Dealer discourages changing transmission fluid - what to do?

The dealer I bought my 2014 DCLB 4.0 4WD from actively discourages me from changing the transmission fluid at 120k miles (110k now). I pull a light pop-up camper 6x/year for about 400 miles a trip. No other towing is done and the truck has the tow package. I drive highway and not in dusty conditions. The maintenance schedule recommends replacing the trans fluid at regular intervals if you tow. The only issue I have with the transmission is when it is cold outside (under 40 degrees) when I drive to work, at 30 mph, under no load going downhill, it shifts and makes a loud clunking sound that I can also feel.

FWIW, this dealer sold the truck to me with a lifetime engine/trans/drivetrain warranty. It seems as if they would want to have me do more maintenance so they would not have to cover the transmission under warranty.

I keep a log book of every service performed (all by certified mechanics) and keep a file of all the receipts.

Thought/input appreciated.

 

Read the fine print on your extend warranty, it my require service records.

 

Don't do a full flush, just a drain/fill. If the dealer won't do it I assume you're not interested in DIY so I'd try and find a local independent or transmission shop to perform the service.

Maybe post in your regional forum for some shop recommendations.

 

Lol it's because they know the truck is most likely to last 400k miles without changing the transmission oil and they don't want to be liable for anything if your transmission takes a shit at 200k.

You can make them do it- but a lot of people choose not to. My uncle has a 2003 Tundra with 380k miles driving it to his lake house every weekend right now- absolutely zero issues and that transmission hasn't been touched since he bought it brand new off the dealer lot.

 

There are a lot of threads here on TW about this issue. Many feel that doing a full flush on an older transmission that hasn't had periodic changes along the way can make things worse. It can totally make sense from their perspective to not risk doing a full change and flush which might result in a transmission failure soon after.

A common recommendation is to just do some drain and fills every 10k or 20k miles. A drain and fill only removes a portion of the fluid each time and isn't likely to loosen up any sort of particles that could find their way to someplace bad. This way you effectively slowly replace the fluid progressively over time.

 

Take it to a transmission shop.

Toyota dealers the majority of the time will not do tranny flushes.

I wouldn’t want a dealer doing the service even if they would do it.

 

I have done a full transmission flush, dropping the pan and replacing the filter and gasket. It wasnt difficult there is a thread on here to show you the procedure. I have also done a couple of drain and fills. My truck has 175k miles and drives great. If you plan on keeping it for a long time change the fluid.

 

This

And I think some are confusing and drain and fill with a flush.
Flush is installing and machine inline with the transmission cooler lines and flushes all the fluid out. This can move sediment from the pan and the torque converter into places it shouldn’t be.
I would recommend dropping the pan, changing the filter and replace drained fluid. This also gives you a chance to see if any debris are in the pan.

 

You can flush without a machine, there is a good diy thread on here. Its easy with a tow package equipped truck

 

How about a link.

 

He hee. I thought I was the only one who used a turkey baster for the economy flush. As far as the transmission, that's one thing I go to a shop for. Since they got rid of the dipstick, It's too much of a pita to deal with. Every 60 K is the new norm I believe.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-full-flush-for-automatic-transmission.68462/