ATF Change - Your fluid should not look like this!

too bad you didm't have it tested. but i wouldn't be surprised if it was over contaminated. toyota got you past the warranty period, now they can sell you a new tranny.

 

Well, if there was damage it's too late to do anything. If it runs fine don't worry about it. You may want to change it again, as the new oil will be contaminated by the old stuff that you can't drain out. Diminishing returns, but one more change would be good.
Perhaps the wrong oil was put in there before. I can't see how the oil would drop the mileage unless it was heavier weight or non-synthetic. There are no clutch-packs in there, just gears and a chain. The "special oil" is desired as there are high voltages in there. It has to withstand that.

If the car displays no warnings the HSD is probably fine, at least for now. It may have been overheated once.
Anyway, change it again to be sure it's as clean as possible and drive on.

 

Thanks for the pics, drives home who Toyota is looking out for, and it's not the owners. That should have been drained about 140,000 miles ago!

I'd just keep going, think good thoughts.

 

Hope your transaxle lasts. Here's what my fluid looked like after only 35K:



New fluid on the left.

 

I'm curious, Mendel. I got the impression the OP changed the oil himself, so what does Toyota have to do with it? Are you implying the dealer should have recommended a change at 17,000 miles? Assuming it's been taken to the dealer for service and not DIY. I guess it also assumes this is a 1-owner car or we wouldn't know if the oil was ever changed. I'm at 50,000 miles and was planning to get the trans fluid changed at 60,000. I've read recommendations for 30,000, 60,000 and 100,000, so I split the difference.

 

I believe the "recommendation" on this site is 30K, and 60K intervals thereafter. I changed mine at 35K, so I'm changing it again at 100K.

 

I did a first change around 15,000 kilometers, and it looked very dark already. I did a second change at 40,000, and it looked like new. Accordingly, I'd say an early first change is most beneficial.

Toyota's responsibility? Their guidance is to never change the transaxle fluid, at least not in the course of regular maintenance. Toyota dealership service departments are by large in line with that policy, are often clueless as to the complexity and details of the procedure, and will aggressively discourage customers who want it done at a dealership.

 

what can we know from degree of darkness?

 

Just to point out that the fluid gets dark pretty quickly on the original fluid. The OP changed it above 150K miles, so it's no surprise that it was very dark.

 

Okay, I buy the responsibility factor if you're talking about the recommended maintenance schedule, I wasn't looking at it that way. My thought there is that AFAIK the Prius doesn't suffer from a high rate of tranny failures and I'd be willing to bet most folks go by the book unless their dealer convinces them otherwise. I'm not saying fresh fluid isn't good, just that dark, etc., doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. That said I think I might get mine changed before our trip next month. You got yours changed at less than 10,000 miles and then again at just under 25,000 miles. Seems overly cautious.

And Toyota is not the only ones who recommend never changing the trans fluid. I've seen several such recommendations in various forums. I guess a lot depends on how long you plan to keep the car, etc. I think I only changed the fluid in our van twice over 166,000 miles without problems and I think a GM automatic has more moving parts than the Prius.

 

Be prepared for an uninformed dealer service advisor quoting you a very high drain and flush transmission service price based on a regular transmission with a torque converter. Most don't know that it's a simple drain and fill on the Prius. Either that, or they will insist that it's an unnecessary service you're asking for.

 

seriously? LOL.

i'm not sure the color matters.
have you tried spilling the factory fluid and exposing to the direct sunlight?
it'll turn purple. it's the pigment and nothing to do with lubrication.

on the other hand, the WS ATF bought at the dealerships in US doesn't do that. different pigment and probably this is why it looks lighter after use on next service.

 

Thanks for your post. I recently got a 2010 Prius and it has 88,000 miles on it with no maintenance records. When should I change the ATF? any other recommended maintenance on it that I should be aware of?

 

Remembering that, in Japan, cars are replaced at least every 5 years, on average. Soooo, if it lasts 5 years that's fine.
While the Prius transmission fluid change is rather simple and easy, mistakes happen.
So not recommending -every- shop change the fluid at some mileage/date may reduce the mistakes, but not affect the "life" of the car (5 years).
At least that's my take on the matter.

When I sold Pearl to her present owner, I paid to have the trans. fluid changed, along with the coolant. The dealer did a good job, didn't argue, took my money and smiled. Mayfield Toyota, one of the best in the area, for service at least. In some consumer testing they rated "the best", and that overloaded their service department. I'm told by an insider they intentionally reduced the "niceness" of their service to try to bring the work load back to reasonable levels. I find this rather surprising, as you'd think they would instead build a bigger building and make more money on service, but they may have had trouble finding enough techs.
Haven't bought there yet so I can't comment on that aspect.

 

welcome! no time like the present. check your maint. manual for recommendations. you don't need anything out of the ordinary until 100k or so. jut oil and filters, tyres and etc. all the best!

 

As a PriusChat reader, I'm always prepared for that kind of stuff, though I've yet to encounter it at my local dealer.

 

I do know: first, very early change, drained fluid very dark. Next change, at more or less double the interval, fluid looked pristine. My conclusion: that's good.

 

What brand of fluid are u using guys ?

 

From the Owner's Manual: