# 2000 Saturn transmission sticking

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2000-saturn-transmission-sticking/569248>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 27, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2000-saturn-transmission-sticking/569248 "2011-01-27T23:06:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2000-saturn-transmission-sticking/569248/1 "2011-01-27T23:06:27Z")

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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?

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**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2000-saturn-transmission-sticking/569248/2 "2011-01-28T14:44:36Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2000-saturn-transmission-sticking/569248/3 "2011-01-29T04:44:58Z")

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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.