Hi Scotty. I just purchased a 2016 Toyota Corolla with cvt transmission. It has over 81,000 miles on it and I have no clue when the trans fluid was last changed. The fluid currently looks healthy, translucent wine red. It shifts decent. Should I change the fluid now or later? What could be a problem with changing the fluid on higher mileage cvts?
does the owner's manual say anything about it?
At that mileage I would definitely change it.
- I know the lifetime fluid is bogus. I'm just wondering if it would cause any harm to change the fluid at high mileage. Do these types of transmissions have torque converter or any part where old fluid will get lodged or not act well to be fluid? I'm not able to do this kind of service myself and I'm wondering if it's even worth it to try to find a dealership to do it even though I expect them to hit me with the lifetime fluid bs. I just would like to do more research before I go spend a lot of money to get the transmission serviced. I've read about a couple cases where the cvt transmission has gone out on these Corollas at 60k
Get the correct fluid and change it do not flush it though. Regarding the mechanic, any mechanic can do the job, it is only drain and fill. Just make sure they use the correct fluid and they don’t flush it.
Since it shifts fine and the fluid is clear, go ahead and drain/fill the fluid now. According to the Toyota Master Mechanic below (see at 9:52) it should be changed every 60,000 miles using only the genuine Toyota CVT fluid:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OJZLMIl6XPo&list=PLeFzfl0Q8rQVtXIaJSF7EtirvTRhSbsrV&index=2
His channel (Car Care Nut) is a good one to subscribe to.
