ATF and Transfer Case Fluid Changes on 2008 EX35 AWD

[NJGuy]

I was able to find some time on the weekend to do a little bit of maintenance on the EX. I only had enough time to do a couple of things, so I decided to first tackle the jobs of changing the ATF and transfer case fluid. And since my EX had just clocked over 61K miles, it was pretty good timing. I had put together some notes for myself in preparation of these jobs, but I didn't have them on me when it came time to start. Even so, the jobs were straightforward and pretty easy.

Here's what I used for these jobs:
-4 quarts Nissan Matic-S ATF
-1+ quarts of Valvoline Maxlife ATF for the transfer case
-1 tube of Permatex Ultra Grey RTV Silicone
-Nissan/Infiniti copper crush washer

Tools:
-Socket wrenches (you'll need a 1/2" socket wrench, or a different size with a 1/2" adapter for the transfer case drain bolt)
-10mm socket or nut driver for the fasteners on the plastic cover on top of the engine
-19mm socket for the transmission drain bolt
-10mm hex key for the transfer case fill bolt
-Funnel with narrow neck to fit in the dipstick tube
-Fluid transfer pump
-Jack and stands
-Fluid drain pan for collecting the fluid

Here's the ATF dipstick behind the engine. I removed the plastic engine cover to access it.



I used this paper towel to wipe off the ATF dipstick. The ATF had started to change to a honey color, and there were some dark wear particles in the fluid.



This is the transmission fluid pan, located behind the front wheels and steering rack. I used a 19mm socket to remove the drain bolt.



The ATF looked brown when I drained it.



Be sure to remove the copper crush washer from the drain bolt.



Here's a new crush washer I got from the Nissan dealership. I think it's the same one used for the engine oil drain bolt.



ewww... this fluid is darker and dirtier than I'd like it to be.



I used an old washer fluid bottle to collect the used ATF, and marked some measuring points on the side. I think about 3.75 quarts of fluid drained out of my transmission.



I used this funnel that has a flexible extension tube. It was the only funnel I had that could fit in the dipstick tube opening. The extension tube was a tad too long for the funnel to rest on the weatherstrip; but this wasn't anything that couldn't be solved by some ghetto rigging with duct tape (# 7,583 on the list for uses of duct tape).



The Genuine Nissan Matic-S ATF that I bought at the Nissan Dealer. (I like the illustration of the hand pouring the fluid out of the bottle molded in the plastic on top).


The new ATF is a nice, deep cherry red color. Looks kind of like cough syrup.




The pink spots on the paper towel are from the new ATF off the dipstick. You can see the difference in color between the old and new ATF in the transmission.




Now that the ATF change is done, let's head over to the transfer case.

The transfer case is located behind the transmission toward the middle of the vehicle. The fill bolt is on the back side of the transfer case on the upper right hand side. I removed this first and used a 10 mm hex key on my 1/2" socket wrench to loosen it. It was a bit tight and took a good push on the wrench to remove. But it wasn't so that tight that I needed to use a breaker or cheater bar, unlike on my other vehicle. There was also a metal washer on the fill plug, which I did not replace. At the dealerships I've gone to to purchase replacement washers, I was told the techs typically don't replace the washers on fill plugs.



The drain plug is located on the right side of the transfer case. Here, I inserted the 1/2" socket wrench square coupling directly into the plug to loosen it. There's a little gray colored strip hanging off the plug, and you'll see later what it is.



This is my fluid of choice for the transfer case. Valvoline MaxLife Dex/Merc. The only thing I don't like about the fluid is that it smells like bad body odor. I bought the fluid pump at Advance Auto Parts. It fits both quart and gallon lubricant bottles.



The transfer case fluid looked to be in much better shape than the ATF.


I cleaned the transfer case wear particles off the drain plug magnet. It's all that dark gray stuff on the paper towel. The fluid is nice and pink though.



The small strip we saw earlier on the transfer case drain plug was some extra sealant applied to it. I believe that Nissan/Infiniti requires an application of RTV on some of their fluid drain plugs.
This is the RTV I bought to help prevent fluid leaks at transfer case drain plug.



I scraped off as much of the old sealant as I could and applied a small bead of the RTV around the outer portion of the drain plug on the threaded area.



The fluid pump makes this job really easy. I pumped in a hair over 1 quart of ATF into the transfer case (I think the published capacity is 1.31 qts.). I stopped once the fluid started spilling out of the fill hole. Note: be sure that the car is level when refilling the transfer case.



