Gen 2 ATF - Toyota UK say it never needs changing !

they are correct!

but you are free to research the issue, and make your own educated decision

can you enumerate all seven different positions? i'd be curious to know

 

I would change it, no hesitation. Judging just from the color of drained fluid, the first drain does the most good, and it's hard to change it too soon. I'd suspect due to gears "breaking in", meshing. Subsequent drains look better, maybe less worthwhile.

It's dead-easy to do. Hopefully you can acquire 4 quarts of Toyota ATF WS fluid over there without too much financial grief, I've heard some horror stories. Locally for me it's $9.14 (CDN) per liter.

The attachment is the 2nd gen Repair Manual level check, they don't have a drain-and-fill instruction. It does identify the drain and fill bolts though, and specs refill qty. The simplest way to get it right is to refill with the car level, till it starts coming back out. Again, 4 quarts should do it.

Toyota recommends to only use fluid from freshly opened bottles, don't store left overs for another change.

Take a look beforehand, see what the second gen drain and fill bolts look like. I believe one is a regular, largish metric socket size, and the other requires a 10 mm allen-key style "socket", it's what's referred to as a "socket head cap screw".

It's good to have:

1. Torque wrench (29 foot/pound is fill bolt spec, drain bolt spec not mentioned, but the same should do)
2. funnel with about 3 foot hose extension (hose OD no more than 5/8")
3. A long handle breaker bar or ratchet wrench, with an extension or two (the bolts are kinda glued on)
4. The proper sockets (have a look in advance)
5. Replacement washers for the two bolts. Hopefully dealership can find, and for less than king's ransom.

Also, obviously: ramps, or safety stands and floor jack.

 

They said the same thing about the fluid in my 2005 Tacoma, then they changed their minds and changed it to 60,000. Probably after they started replacing transmissions under warranty. I say change it. Can only help, can’t hurt.

 

I would take almost any "lifetime" fluid assurance to mean, "Our goal is to sell you a new car or make a lot of money doing an expensive repair on your older vehicle." Almost any car manufacturer selling vehicles in America would tell you the motor oil never needs to be changed if they thought they could get away with it.

 

Seems pretty bimodal of a decision to me too.

But I’m not on that side of the pond.

 

Lifetime filled is an illusion in my opinion.
I have seen it with ZF transmissions where the car manufacturer claims lifetime filled but ZF tells you, please change the fluid every 80000km to keep everything in good working order.
Car manufacturers make these claims, together with overall long service intervals, to satisfy fleet owners. Fleet owners tend to keep cars for max of 5 years so the car with the lowest maintenance cost over those 5 years has a better position. After 5 years they sell the car of and the manufacturer doesn't care if the transmission goes out after 5,5 years.

 

Toyota says DOT 3 brake fluid is lifetime in a Prius too.

 

Just get a quote for an ATF change from your dealer, if they say it isn't necessary, tell them you want to do it anyway. It shouldn't be overly expensive. It is similar to a motor oil change but without the filter, so should be cheaper. The ATF is about $50 for a full refill.

The car should be at operating temperature for the oil change and the fill plug should be opened before the drain plug. That way you'll get most of the crud out.

 

The car should also be level when refilling, and fill till it starts coming back out.

 

I've never done mine, but i don't keep them beyond battery warranty

 

Did the 08 get done when you transferred it to your daughter?

She ever end up selling it and for a decent price?

 

no, she sold it with 135k i think. no tranny fluid change. she finally accepted $4,500. seems to be a pretty hard sell around the land of suv's.

a well heeled couple bought it for their teenage sons summer job.

my neighbor still has my '04, no tranny fluid change. he only uses it for commuting, maybe a60 to 170k now.

 

it seems that Toyota doesn't care if their dealers employ retards and scumbags. I hear nothing but horror stories about Toyota dealers lying, cheating, stealing and butchering customer's cars.
what I will say is that when I changed the trans oil in my 2004 at 100k miles, the fluid was black, and there were flakes of metal on the drainplug magnet. my brother had the car at 160k, and when he changed the trans oil at that time, he said it was still red. therefore, I would definitely change the fluid at least every 100k miles. I can't prove it will help, but it surely can't hurt, and the dealers advice cannot be trusted even a little bit.

 

I never did our 2010 until 140 k miles and it was black.

So when we bought the RX450h, I changed both trans fluids at 6500 miles and then the Prime at 4000 miles.

The wife wants to keep these for a VERY long time (she kept her 98 4runner for 18 years), so peace of mind if nothing else.

 

Nice to have money to burn. You'll probably buy the next self driving prius and the very long time theory will go out the door

 

The CFO will step in.

The Prime is a great car and I’ve got a 150 mpg average going over 6300 miles.

Still on fill up #5.

 

Meh, $40 and an hour.

Yes. My 2 cents: early fluid change is the best ploy. Then stretch it, say every 50K.