2000 Celica Automatic Trans Filter

[electrical]

I noticed some leakage on the transmission block of my bought-used-10-days-ago 2000 Celica GT.

My mechanic on seeing it said that it is coming from the gasket and so he is going to order an AT Filter Kit, and basically replace the filter and the gasket (and the fluid).

The dealer on the other hand says that there is no filter in the car, just a brass screen, and that their (the dealer's) mechanics just take the screen out, clean it, and put it back in. In fact, they said that they dont even drop the pan to do a transmission fluid drain: they just pull the drain plug.

Now, I looked online a bit, and found that several OEM parts websites were selling an AT Filter Kit for my car. I called some of those up, and they had no clue if the filter in that kit was fiber or brass.

Anyway, so my mechanic (who I trust a lot) took teh old filter out, and turns out it was a regular fiber filter. And he put a new one in: the one that he said that Toyota itself suggests.

So what is going on here? I have driven manuals all my life and know nothing about automatics. Who is right? And does anyone know the part number of the filter that Toyota actually puts in the 2000 Celica GT?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

[S92GT]

well, if your mechanic took it out and replaced it, I would assume it is in fact there, and put there by toyota. I also only drive the 5speeds, so I'm not a lot of help here. if it really bothers you, you could try asking another toyota dealership.