I have a 2010 Nissan Altima 4d 2.5 SL Sedan. As far as I can remember, I don't know if the automatic transmission fluid has been changed out. I currently have between 150k and 151k miles on it and was wondering if I should look at changing out the fluid myself or leave it alone and just pray it lasts until I get another vehicle (looking at probably the summer or end of next year unless things change). Another YouTube channel that showed how to replace the fluid shows that the year model 2007-2012 has a dip stick and drains out the bottom much like the engine oil does.
I checked the FAQ and there did not seem to be much there for CVTs.
I'm pretty sure it's explained in the FAQ that the risks associated with changing ATF (automatic transmission fluid, not CVT fluid) only apply to conventional automatic transmissions. There are no such warnings in the CVT section.
You can (and should) change CVT fluid any time.
I think I made a mistaken in my initial post (sorry about that). The Nissan Altima's have a CVT in them so I am not sure with the amount of miles that is on the car if it would be worth trying to change the oil out or not. Under Scotty's "Gas Prices Just Flipped" video he read a question regarding a vehicle that had 240k miles and he recommended not changing the oil. I wasn't sure if that would be the same with my case (given that mine is a Nissan) so I came here to ask.
I checked the FAQ and there did not seem to be much there for CVTs.
The advice to not change fluid if it has not been done on a high mileage transmission does not apply to CVTs since those do not have clutches and bands that can shed friction material.
Yeah, if the CVT fluid has never been changed before and you are at 150,000+ miles then you might be SOL. I am surprised it lasted this long. The CVTs on those are the weak point and ideally you should have even changing the fluid every 30,000 miles.
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Are you original owner? Are you sure it has never been changed before?
Another way to tell, if you have a dipstick how does the fluid look? What color? Does it smell burnt? Any metallic particles embedded in the fluid?
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Does your CVT currently shift OK or do you notice shifting issues?
I will take a look at the fluid on the dipstick tomorrow.