change the transmission fluid

2002 MERCURY COUGAR
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STACY171
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Transmission problem6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 96,600 miles
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i recently got my oil changed in my car, and the mechanic said that i needed new transmission fluid because its starting to change colors. but i was also told by another person that if you do change the transmission fluid it can somehow ruin your car. i dont know what to do. i know nothing about cars, and i dont want to do anything to harm my car in any way. who is telling me the truth??
Aug 12, 2008 at 1:37 AM
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MHPAUTOS
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Hi there,

You should service the transmission as per the manufactures recommended schedule, not changing the oil will cause more harm that changing it.

Mark (mhpautos)
Aug 12, 2008 at 1:46 AM
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JEFFCJ
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Hi Stacy171,
I think what your well meaning friend may have been referring to is this: if your transmission is old and has a lot of wear, it is sometimes not recommended to FLUSH the transmission, which has been known to sometimes cause failures in those situations. However if your fluid is changing color then it is losing its effectiveness and should be changed (but leave it to an experienced transmission mechanic to determine whether or not it should be flushed).
Aug 31, 2017 at 10:59 AM
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STRAILER
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Great addition to this thread! Please feel free to help out whenever you are on the site :)

Cheers, Ken
Sep 4, 2017 at 11:55 AM