Speedbowl14
Ryan Preece and short tracks
Hi all,
I've got a 2009 Rav4 with 110,000 miles on it. I bought it used and it has had a history of tranny issues (burning fluid and original owner went too long without changing it). I got the car at 85,000 miles, and my mechanic just did a drain and fill on the transmission fluid at 110,000 miles for the first time I've had the car. Old fluid was very poor quality...discolored but no metallic bits or anything super alarming. I think it had been last changed at 70,000 miles, so a standard 40,000 mile interval. I've been driving it around for around a week since the mechanic did the drain n fill (50-60 miles total) and I'm leaking transmission fluid very slightly. Like a 3" diameter wet spot on my driveway each morning. Dipstick still reading high. I crawled under there today and it *seems* that it's just leaking from the drain plug. Would it make sense that the mechanic stripped the screw or ruined the gasket when they put the drain plug back on? Or is it possible that with the new fluid my transmission is slowly destroying itself in the many many many ways that a poor transmission could destroy itself after replacing old fluid with new fluid?
The car is shifting much better than it did with the old fluid. My key question is...I know trannies can go bad after adding new fluid...but it's my understanding that usually takes a few hundred or a thousand miles before you'll run into problems...is that possibly happening in this case or did the mech simply not tighten the drain plug and/or stripped it?
Regardless it's going to the mechanic again Monday or Tuesday for him to check out. This is a local shop I've been going to 10+ years, not an AAMCO or a chain. Mechanic told me not to do this fluid change...but...I insisted when I bought the car that the dealer put a warranty on the transmission for me to buy it, which they did. Not like I want to go through that process though if it is dying on me.
I have no idea who else to tag... @Nitro Dude @BobbyFord
I've got a 2009 Rav4 with 110,000 miles on it. I bought it used and it has had a history of tranny issues (burning fluid and original owner went too long without changing it). I got the car at 85,000 miles, and my mechanic just did a drain and fill on the transmission fluid at 110,000 miles for the first time I've had the car. Old fluid was very poor quality...discolored but no metallic bits or anything super alarming. I think it had been last changed at 70,000 miles, so a standard 40,000 mile interval. I've been driving it around for around a week since the mechanic did the drain n fill (50-60 miles total) and I'm leaking transmission fluid very slightly. Like a 3" diameter wet spot on my driveway each morning. Dipstick still reading high. I crawled under there today and it *seems* that it's just leaking from the drain plug. Would it make sense that the mechanic stripped the screw or ruined the gasket when they put the drain plug back on? Or is it possible that with the new fluid my transmission is slowly destroying itself in the many many many ways that a poor transmission could destroy itself after replacing old fluid with new fluid?
The car is shifting much better than it did with the old fluid. My key question is...I know trannies can go bad after adding new fluid...but it's my understanding that usually takes a few hundred or a thousand miles before you'll run into problems...is that possibly happening in this case or did the mech simply not tighten the drain plug and/or stripped it?
Regardless it's going to the mechanic again Monday or Tuesday for him to check out. This is a local shop I've been going to 10+ years, not an AAMCO or a chain. Mechanic told me not to do this fluid change...but...I insisted when I bought the car that the dealer put a warranty on the transmission for me to buy it, which they did. Not like I want to go through that process though if it is dying on me.
I have no idea who else to tag... @Nitro Dude @BobbyFord