[CorollaOnt123]

Hey, I went into a local dealership to do my Service No. 3. Just over 100k. With the following in my mind from reading posts on this forum, that many service advisors work on commission. I'm not sure if the people working there are on commission or not. They just be on salary. See link below to a CBC Marketplace segment.

I was recommended a sealed transmission fluid change / flush. Of course it took me by surprise. Turns out a transmission fluid change or flush in a 2021 Corolla CVT is not ever mentioned on any of Toyota's recommended service maintenance schedules. I called another dealership and they said we do not recommend it as it is a sealed transmission and it is good for the lifetime of the car. I assume the manfacturer of the car knows what they are talking about. They have their engineers that design these components.

So, long story short, it is not recommended by Toyota but maybe by some dealerships. They are free to recommend anything. And the customer can say yes or no. I should have done my due diligence before agreeing to anything. What I should have done was to say, let me think about it and do some research and get back to you. Then I can make an informed decision and not on the spot. So, my bad.

The guy said, it is recommeded for either severe or extreme climate conditions and went on to say, in Ottawa we get cold winters and hot summers.

Ottawa isn't what you call a severe or extreme weather city. Maybe if you're up in Timmins Ontario where it gets really cold. Yes, Ottawa does get cold winters and hot summers but nothing that would be classified as extreme. The summers are getting hotter these days but our winters are getting less cold.

It could be good for the car but I would rather not do a service that is not needed especially if Toyota states it is not needed.

I may have considered a sealed transmission fluid change closer to 200k but at 100k, it's much too early in my own opinion and on what I read here. It definitely could have waited.

See below in a second post, a CBC TV Marketplace segment on dealership service advisors. Now, not all service advisors work on commission but the ones covered in the CBC investigation did.

 

[invader]

You mean Timmins, Ontario... James Toyota dealer in Timmins should be completely avoided by the way, as they cannot be trusted at all.

It's about time you had your CVT fluid replaced... You could however have done it yourself at zero labor cost.

 

[Lurking]

Fluid lasts the life of the transmission. The problem is, that life will be short.

60K miles is what is recommended for CVT. That is about 100K km. So they are right to recommend that.

The reason manufacturers don't spell out what you really should do, are:

• From their point the car only has to last through warranty
• They want to look good in the 5-year ownership cost comparison. Typically that is 60K miles. So they avoid mentioning too much costly maintenance for that period.

 

[Wasp9166]

I'm plan on changing mine every 30 with redline

 

[CorollaOnt123]

CBC Marketplace Q+A on Youtube with Mark Whinton, expert mechanic and safety expert. "The person who made the car, knows the most about it. No two ways about it. They created it".

"You go by what they (the car manufacturer) say. It comes with a specified list (maintenace schedule) of when and what to change on the car, required, not recommended, required (service). That needs to be done."

Excellent and informative answers from an expert mechanic.
LIVE Q&A: Unneeded car maintenance - YouTube


"You have to upsell them': Marketplace exposes how dealerships push maintenance you don't need."
'You have to upsell them': Marketplace exposes how dealerships push maintenance you don't need | CBC News

 

[Bitter]

I would recommend changing it every 60K miles as well, that's an expensive unit to replace if something fails in it. Belt type CVT's can be very sensitive to fluid sheer, viscosity, and additive depletion over time as the fluid wears and the fluid certainly does wear. You've got a parade of thin steel V shaped segments running over 2 pulleys shaped like \/ and \_/ as they adjust width to create the variable ratios, that metal on metal contact is what breaks down the fluid over time and causes a loss in fluid viscosity as it's literally ripping the oil apart over time.

Some CVT (Looking at you Jatco) are more sensitive to fluid degradation and have noticeable symptoms before problems arise like being very sluggish at low speeds and if ignored will become more noticeable like jerking and overheating due to belt slip. Toyota K series (Aisin made) seem to be less prone to that but they still beat up the fluid over time regardless of the type of driving done. I look at trans fluid changes the same way I look at oil changes. If I'm going to keep my car a long time why not spend a little extra and take a little more care of it to help make sure it lasts. Toyota says 10K oil changes are OK now. Sure, they're fine if you want a coked up varnished up oil burning car in 10 years. Doing 5000 mile oil changes will cost you double, but when the the car is 10yr/100K you won't have an oil burning engine with low compression that needs to be rebuilt or replaced for almost the value of the car. Same with the CVT trans, change the fluid every 5-6 years (60K) and you'll probably have a longer lasting trans.

 

[stevo88]

Just because changing certain fluids isn't recommended or required by Toyota doesn't mean it's not a good idea. Tranny fluid, brake fluid, etc. It's cheap, easy and the best form of preventitive maintenenace I'm aware of. It's a no brainer to me to change this stuff regularily. To each their own

 

[DonkeyTeeth]

I would change it, but I wouldn’t let the dealership touch it. 100k miles is a long time and CVT fluid is relatively inexpensive.

