This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Toyota say the fluid is lifetime but we know better. I have generally changed ATF in previous vehicles at 75k, but I am ready to do mine soon. Right after a vacation, so ,late October. The great killer of auto transmissions is heat and we have plenty of that here. I am going to drain the pan and refill as I pump old fluid out the trans cooler line until new fluid appears. Should take 12 qts to cycle that thru. Then at 120k i will drop the pan and change the strainer ( filter) and replace the fluid again. That will be at five year intervals, i.e. five hot summers. Maybe its early but preventative maintenance is decent insurance against failure. Now if only I could get the management at work to think that way then our fleet would be in better shape. My buddy got stranded in Santa Rosa a month ago with a failed auto transmission in a company truck, no fun. He got paid, the truck got fixed but he wasn't home until the next day.
That may be an alternative, you are right on the aftermarket pricing of Taco's. The good part of that though is the obvious reliability angle.