Some additional notes and comments:
-I jacked up the car pretty high to make enough room under the car for me to be comfortable moving around. I have 2 pairs of 3 ton jack stands from Sears that I use for my Honda SUV, and they were raised to just about the middle of their range. I think my tires were at least 4 inches off of the floor.

-The easiest spot for me to approach both the transmission and transfer case were from the passenger side of the car, not from the front. I did not have to remove any covers to access them.

-I did not run the engine to warm up the fluids prior to draining them. I was afraid of brushing my hand, arm or shoulder on a hot exhuast part under the car. To aid the ATF draining process, I lowered the rear of the car a notch or two on the rear stands (the ATF drain bolt is towards the rear). I made the mistake of not bringing the rear back up when I opened the transfer case fill bolt, so a little bit of fluid came out of that opening. Prior to refilling the transfer case, I made sure the car was level again.

-With the ATF drain and fill, I believe I only replaced about 1/3 or so of the fluid. I drained out and refilled with 3.75 qts., and I believe the full capacity is about 11 or so qts. I know that there is a little debate about the "proper" way to do an ATF change. The FSM says to drain the pan first. Then, it says to unhook the transmission cooler line, run the car at idle, and fill the AT with new fluid while the cooler line is draining. While I could do that, I took the lazy approach. Even though it's a short time, I don't like to keep the car running in the garage. I'm not sure what method my Infiniti dealer uses, as I haven't asked them. So it's possible that they either do a simple drain and fill, or use some sort of fluid exchange machine to make it quick and easy.

-My 2008 specifies Nissan Matic-J ATF for the transfer case, but I believe it is now discontinued and not widely available. I did hear that Matic-S has superseded Matic-J, but the the Matic-S is quite expensive and is not required for the transfer case. I like the Valvoline fluid because it's compatible with Matic-J, Matic-S, and Honda Z1 ATF. So I could technically use it to top off the transmission for the EX if needed, and I could run it in my Honda's transmission as well. I may eventually use this fluid exclusively in the future for both of my cars. That way, I would only need to stock or purchase one fluid for both vehicles, and can save a few bucks as well.

-Though someone has warned me to stick with the Nissan ATF, I haven't been given any reason why. I understand that the transmission was designed to run exclusively with the Nissan Matic fluids and not a third party ATF. However, I really don't see why it's so scary to run something else that can meet the same specs. Many Honda owners used to say the same thing about using the OEM ATF for years, but to me it now looks like enough people have tried an aftermarket fluid with success. And Hondas have been traditionally known to be very sensitive to the ATF you put in them. I used the Matic-S fluid for this ATF change, but next time around I might pick something different. If for some reason I don't use the Maxlife, I'd probably go with Redline D6. Without getting into details, I prefer Redline over Amsoil.

-I bought two of the fluid transfer pumps, as I plan to use the other one for differential fluid changes in the future. While it might not matter all that much, I don't want to mix any transmission and differential fluid. For about $10 for each pump, I call it cheap insurance.

-The Infiniti FSM lists a different numbered Permatex Ultra Grey product as an acceptable alternative from the Nissan RTV. But I bought a different numbered Ultra Grey RTV because the one Nissan recommended comes in a much larger tube; I don't believe I'll really need that much in the future. And other than the tube size, I couldn't find any difference between the two permatex products.

I did find similar threads on other G forums that had a lot of the same info I posted, but I felt that we should have something posted here for our own little group. Also, while our cars underneath are essentially the same as a G, I don't think we have to go looking on their forums all the time for information such as this.

I know I my posts can get long winded sometimes, but thanks for reading through this one. I'm willing to answer any questions anyone might have about the two jobs I did.

The next things on my maintenance to-do list for the EX are the front and rear differential fluid changes, coolant replacement, and the serpentine belt change. Maybe someone else here can do these before I get to them on my EX and put up their own pics .

[AWGD8]

Excellent write up! We really appreciate the time and effort for posting pictures and comments that is very helpful for all of us ! I will go back to this thread when I started changing mine soon!

BTW, I know that one of our members drain and refill the transmission oil 3 times with a 1k miles interval. He mentioned that the last drain of oil were cleaner than when he drained it the first time. I guess this is the better way to throughly, circulate the transmission oil if you DIY.

I think I need to buy another pair of jack before I tackle this...

[NJGuy]

BTW, I know that one of our members drain and refill the transmission oil 3 times with a 1k miles interval. He mentioned that the last drain of oil were cleaner than when he drained it the first time. I guess this is the better way to throughly, circulate the transmission oil if you DIY.

I think I need to buy another pair of jack before I tackle this...

There are a few downsides to the 3x drain and fill method. However, I still prefer to do it that way over the cooler line method because it's easier for me, especially since I always work alone.

I've done the repeat drain and fill procedure on my Honda, but I don't think you need to wait for 1K between D&Rs. I think all you really need to do is run the transmission through all the gears after each refill. I would think only a couple of miles should do the trick.

Call me crazy, but I've actually done that a couple of times with my 4wd Honda while it was up on the jack stands. I did it that way because I wanted to get the procedure done all in one day (setting up and cleaning up takes me a good amount of time too) and didn't want to keep raising and lowering the vehicle. Just turn off the stability control, put it in drive and let it fly . (Keep in mind I did this on the driveway with the car facing the backyard, not in the garage or facing the street ).

So if you're willing to do it this way, it's another reason to get a second pair of stands. I originally bought 2 sets because I wanted to spend less time on my tire rotations. I caught them when they were on sale.
And if you don't want to do it this way but already have a set of ramps, you can use those in conjunction with your pair of stands.

[jrmotorsports55]

Thanks for the write-up. I plan on doing this at the 36k mark, which should be next summer.

Jason

[AWGD8]

NJguy, I have a Rhino Ramp, but I did try to drive the car up , but I got too scared that I might over shoot the car and hit the garage wall. Darn foot break on the EX! It could have been a lot easier using a hand brake while going up the ramp, but our EX35 does not come with one. So I just jack the car up twice using a floor jack and put the ramp on both sides. I cannot just jack one side all the way up, since it creates side tension on one ramp , while jacking the other side. This issue also applies to jack stand. You do not want to jack one side of the car at your desired max height and place a jack stand and jack up the other side. Jack stand tend to lean sideways as you jack the other side. Safety is very important than $100 + we are trying to save for DIY.


Also, i do not trust a jack stand that does not have that tiny piece of metal serves as double locking mechanism that you slide in on the jack stand teeth. I also check how the jack stand weld are clean and did not missed a spot. With jack stand, don't go cheap!

Anyway, does the smell of differential oil stay or linger longer in the garage? I 'm trying not to have that smell stays forever there if I have to do the oil change.

[NJGuy]

NJguy, I have a Rhino Ramp, but I did try to drive the car up , but I got too scared that I might over shoot the car and hit the garage wall. Darn foot break on the EX! It could have been a lot easier using a hand brake while going up the ramp, but our EX35 does not come with one.

If you think you might have space issues in the garage lengthwise, I guess you'll have to position your ramps so that your EX's rear bumper will come really close to the garage door opening after you drive up them. That's what I've done when I worked on longer cars in my garage. Although the weather wasn't always nice, I've opened the garage door to give me enough room if I needed to use the jack and lift the rear. Then, I would roll the door shut after the lifting was done. With my EX raised, I haven't had any height clearance issues with the opening and closing of the garage door; but this is something you might want to double check yourself.

I do miss having a hand brake (and a clutch pedal too), but my technique with my current vehicles is to cover the brake pedal (no pressure) with my left foot while ascending the ramps. It does take a little bit of finesse and modulation with the gas pedal to get the car on the ramps; but you should be able to feel once you get the tire past the sloped portion and onto the top. Once I feel the car get over that point, I make sure to immediately stab the brake pedal with my left foot. I don't know if the EX cuts the throttle when the brake is applied, but I maintain a small amount of pressure on the gas pedal anyway to keep up the fluid pressure in the AT (this is in case the car just so happens to want to roll back). At these speeds and this level of throttle input, the brakes should be able to stop the car without a hitch. I would also think you'd have to be going pretty fast to get the tires to roll over the lip at the front of the ramps. Anyway, when I know the tires have safely reached the plateau I gently ease off the gas and the brake, and I let the car creep the tires up to the front lip of the ramps. So basically, I'm almost saying here to use your left foot as the 'hand brake'.

So I just jack the car up twice using a floor jack and put the ramp on both sides. I cannot just jack one side all the way up, since it creates side tension on one ramp , while jacking the other side. This issue also applies to jack stand. You do not want to jack one side of the car at your desired max height and place a jack stand and jack up the other side. Jack stand tend to lean sideways as you jack the other side. Safety is very important than $100 + we are trying to save for DIY.

