Said It Here

Should I change my transmission fluid at 60k miles?

Vehicle manuals often only recommend inspecting transmission fluid at 60k miles, leaving drivers confused about whether to wait until 100k or service it early. This leaves car owners torn between performing a risky full flush or opting for a safer drain and fill to protect their transmission.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Doing a drain and fill instead of a full flush
  2. 2
    Following personal maintenance intervals like changing fluid every 50k to 80k miles regardless of manual recommendations
  3. 3
    Doing multiple successive drain and fills over a few weeks
  4. 4
    Dropping the transmission pan to change the filter and add a magnet
  5. 5
    Pulling a transmission return line to flush out most of the old fluid at once
  6. 6
    Doing a multi-step incremental drain and fill of one quart at a time over several thousand miles
  7. 7
    Avoiding transmission service entirely based on the belief that changing old fluid ruins transmissions
  8. 8
    Following the vehicle owner's manual recommendations strictly
  9. 9
    Changing transmission fluid based on mileage intervals regardless of manual guidance
  10. 10
    Getting a second opinion from a trusted mechanic
  11. 11
    Leaving the old transmission fluid alone and letting it ride without servicing it
  12. 12
    Avoiding fluid changes on high-mileage automatics to prevent slippage or failure
  13. 13
    Checking the vehicle's owner manual
  14. 14
    Following a general rule of thumb such as every 30,000 to 40,000 miles
  15. 15
    Waiting for the car's maintenance minder system to indicate it
  16. 16
    Checking the owner's manual
  17. 17
    Getting it serviced at a general 30,000 to 65,000 mile interval

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

Asking since I’ve never attempted to replace a gasket filter or drop the pan.source ↗

No_Cauliflower6339 · r/AskMechanics · 1 upvotes

Should I have it changed or trust the manufacturer recommendations?source ↗

bobdobolina2017 · r/AskMechanics · 1 upvotes

I’ve never changed the transmission fluid. I’m not sure if it was done by the previous owner, but even if it was, it would be way overdue.source ↗

Is it safe/recommended to do a simple drain-and-fill without flushing the system? The car is currently running smoothly with no issues shifting, etc.source ↗

Healthy-Bluejay5905 · r/AskMechanics · 1 upvotes

That’s my fear 😭 I don’t want to mess up a good thing. It’s just hard to know if not changing it will also result in problems.source ↗

Healthy-Bluejay5905 · r/AskMechanics · 1 upvotes

I'm still not very educated on when I should service my transmission fluidsource ↗

iBlueOblivion · r/AskMechanics · 1 upvotes

Thoughts on when I should do it and is it worth it?source ↗

I been reading all over a transmission flush is not good and do a fill and drain.... also read 60k is to early and I should wait till 100k.source ↗

PerformanceIcy2260 · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

If you're worred about it, just do a drain and fill.source ↗

howmaster16 · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

Hey I have Honda civic 2021 and I’m still not very educated on when I should service my transmission fluidsource ↗

iBlueOblivion · r/MechanicAdvice · 1 upvotes

Changed my girlfriend’s transmission fluid at 90,000 miles… this is how it looks like. Should I be concerned?source ↗

No_Cauliflower6339 · r/AskMechanics

I’m sure I will get more conflicting responses, but I’m coming to y’all so I can find the best consensus as to what to do.source ↗

AdUnhappy6223 · r/MechanicAdvice

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised