No way on Earth would I pay $350 to remove 16 small bolts. But if you don't have a jack or jack stands, I guess I understand.
dropping the pan for AT service is not just removing some bolts. the mating surface b/w pan to AT must be perfectly clean. same as the bottom of the pan, and the magnet. bolts must be torqued correctly. new strainer. there is a whole process for adding in the correct amount of AT fluid.
$350 would be a pretty good price to do it all, far better than believing the ignorant and uneducated on a forum.
Flushing ATF is not recommended if the fluid was never changed before and it has high mileage already. Something might go wrong right after the flush due to dislodged debris inside the AT.
At this point, Drain-n-Refile is fine. Filter/Gasket replacement is also recommended.
(and I doubt dealer does flushing ATF.. some service advisor has no clue)
Drain-n-refill is what I have dealer done to all my Mazdas every 30k.
Filter/gasket should be changed at some point (60k is fine, every second time).
If you plan to sell/trade-in your vehicle before 100k miles, ATF is not a problem to worry about. It will be next-owner's problem. However, most knowledgeable used car buyers would appreciate your effort in maintenance. I always sell mine with complete maintenance records (a simple spreadsheet).
you cannot do a flush on skyactiv AT.
your mileage would need to be well over 200k of hard driving before a drain and fill
in some circumstances can cause failure.
so, unless your AT is already close to failure,
you should be servicing it properly.
Shame on regulations and money profit schemes for failing to point out logical maintenance.
the transmission isnt just your problem, it's your responsibility. and not just when you own the car!
I have more than 300k KM on my 6 speed auto. the valvebody, solenoids are all in near perfect transmission. ive had the full service done on it 3+x now.
the pan should be dropped every 80-100k, cleaned inside along with the magnet, filter ("strainer") changed. unless the bottom of your pan is clean, you dont just drain and fill.
it's painfully evident that not all of us can understand simple vehicle maintenance, it is not stated at all in the manual. go figure.