Trans Flush v Drain
 

It's interesting to me that you got so many responses about the tranny service thread you posted, when I posted a simple question about serpentine belt replacement and spark plug replacement on a 98 E320 and didn't even muster one response. I guess respondents to this site must feel about me like that old song, "I Liked You Better When I Didn't Know You So Well".

Anyway, as for the tranny, my mechanic, who (I believe) is really good, inspected my trans fluid at about 60K and said it looked "cloudy". In fact it did. He used a machine to flush the trans. He now uses my drained fluid (he kept a small amout in a baby food jar, with a second baby food jar filled with fresh fluid) as an example of what "lifetime fluid" can look like after 60K. Light won't even pass through the old fluid. My trans is "tight and right" and I feel a helluva lot better knowing its got clean juice in it. "No flush" may be okay for older cars, but on the newer stuff, (I think) "lifetime" fluid is a misnomer. But, that's just my opinion, and I could be wrong.

Dave M

I recently did my kids Sonoma truck fluid change, I disconnected the cooler line from the radiator and put it in a pail and started the engine, within 1 minute it pumped all 8 quarts out and I pulled the pan and changed the filter, easy way to get all the fluid out.

Dan