Could I still need a transmission flush?

Civic is about 8 years old, with about 62,000 miles. Lately, the automatic has been noticably shifting, as opposed to the smooth transitions it used to exhibit. It’s particularly noticable going up to 4th, and also when I’ve slowed down and have to speed up again. I checked the fluid and it’s at the top. The shop did “transmission service” four years ago, which, I believe means a flush, since the bill lists ATF fluid. Does it sound like I need that service again? The car gets almost no highway driving, mostly city/suburban start and stop. Transmission service again?

How many qts of tranny fluid are listed?
Could it have been a top-off?
What make/model/year/engine are you operating?

Unless you’re doing upwards of 30K miles per year, it’s doubtful you’ve hit the next interval for transmission service in a few months.
Assuming the shop is honest, and off the top of my head, I suspect you’ve got a transmission problem of some sort.
Call your mechanic for advice, and if he says to bring it in, BRING IT IN.
You can turn a $7 tranny fix into a $1200 tranny fix by ignoring symptoms.

They put in 1 1/2 qts of fluid. But that was four years ago. It’s a four cylinder 2001 Civic. Wife drives it about 10,000 miles/year, or less, but it does get a workout. I’ve never had it flushed, I think. They just called it Transmission Service and like the car pinhead that I am, I just nodded and paid.

Yes, it’s certainly possible to need new tranny fluid in 60,000 miles.

And a flush and new fluid might eliminate the rough shifting I’m experiencing?

It’s possible.
The whole point of ATF formulations is to have a certain viscosity at certain temperature points, thus letting the various mechanical elements of the transmission mesh properly.
When ATF wears out, the viscosity modifiers STOP modifying the viscosity of the base oil like they used to do, and things that aren’t supposed to slip, slip, and in some cases things that were supposed to slip DON’T.
You don’t have to use the dealer for transmission service, but make sure that the shop you use actually has the right fluid.
I’m not 100% sure you’re affected, but Honda has a proprietary ATF for some models. You do not want to just have a shop dump plain ole’ Dexron III in a transmission specced for Honda’s fancy-pants ATF Z1.

What Mr. Slant said.

Replacing the fluid may or may not alleviate the symptom, but it’s the cheapest and easiest thing to try that could help.

My thought is that if genuine Honda ATF was used at the previous service, a fluid change is unlikely to help. However, if a different fluid was used, it’s possible that getting the right fluid in there could solve the problem.

Judging by the amount of fluid used, the previous service had to have been just a drain and refill. Probably about half the fluid was replaced (it won’t all drain out). A transmission flush will replace virtually all the fluid, which might be the better choice at this point. Just make sure that Honda ATF is used.

Hold on… half the fluid would have been 1.5 quarts?
Gary, if that’s the capacity on the Civic’s auto tranny, that’s a damned odd unit.

I was just shooting from the hip, mainly making the point that it couldn’t have been a complete fluid replacement. But you’re right, that’s not much. I should have looked it up.

Upon looking up capacity specs for 2001 Civic DX sedan, I find this:

Change 2.9 Qt, Total 6.3 Qt

Makes me wonder why so little fluid was billed out for a transmission service.

On paper, the transmission service might have included the first 1.5 qts free or something, but I’m skeptical they did anything that silly.

At one time I trusted this shop completely, and for a number of good reasons. Lately, I’m beginning to think that the guy in the front who runs the numbers is scamming the guy who owns the place, and that the “transmission service” is just a bookkeeping thing he does to gullible customers such as myself. Your comments about it only serve to prop up my suspicions. I’m thinking that I ought to go to the owner and tell him these things.