I recently bought an ACURA TL 2004 (automatic) with 121000 miles. I did not check it out before, but the last time the transmission fluid was replaced was 30000 miles. This is as per the CAR FAX record.

I am planning to do a full tune up of the car. I have the genuine transmission fluid from an ACURA dealer.

A mechanic told me that if the transmission fluid was not changed at 60,000 miles and at 90000 miles, it would be unwise to do so now.

He said that if the old automatic fluid was replaced, it would lead to the transmission slipping. He warned that then the whole transmission would need to be replaced - and that it would be a costly affair.

Is this true? I am totally confused about what to do. Can I please get some advice and answers ?

Thank you very much for your time and effort.

 

I have had discussions with service managers of various imports regarding this particular issue. The general belief is that over time, automatic transmissions build up what they generally call "sludge" in the transmission. When the fluid is drained and replaced at intervals, that sludge is removed. If you were to drain/replace the fluid now you'd have 91,000 miles of sludge to remove and some of it might end up in the passages of the transmission and block the flow of fluid, leading to slipping and the ultimate failure of the unit.