2012 Chevy Cruze, 1.4L Turbo 107k.
When doing the drain and fill method, I’ve seen how to videos showing people changing the fluid. Then driving and changing it again to get the most old fluid they can out. Is this necessary, or is the first drain and fill all that is needed? Just put back what came out. Thanks.
Generally, you do a drain and fill at least 3 times (starting and shifting thru all the gears in between each spill/fill) to try and get as much of the old fluid out.
Drain and fill is a partial fluid change. A lot of fluid stays in the torque converter and very few vehicles have a torque converter drain plug. If you want to get close to a complete fluid change you need to do the drain and fill 3 or 4 times, driving for a while in between times.
You can also just drain and fill once, but then perform it more often such as every 40,000 miles. Don’t forget the filter, if applicable.
Once is usually enough if you do it on time, but it really depends on the fluid condition. You can post a photo of what yours looks like on some white paper if you like. Please read the full article in our FAQ.