When it comes to lifting my cars, I always try to use the central jacking points in the front and rear. With the EX, it might be a bit of a challenge to use the front central jacking point because it's pretty far back. So if your jack is short lengthwise, the pump lever will have little clearance for articulation under the car's front end . My jack is just long enough to allow the lever at least half of it's range of motion when it's under the EX.

Also, i do not trust a jack stand that does not have that tiny piece of metal serves as double locking mechanism that you slide in on the jack stand teeth. I also check how the jack stand weld are clean and did not missed a spot. With jack stand, don't go cheap!

Though I believe that my stands were probably made in China, there is nothing about them that appears to be unsafe. My stands are rated for 3 tons, which is more than the total weight of either of my vehicles. So if I'm only supporting the front end of my 4500 lb. Honda SUV, I'm roughly guessing that the stands are carrying no more than 1/2 of their rated capacity. I do understand your concern about the double locking mechanism, which my stands don't have. But I have a couple of ideas for keeping the height adjustment arm locked and may explore those options.

Anyway, does the smell of differential oil stay or linger longer in the garage? I 'm trying not to have that smell stays forever there if I have to do the oil change.

I haven't cracked open my bottles of differential oil yet. The MaxLife ATF had a strong smell and it lingered in my garage for a while. I partly think it's because I might have spilled a bit of it. I did my best to drain my fluid pump, but it still had a little residual ATF in it. I stored that in a large ziploc bag. I think the main reason for the smell sticking around is that my trash can in the garage wasn't full, but it had some oversize items in it holding the cover open. I threw my paper towels and newspapers in there and didn't empty the trash can right away. I did notice that the smell has significantly dissipated after I put out the trash for garbage collection. So as long as you avoid spilling things, immediately get rid of the source of the smell, and air out the workspace when you're done, I think you can minimize the threat of having a stinky garage.

So aside from cost savings, why do we even bother to DIY? . By the sound of some of these posts, it seems like we encounter nothing but issues, risk, and inconvenience.

[kingfrog]

According to Infiniti's Service manual the EX35 Transfluid is not to be changed at all,


From Maintenance manual Page 9


If towing a trailer, using a camper ,or car top carrier, or drivin on rough or muddy roads ,replace transmission fluid/oil at every 30,000 miles or 24 months (except with 7 speed automatic and the M35/EX35 with 5 speed transmission)

and on every interval page there is a number" 2" next to automatic transmission check



2 Except models with 7 speed automatic transmission and the M35/EX35 with 5 speed automatic transmission Equipment varies by model. Perform only those operations that apply to your vehicle.

[AWGD8]

I am in the process of removing the transfer case drain plug. The fill plug is tough to remove, so I blow torch the metal plug and it worked! Next is the Drain plug. What a PITA! So the drain plug I just use 1/2 square plug hole in the bolt. Why did Nissan just make it the same as fill plug 10mm size? So, i blow torch it too! The best way to remove the plug after heating it up a bit is to do a karate chop on the wrench, but make sure the 10mm bit or the 1/2 " adapter are well seated in the bolt hole.

I only use the Rhino Ramp and supported by 2 jack stand at the rear end of the ramp for extra safety. I did no have much room coming from the passenger side, but I did it that way anyway. I think next time I will grab another pair of Rhino Ramp for the rear, so everything is level. I use floor jack and stand to put the ramp in. It is very easy to do.

Btw, I used Nissan Matic J for the transfer case and I used 1 quart and just a little bit more.

Next week, I will change the front and rear diff.
I called Nissan and they use Pennzoil 80W-90 full synthetic for the differential.
I am thinking going with Amzoil severe 75W-90.

[AWGD8]

Update: I just oredered Amsoil Severe Gear 75W-90 full synthetic for the rear and front differential. Washer for differential bolt, I had to order online. My Local nissan parts dept. only had one left.

I also got another pair of Rhino Ramps from Walmart. My plan with 4 Rhino ramps is to wedge the Rhino ramp one at a time at medium height while using the floor jack. This eliminate side tension on each ramp as I jack the other side of the other car until all 4 sides are at max height. I do not have to worry about lowering the car temporary again to be leveled when draining and filling up the oil. With 4 ramps, i have more space underneath the car and also front and rear are leveled. It is a lot easier than working with jack stand. Although, I will still use my only pair of jack stand for added safety measure.

[JasperEdwards]

Would this thread also be applicable to a 2011 with the 7 speed transmission? Also, does the 2011 with the 7 speed have a transmission dipstick in the same location as the 2008 5 speed?

