*Poll* Transmition Fluid Change Help
 

Ok, I already know what you guys are thinking "NOOOOO, don't ever change it!!!!!" -- thats what most people say anyways...

My argument against this: You also hear "either do it every 30,000 miles or NEVER do it at all"

Why I think I could still do it:
I bought a carfax, and where im from we do not have any rego inspections so most of our cars are crap... My new 1997 Accord came from Massachusetts and Rhode Island where the DO have rego inspections, so I got to see on my carfax that this car has passed ever rego inspection it has ever been though (although there is no records of a trans fluid change) I believe from the records I looked at, the 2 people who owned the car before took great care of this car and so I believe that they may have got trans fluid changes...

So, do the poll, yay, nay... Please comment if you have any "extra" comments about it

A little car info:
-I DO want to change the trans fluid just to keep it running great
-Has 154,000 miles on it
-1997 Honda Accord
-4 speed Auto Trans that shifts a little hard but that is mentioned in the recall info as a design problem
-Has a very good looking carfax


To be more specific here is some of the carfax, these are in order and start in 1997 and end in 2010:
Four wheel alignment performed
state safety inspection completed
front brake pads rplaced and rotors resurfaced
vehicle inspected
engine/powertrain computer/module checked
trasnission checked
window repaired
vehicle serviced
vehicle inspected
oil and filter changed chassis lubricated
Passed safety inspection
passed emissions inspection
passed safelty inspection
^^2 above x4 over the next 6 months

I say change the fluid to a synthetic, like amsoil or royal purple. You will get the benefits of doing the service plus give yourself a bump in MPG's. My last automatic saw a 1-2 mpg bump once I changed the fluid to synthetic.

It definately changed the characteristics of the transmission for the better. It got smoother and quieter IMO.

Lighter (manual) transmission oil is one of the changes made to Volvo's DRIVe models.
They wouldn't bother if it didn't help (a bit).

So if it needs changing, change for the lightest allowed oil.

Definitely change it. There's a magnet near the filter that'll get gunk built up on it, and you should clean it once in a while. Ignoring a problem and hoping it goes away is the reason that perfectly good cars die an early death.

I changed my fluid when I got the car in August 2009, and changed it again last month. Just remember, there's a lot that stays in the torque converter and pump, so you need to drain/fill a few times to get most of the old fluid out. I changed it again last month and added 4 qts of synthetic, and it shifts a lot smoother now.

Since you are not sure if is has been ever changed, change it but I would not recommend doing a flush. The reason for that is if it is dirty and the filter and magnet have caught junk that can push it through. I would have the pan dropped to remove the fluid and replace the trans filter. (But remember my only experiences with trans is from the GM A4)

I say change it (with a new filter). Then do another change in 5000 miles again with a new filter. then do another change in 15000 or a year which ever comes first. then do regular intervals.

fresh fluid seems to provide a tighter coupling between the engine and my wheels so I do it once a year regardless.