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80+ km, serivce sticker due for transmission service at 87K - what is required and how much should it cost. the auto appears to be fine.

thanks - noho ora mai ra.

With an automatic transmission such as the one fitted to your Mazda, always remember an oil change will never cure a fault. It will only remove contaminated oil and replace it with fresh fluid which can extend the transmissions life and improve the shift quality.

If your transmission is operating as it should, then an oil change is a sensible job to have carried out. Often a garage or transmission specialist will make a recommendation on just how far to go with the change based on the condition of the oil.

If it is severely discoloured and has a burnt smell to it a full flush may be recommended. If the oil is in reasonable condition a less vigorous flush may be all that is required.

From a quick ring around prices can range from $280 up to $350 depending on how much fluid is required to both flush and refill the transmission.

I would like to think most transmission specialists and general repairers would take the car for a good road test to check the transmission performance before removing the drain plug.