[AWGD8]

Would this thread also be applicable to a 2011 with the 7 speed transmission? Also, does the 2011 with the 7 speed have a transmission dipstick in the same location as the 2008 5 speed?

The 7 speed transmission is sealed. According to Infiniti , this is not serviceable.

[AWGD8]

According to Infiniti's Service manual the EX35 Transfluid is not to be changed at all,


From Maintenance manual Page 9


If towing a trailer, using a camper ,or car top carrier, or drivin on rough or muddy roads ,replace transmission fluid/oil at every 30,000 miles or 24 months (except with 7 speed automatic and the M35/EX35 with 5 speed transmission)

and on every interval page there is a number" 2" next to automatic transmission check



2 Except models with 7 speed automatic transmission and the M35/EX35 with 5 speed automatic transmission Equipment varies by model. Perform only those operations that apply to your vehicle.

Infiniti changed my 5 speed transmission fluid a couple of months ago. They drained it on the cooler line side. They only used 4 quarts of fluid. I could have done it myself, but I get headache everytime I go underneath the car for a long time. So I paid them.

[JasperEdwards]

I have since done some checking on other websites and at least as pertains to the Infiniti FX with the 7 speed transmission, it is being reported that the factory service manual (FSM) actually does provide a procedure for changing the transmission fluid in the 7 speed transmission. What is not clear, however, is what the interval should be. On this other website, people are saying that various dealers are charging around $350 to do the service and are recommending it be done at 60,000 miles, possibly at 30,000 miles as part of the "premium maintenance." Apparently, because it is sealed, special procedures have to be employed to do it and that's why it's so expensive. Supposedly, only Infiniti dealers have the equipment to do the special procedures. I'm not sure but I assume the FX with the V6 and 7 speed transmission would be using the same transmission as in 2011 and subsequent EX's with the 7 speed, and so I'm assuming what they said about the FX transmission fluid change would apply equally to an EX. I am, however, in the process of tracking down a FSM for my 2011 EX35 and will be interested to see what it says about changing the transmission fluid.

[mk15]

While it's true these (modern automatics in general) transmissions are sealed for "life", these fluids require a change if the transmission ever overheats. One of the telltale signs is the fluid starts turning brown. You have to really abuse the transmission to damage the fluid though because our cars have a beefy transmission cooler/radiator. My (now sold) CX-7's original transmission oil was still a bright pink after 7 years of abuse (it's an AISIN transmission using Type IV fluid), but the car had a rather beefy radiator just for the transmission. The manual for the CX-7 even mentions that if the transmission ever overheats it requires a fluid change.

[JasperEdwards]

That's interesting a CX7 would have nice looking transmission fluid after 7 years, especially in light of the pictures in this thread showing how bad the fluid looked in an EX35 after just 61,000 miles. At least one of the service writers at my Infiniti dealership is pressuring me to wait till at least 60k to do my first transmission service. I may show him the pictures from this thread and see if he still maintains that no service is needed until then.

[AWGD8]

When my dealer changed my transmission oil, it was around 63k and the oil is not even brown. The color was red and I drive 99 % manual mode from the day I bought it in 2008.

BTW, they charged me $149.99 for drain and refill.

[TimGinCentralNJ]

While it's true these (modern automatics in general) transmissions are sealed for "life", these fluids require a change if the transmission ever overheats. One of the telltale signs is the fluid starts turning brown. You have to really abuse the transmission to damage the fluid though because our cars have a beefy transmission cooler/radiator. My (now sold) CX-7's original transmission oil was still a bright pink after 7 years of abuse (it's an AISIN transmission using Type IV fluid), but the car had a rather beefy radiator just for the transmission. The manual for the CX-7 even mentions that if the transmission ever overheats it requires a fluid change.

Personally, I will never give in to the idea of "lifetime" fluid. It's ludicrous. ZF was one of the forerunners of the idea, but unfortunately, every auto gear box works essentially the same way, and eventually has its fluid become dirty, and can ultimately damage the internal components. So, where does the "lifetime" part enter the equation? Likely when your gearbox implodes.....and right after your factory warranty has expired. That's when it's "lifetime" has ended.

My 2001 7 Series had "lifetime" fluid and after thousands of gearbox failures on the same model car (and others I'm sure), incidentally, ZF has "amended" their recommendation on lifetime fluid to reflect that "fluid should be changed every 60k miles". Nuff said.

