70K transmission drain and fill

[isoh619]

Mazda folks,

So I bought my 2008 (Automatic trans) Mazda 6 used with 40K miles on it and transmission fluid was pink. I am currently at 70K and transmission fluid is a little brown but cant really see any pink.

I'm going to be doing a transmission drain and fill twice. I bought the the oil/filter gasket kit from an auto parts store.

My question is, what type Transmission Fluid do you fellow mazda folks use?
When I searched a couple auto parts stores on line to compare, they all referred to ATF +4 (Valvoline or similar) however, when I went in person their systems and associate suggested using Mag 1 or Valvoline "Import Multi-Vehicle" Full synthetic. I just want to ensure I will be putting the best type of fluids in my car that wont cause any damage.

Please advise and thanks in advance!

[forsakenmazda6]

im interested in this as well, my transmission oil is a light brown now. Is that bad?

[isoh619]

Originally Posted by forsakenmazda6

im interested in this as well, my transmission oil is a light brown now. Is that bad?

How many miles are you at right now? From What I understand, transmission fluid is to be pink. I cant really say if light brown is OK or not. My guess is it depends on how many miles you got and when was the last time you've replaced your transmission fluid.

I'll be waiting for what others have to say about this.

[forsakenmazda6]

i have 89k, but i believe the oil was changed some 45k ago

[austinairport]

MV ATF should be a cherry red. It's not necessarily terrible if your ATF is a little discolored.

Though it may be a good idea to go ahead and do a few flush and refills. It's very easy to do and will help extend the life of the transmission.

[jaruizm6]

If you have $70-100 go to a specialized quick lube they have a machine that flush the entire oil including the oil in the inner trans (valves,converter). perform every 35-40 K.

[MonoxideChild]

^
i have to agree. with an ATX transmission, its kind of pointless to drain and fill it yourself. as when you drain it, you wont even get out 1/3rd of the fluid. most of it stays in the trans, and the torque converter.

but when you pay a shop to do a actual flush, they get out 100% of the fluid. id just bring in my own trans fluid i wanted them to use.


i will admit out of all my cars, the only one thats a atx is my 09 kia sportage. and i do just flush and fill the trans on that car. but i also do it every 15k miles. so i dont let any really get that bad. (and im not exaggerating, i really do drain and fill every 15K miles on that car) lol

[austinairport]

I have to disagree. Once you've done around 4 flush and refill sessions you have effectively refilled and replaced all the spent ATF with new fluid. I mean, doing something is always better than doing nothing.

It's a matter of preference really, i guess. If you're the type who doesn't like to get under the car and wrench around, than have someone else do it... that's just not me though.

[flipster23]

I disagree with you ^

[MonoxideChild]

considering i build my own exhaust from scratch, im def one that does all my own wrenching 99% of the time. i wont go to a shop for anything beyond body work usually. but even if you drain, and flush your trans 4 times, your still not going to fully clean it out. you will get most of it. but you cant claim it all will get changed.

for how much i hate paying a shop to touch one of my cars, i hate wasting my time to half ass something even more. if i had the $20K+ machine to do the flush's myself, id def do that though.