Subscribe by Email
Let’s talk about transmission service. It’s rarely top of mind when we think about car maintenance, but proper transmission service keeps your car shifting smoothly mile after mile and helps you avoid costly repairs down the road.
Your automatic transmission undergoes a lot of stress, and the fluid inside fills multiple crucial roles. It helps to shift the transmission and cools, cleans and lubricates the internal parts, which are extremely sensitive to dirt and debris. As transmission fluid ages, it changes from a bright translucent red to a dark, dirty brown. The grit you see in this used transmission fluid is actually bits of metal that wear off the gears in the transmission. In addition to these metal contaminants, the transmission operates at very high temperatures—usually about 294 to 362 degrees. Those high temperatures also cause the transmission fluid to break down and lose efficiency.
Clean automatic transmission fluid is bright red and translucent. As it ages and collects metal debris, it becomes a gritty dark brown or black, which wears on the parts its intended to lubricate, cool and clean.
As the fluid gets older, it gets gritty and doesn’t lubricate and cool the transmission as well—leading to even more wear. The fluid can actually get sludgy and plug up the maze of fluid passages inside the transmission. At best, your transmission won’t operate smoothly. At worse, you could be looking at a $1,500 to $3,000 replacement.
When your transmission is running properly, it transfers more power from your engine to the drive wheels and improves fuel economy. That’s why manufacturers recommend changing your transmission fluid at regular intervals—every 30,000 miles on average. (Your owner’s manual has a specific schedule for your transmission and, of course, we also have that information from the manufacturer.) Hot and dusty conditions; towing, hauling, stop-and-go conditions and jack rabbit starts all increase the wear and tear on the transmission. In these cases, you need to change the fluid more often.
If it’s time for a transmission service, do your car and your bank account a favor and have it done. If you’re not certain if you’re due, please feel free to contact us. We can review your maintenance records with you. If you prefer to stop by, we’re happy to inspect your fluid on the spot and show you the difference between bright red, clean fluid and black gritty fluid that’s past its prime.
No Comments so far
Leave a comment
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>