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I bought my car Holden Astra CITY S/W 1.8 AUTO Station Wagon (2004) two years ago. I did a pre-purchase check before I bought it. The garage told me the transmission fluid is dirty. After I bought this car, I went to another garage for the service & replacement and I told the mechanic to check&change the transmission fluid. However, he told me the transmission fluid is life-long as it was written on the car manual.I double checked the manual and it says 'Fluid not changed for life of car, unless operating in extreme conditions'. Last month, I did the car service and another mechanic told me the transmission fluid is dirty again and he suggested me to do the transmission service.I am just so confused: Should I change it or not? The price is acceptable and it's around $270 for the service but what I am worried about most is that something might go wrong after it’s changed. I have no problem with this car at the moment so I am really struggling with this issue.

Hi there,
Some manufactures do list a fill-for-life transmission. But the problem we encounter is that often the life expectancy of a vehicle according to the manufacture is around ten years.
Because we extend this life 2-3 times this, then the fluid would be best replaced at some stage. Unfortunately these Astra's have been known to give various problems as they age, and understandably some may adopt the "if it aint broke then don't fix it" approach.
But if the fluid is dirty and very old, it may be best to replace it, I would recommend speaking to a transmission specialist first and just get a second opinion before servicing the transmission.