How to Change Transmission Fluid and What Doing It Yourself Costs

A drain and refill is the home version of a transmission fluid change. The old fluid leaves through a drain plug or a lowered pan, new fluid goes in, and the level is checked. General Motors puts its rule for its own vehicles in one line of its bulletin 04-06-01-029K (October 2024): "Transmission fluid should only be replaced by draining and refilling following procedures in Service Information (SI)."

The steps on this page are general. The procedure, the fluid and the quantity in your vehicle's own service information overrule anything written here. Whether the fluid is due at all is covered in how often to change transmission fluid.

What you need and what it costs

Sources: Harbor Freight product pages for the drain pan, fluid pump, torque wrench, jack stands. Checked November 13, 2026.

Sources: Walmart, Toyota WS, Walmart, Honda DW-1, GM Parts, Dexron VI, Walmart, MaxLife, GM Parts, filter. Checked November 13, 2026.

A quart costs from $7.97 to $26.50 among the 4 one-quart prices in this table. The $7.97 is a marked-down price.

The sum for one vehicle

Honda's Service Bulletin 23-073 for the 2016-20 Pilot with the 6-speed automatic prints 3.3 US qt (3.1 L) at change and names Honda Genuine ATF-DW1. In that bulletin it is each fill of a three-cycle flush.

• Fluid, our calculation at the prices in the tables above: 3.3 quarts means 4 one-quart bottles. 4 × $23.74 = $94.96.
• Tools, our calculation: $19.99 + $10.99 + $21.99 + $54.99 = $107.96.
• First change, our calculation: $107.96 + $94.96 = $202.92 before tax.

Two printed shop prices to set against it, as of November 13, 2026. Perry's Quality Auto in Simi Valley, California, prints $189 to $249 for a drain and refill, "depending on fluid type and capacity." Bianchi Honda in Erie, Pennsylvania, prints "Transmission Fluid Change – ATF/CVT starting at $142.00*/$165.00*", tax not included, and says prices vary by model.

With the tools included, the first change at home ($202.92, our calculation) costs more than either Bianchi Honda starting price and sits inside the Perry's range. From the second change the only purchase in this sum is the $94.96 of fluid, which is below every shop price printed here.

More printed shop prices are on the home page.

Drain and refill in steps

1. Read the procedure in the vehicle's service information. Note the fluid specification, the refill quantity, the drain plug torque and the way the level is checked.
2. Buy the fluid that meets that specification. Buy a filter and a pan gasket only if the procedure has the pan come off.
3. Raise the vehicle and support it. Honda's bulletin says: "Raise the vehicle and make sure it is securely supported."
4. Put the drain pan under the transmission and remove the drain plug. If the pan has no plug, loosen the pan bolts and lower one edge so the fluid runs out there.
5. If the pan is off, inspect or replace the filter as the procedure says, clean the pan and fit the new gasket.
6. Refit the drain plug to the printed torque. For the 2016-20 Pilot 6-speed, Honda prints 49 N·m (36 lb-ft), with a new washer for the final refit.
7. Refill through the dipstick tube or the fill plug. Start from the printed refill quantity.
8. Check the level at the fluid temperature the procedure names. Honda writes that the Pilot's level "is designed to be checked at 80°C (176° F)" and that a transmission filled to the top dot when cold "will be overfilled."
9. Look for leaks at the plug and the pan. Pour the old fluid into a leak-proof container.

Dropping the pan to reach the filter is the larger job. Perry's Quality Auto prints $269 to $349 for a pan drop and filter service with a new pan gasket and internal filter, as of November 13, 2026.

On safety, OSHA's workplace standard for jacks, 29 CFR 1910.244, says: "After the load has been raised, it shall be cribbed, blocked, or otherwise secured at once." Toyota's bulletin T-SB-0036-13 adds: "Use caution when the transmission fluid temperature is high."

Fluid that meets the vehicle specification

Ford's Automatic Transmission Fluid Chart (Version 21, published 9/2026) says its listed fluids "MUST be used in applications recommending that particular fluid". Honda's Pilot bulletin says: "Do not use non-Honda ATF because it can affect shift quality."

An owner's manual may print only the total capacity. A Toyota Camry manual (publication OM06291U) prints 7.7 qt for the 2.5 L engine's transaxle, calls it "a reference quantity" and prints no drain and refill quantity. For a replacement it sends the owner to the Toyota dealer.

Sealed transmissions with no dipstick

The 2026 Ram 1500 owner's manual says of its 8-speed automatic: "Routine fluid level checks are not required, therefore the transmission has no dipstick."

Automaker bulletins print a fluid temperature for the level check, and it differs by transmission.

Sources: Toyota T-SB-0036-13 Rev1, GM Bulletin 15667, Subaru WTJ-70, Honda 23-073. Checked November 13, 2026.

GM Bulletin 15667 spells out what a miss means: "TFT>45°C=under-filled, TFT<35°C=over-filled." A Ford 10R80 bulletin, a GM 6L80 bulletin and an FCA US bulletin on the ZF 8HP print no level-check temperature, so this page gives no figure for them.

Disposing of the old fluid

The US EPA defines used oil as "any petroleum-based or synthetic oil that has been used." It says to take care not to spill, "place it in a leak-proof can or container," and check with "local automobile maintenance facilities, waste collectors, and government waste officials" for a drop-off point.

Advance Auto Parts lists "Transmission Fluid/Oil" among the oils it accepts for recycling, free at most stores "unless prohibited by law."

When not to do it yourself

• The level check needs a reading you cannot take. Subaru's procedure reads the fluid temperature on the Subaru Select Monitor.
• The procedure is written for a shop. GM states that its bulletins "are intended for use by professional technicians, NOT a "do-it-yourselfer"." The Camry manual says: "If replacement is necessary, contact your Toyota dealer."
• The vehicle is under warranty and you are not sure of the fluid. Nissan's bulletin NTB14-077 on its CVTs says damage caused by fluids other than the recommended one "is not covered under NISSAN's New Vehicle Limited Warranty."
• You want a machine flush. That is a different service; see flush vs change.

Questions and answers