All, I have been researching several threads on this forum. What is the purpose of a drain and fill on the tranny fluid? How many miles do you drive in between these flushes? Weirdest thing I ever heard. Can someone give a reason you would flush 3 - 6 times and tranny problems magically clear up? Do hondas not use steel and friction clutches that wear out?

 

Honda ATs do not have pans. And due to the low pressure operation of the system(~100psi vs other autos at 300+psi) they cannot be powerflushed.
The only way to change fluid in these cars is to drain > refill > drive(going through all gears) three times. As long as the trans has reached operating temp and the trans has been in each gear long enough to fully circulate, that is all that is required.
Each drain will only net you ~2.5-3 quarts.
It is more of a dilution of fluid rather than a change. But at each change there will be more of the new fluid than old.
Personally, I drain and refill sump once every 10K miles. This was after doing the initial 3X and making sure the fluid was clean and clear.
Normally you would only really need to change the fluid every 30-60K miles depending on how the vehicle is used.
As for magically clearing up, if the fluid is old it has lost friction modifier properties and general usage as an oil the transmission will not properly operate or operate as well as it should. Also, since the transmission does not have a filter, just a screen, on the pickup sump any crud and junk that is small enough will pass through the screen. Removing foreign material or loose clutch and disc material will also prevent excessive wear from contamination. Using a hydraulic cleaner such as Trans Tune will aid in breaking down goo, gunk and varnish inside the trans that will prevent valves and accumulators from sticking. Honda ATs are more like MTs than typical ATs.