Hello all! My name is Tom in Florida.
2014 Tundra 5.7L Long bed. 78k pampered miles, no towing.
I got the dealer "Complete Transmission Service" today, they call a flush. It uses 12 quarts of fluid.
All went well, truck runs great. Maybe slightly smoother shifting (or it's a placebo effect).
I peeked at the pan and fill plugs at home. They look untouched!
I wondered/wondering if I got ripped off. I backed out the fluid check bolt to let a tiny bit out. It was nice and red!
How did they change the trans fluid without touching the pan or fill bolts?!
I peeked at the pan and fill plugs at home. They look untouched!
flush usually means they exhange the fluid through the cooler hoses. The pans and plugs are not touched.
This is why we recommend NOT flushing. That pan needs to be cleaned out. And so does the filter if it has one.
How did they change the trans fluid without touching the pan or fill bolts?!
By tapping into the transmission cooler lines.
Appreciate your reply! I figured they had a way via the rad or lines, but obviously I'm ignorant.
I'm more of a motorcycle/manual transmission car guy in terms of fluid changes.
I just have major trust issues with dealers. If I didn't let a tiny bit out to see it myself, I would assume I was just ripped off completely and the same old slush was inside : )
It's good to be skeptical, they are called "stealerships" for a reason. For any non-warranty work it is best to avoid dealers and find a good independent shop.
Lol so true. They wanted to do a throttle body cleaning for like $100! I just did this myself last weekend, it's perfectly clean and a DYI type of job. Although I don't spray it in the body, I wipe it all down, takes forever!
(I'm a shade tree DYIer at best).
Next time around I'm gonna hit up my independent guy. He does a lot of foreign auto stuff, and may know the Toyota Trans stuff (gotta find out!).