Fluid flush or just fluid change?

[gapboi210]

I have 53,000 miles on my '01 Malibu. I am about to drive from Texas to South Carolina and back again. I was going to have the dealership do a fluid flush. They said this was best since it removed all 16 quarts of fluid from the tranny and torque converter. A local shop said that they only recomended doing just a fluid change. Only drop the pan and change the filter. They said this would change about only 4 quarts. They said that they recomended this because when you do a flush that it stirs up metal particles that get in the sensors. They said that are quite a few sensors too in these trannys. They said they see more problems after a flush rather than justa change.

Which one is better? I need to get it done quick too! I am going to leave in less than a week.

BTW: It is a '01 Malibu 3.1L with 53,000 miles. Thanks for any help or advice.

[DonTerhune1200cc]

I seriousely would NOT go for the tranny flush. `Ol Lady has an `02 Malibu. At 30k+ miles, had the trans flushed at the dealer. Shortly there after the tranny began slipping. It was a fight with the dealer, but they ended up fixing the tranny. Fortunatly this all happened just b4 the 36k mile warranty ended. To be safe; just drop the pan, clean it thoroughly, & change the filter. Do this every 20k to ensure that the fluid stays fresh. When you drain the fluid, be sure to trap all of it. You'll need it to know exactly how much fluid to replace, (Approx 4qts). Much to my surprise I found that these cars do not have a dip stick to check the tranny fluid level.