Fluid looks darker than new but no where close to reddish brown. It's not pinkish red like new fluid but closer to a solid darker red color. My trans gets worked harder than some. In that 10k miles, It probably went through a few wheeling trips and other mountain driving.

Some might think 10k drain and refills are excessive but I don't think so. The old rule was doing a full exchange every 30k miles. When you do a drain and refill, you get out around 4-4.5 quarts which is around 1/3 of the 12 quart capacity. By doing 10k drain and refills, I've essentially exchanged out the system capacity over a 30k mile period. I know drain and refills are a dilution process and aren't a true exchange or flush, but it's very effective to keep the fluid in great shape.

Waiting 30k miles to do a drain and refill, in my opinion, is grossly insufficient to keep your fluid in good shape, especially if the person does any mountain driving or 4wheeling where higher trans temps are achieved. With 30k drain and refills, you're only exchanging out the system capacity every 90k miles.

Fluid is affordable and drain and refills are simple to perform. It might be excessive, but I want to give my transmissions the best chance at a long life.