Transmission fluid change "How To"

I did a trans "flush" (Evacuation and Replacement) of all fluid at 60K more for preventative maintenance then nothing. Plus at $55 including labor I couldn't go wrong. 1 hour of labor and 11 quarts of Toyota T-IV.
 
Just wondering...what other tranny fluid is compatible with the cx9. If you just do a drain and fill, can you mix fluids?
 
Davicho what was the color of the toyota T-IV fluid. Were you there when they exchanged the fluid and what color was the old fluid that came out.
 
I had mine replaced last Saturday morning at 30K. They knew I was skeptical over whether it needed to be done at all since the Mazda maintenance schedule says nothing about it. They brought me back to the service bay to show me the color of the existing fluid vs what it looks like new. It should be pink, and mine was very dark / dirty, so I had them do it. I also asked about the filter and he told me it's a metal screen, as confirmed here, and Mazda does not recommend changing it unless you have a catastrophic failure.
 
We've got about 36,000km on our CX9 and dads becoming a bit worried that the transmission fluid hasn't been changed yet. But the service handbook doesn't state it anywhere.

So was just wondering, should it be done or not? For those who have had the ATX fluid replaced, was there any noticeable difference in the way the car responds? It is usually noticeable when the engine oil is replaced. Im also a little sceptical of our dealership because im not sure if they'd know much about the CX9 at all, because since it was launched, I've only ever seen 2 other CX9's driving around.
 
I don't know if this is true, but it certainly makes sense...I was very skeptical when my dealer recommended it, so he knew I was very borderline about getting it done. I mentioned in not being in the Mazda maintenance schedule and he said they don't put it in the maintenance scheduled because it helps make the maintenance cost of the car look lower. He also mentioned it's in the manual but only says change as required or something like that. That could be true. I mean, if the fluid is supposed to be pink when new, and when you pull out the dipstick and it's dark red, to me it's got to mean there's some dirt or something in there. Whether that means it will cause problems down the road, I don't know, but personally for $150 or so every 30K, I feel much better knowing it's clean and the contamination isn't floating around in my transmission. It would be interesting to see what Mazda USA "officially" says...I may send them an email later to inquire. If I do, I'll post what I get back.
 
So the fluid is pink. In another forum they had claimed that it was a yellowish color fluid. When i first check my tranny fluid and saw that it was like the other fluids that i have dealt with it was the same color pinkish red. I started freaking out wondering if they had put the wrong tranny fluid when they shipped the car. Thanks nuzy for the info on the color of the fluid. I eventually have to have them do this service which is 200 dollars here in new york. I wish i only had to pay 150.
 
So the fluid is pink. In another forum they had claimed that it was a yellowish color fluid. When i first check my tranny fluid and saw that it was like the other fluids that i have dealt with it was the same color pinkish red. I started freaking out wondering if they had put the wrong tranny fluid when they shipped the car. Thanks nuzy for the info on the color of the fluid. I eventually have to have them do this service which is 200 dollars here in new york. I wish i only had to pay 150.

Not sure if you did this already, but if you register on mazdausa.com (under Owners, MyMazda) you may find service coupons. Also check the dealer's website for service coupons. The trans flush at my dealer is normally something like $170-$180, but they had a coupon for 10% off. Doesn't save a ton, but it helps.
 
We've got about 36,000km on our CX9 and dads becoming a bit worried that the transmission fluid hasn't been changed yet. But the service handbook doesn't state it anywhere.

So was just wondering, should it be done or not? For those who have had the ATX fluid replaced, was there any noticeable difference in the way the car responds? It is usually noticeable when the engine oil is replaced. Im also a little sceptical of our dealership because im not sure if they'd know much about the CX9 at all, because since it was launched, I've only ever seen 2 other CX9's driving around.

Where are people getting these ideas that ATF needs to be routinely "flushed" or replaced? The Mazda manual doesn't mention it. Don't you think they would for a car with an extended powertrain warranty if it was necessary?

