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2005 Pontiac Vibe - Automatic Transmission - 36k miles. During oil change, mechanic told me ATF is dark black and need to be flushed. He also scared me by saying transmission can break-down if you don't do it. Manual doesn't recommend any transmission service until 60k. Transmission seem to be operating fine, at least I don't notice anything. Your help is appreciated.

All Vibes have dark trans fluid for some reason, my '04 always did. It's nothing to worry about unless it smells burnt.

I also never had break/transmission fluid refilled after I purchased it at 29k miles.I have been doing regular oil changes and replaced air filter once. Do I need to do anything else until 60k? I don't see anything beyond regular oil changes until 60k from the manual. But, was looking for expert opinion and help from real world experience.Your help is appreciated.

Quote, originally posted by spidercharm »I also never had break/transmission fluid refilled after I purchased it at 29k miles.I have been doing regular oil changes and replaced air filter once. Do I need to do anything else until 60k?Should be fine. You might check the cabin air filter for the heater/AC (behind the glove box) to see how it looks. And since you don't know how the car was driven before I'd check the trans. fluid on its dipstick (assuming an automatic). Overheating can cause it to break down - as mentioned, it shouldn't have a burnt odor and should feel smooth (no grit). If it smells and feels fine it should be ok until the normal scheduled change.

I'm kind of a freak when it comes to maintenance on things like that... I did a drain/fill around 20k and will be doing another one in a few months, around 30k. Personally, I would rather do routine drain/fills than a full flush when I'm at the recommended miles. A drain/fill is under $25 getting the fluid at a Toyota dealer. To do a flush with the machine borrowed from work, I would still need about 16 quarts - that gets pricey... The problem with a flush is that if you wait too long, you run the risk of the new fluid taking off the sludge that is built up due to the detergents. Since the detergents break up over time, sludge will build up. The time to service a transmission is before the fluid smells or is very dark - at that point it becomes risky.I would have to check the fluid in my Vibe to see if I would call it dark. I do remember the Toyota fluid being darker out of the bottle than regular Dexron or Mercon though. I thought I still had a 1/2 quart in the garage, but I must have dumped it when I got rid of all my partials.

I just had my 03 Vibe's tranny flushed for the second time, each at 60,000 mile intervals, and each time with a BG machine and fluid.

Get a second opinion..... or a third if needbe.. This is OFTEN a tactic used by shady shops to get more money out of you... espically when it comes to people that aren't nessassarly in the "know" on these things... How many shows have we seen about shops doing just this? Now, obviously I don't know the shop or mechanic, so it's a judgement call on your part...

Let me have a quick Hijack of this thread plaese to ask a quick question of those who have done a drain and fill of their tranny.How much fluid did you drain out by the drian? SO I know how many qts to buy.Thanks

Quote, originally posted by Caretaker »I just had my 03 Vibe's tranny flushed for the second time, each at 60,000 mile intervals, and each time with a BG machine and fluid.That's the machine we use at work Easy to set up and use. A big plus for me is that it doesn't use it's own pressure to force the fluid through, it uses the natural transmission pressure. Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 »Let me have a quick Hijack of this thread plaese to ask a quick question of those who have done a drain and fill of their tranny.How much fluid did you drain out by the drian? SO I know how many qts to buy.ThanksYou only drain 3.5 quarts, so you need 4.

Interesting....I was just at the Pontiac dealer today for an oil change (special!) and they said I needed a transmission flush because the fluid was brownish. They wanted $166.2006 Vibe-35,000 miles