AT flush questions, new to forum

[Martyd]

As a potential buyer of a 2010 Mazda 5, I am concerned about the comments I have read about AT flushes. Is this something the Mazda 5 requires more than other autos? I have never had this done to any vehicle I have owned, and wonder why it is a popular topic here.

 

[Rocket]

I've got 102,000 miles on an '06 and I've never flushed it.

 

[5zoom]

I've got an 08 with 47k and I recently had mine drained due to the color/burnt consistency of the fluid. I think its ridiculous that there is no change interval and I recognize how tempermental automatics can be, so I decided to get it done.

 

[rscottg]

I haven't heard of the transmissions actually failing, so maybe it's fairly robust? I guess it comes down to the fact that some autos are very weak and more prone to failure. Some people never change their atf and have no problems for a long time.

The colour does seem to change quite a bit in this car. Is it an issue, I have no idea.

 

[thaxman]

ATF xchngs are actually a normal part of maintenace, although no one ever does them. If you want a 200K+ mile automatic transmission, I would recommend replacing the fluid, as the stuff does actually lose viscosity like any other lubricant. Color can often be the key to that. Tranny failures are usually what put a car in the scrapyard, assuming a collision doesn't do it in first.

 

[amcmike]

Friend recently had his Ford transmission flushed, and developed a leak (he at first assumed it was residual fluid, but after wiping it up, he saw additional fluid after a month). They wouldn't warrenty it and wanted $700 to drop the trans to do a full diagnostic. They even admitted several vehicles having problems after the flush. So he took it to a trans shop, and he needs a basic rebuild now (replace clutches, etc). The trans shop said something to the effect that most likely the flush pushed debris and blocked an orfice causing lack of proper fluid getting to critical areas. They said in the future, they would recommend draining the fluid and pumping new in, rather than an actually flushing it like the manual says to do.

 

[SharkRider]

Home tranny flush

I did a flush on my '06 M5, at a little over 65K, and found that it made everything shift much better.

Like an oil change, the drain bolt for the transmission is located in an open place where it can drain fairly cleanly (may splash a bit against one of the neighboring chassis members initially). I also decided to replace the filter (about $20), after doing a series of three drain-and-fills (driving around the block between fills), each time reloading with 3 quarts of tranny fluid. At first, the outgoing fluid was dark, but later started coming out clean.

The vehicle runs like new! I plan on doing this every other oil change.

I do not believe that a tranny flush is needed, as I too have heard of horror stories of forcing fluid in the tranny by shops, for many types of cars in general.