I have a 2003 Sable, a little over 120,000 miles. Just now realizing I desperately need to change the transmission fluid. Probably been a long time since it was done.

What's the difference between just changing the fluid and flushing the transmission? Is one method preferred over the other for this car? What kind of costs to anticipate? I was quoted $140-150 by a local reputable mechanic. He said he puts a little more work into doing it than I would suppose at a commercial oil lube place.

 

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER have your FOMOCO automatic transmission "flushed" !!
Transmission is properly serviced by dropping the pan, changing the filter, and replacing the fluid.

The guy that quoted you 140-150 dollars for the job is full of s**t !! There's NO WAY that he can "put a little more work into it" -- the job is either done correctly or it's not.

I don't use those "quick-lube" oil-changing places -- since they left the plug out of my Land Cruiser's tranny and fried the whole thing.

I'm sure you've heard that "If you want something done right, do it yourself!" many times -- Whoever said that was absolutely right !!
Good Luck !!