Originally Posted by JCL

The failure mode isn't described here. If a bearing failed in the transmission, and the subsequent damage clogged the filter, then changing the filter would not have helped. OTOH, if the filter was clogged due to normal wear, and that caused the failure that produced the metal in the pan, then changing it may have prevented a failure. My point is that you only have partial information, not a failure analysis report. By all means, if changing the filter feels good, then you should do it. It is just that determining the cause vs the effect post-failure can be difficult, it isn't always straightforward.