Dealer and some shops rec flushing tranny fluid rather than just drain and change. The latter only removes a small amount whereas the former gets it all. But I have heard that flushing is not a good idea and may do some harm. My '03 TLS with 88k has had the fluid drained 2 or 3 times over its life but never flushed. Bad idea? Of course everytime it is in dealer for something the service writer always tells me the fluid is "dark" and should be flushed even though I have looked at it and it is clean and clear with no smell. (original well working tranny)

 

report the service writer to his manager--its one thing to sell needed repairs-
thats their job
not make up stuff like fluid condition that cannot be backed up on inspection by another person

the gen2 owner book calls for manual drain and refill 1 time 3 qts,,doesnt call for it early enough though
the trans holds 7.3 total..4 being in the TQ and th erest in the lines

the book says `IF you ever add dextron 3 to top off fluid level in an emergency`- `THEN you must do the 3 qt drain and refill 3 times`- the 3x3, acura calls that a flush

most shops call a flush- a machine powered system that pushes new fluid in and old fluid out- making a full changeout

the problem for us is- many use dex3!!!! ooops

acura has a method for the newer-say 3 year old and newer cars with a different trans setup than ours
For them- its run on the lift while adding and draining fluid, using rpm etc

keep up with your 3 qts every year or 15 or 30kmiles- your choice
Ck if you are in warranty for the trans still- if so, let the dealer do a flush however they want.
a few days or weeks later you will be using that warranty~

 

your atf should be reddish to brown if its working

if its really dark or smells like burnt sugar you have a problem

 

you mean Acura certified dealer said you need tranny flush? I dont think dealers have flush machines, so he is probably talking about drain and fill, but if he is talking about power flush using a machine, then run from this dealer and report to 800 number.

 

You'd be surprised at the number of honda and acura dealers that use flush machines and non-honda fluid. Ask around a bit; it may vary by region, but it's more than a third around here. [By my informal survey of techs, service writers, and snake oil salesmen]

 

The dealer definitely said flush not change and showed me the difference in price. I also have an '06MDX and a different dealer tried to sell me the same senario ie flush over change. The service adv. said they hook up a machine and empty the fluid replacing it with "flush cleaner" then flush that out and put in all new ATF fluid. (Didnt do that either with the MDX)