2000 Saturn transmission sticking

About 150K miles. Just bought it as a used car for the stepson and occasionally the transmission will stick in a low gear. Stopping the car seems to fix the problem for a while but it is a recurring problem. While getting an oil change, Jiffy Lube tried to upsell him into everything including a $160 transmission flush.

  1. Would a transmission flush solve the problem? I imagine it does need the filter changed but his income is such that it needs to be necessary rather than nice.

  2. How much should a full transmission flush cost?

I’ll let the local transmission experts weigh in on whether or not a full flush is useful or not, but first things first - have you checked the transmission fluid level yet?

Then, go to a transmission shop for a diagnosis. I don’t have any price info, but places like AAMCO often include a diagnosis with a flush and fill, which is more than Iffy Lube can offer.

Transmission fluid is one of those things that doesn’t really go away unless there’s a leak - I used to have a car that had a small leak that would have required more labor than the car was worth, and if it got to about half a pint low, it would start slipping and not wanting to shift.

I recently bought a Saturn. At the time, a car-salesman acquaintance (not the guy who sold it to me) warned me that Saturns have a tendency to sludge buildup. So it’s likely you do need a flush.