Hey Scotty!
I have a 2020 Toyota CHR with 60,000 miles. I just called my local Toyota dealership to get an estimate for a CVT fluid drain and fill and a coolant drain and fill. They estimated $225 for the coolant which is a lot but what do you expect from a dealership. Then they told me they don’t do CVT fluid drain and fill. It does not have a service interval and they don’t do it unless they are repairing the transmission. Seems like something nefarious is happening here. Why aren’t they servicing transmissions?
Why aren’t they servicing transmissions?
Toyota is not the only one, more and more manufacturers are calling their transmissions "sealed units". It's nonsensical. You'd have to either change the fluid yourself or find an independent shop to do it. However doing so may void your warranty if still in effect.
In general you should avoid non-warranty dealership service and find a good local mechanic.
You are past due. If you want the CVT to last as long as possible the fluid should be changed every 30,000 miles or so.
Dealers continue to baffle me. They push services to the customer that don't need to be done and/or are overpriced. Or they don't do a service, even if the customer wants to do it.
Yeah but if they skip the transmission fluid change, a few years later when the car isn't worth as much, the transmission dies and they get to sell them a brand new car, because at that point, the car isn't worth fixing the crazy expensive tranny!