2015 Toyota Highlander LE AWD 90,000 mi.
I asked my mechanic if I should change the transmission fluid. He told me his 4Runner has 275,000 miles on original fluid, and not worth the risk of something getting stuck in a spring doing the fluid.
I watched a video of it being changed on almost the same make, model, and mileage…it didn’t look that dirty at all so I skipped it.
Went out of town weeks later and after about 2 hours of driving it definitely felt like the transmission slipped pretty significantly in a unique situation (hitting the gas pretty hard at ~60 mph to pass an idiot & having to let off immediately when another idiot changed lanes abruptly)
Is there any truth to my mechanics statement that the risk may outweigh the benefit of changing the ATF (he’s definitely not trying to sell me…if anything he didn’t feel like doing it), and could that slip be a sign of a problem that a ATF fluid change will help, or developing problem that it will not?
It’s all covered in our FAQ. It pays off to look around a bit.
He told me his 4Runner has 275,000 miles on original fluid, and not worth the risk of something getting stuck in a spring doing the fluid.
That is nonsense: Don’t follow what he did. I would even consider changing mechanics. If you want your transmission to hold up, you have to change the fluid often (every 40,000 miles).
