Toyota Repair: transmission fluid, lemon law lawyer, dextron iii

Question
Andrew--

I just had the 60k maintanance done on my 2005 Sienna, and asked that the
trans. fluid and filter be changed. I gave written instructions to use Toyota
ATF Type T-IV fluid, as specified in my owner's manual, but they used "ATF
Dexrtron III Mercon Pro," plus "Lube Guard Friction Mod" as an additive, which
my mechanic said makes it the same as the Type T-IV. He's a good mechanic,
but I'm a little uneasy with the switch. What's your opinion?

One more quick tranny-related question. Upon first start-up in the morning,
the engine revs to 1500 RPM for awhile. This seems too fast, and I worry that
shifting into reverse at that idle speed stresses the transmission. Your
opinion?

Thanks!  --Jeff

Answer
Hi Jeff,

The Dextron III fluid is the fluid of choice and it is the one that I use for all my personal vehicles. I am sure that almost everyone has their own opinions about the compatibility and the legal issues in regard to the warranty. Some people think that Toyota would not honor the warranty or would void a warranty if a different Trans fluid was used. This is simply not true, in fact if you ask any lemon law lawyer they will tell you that it would be illegal for Toyota to do such a thing. Although I agree that lubrication products will always continue to improve, wear and tear on a vehicle is never going to stop as long as we buy, own, and drive any type of  internal combustion vehicle. No one will never make me believe that after 100+ years of vehicle use, that all the sudden there's this new product that halted engine and transmission wear due to daily use. Just make sure that you keep your automatic transmission full with the proper level of fluid and keep the fluid clean and maintained. That's the best you can do for your automatic trans.

For your second question, your ISCV (idle speed control valve) is responsible for the fast idle in late model fuel injection systems on Toyotas during a cold start. This is due to the fact that fuel injection does not operate with a choke assembly like the carbureted engines of the past. You will not harm your Sienna by shifting into gear during a cold start. Late model cars are made to start up and drive almost immediately. Warming up your engine like the old days are a thing of the past. If you were to allow your car to idle until operating temperature each day, you would shorten and damage your catalytic converter because of the prolonged rich mixture. As you may already know, those are expensive to replace.

Best regards,
Andrew.