicles with thinner fluids. I'm not sure how much is changed on a Tacoma, but most cars I’ve had will get about 1/3 of the capacity replaced by a drain and fill, and the impact on additive performance (and thereby transmission operation/protection) can be substantial. The same applies to coolant.

 

I like doing a drain & fill also, especially on an older vehicle with an unknown history. I refer to it as a "soft change".

If you get close to 100% percent of the old fluid out you hit the (dirty) transmission with new full strength additives - like taking a laxative - everything cuts loose right now.

With a soft change you get some fresh additives in there to start doing some gentle cleaning, more like adding some fruit to your diet instead of the laxative.

 

Some of the jokes on this forum are hilarious

 

To echo what others have said, Toyota does not tinker with, fix or repair the transmissions in Tacomas. There is zero service info or tech support available to Toyota technicians regarding most transmission issues.

If it doesn’t work properly, the best you are going to get from the dealer is, “its not repairable, and you need a new one” . So yes its not repairable BY THEM, but may be worth a second opinion from a reputable transmission specialist.

In my case the estimate to replace my “fried” transmission by the dealer was @ $9k , and a bit less for a reman. Local transmission shop had it repaired and running like a top for under $2K worth of parts and labor. Sheesh.

 

update OP?