Automotive Forums  Where Car Enthusiasts Go to Discuss Cars Online

Hi I have a 1995 Mazda MPV with a little less than 120k miles on it. I just took it in for an oil change and the mechanic at Speedee Oil Change and Tune Up said that I needed to flush my transmission fluid. They would charge me $99 so I decided to go online and do some research. I found that people say if the fluid is dark then its dead and flushing would be useless. I wanted to confirm this statement. I checked my transmission fluid and it is certainly brown, wouldn't say its really dark brown but like coffee color brown, also no signs of any tar or speckles on it, just looks like plain brown fluid. So in this case, should I still get my transmission flushed or is it dead?

The mechanic also said I had a valve cover gasket leaking and also wanted to charge me for fixing this, but I again was a bit skeptical. Would they really be able to fix the problem by either replacing it or plugging up the leaks?

Some other symptoms I've been experiencing: the car vibrates alot (especially the passenger seat area) when I'm stopped at a red light. When I'm driving the vehicle (at w/e speed) the vibrations are much less noticeable, but there is a bit. THe mechanic told me this has to do with the engine or something; he wasn't too clear.

Also when I turned on the A/C for once in like a year (A/C is fine, its cold) it seems to put some strain on the vehicle, like I feel the engine is a bit weaker or something, it's struggling a bit more to keep the A/C on and the engine running.

Also I plan to drive this van for about 6 hrs/340 miles~ from San Jose, CA to Los Angeles, CA in about a week or two. Now with these problems my van has would that be possible? Of course I would be bringing lots of water and coolant to keep the radiator in check.  

if the fluid is light brown and clear it could be  breaking down from heat so i would go ahead and do the flush but change the trans filter too.It is normal to feel a slight loss of power with the ac on.  

if i went ahead and changed the filter and did the flush do you think i would be fine driving 6 hrs/340 miles? and what if i didnt fix it and tried to drive for that long?  

before i can answer that i have to get new batteries for my crystal ball.