Wasted $400 on a 'professional' transmission flush that killed my truck

I paid a quick lube place $400 for a full transmission flush on my 2012 F-150 and the transmission started slipping 3 days later. Turns out those high-pressure flushes can shove debris into the valve body on older high-mileage trucks. Any of you guys ever seen this ruin a trans?

2 comments

2 Comments

carr.brooke1mo ago

@ben206 nailed it. I had the exact same thing happen on my old Chevy Silverado with 160k miles, paid $350 for a flush at one of those chain places and the transmission was toast in a week. Ended up having to get a rebuild that cost me $2,800. Now I just do the simple drain and fill like @ben206 mentioned, I drop the pan, change the filter, and refill. Did it on my current truck at 90k miles and it shifts smoother than ever with zero issues. Learned that lesson the hard way.

ben2061mo ago

Oh man, I hate to say it but I used to be one of those people who swore by flushes. I had an old Tacoma with like 180k on it and I thought I was doing the right thing keeping the fluid fresh. Then a buddy of mine who actually builds transmissions for a living sat me down and explained exactly what you just described. The high pressure can knock all that built up crud loose and it gets stuck in places it shouldn't be, especially on a higher mileage truck where the transmission already has some wear. Now I just do the simple drain and fill every 30k or so, nothing fancy. Sorry that happened to your F-150 man, that really sucks for $400.