Your doctor will tell you to get plenty of fluids. This is also true for our automotive counterparts. There are a variety of essential fluids running through your vehicle, including transmission fluid. Taking your vehicle for a transmission fluid exchange service at regular intervals can prevent costly damage to your car.
What is Transmission Fluid?
Transmission fluid keeps the gears turning smoothly and efficiently, allowing the engine to produce power consistently. It cools the gears and other transmission components. Transmission fluid contains additives to keep the fluid clean and maintain its properties. It’s often red in color, but it can come in other colors as well. Transmission fluid tends to turn darker and may also give off a burning odor as it deteriorates, which indicates it needs to be changed.
Why is Transmission Fluid Exchange Service Important?
Transmission fluid is vital to your car. When it degrades over time, the transmission will slow down and eventually stop working. With continued hard use, such as frequent stop-and-go traffic or trailer towing, your transmission fluid may deteriorate over time. This type of driving can increase the operating temperature of your vehicle’s transmission—and heat puts more strain on the transmission as well. Unlike engine oil, which is primarily a lubricant, transmission fluid serves as an oil and a hydraulic fluid. It contributes to smooth gear shifts, it cools the transmission, and it lubricates the moving parts. So you can see why it’s crucial to check your vehicle’s transmission fluid at regular intervals and change it whenever necessary.
How Often Should You Change Your Vehicle’s Transmission Fluid?
There’s a bit of a debate about how often transmission fluid exchange services should be performed, and the length of time between services may vary by manufacturer and vehicle. It also depends on whether you drive under high-stress conditions, in which case you may need to check your transmission fluid more frequently. Some manufacturers recommend this service after every 100,000 miles, while others recommend it after every 150,000 miles. Other mechanics believe that’s too long, and you should consider changing your vehicle’s transmission fluid at least once every 50,000 miles.
Manual transmissions usually require more typical gear oil rather than automatic transmission fluid. Because of this, each type of transmission tends to have a different maintenance schedule.
It’s best to go through the owner’s manual or consult your mechanic to estimate the service intervals of your vehicle’s transmission fluid.
You know to stay up to date with basic maintenance, such as tire replacement and oil changes. But don’t forget to include transmission fluid exchange services in your maintenance routine to keep your car roadworthy.