GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

..so here's the problem, since I purchased the car (I now have 100,000 miles), each time I change the oil, the mechanic comes ot to me and shows me the tranny fluid which is kind of gray/black, not burnt, not dark bron. Of course, he wants to put in fresh fluid. Now here's the problem ... Toyota has told me that type IV should be grey/black because its a synthetic... my local tranny shop says b.s and shows me a gallon of type iv which is bright red ... who do I believe? and is it really necessary to change the fluid? I only do highway driving, maybe 10% around town ... what do you think, because I'm really confused here.

when i changed my tranny fluid at 20k it was light brown/ with a hint of red in it. The fluid that i replaced it with was bright red. I would say change it.... it WAY OVER DUE. it should have been changed by now at least 2 times

My mechanic told me that the type iv is a little darker than normal tranny fluid.

The dipstick has a label on it that says under normal conditions it isn't necessary to change the fluid... Forever is a long time to keep the same fluid in there though. This fluid is dark to begin with and seems to get darker with age. I'd say that is a normal condition. As long as you're not having problems with the transmission, perhaps a fluid change wouldn't be a bad idea. But if you have a high mileage transmission that has issues, sometimes you just want to keep the old fluid in there until it dies otherwise it will die sooner once it has fresh fluid circulating in it.

You need to change the fluid. If you like your car and your wallet, you will do it.

Here's a pic of new tranny fluid......it's far from dark or brown, more like pinkish/redish color. Hope this helps.We are talking auto tranny, right? click

yup is pink new but darker after its been used and smells kinda burnt. Just do the drain and fill, just like changing oil.