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I had the transmission fluid changed at the dealership (non flush). On my 2013 Corolla.

This is after driving 30 min on hot engine with it running. Is this level too high?

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Update: Here are new pictures where I tried it again. This is after 45 minutes of driving, engine running in park, in a level parking lot:

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It really depends, but it definitely could be over full.

The reason I say "it depends" is, how did you take the fluid reading? Follow these simple guidelines to see if you've gone wrong:

  1. Ensure the engine/transmission is fully warm (which you did by driving 30 minutes).
  2. Ensure your vehicle is on level ground when checking.
  3. When you pull the dipstick, wipe it off with a rag first off, then restab the dipstick into the tube fully, then pull it right back out to check the level.

Step #3 ensures you are getting the "now" reading and not splash up which may have occurred during use. It will leave a more defined line on the dipstick that way as well. What you are showing in the pictures leads me to believe you may not have done this when checking.

If after checking the dipstick following these guidelines, the level still shows high, take it back to the dealership and tell them it's overfilled. This is very important because too much fluid in the transmission can cause it to blow seals due to over pressure. While the seals themselves are not terribly expensive, where they reside costs a lot in labor to replace them.

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  • Your owners manual may have a procedure for checking the fluid level. The procedure for my particular car differs from Paulster2's answer.
    – PICyPICyPICy
    Commented Jan 12, 2018 at 20:18
  • As the comments point out methods of checking the level - some require cycling through the gears etc
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Jan 12, 2018 at 20:49
  • @dman Unless you know the transmission temperature on newer cars it can be hard to tell what the correct level is. On non-CVT AT Toyota's the hot range is 70-80°C or 158-176°F. You also need to move the gear selector through all positions before checking.
    – Ben
    Commented Jan 12, 2018 at 23:55
  • Transmission seals would only blow out if the vent is plugged. The problem with overfilled transmissions is when the fluid starts getting churned by the gear train and it gets aerated. Not good.
    – Eric Engel
    Commented Jan 19, 2018 at 3:17
  • @Tequilaman - Too much fluid = Too much pressure. Over filling can and will blow seals. This is with or with out a good vent. This is the main reason every automatic transmission I've ever dealt with says "Do not overfill". You'd have to add a lot of fluid over the full mark for it to get to the point where it's getting directly churned by the gear train.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Jan 19, 2018 at 3:25

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