Has anyone submitted an ATF sample for lab testing after 50,000 or 100,000 miles? Wouldn't you think that would be more reasonable (and cheaper) than paying some rip off artist to change fluids just so he can make an extra $100 off you? Come on folks, where is the evidence this practice makes sense? Do you also change the air in your tires every 10K miles? If the manufacturer doesn't recommend it WTF are you doing it for?

I'm thinking this is just a dealer/garage scam to jack up maintenance fees. I can understand for a vehicle doing heavy towing but the CX9 has a wimpy towing rating so that is not a likely scenario with our cars.

Where is the freaking evidence that this practice makes sense. Please do not quote evidence from Jiffy Lube or your local garage. What do the engineers say and what data do they provide to back it up?
 
For what it's worth, here's my question to Mazda USA and their reply back to me...

MY INQUIRY
To : MazdaCustomerAssistance@mazdausa.com
> Subject : Ownership & Maintenance - Service
& Maintenance
> Date : Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:14:13 GMT
>
>
> The Mazda maintenance schedule and manual for my 2009 CX9 doe not mention anything about changing or flushing the transmission fluid. The dealer tells me it should be changed every 30K miles, or when dirty. What is Mazda's official recommendation on proper transmission fluid maintenance? Leave it alone since it's not mentioned in the maintenance schedule or owners manual (even if it looks dirty), or have it changed when it appears dirty (no longer pink like new fluid)? I don't want to spend $150 every 30K if I don't have to. Thanks for the information.

REPLY
Hello,
Thank you for contacting Mazda. I understand you are inquiring about the transmission fluid for your 2009 CX-9. Mazda would advise to have your tranmission fluid checked two times a year. Like for instance Spring and Fall. If at the time of inspection the color of the fluid has changed or there is burnt material Mazda would recommend replacement. Miles or time is not a factor in the replacement. Thank you for your time.
Regards,
Jennifer Cota-Robles
Mazda Customer Assistance, Representative

Anyway...thought I'd put it out here so people know Mazda's "official" recommendation on the matter (or at least that of the customer service rep that relied to me, which I would assume is representative of their "official" recommendation).
 
To island tractor? When do you think the trans fluid should be replaced? They usually say that when the fluid is dark in color that the fluid should be replaced in the tranny. On an older car that i owned the fluid was still red when they did a drain, replace pan filter and refill but that transmission was not electronic. On my windstar the fluid gets very dark after 20k miles which is why i always replace it. The same thing is starting to happen to my cx9 and since i keep my cars for a long time i would rather change it out than wait for something bad to happen. If anyone here has more info i would greatly appreciate it if they shared with us.
 
The point here is that Mazda engineers do not recommend "routine" changing of the ATF. Some people have, apparently on their own, started doing these changes but if neither Mazda nor the transmission manufacturer recommend that practice then it seems silly. expensive and wasteful. Sure, we all want our transmissions to last 300,000 miles but one should always consider the downsides of extra maintenance too. Every time you do something there is a chance of a problem. Garages make a lot of money on "flushing" transmissions but there are reasonably documented cases of transmissions actually failing right after a flush. If there is a chance of harm and if the manufacturer says don't do more than just check periodically, then why ignore what the manufacturer recommends? Changing fluid by draining it doesn't really change all the old fluid out anyway. Flushing is expensive and sometimes leads to transmission failure. Seems like a no brainer to me: do what the manufacturer recommends. My last vehicle was a Mercedes SUV, I never changed the ATF (you cannot even check it without a special tool) and the tranny was fine at 160,000 miles when I traded it on the CX9. These are modern electronic transmissions with modern high quality ATF. Whatever habits people remember from dealing with their old Chevy are not relevant and sometimes doing "extra" maintenance is useless or worse.
 
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Well i agree with you on the flushing of the tranny. The one place where i take my windstar just exchanges all of the old fluid for new fluid which i think is better. When i was checking the dealers service for this they supposedly powerflush the tranny. I am not too thrilled at all about this. I would rather they just exchange all of the fluid without back flushing the tranny.
 
