Hey everyone, I would appreciate some advice on this one.

I'm a car dismantler at a junkyard and a "weekend warrior" car mechanic.

I have a friend with a 2004 Toyota Tacoma automatic, 180,000 miles, and she loves it.

I recently decided to check the condition of the ATF, seeing if it would be a good idea to change it/if it had ever been changed.

The results weren't very promising. The fluid looks pretty dark (but not completely black), I've seen some pretty burned fluid before and I wouldn't say that this is but I guess I just wanted to see if it might be a good idea to change it before I purchase the fluid to do a drain and fill.

Here's a link on Google photos of what the fluid looks like: https://photos.app.goo.gl/sBaNzetagtWQeSzP8

It's possible that darker, burnt section of the paper towel is residue from dried ATF in the dipstick tube, and not actually present in the fluid itself.

Worth noting: The transmission shifts flawlessly and the car has never really been used for towing, she just wants it to last "forever" and I'm trying to help her do that, even beyond Toyota's reputation.

And just for the record I know doing a flush is a really bad idea, and that conventional Scotty advice would be to leave it alone. I just wanted to get some input on what you guys think, given the condition of the fluid, the mileage, and the fact it's a Toyota.

Thanks,

Andrew