After how many miles shoud the transmission fluid in a 2009 4 cyl chevy malibu be changed?

Asked by jsomario Oct 13, 2012 at 06:16 AM about the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu LS FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

After how many miles shoud the transmission fluid in a 2009 4 cyl chevy malibu be changed? Also all fluids used in 2009 chevy malibu 4 cyl ls

17 Answers

15,035

GM recommends changing that (from new), every other oil change to keep it fresh...NO ONE, i mean no one not even the technicians do that....how many miles are on it now, over 60,000 i suggest only if it is slipping on occasion, shows signs, below 60, every 10,000 or so miles, 100+ NEVER!!!!! that far along only add oil, never change it, NEVER EVER FLUSH IT....every shop in the world will recommend a flush, (because they know in 2 months you will be back for a transmission)....

33 people found this helpful.

I must agree with John about nobody actually changing the tranny fluid every other oil change, with the exception of non car-knowledgeable people (Notice I don't say stupid or anything derogatory, you may be a doctor or whatever and just don't know cars) that do everything the oil change joints 'recommend' because they (the car owner) can afford it and simply don't know better.

11 people found this helpful.
22,825

trans fluid is recommended to be changed under normal driving conditions every 50k miles (with filter). flushiing can kick up debris that has settled to the bottom. If you are not sure, the fluid should look pinkish red, not brownish, and should not smell burnt. I hope this helps.

14 people found this helpful.
8,255

Hello Jsomario, GM recommends changing automatic transmission fluid every 50,000 miles. Change automatic transmission fluid and filter (except 6-speed) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or more of these conditions: − In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature regularly reaches 90°F (32°C) or higher. − In hilly or mountainous terrain. − When doing frequent trailer towing. − Uses such as found in taxi, police, or delivery service. This information is available in your Owner's Manual pg. 6-6. Good luck with your vehicle. Vanessa GM Customer Service

19 people found this helpful.
140

I have a 2011 Chevy Aveo and it is 52,000 miles on it. I need to have a transmission oil change and is is o:k to change it now. I think it is due for one. Please let me know, I will try to do it asap as I do not have the money till next week. bgarabedian2010@yahoo.com

14 people found this helpful.
110

NEVER EVER EVER!! agree to do a Transmission Flush unless you have done so since the car was brand new on a regular bases; but the best rule to go by is just like John said. Dont flush it because it WILL stur up debris and cause more damage then solutions; and you run the risk of your car not starting anymore soon after the flush has been completed. True story it happened to a local shop I go to and they will never again agree to complete a flush; in fact they got rid of there flush machine.

11 people found this helpful.
550

I actually need advice, I just got a transmissin flush on my 09 malibu its a 4 cylinder, after the flush I went for a trip I drove about 45 miles and the transmission light came on and it started to bog out, now it wont go in reverse I cant go over 35 miles an hour. The car only has just a little over 80,000 miles. I got the change done at jiffy lube. What can be causing the problem? Is it there fault?

49 people found this helpful.
550

You can email me at, georgeperez8383.gp@gmail.com

6 people found this helpful.
2,225

Azarias- flushing will many times kill a transmission. It breaks up contaminants in the periphery of the torque converter that's should never be messed with. That debris has been caught in a very powerful centrifuge that does a very good job of protecting your transmission. I've seen cars not make it out of the shop driveway after a flush. To service a unit correctly -just drop the pan, change the filter and observe what you see in the pan. And remember this---- SERVICING WILL NOT REPAIR A BAD TRANSMISSION. Changing the fluid's for MAINTENANCE ONLY.

1 people found this helpful.
80

A drain and fill will change ~40% of the fluid but will not change the fluid trapped in the torque converter. After a drain and flush the ~60% dirty fluid is diluted with ~40% clean fluid throughout the entire transmission. So all your fluid is 40% cleaner, even that circulated through the torque converted. . A flush just taps into the transmission lines going to and from the cooler and returns fresh fluid to replace the dirty fluid pumped out of the transmission and replaces 100% of the fluid. So the flush just replaces more fluid and means the transmission now has 100% clean fluid. There is a you-tube video that clears up many of these myths. If your clutches are not burnt and you don't have sludge built up, neither a drain/fill or flush will do any harm. If you are changing fluid because you are having transmission problems, cleaner fluid may cause slipping clutches to slip more and cause gunk in hydraulic passages to break free and clog something down stream. I assume that 100% clean fluid will amplify these problems more than 40% cleaner fluid. So if you let the fluid get to a point where the transmission itself is damaged, changing it probably won't help and may even make the condition worst.

8 people found this helpful.
30

2015 silverado with 41000kms burn and brown fluid, service adviser told me thats normal not to worry. I left it there for a mechanic to look at.

3 people found this helpful.
120

I have a 2012 Chevy Malibu with 103,000 miles. I have no knowledge if the transmission fluid has ever been changed prior to me owning it and I have not changed it since I got it. My car is bogging down and the check engine light comes on intermittently. I have an OBDII code reader which is giving me a code of P0010. I was told to change my oil and transmission fluid to see if the issue goes away before taking it to a mechanic. After reading some of these posts, I am afraid to do anything with the transmission. Should I just take it a mechanic or am I on the right track?

12 people found this helpful.
90

Hi Melissa- If you haven't gotten an answer, maybe I can help. I have a 2012 Malibu myself, and the owner's manual states to change the transmission fluid every 97,500 mi in normal conditions; or every 45,000 under severe. If it has never been changed, it's time to change it. As everyone has said, don't do a full flush. It WILL screw up your transmission. The easiest way to change it (I did mine a few months ago) is to find the fluid drain bolt. It is located under the driver's side. Here is a link to a video. https://youtu.be/VJm7xjzXt6s All you do is unscrew the cap in the engine compartment, then unscrew the drain bolt under the car and let it drain. Replace the bolt and fill with 5.3 qts of fluid, then replace the cap. You must use dexron 4 fluid. If it looks brown or black coming out, it's WAY past it's prime. It should look pink when it's fresh. Good luck! Any further questions you can email me at buchholzj82@gmail.com

9 people found this helpful.
20

You should read the information given by Clarkconley. His information is how they do a flush. I have read people saying never do a flush. Sure don't if you do not really want all the bad fluid to be replaced. So if you have extremely nasty fluid why not only make it a little bit better and don't actually have clean fluid in the end. BUT now for the people who have there transmission with extreme wear and never have had the fluid replaced. Well there has been studies on this. It's sad but this can be the case. There are actual flakes of material floating around inside there and they are actually helping give the excessively warn transmission grip. When this type of transmission has a flush or even a change the transmission starts to slip. In this type of situation the more fluid that is replaced with the good fluid the worse it can possibly be. Everyone's reply's I have read here are valid. It all boils down to how bad is the transmissions wear. If my transmission is in good condition, yes I would get a flush. If my transmission has extreme wear then no, I would not touch it. Now the question is where is the middle line. Without knowing the history of the car it is almost a guessing game. My recommendation is to do only one change at a time. This way you know what has caused the symptom change in you car. The first oil to change would be the car oil and not the transmission oil. The transmission oil change is the one that has the most risk.

2 people found this helpful.
40

Hi, I have a 2013 Malibu and im at 85,5K. Miles the dealership us telling me ita time for a flush, do I tell them no and to just do a drain or what??

4 people found this helpful.
20

Alldata states 97,500 miles under normal service for 2012 which is probably the same.

2 people found this helpful.
40

I have a 2008 Chevy Malibu with 170 miles I wanted to see if someone can tell me if it's ok if I can change it you can txt me 9037183174

4 people found this helpful.

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