IMHO, if you did transmission flushing regularly (says every 30K), it should not cause any problems.
If you haven't for 90K, and all of a sudden you decide that you should do it.
Good luck with that!

Flushing might cause large debris to get caught up among moving parts. That is just pure physics.
Why such large debris exist in the first place?
Usually, if not always, the owner has neglected the transmission for a long time.
If you did not flush transmission regularly, drain and refill will be a safer bet, in my opinion, to
make it last as long as possible before it dies.

Wasteful maintenance? That is personal financial decision to make.
 
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Ceric,

I understand your points but as you note they are based on "IMHO" not on recommendations from the Mazda or Aisin engineers. I just don't subscribe to the conspiracy theories suggesting that they don't care about longevity. The Mazda recommendations are also essentially consistent with what Mercedes, Toyota and other companies are doing. Check the fluid regularly but don't change it unless it is clearly "abnormal" as defined by burnt smell etc. I don't trust local garages or dealers opinions as they have very clear incentives to get you to pay them to do more work with flushes or even just transmission oil changes. Many dealers after all continue to suggest 3,000 mile engine oil changes when that is an absolute scam and waste of both money and natural resources. I think the transmission oil thing is a parallel situation.

There must be data on this issue or the car companies would not be in agreement. I presume there must be position papers by some society of automotive engineers too but I've never bothered to track them down. Seems to me it is the responsibility of those who advocate something other than what Mazda recommends to provide evidence rather than just opinion. No one is saying an individual can't do as they please but if making contrarian recommendations on a public forum please back it up with evidence.

IMHO, if you did transmission flushing regularly (says every 30K), it should not cause any problems.
If you haven't for 90K, and all of a sudden you decide that you should do it.
Good luck with that!

Flushing might cause large debris to get caught up among moving parts. That is just pure physics.
Why such large debris exist in the first place?
Usually, if not always, the owner has neglected the transmission for a long time.
If you did not flush transmission regularly, drain and refill will be a safer bet, in my opinion, to
make it last as long as possible before it dies.

Wasteful maintenance? That is personal financial decision to make.
 
Davicho

You used toyota t4 transmission fluid when you did a complete fluid change. How is the transmission acting? is it shifting the same as when you got it at the beginning. Some other websites say to just use the manufacturers fluid to be safe. I figure that if it is not harming your car then i will use the same fluid for my cx9. Thanks in advance for any updated info you can give me.
 
Well i had it flushed at the mazda dealer. One thing i noticed. One there idea of a flush is to circulate some type of cleaner through the tranny before exchanging the fluid. Once that was done then they filled the machine with new fluid in the clean tank to exchange the fluid out. The other thing i noticed is that they get their new fluid from a large drum. I was wondering if this is really the right fluid for the transmission. So far it shifts better. The only reason i question the fluid used is because on the bill it says 3.87 for each quart of fluid. The parts dept. sells this fluid for almost 10 bucks. So i was wondering if next time i should just buy the fluid and show them the invoice so that i can get it for 3.87 a quart.
 
Well i had it flushed at the mazda dealer. One thing i noticed. One there idea of a flush is to circulate some type of cleaner through the tranny before exchanging the fluid. Once that was done then they filled the machine with new fluid in the clean tank to exchange the fluid out. The other thing i noticed is that they get their new fluid from a large drum. I was wondering if this is really the right fluid for the transmission. So far it shifts better. The only reason i question the fluid used is because on the bill it says 3.87 for each quart of fluid. The parts dept. sells this fluid for almost 10 bucks. So i was wondering if next time i should just buy the fluid and show them the invoice so that i can get it for 3.87 a quart.

I don't think there's anyway to know (now) whether they used the appropriate fluid - I think it all is typically Red in color. Let's hope the service rep used the correct stuff and they just happened to charge you for the 'regular' stuff. But from what I was told (can't be sure of accuracy) they don't produce the 'T-4' fluid in bulk, so they end up dumping individual quarts into the larger container when they flush the tranny. $10 / Qt is a rip-off......$3.87 / Qt is a steal!!!
 
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