When I check the tranny fluid level cold it does not register on the dipstick. When I check it hot it is nearly at the max level. Also, when the car is cold and in drive but stopped, the tranny makes a noise/vibration that sounds like the brakes when you let them slip just a bit at a red light. This goes away as the car warms up. Is it possible that the fluid is sub standard and expands a lot during operation? Is the transmission starved when fluid is cold? Any other explanations?

Thanks 92-960, 195 000 km