Transmission issues, classic stealership move?

To start out, I kind of feel like an idiot now, but also want to see what the forum says. I have a 2004 with an unhappy transmission. It is generally ok, except when coming to a "quick" stop, particularly while at normal city/suburban cruising speeds. In those cases, the transmission will get stuck in a higher a higher gear and not shift back down to 1st until I attempt to get going again. The truck will rev a bit, but not move, then shifts down into 1st with a thunk and a screech of the tires. I can drive around this issue if I come to a gentle stop at lights and stop signs and give the transmission a chance to shift into 1st before I stop.

About a year and a half ago, I dropped it off at the dealer and asked about doing a fluid flush since that seemed to be the most common resolution I saw after searching around. The truck had about 180k miles at the time. Instead of doing the flush, they talked me into a diagnostic, and the end result was that I needed a new transmission which they would be happy to do for me to the tune of about $7k. Since the truck drives mostly ok and I didn't have $7k burning a hole in my pocket, I decided to live with it and whiel saving up the money for a new transmission.

The idiot part... For some reason, it only just occurred to me to check my transmission fluid 18 months and 10k miles later, and guess what? The dipstick was damn near dry (up to temp, engine running, run the selector through the gears first). I added a quart of Toyota T-IV ATF (probably needs another), and the shifting issues seem to be gone. Is it likely that this entire time, the issue was the ATF level and my transmission is actually fine and the dealer just wrung me up for the most expensive option? Does the dealership have access to any super secret diagnostic tools that I don't?

 

Low fluid is what I assumed at the beginning of your post. Did the dealership not check it during the diagnostic?

 

Yeah I only use stealerships for OEM parts - I hate it when I go there and while waiting I can clearly hear the tech writers working over some poor lady with lies about how for example all filters and fluids must be replaced or her car won't pass inspection - Uggg they do this to people all day long.

 

Threads like this are why these forums exist.

That dealership may have been complacent and ineffective, but think of all the people in the future that may come across this thread via a search.

Now you know that dealerships are staffed with lazy and complacent peeps just like any other organization.

I've got much respect for dealerships, but I also do my research before hiring them.

Dealerships do not allow knowledgeable techs to do proper diagnosis. It's not always the fault of the tech.

Look on the bright side. Think of all the people you may help in the future by making this quick post.

 

Don't be so hard on yourself. Live and learn.
Everybody here has had there share of ++++ing up wether they admit it or not.

 

Once upon a time I could lift the hood and check the dipstick....

 

I miss the dipstick too.

 

The irony is, these trucks (2000-2004) have a dipstick.

 

Some of us more than others

 

There is nothing I hate more than engaging the services of a "professional" only to find out later that they were full of shit and essentially stole my money. That's why I do damn near everything myself. At least I know who to be mad at when it goes south and I didn't pay for the pleasure of getting screwed.

These types used to get tarred and feathered before being run out of town which in turn cut down on the number of folks willing to BS others in the process of stealing money.

 

Yeah, that's what I'm wondering. I doubt my truck dumped a couple quarts of ATF in the interim. I assumed that arriving at the dealership and saying "my truck shifts bad" would be one of the first things they check. My receipt doesn't mention it though. I paid for a "transmission/diag", but my paperwork doesn't say what that entails and only has a line item for a new transmission.

 

Haha, yeah I hope somebody stumbles upon that. Another idiot thing on my part is that I thought my truck was a 2005 with the "non-serviceable" transmission, then was doing some other stuff in the engine bay and I noticed the dipstick in the back for the transmission. That steered me towards the dealership more than checking things out myself or going to an independent shop.

You make a good point too about dealerships not giving techs enough time for proper diagnosis. I'm sure the workers there are like everybody else with management pushing them for volume over quality.

Truck has been doing well so far. I added another 1/2 quart the other day since the dipstick was showing around the Cold mark while checking in the proper way. I plan to to do a drain and fill once I can get my garage cleared out enough to pull my truck in with some elbow room to move around.

 

For sure. If we just go by what people share online, that gives the impression that everybody else is awesome at everything. I'm just glad my lazyass decided to procrastinate for a year and a half instead of charging forward and getting it take care of right away. Granted, I was going to go by an independent shop anyways for a 2nd opinion, and I would like to think they would have been a bit more thorough.