Regular standard everday service with a few quarts of new fliud.Old tech stuff.Do it however you want.But filters good for 60 to 90k with know problems and a flush is the only way to go if you really want NEW fliud with trans performance that equals the new feeling with the benifit of increasingthe life of it.

 

I just posted that info because it seems my dealer did do a pan drop, which apparently some do not.

 

If you can't afford the filter, you can't afford the flush.
DROP the pan and inspect things, put a clean filter on it, sleep good.

A HUGE amount of profit is made with those flush machines.
Don't sacrifice an expensive tranny.
INSPECT IT.

 

the 2003 that i had was the same way...they flushed the tranny and didn't do something correct and 3 weeks later in the middle of a snow storm all the clutches were welded together.....so thats what i think of the tranny flush

 

Guys, Having just had to have my tranny completely rebuilt, new torque converter, valve body redone, new input shaft, bearings on intermediate, new starter cog, billet flex plate, new adapter bell housing, new pump,etc. I will most definitely drop the new double deep pan, clean the magnet, put on a new gasket and flush the system. I'll change and flush again in 3000 miles and then every 15,000 miles after that which for me is about every 5 or 6 weeks. $150 versus $8000 is a good deal. My ATS warranty requires a flush, filter, and gasket at every 15,000 miles. I want my 3 year 100,000 mile warranty on the new tranny parts. The first 100,000 miles of very heavy pulling are done and I expect many more. My biggest regret is not doing the upgrades sooner or not flushing and cleaning the pan enough. While my breakdown problems arose from too much torque from the engine coupled with too much weight in tow shredding the flexplate...(pulled four studs through the plate and pushed two out) the rest of the problems in the tranny were there waiting to cause a bigger problem. K.S.

 

Guys, I work for Aamco transmission, been in this business for going on 20 yrs, the only reason you are hearing about transmission flushes now is that some savy marketing guy found out that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to operate one of those machines,,even the retired frenchfry cookers at the oil change places can operate them with some degree of success, oil change places have been plagued over the years with their so called "techs" not putting filters on correctly, not tightening the pans correctly , so on and so on,, so when these machines came out,, they jumped on the band wagon,, they were almost "idiot" proof,,,
while doing a transmission flush " might" benefit some transmissions today,, it is MUCH more beneficial to drop the pan and change the filter,, most filters today are made of a fiber type material,, not like the screens of yesteryear,, they filter much , much better ,, and therefore trap many more particles of wear,, thus they could stand to be changed out on a regular basis,,
And in answer to an earlier post,, a 1/4 cup of material in the bottom of a pan is WAY too much,,, while chrysler units do seem to dirty up more than gms or fords,, that is excessive,,
Don't let the dealerships and oil change places fool you,,, the reason they push the flushes is that they make money off of them, and don't have to worry about stocking gaskets and filters,, they can train the guy who used to hand you your hamburger and fries last week,, to flush your trans this week,,
Even Aamco is jumping on the bandwagon,, not because flushes are good for your trans,, but because JohnQpublic wants to have his tranny flushed,, why? because everyone is telling him he needs to,,, its the NEW thing,,, ha,ha,,, sle

 

Dear Group:

I'm new to this forum. I've been in the transmission industry 32 years. I'm an ASE Certified Master Auto Technician as well as ATRA certified. I have a degree in Automotive Management and have owned my own shop for the last 13 years. The following is my professional opinion on flushing without a pan drop that I offered on a professional transmission technician forum just this morning:


With no transmission equipped with any sort of bypass provision like an engine's oil filter, I don't understand why anybody would risk a restricted filter when the consequences are often big buck repairs.

The whole filter flushing phenomenon is rooted in the quick lube place's desire to service transmissions without all the risks associated with pulling the pan. Somewhere along the line somebody came up with a flushing machine that minimized all the liability that is normally associated with having a minimum wage/minimum skill employee pulling the transmission pan, changing the filter and pan gasket, and reassembling with no problems and no leaks. From a management perspective, the flushing machine was the perfect solution and created a great market for the sale of such machines.

Transmission paranoia marketing has been a mainstay of transmission accessories for as long as there's been automatic transmissions. Transmission cooler, transmission temperature guages, transmission snake oils, and now...transmission fluishes. It's marketing hype, IMHO. I offer transmission flushes when asked, but there's no way I'm going to spend $3K-$4K on a flushing machine.

What we do is a regular fluid and filter change, but after we fill the pan with 4 quarts before starting, we disconnect one of the cooler lines and put hoses on both ends so there's no guess which way the fluid's going to come out. We direct the ends of both hoses into a catch can. We then crank up the vehicle and pump in new fluid as fast as it's coming out of the cooler lines. About 3 gallons later, we button 'er up and we gotter done! $129 plus tax and everybody's a happy camper.

Conversely, if the customer doesn't ask, we don't offer. I'm currently tracking the number of flushes we do to get an idea of marketing saturation of a local transmission shop that's doing heavy TV advertising in our market area calling it a "Power Flush".

Personally, I think making an excuse for not pulling the pan, changing the filter, and cleaning the pan & magnet is either covering up for the risk factor, lack of understanding, being cheap, or lacking in motivation. A transmission failure is a guaranteed cure for any and all of the above.

An "uneeded" pan drop is always cheaper than an unneeded transmission problem.

 

Sage advice indeed----I have been getting mine changed exactly as you have stated for about 6 years now. My last truck had an ATS tranny and when the new fluid started coming out of the return line----no doubt that it was new fluid!

 

Wow, there is still a lot of mis-information out there! In my opinion, the 'Flush Machines' were invented as a marketing tool to allow quick lubes, tire stores, etc. another profit maker without the liability of removing transmission pans and replacing filters & pan gaskets. I have been in the transmission business for a long time. Ten years ago, most people had never heard of a transmission flush. We offered that service if a pan drop would not sufficiently clean up the system. We would do the traditional filter change, then unhook a cooler line, put in 5 quarts, start the car and pump in fresh fluid as fast as it was coming out until it was clean. Don't get me wrong, a good flushing is important if the fluid has been allowed to get so dirty or contaminated that a 'pan service' will not clean it well, however, I feel I would be doing my client a dis-service if I recommended a flush only without a filter change and inspection. BTW, last year we bought a nice flushing machine ($4000) and use it 3 times per week on average. On my own vehicles, I never allow the fluid to get dirty enough to warrant a flush. I agree about band adjustment, we always check, but if any of the rear drive DC transmissions need band adjustment, then there are other problems.