GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Real quick....at high mileage should you replace your transmission fluid sooner ? More as a precautionary measure. I have 254K on the Vibe, did a flush at 60K....then drain and fills on schedule up to this point. Im 5K away from my next drain and fill ( no issues here, last drain and fill was at 200K ) but just wondering if its better to change it a BIT sooner as the vehicle ages....say every 50K instead of 60K ? Thx in advance !

Maybe I am paranoid, but I like to change the transmission fluid every 30,000 miles. I look at it as cheap insurance. Also change the coolant every 30k and the engine oil every 5k using semi-syntethic oil. My base 2010 with 2.4L engine has 184,245 miles on it. Purchased with 160k, replaced all the fluids. Next schedule is in just over 5,000 miles.

I think that is totally up to you and your financial situation. At 17 years old, your car is at death's doorstep. At 254,000 miles, the car has saved you lots of money. As long as the transmission fluid is cherry red, I wouldn't swap it out prematurely. Professional mechanics have it sweet in that they usually have access to a free lift and in minutes, can swap out fluids and parts at a nominal cost on their family vehicles. The rest of us have to pay high prices in labor and time, or if we do it ourselves, time and grime. If, like me, you have your eye on a more refined new vehicle, you'll want to curtail early preventative maintenance from here on out.

As I was VERY lax with my drain and fills with my last vibe, and STILL made it past 300,000 with the original transmission, I'd say that you're in good shape. No need to change it sooner than normal - in fact, if you start to look for a newer vehicle, you can probably stretch the next two or three drain/fills a bit.

Thx. Fluid looks great, doesnt smell burned or anything. When I check the fluid I wipe the dipstick with a paper towel to check the color. Still reddish /pink and shifts as smooth as it can be. Yup....the Vibe is nearing its demise... It has been our primary car since 2007 with 38K. What a great car !

I wouldn't worry about doing it prematurely... I have been pretty lax on doing it to my '07... I need to take care of soon, but she still runs and shifts fine.

Well I ended up doing a drain and fill anyway. Yeah the Vibe is near its end, but im such a strickler regarding maintenance I could not resist Im glad I did, with the new fluid the shifts are more crisp and precise....especially the 1-2 shift. Its been such a great car, I have to give it love till the very end

Hey - if it makes you feel better, then there's no reason to feel guilty about doing it.

I just did mine, including the filter. I am going to drop the fluid and do it again this weekend. I have not been religious about maintenance as I should have been on this car, been 100,000 since I changed the fluid, was just a little dark but not burned, the pan was showing normal material. BTW, it was the original filter at 272,000 miles.

This is a tough little car, bought new in 2005 and has been going strong ever since.