Maintenance minder came up with the A123 service, so I was looking for a DIY on the transmission fluid change and came across a post stating only 3 of 9 quarts are drainable at a time.

called Acura to get a quote and they want $100 to drain and refill the 3 quarts, said that they don't flush it because they found it can damage the transmission.


sooo, does that actually satisfy the service requirement? I can do the 3 quarts myself forget paying for that, I just dont want to screw with my 100k warranty if the tranny goes out and they ask me why I only had 3 quarts changed and not a flush.

 

You're right about the fluid drain, only a third of the total will come out. Since the AT fluid for a complete change would cost you at least $72 ($9x9)(plus tax) at a dealer's parts counter, for $100, you can be sure they're not changing all the fluid. Honda has always recommended against any type of a "flush" due to the possibility of damage, but there are ways to do it gently. The thing is, it's not really necessary, so why flush it? The recommended procedure (though time consuming, labor intensive, and terribly wasteful), is to drain and refill 3 times, with a short ride in between drains. This will replace most of the old fluid. Some just do a single drain and fill every 30K miles and just maintain that schedule; the heck with the maintenance nanny. If you're worried about the warranty, it would probably be best to do whatever Acura tells you to.

 

I drain and fill with 3 quarts every 30k.

 

I revisited this thread and happened to notice that my math was off. 9x9=81.

 

I also do the 3 quarts every 30k miles. Simple easy and that's what my Acura dealer wants.