Bought a used 2009 xD w/automatic transmission last year with 85,000 miles on it for my son. I have been meaning to change the fluid but just never got around to it. It currently sits at 92,000 and I am pretty sure the fluid has never been changed. The fluid is dark red.

Question: is it too late? I think the miles are still low enough but I worry that, since it’s a 2009, the fluid is too old and I risk causing issues.

Any advice is appreciated.

Tony

 

at the last quick oil change place, the mechanic dabbed a drop of tranny fluid, showing it side by side with what normal tranny fluid should look like. You could always have someone do a quick check.

 

But just don't do it like this..."quick change oil" place and the, "Hey, look at how bad your [Name Fluid of Choice] looks, you really need it changed," is a common upsell tactic.

At 92,000 you need a fluid change and worrying about it being 'too late' is kind of moot as it is what it is. Once you change it, take it to a quick change place and wait for them to show you how badly you need to change your transmission fluid because it's, "dark brown and burnt and should be bright red, like this."

 

Thanks for the replies. Only concern is that by changing it so late that it will start to cause issues than if I just let it be. Transmission works perfectly. The fluid color is dark red. It doesn’t smell burnt at all and doesn’t have any deposits in it but hard to tell from the dipstick. Other than the color being dark, it looks and smells just like regular transmission fluid. I almost think that it has been changed in the past but I can’t be sure and carfax has no history of it being replaced so I have to go with it being the original fluid. Thanks again for the help.

 

I'd be hard-pressed to think of any instance where it would be better to keep running old fluid as opposed to changing it.

They haven't made that fluid yet, unless you're talking about wine or Scotch.

 

I would do a drain and fill on it pronto. Should only be about 2.5 qts and is so simple to do. Ideally, it should have been done once every six years or 60K miles. So do another at the next oil change and your golden. till 2027.

 

Thanks - I’ll go ahead and change it. Bought the car used at 85k so didn’t have the chance to change it at 60,000. Meant to do it when I first bought it but currently maintaining 4 cars for family members and the scion got pushed to the bottom. Thanks again for all the comments.