Shop refused to service transmission - Find another shop or Thank them?

[NorthTexasDylan]

For those who have not read and have not heard my story, I recently purchased a 1997 Chevrolet K1500 Silverado Z71 with 5.3L. The original owner hooked this truck up with a lift kit, tires and wheels, dual exhaust, K&N Filter etc. However to the best of my knowledge he sold it to a guy about 5 years ago that just ran the truck into the ground. I think all he actually did was change the oil. Truck has just over 200k miles. I replaced all the front end components because they were completely wore out. Then took it into the shop to get all the fluids changed. My work order included oil change, fuel filter change, front and rear differential fluid change, transmission fluid change, transfer case fluid change and alignment. When the owner saw the mileage she asked if I had any record of when the transmission fluid had been flushed. When I told her the history as I knew it she said they would not flush/change the fluid in the transmission. She said that sometimes when there is this many miles the "gunk" that is in there could be all that is holding it together. And she would recommend letting it ride. Especially if the fluid is not bad and there are no issues with the shifting. I don't know about the fluid color yet but I know that it shifts great.

So like the title says: Should I tell her thank you for saving me or find another shop to do a flush?

 

[Big D]

in short.... yep.

pull the dipstick, see how dirty it is.

 

[sewlow]

Burnt smelling fluid is not good, either.

 

[my name is alex]

So, I could be very wrong here...but I thought this was only a relevant issue for flushing the trans and that a simple dump and refill should be OK.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

So, I could be very wrong here...but I thought this was only a relevant issue for flushing the trans and that a simple dump and refill should be OK.

that's a loaded question. tranny fluid is a great cleaner, therefore fresh fluid that hasn't lost it's detergent properties is more likely to knock the gunk loose also. you're basically rolling the dice!

 

[Justin S]

If it's not having any issues shifting, i'd leave it alone.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

There's nothing wrong with changing your fluid and filter, the whole dirty trans fluid is good for it is a giant myth.

Do you know when he changed the engine oil last, brake fluid, rear diff oil? you gonna leave all that in there?

The horror stories come from people who let their junk go until it's slipping or shuddering or something, then decide a filter will fix it. They change fluid and filter, it fails anyway, they blame the fluid instead of themselves.

You wouldn't wait until your engine knocks to change the oil, do the right thing, establish a maintenance schedule.

 

[Justin S]

Not saying it was coincidence, but years ago I had a 72 Chevelle with a th350, from what I could tell it had never had a trans flush for 98xxx miles. I dropped the pan and changed the filter just because, and roughly 2 weeks later, it began acting up. Once warm, 3rd gear turned to neutral. Since then, i've pretty much stuck to sticks

 

[Jrgunn5150]

200k and it's not far from a rebuild anyway, but nevertheless, I wouldn't be scared to drop the pan, throw a filter and 4 quarts at it. i do it to every new vehicle I get, from then on I drain and fill every oil change for a year, then a filter and fluid, then every 30k afterward.

 

[NorthTexasDylan]

It looks like from the sticker he changed the oil in January (about a 1000 miles ago). I had them do the oil change, fuel filter, front and rear diff, transfer case and coolant. My plan was to do just that, establish a schedule. They just wouldn't touch the transmission.