Transmission fluid change not done in 80,000 miles

[lookn4an03pilot]

Hello all,

I am looking at 2003 Pilots and was wondering what everybody thinks regarding a Pilot that has never had a transmission fluid flush/change and has 80,000 miles on the vehicle.

I understand that Honda requires tranny fluid to be changed at the first 45K then 75K...etc.

How critical is changing the trans fluid at the required Honda intervals?

Would you insist on a $4500 discount regarding a 2003 Pilot that had not had its trans fluid changed in its first 80,000 miles?

Keep in mind that a new trans costs $4500.00.

Thanks.

[andyschneider]

Originally posted by lookn4an03pilot
Hello all,

I am looking at 2003 Pilots and was wondering what everybody thinks regarding a Pilot that has never had a transmission fluid flush/change and has 80,000 miles on the vehicle.

I understand that Honda requires tranny fluid to be changed at the first 45K then 75K...etc.

How critical is changing the trans fluid at the required Honda intervals?

Would you insist on a $4500 discount regarding a 2003 Pilot that had not had its trans fluid changed in its first 80,000 miles?

Thanks.

To me, a lot depends on (a) the fluid's condition and level right now, and (b) whether or not the vehicle has ever towed anything. A "well used" tranny without a change can be a problem waiting to happen, but for normal use and "non-burned" fluid, it might not be so bad. I think that if it's the latter case, you might be able to talk 'em down a bit. If it's the former case, then you might just wanna look somewhere else...

andy

[GreenMachine]

When does the manual state it should be changed? Since you don't know how it was used in the past, assume a severe schedule to be safe and see how far off you are, if any.

[il38694]

Originally posted by lookn4an03pilot
a Pilot that has never had a transmission fluid flush/change and has 80,000 miles on the vehicle.

The seller must be a very honest person.

[StudentPilot]

Does the transmission shift smoothly without any slippage under hard acceleration (i.e. holding each gear to redline)?

I wouldn't worry about this if it up-shifts and down-shifts normally; after all, buying a used car does come with some risks. The ATF is probably dark-red to redish-brown color with this kind of mileage.

I also neglected to flush the ATF in one of my vehicles until 75k before, but there was no side-effect after the ATF flush.

A lot of people also don't flush the brake fluids for as long as they own the car. I would suspect that to be the case with this car. Once again, no big deal, just flush it with a quart of ATE Super Blue high-temp brake fluid ($10).

Finally, at 80,000 miles, you may also want to factor in the cost of changing the timing and accessory belts, which would be due soon.