I have had my 1996 850 for a few months now and really love it. I have all the
                  records from the car but do not have a record of any ATF flush and fill. The car
                  has 140K miles but drives and looks like new. After reading about the ATF
                  fluid questions on this board I became paranoid so I called the dealer and
                  asked about the service. They told me this procedure was only done on an as
                  needed basis, and if the fluid was too far gone (dark and burnt smelling), they
                  do not recommend changing it out because it could cause a problem where
                  there is none now.

                  Am I just asking for trouble in the near future if I have them do a flush and fill
                  now??? Should I just let it go until there is a problem because it drives fine???
                  BTW the fluid is sort of brown but I have nothing to compare it to.
                  Please help if anyone has any experience with this.

                  Thanks!

                  Jeff--I bought my '94 850 a year ago when it had 57K on it. I had an
                  independent Volvo shop change the tranny fluid & was told by them to
                  change it every 30K miles. Last Sat. I took it to a dealer to have new
                  brake fluid & coolant put in & was told that my tranny fluid was dark &
                  needed to be changed. I told them about the change a year ago but they
                  said it needed to be flushed, rather than just opening the plug & draining
                  the fluid. They also recommended that it be done every 22K miles. So, I
                  panicked and paid them $99 to flush the tranny. I've read numerous stories
                  on this web site about transmission problems & how important it is to change
                  the fluid. I don't know if I spent $99 unnecessarily but I don't see
                  how changing the fluid could cause any problems. It will be interesting to
                  see what other people say.
                  Don in Denver

                  --
                  Don Hurt

                  Yes flush it now.
                  --
                  Paul S.

                  Ideally, you will change at least part of the ATF often enough that it never
                  shows signs of breakdown. One of the contributors here is a Volvo tech, and
                  his research (oil analysis) shows that any degree of brown shows that the oil is
                  oxidized.
                  Yes, change it now. Best thing is to change it all, but even changing just what is
                  in the pan will help.
                  If you use non-synthetic ATF, then it would be a good idea to change what is in
                  the pan every 15-20,000 miles. If you use synthetic, it should last about 3 times
                  as long, so change what is in the pan about every 50,000 miles.

                  Very easy to do it yourself... go to BAY13.. or OZBRICK....

                  they will show you how to .... I do it myself.. it was easy and fun,,,,,

                  cheap insurance... You just disconnect the hole turn on the car key and it pump
                  all the old fluid out..... than you poor in new on reconnect the hole than you
                  done....

                  good luck...

                  Jeff: I'd say it's a no brainer. Change the frickin' fluid and change it fast! I
                  recommend Mobil 1 Synthetic or any good fully synthetic ATF. Go to bay 13
                  for instructions - really simple to do. Don't listen to the dealer. Where is the
                  logic - they are full of %#&! How about this? Don't change it now, that way we
                  can sell you a new trans any day now. They told me the same thing - doesn't
                  make any sense. The doctor says your cholesterol is high but don't start eating
                  healthy and exercising or you may die sooner - yeah right! Go figure. I have
                  144,000 and had no problem after changing mine. Went from brown to a nice
                  bright orange/red. It's such a prettier color to look at when new - Take the bull
                  by the horns. By the way, I am selling some swampland in Louisiana if anyone
                  is interested - cheap! Maybe your dealer would want to buy some.

                  Regards,
                  Bou Bou