Should i change transmission oil?

[Dreamy]

I bought a 2008 toyota yaris a few months ago and since then i was wondering what if i should change the transmission oil becuase i don't know if the previous own has change it or not . The car has 210,000 km on it and some people told me if the previous owner had never change it you may have problems with the transmission if change it now, so i'm really confused here i don't know what i should do? Another thing is there a possible way to know if the oil has changed recently ?
Thank you in advance

[Dreamy]

By the way i have auto trans

[The Limo 2]

Toyota Canada recommends you change the automatic transmission fluid every 96,000 Km. This is just a drain and refill. They do not recommend flushing the transmission. They say it is important to use genuine Toyota WS automatic transmission fluid. I buy mine at the Toyota dealer and drain and refill myself.
Roy

[jcboy]

i concur. Only genuine toyota since you don't have to change it often. i feel that a/t trannies are VERY brand-conscious when it comes to their fluids, as compared to m/t ones.

[bronsin]

No way to know the oil has been changed unless you can contact the previous owner. You cant tell by looking at the trans.

The idea that changing the oil if its never been changed before will cause problems is nuts.

IMO you should read the owners manual and do whatever that says. Many (most) people never change the auto trans oil and have no problems. Its merely a matter of opinion whether or not changing it expends the life of the unit, unless intructed to do so by the OM.

Read the OM and obey!

[John Lenin]

How do you even check the auto-tranny fluid level on the Yaris? I can't see the tranny dipstick anywhere and no mention of it in the MOM??

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by John Lenin

How do you even check the auto-tranny fluid level on the Yaris? I can't see the tranny dipstick anywhere and no mention of it in the MOM??

Keep looking its reddish brown in color. Maybe theres a picture of where it is in the owners manual?

Incidently my mothers parents were from NFLD and I spent the summers of 1970 and 1973 in Glovertown. My grandfather was from Flat Islands which is near there.

[Kenny_Kamchatka]

I always heard that if it was not flushed at the recommend point (50k miles) its a roll of the dice to flush it... The reason being that there is all kinds of contamination caked into the passages of the valve body.. Flushing the tranny, you run the risk of breaking loose that contamination, and killing the valve body with a big clump of metal, burnt clutch material, etc. Unless it's acting up, I'd just make sure the levels are right and call it a day.

[bronsin]

Thats how I look at it. The only things that would make me change it is servere service like trailer towing and cold (or hot) weather operation.

[bentjazz]

The service department where I bought my Toyota said every 60,000 miles. The OM doesn't really say, so for the heck of it I called the 1-800 number in my OM and they couldn't give me a definitive answer, either. I did all of this awhile back, but I think I'm gonna stick with 60,000 miles. I hate to waste money if I don't need to change the tranny oil, but if it helps my Yaris last longer, it's probably worth it....

[Kenny_Kamchatka]

Dude trust us, it's a tempting fate kinda thing. Source; I'm acing my tranny class right now ;D

[bairjo]

[quote=bentjazz;753737]The service department where I bought my Toyota said every 60,000 miles.

Wow, well my dealer said do it at 100,000 miles. Maybe we can find one that tells us to do it 500,000 miles. My next oil change is due at 80,000 miles this week.....I think I'll do AT fluid as well....can't hurt

[brg88tx]

I never change my auto trans fluid. I know several people who have had toyota auto transmissions with over 200k and never changed it and never had problems. but then again I'm huge on "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"

[The Limo 2]

Under normal service, Toyota USA says to check your transmission fluid at 100,000 miles and then every 50,000 miles after that and not to change it unless there is something wrong with the fluid. They treat it as a lifetime fluid.
As you can see in my post #3 above this is different than Toyota Canada.
Roy

[lenzomaru]

Originally Posted by The Limo 2

Under normal service, Toyota USA says to check your transmission fluid at 100,000 miles and then every 50,000 miles after that and not to change it unless there is something wrong with the fluid. They treat it as a lifetime fluid.
As you can see in my post #3 above this is different than Toyota Canada.
Roy

My manual says that as well..check at 100,000 and inspect every 50,000..but how will you know something is wrong with it?

[Kenny_Kamchatka]

Honestly, if its doing what its supposed to do, then its not broken.
You can hook it up to a scanner and look for trouble codes, but if everything reports OK, and it shifts when its supposed to your in good shape!

*Edit, I a word.

[The Limo 2]

When I check my fluid, I put a drop of clean fluid on a paper towel and right beside it put a drop of fluid that is currently in the transmission. I compare the colour. If the fluid in the transmission is really dark/blackish then time to change the fluid.
The second test is to put the dip stick up to my nose and smell the fluid. If it smells burnt then it is time the change the fluid.
This test is crude but usually effective.
Roy

[Mikastef]

I always change mine at 40k interval. If u r unsure, ask ur self this question : is changing the tranny that expensive for u? If yes then stick to normal service as advice by Toyota.. 100,000km... Or more....

You know prevention is better than cure. A transmission cost is greater than its fluid...