Greetings Scotty! My family has a 2005 Acura TSX with the 5 Speed Automatic, it has 289,327 miles on the odometer, and we bought it since it was new. One of my family members told me that this weekend they'll be taking the car to get a transmission flush and change, but I told them to not get a flush since I know that can cause damage, and probably even more damage with the high mileage on this car. Is changing the fluid still a good idea? Are there any other things that should be taken care of or replaced on the car considering the high mileage? Thank you!
If the transmission fluid has been changed every 50-60k miles feel free but just do a drain and fill. If the fluid hasn't been changed, don't bother because the moment you change it it will start to slip. Other things to replace are fluids, spark plugs, etc.
Okay thank you. Another question, my family member is checking the transmission dipstick and he is saying the fluid level is low. Is there a proper way to check transmission fluid? Because the car hasn't been driven in a couple of days since we had to change the intake hose, so of course the transmission wasn't being used. We're not sure what to do here, because the fluid hasn't been changed since the transmission got worked on around 2-3 years ago, and there has definitely been more than 50-60k miles added since then, and we are either at the risk of the transmission drying out, or we change it and it slips.
There should be a cold and hot level on the transmission dipstick, and for your case, if it is filled up to the cold it would be ok but if it definitely is low you could try to fill it up with the manufacture recommended fluid but it really all is a gamble with that much mileage and having not been changed enough. Also if it is low check for some leaks around the transmission pan because the fluid doesn't just disappear so it either leaked out or they didn't fill it up enough.
Feel free to have a read through the excellent article by @mountainmanjoe in the FAQ section of this website, on this very topic.