Tim

[mk15]

Personally, I will never give in to the idea of "lifetime" fluid. It's ludicrous. ZF was one of the forerunners of the idea, but unfortunately, every auto gear box works essentially the same way, and eventually has its fluid become dirty, and can ultimately damage the internal components. So, where does the "lifetime" part enter the equation? Likely when your gearbox implodes.....and right after your factory warranty has expired. That's when it's "lifetime" has ended.

My 2001 7 Series had "lifetime" fluid and after thousands of gearbox failures on the same model car (and others I'm sure), incidentally, ZF has "amended" their recommendation on lifetime fluid to reflect that "fluid should be changed every 60k miles". Nuff said.

Tim

I'm not preaching the virtues of lifetime fluids. Hence, me putting "life" in quotations,

But I can totally see how the transmission fluid can last for a real long time. They aren't subjected to anywhere near the stress engine oils do.

Moral of the story
Just regularly check the transmission fluid's colour and level. Use a clean white cloth to wipe the fluid off the dipstick to check the colour. If it's anything than pink, then it's time to change fluids. Simple as that.

If you have a car that doesn't have a dipstick.. might want to change it every 100,000km? A lot of older cars had a major maintenance requirement at 100,000km, so might as well change the transmission fluid. As well as the differential(s).

[NJGuy]

I have since done some checking on other websites and at least as pertains to the Infiniti FX with the 7 speed transmission, it is being reported that the factory service manual (FSM) actually does provide a procedure for changing the transmission fluid in the 7 speed transmission. What is not clear, however, is what the interval should be. On this other website, people are saying that various dealers are charging around $350 to do the service and are recommending it be done at 60,000 miles, possibly at 30,000 miles as part of the "premium maintenance." Apparently, because it is sealed, special procedures have to be employed to do it and that's why it's so expensive. Supposedly, only Infiniti dealers have the equipment to do the special procedures. I'm not sure but I assume the FX with the V6 and 7 speed transmission would be using the same transmission as in 2011 and subsequent EX's with the 7 speed, and so I'm assuming what they said about the FX transmission fluid change would apply equally to an EX. I am, however, in the process of tracking down a FSM for my 2011 EX35 and will be interested to see what it says about changing the transmission fluid.

From what I've seen according to Infiniti, the 7 speed AT's do not call for fluid replacement. Infinti's 2011 Service and Maintenance Guide publication states at the 30K premium maintenance intervals that the 7 speed autos are an exception to the AT fluid replacement service. This is Infiniti's stance for the first 120K miles. While Nicoclub doesn't have the 2011 EX service manuals, I did check the manuals for the FX and G37. Both of those service manuals state that the 7 speed AT is "maintenance free".

I, like many others, would prefer not to leave the factory fill in the transmission for that long. Other than Infiniti's recommendation, I don't think you'll find a definitive interval for changing the ATF. Everyone has their own opinion as to what they think is the "proper" interval. So like I mentioned in your thread, just get the fluid changed at whatever interval you feel comfortable with.

If you still want to get an actual mileage number for changing the ATF, you'd probably have to: 1) start off with new fluid; and 2) periodically sample the ATF and get it analyzed. If someone else has already done this for the 7 speed AT, it might help you find a ballpark ATF change interval. However, that interval might not be a "one size fits all", as conditions between different vehicles, trips, and drivers vary a lot.

That's interesting a CX7 would have nice looking transmission fluid after 7 years, especially in light of the pictures in this thread showing how bad the fluid looked in an EX35 after just 61,000 miles. At least one of the service writers at my Infiniti dealership is pressuring me to wait till at least 60k to do my first transmission service. I may show him the pictures from this thread and see if he still maintains that no service is needed until then.

I would like to disclose to you that I am not the original owner of my EX. I bought it used in the fall of 2011 with about 25K miles on it. I do not know the maintenance history of the car from the previous owner(s). When I checked the ATF at 30K, it was clean as a whistle and nice and bright. I do not know if it had the factory ATF, or if it had been changed at some point. While my ATF was brown at 61K, AWGD8 mentioned that at 63K his ATF was red; and I believe he is the original owner of his EX.

Showing these pics to the dealership service writer might help, but I would think that in your case, money talks. I understand that the dealership may be hesitant to do a service that they believe is unnecessary; after all, they are just following the company mindset. However, you are the customer, you feel it is necessary, and you seem to be willing to pay for the service. If you can convince the dealer that you're a strong believer of early maintenance and that getting the ATF changed will make you a very happy customer, I would think that they will cave. Mentioning that you'll give them a high rating in an after-service customer survey and saying that you would return for regular service should also help tip the scales in your favor. If all this fails, you may have to look elsewhere.