I went to Nissan dealership in my area to buy automatic transmission oil for my 04' Maxima SE. The parts guy told me I needed 4 to 5 quarts of oil for transmission oil change. He then look at the computer to check the price of the oil and when he told me the price of the oil, I almost had a heart attack. A quart of automatic transmission oil cost almost $10.00 each. The recommended oil for Maxima 04' is Nissan Matic-K, or it will mess up your transmission if you use different kinds. You can't even use Nissan Matic A, B, C, or D, etc. My advice to 04' Maxima owner is to take their car to dealer for transmission oil change.

 

when is a good mileage to change the transmission oil?? I had an 2000 before i bought the 04 and had 56k on it and never changed it and it ran fine. But i wanna do everything right this time.

 

I change the Auto transmission oil and coolant once a year or about 18,000 miles. My 97' camry XLE V6 has over 118,000 miles and the automatic transmission and radiator feels like it is new, no problem with shifting or over heating in the radiator. I usually work on my car and the coolant for Toyota is only about $9.00 a gallon and the transmission oil is only about $1.50 each (4 quarts).

 

Auto Capacity Fluid
4 A/T 9 3/4 qt Genuine NISSAN Matic “D” ATF (Continental US and Alaska) or Canada NISSAN Auto-matic Transmission Fluid *2
5 A/T 7 3/4 qt Genuine NISSAN Matic “K” ATF*3

If towing a trailer, using a camper or a car-top carrier, or driving on rough or muddy roads, change (not just inspect) oil at every30,000 miles (48,000 km) or 24 months. Using automatic transmission fluid other than Genuine Nissan Matic Fluid K ATF will causedeterioration in driveability and automatic transmission durability, and may damage the automatic transmission, which is not covered bythe NISSAN new vehicle limited warranty. Otherwise the Service Manaul states Inspect it at 45K (3 Years) and every 15K (2 years) after that.

 

Purchased 5 quarts of Nissan Matic-K auto transmission oil this morning for $51.00 plus change. After I got home, drained the transmission oil and measured the oil that I plushed and it was only 3 1/2 quarts of oil. So I only used 3 1/2 of new oil to replace the old one. Make sure you jack up the rear section of the driver side of your car so more oil will flow. I let the oil drain for 20 to 25 minutes before I closed it.

 

There is very little difference between fluids. The additive packages are all just slightly different. Many places that do tranny flushes just use one generic fluid with a generic friction modifier, with little or no problems.

Untill you get into super synthetic fluids with detergents and modifiers there really isn't that big of a concern. The different fluids are more a marketing ploy then anything else.

 

Where's the drain-plug ?
I've changed trans-oil in all my cars every year. The other day, I was changing my engine oil, I looked around but couldn't find the plug ?? I saw what looked like a oil-pan (smaller but taller than my '97Max's) on the driver's side. I swear it doesn't have a plug. Maybe I didn't look hard enough ('cause I didn't plan to change trans-oil @the time) ??

 

The transmission plug is on the drivers side and it is in the front part not under.

 

I read some place that Type-K fluid is a standard. So I guess I will keep an eye out for this kind of trans-oil besides Nissan's ripped-off bottles.

 

Just remember that the information I posted above.... which is now quoted below is from the Service Manual. I am not a mechanic, and don't believe in paying the dealer for more than what is needed. But what is in the manual is in the manual. Take it how you want.