 

[CorollaOnt123]

I would change it, but I wouldn’t let the dealership touch it. 100k miles is a long time and CVT fluid is relatively inexpensive.

100k kilometers.

 

[Bitter]

100k kilometers.

Yep, 60K miles, time to change it in my opinion. Redline makes good fluids, if you're in the market for a higher quality CVT fluid Non-Slip CVT I've used their D4 fluid in a high-ish performance Toyota application and have been pleased with it. Most CVT's hold about half their fluid in the components and half in the pan, so expect to need 3-4qts for a drain and fill for 50% fresh fluid. You can't go wrong with dealer fluid either, but if I were paying a premium I'd want a premium product.

 

[Skinny guy]

so expect to need 3-4qts for a drain and fill for 50% fresh fluid.

I did drain and fill recently. Drained out 4.5 quarts.

 

[SteveHC]

Probably more diy people would do it if it weren't such a stupidly complicated process. Vehicle level, specific temperature, plastic overfill tube.

I'll be doing it myself not to save money but simply because I don't trust any dealership around me to do it. I'm not sure if Toyota could have made a more ridiculous way to drain and fill a transmission.

 

[Bitter]

Probably more diy people would do it if it weren't such a stupidly complicated process. Vehicle level, specific temperature, plastic overfill tube.

I'll be doing it myself not to save money but simply because I don't trust any dealership around me to do it. I'm not sure if Toyota could have made a more ridiculous way to drain and fill a transmission.

Measure what you drain out, put that much new fluid back in, you're at the same level as it was filled from the factory, done. No need to get complicated but you can do the level set procedure after it's at the correct temperature if you want to but it's not necessary unless you think it was over or under filled from the factory.

 

[SteveHC]

Measure what you drain out, put that much new fluid back in, you're at the same level as it was filled from the factory, done. No need to get complicated but you can do the level set procedure after it's at the correct temperature if you want to but it's not necessary unless you think it was over or under filled from the factory.

Well, that's a good way to do it for sure, if you can trust the fill at the factory. Since the Covid it seems quality everywhere has taken a huge hit and my trust isn't there anymore. Even Toyota with the new Tundra and Tacoma has serious quality control problems.
My Corolla is Japanese built but I reckon I will still do the convoluted CVT fluid check for the first time anyway. If I keep a good eye on the oil I put in, then the next time I can use my own measurements.

 

[SteveHC]

Just because changing certain fluids isn't recommended or required by Toyota doesn't mean it's not a good idea. Tranny fluid, brake fluid, etc. It's cheap, easy and the best form of preventitive maintenenace I'm aware of. It's a no brainer to me to change this stuff regularily. To each their own

I'm the only person I know, out of many mechanically minded diy people, to flush my brake fluid every two years. A couple of hours every two years is worth it even just to keep the bleeder screws from binding up.

 

[CorollaOnt123]

I'm the only person I know, out of many mechanically minded diy people, to flush my brake fluid every two years. A couple of hours every two years is worth it even just to keep the bleeder screws from binding up.

If I had the time and the proper equipment and tools. Early in my life I had no money but loved to bicycle and did a number of long distance trips of 200km each way in one day. I biked because I didn't own a car. I had to learn to be my own bike mechanic because bike shops charged a lot. Also, no one to fix my bike in the middle of nowhere. I did everything from truing my own wheels, adjusting everything on the bike, cleaning the bearings, hub and gears, etc.

I could possibly take this mechanical aptitude and learn to work on my car. There will be a lot to learn and I don't have much time these days. Well, I have time for hobbies but probably not for car things The only thing I do is take off my winters and put on the summers. It's a pleasure to do it properly and torque the bolts correctly. I still get some pleasure in doing some things on my own and it helps to avoid the long waits when tire change-over season happens twice a year in eastern Ontario.

 

[Wasp9166]

What's the consensus on the factory cvt fluid

I was happy to drain the water like oil out and refill with castrol 0-20

Mobil makes bulk oil at dealer as far as I'm aware

Haven't seen much info on the cvt fluid

 

[Skinny guy]

What's the consensus on the factory cvt fluid

Drained fluid was a bit darker than the brand new one and didn't smell burned at 70,000 kms (43,500 miles).
I didn't send the fluid sample to the lab.
Refilled with Toyota CVT FE.

https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-12th-gen-corolla-today.1633354/page-154?post_id=14986000#post-14986000

 

[CorollaOnt123]

Now that it's doe, I'm OK with it. I did watch the Car Care Nut's video on recommending a transmission fluid change at 100 km for Corolla CVT. It's not cheap though.

 

[igzy]

Now that it's doe, I'm OK with it. I did watch the Car Care Nut's video on recommending a transmission fluid change at 100 km for Corolla CVT. It's not cheap though.

I had CVT oil replaced on mine at 75K at a local dealer. FWIW, I plan to continue doing so every 75K (about every 4 years in my case). I am a 100% DIY guy, but some things like this I just can't be bothered with any more...

p.s. it is 75K km for friends South of the border...