How Often Do I Change Transmission Fluid

How often should y'all be getting a transmission fluid change? Although some manufacturers recommend doing so every xxx,000 miles, others might say you can get longer. Some even say manual fluid is proficient for 100,000 miles or more. Simply is it?

How Often Is Enough?

Your vehicle owner's manual volition list the mileage at which your transmission fluid change should have place. It will also recommend the automatic transmission fluid you should apply and suggest y'all on the maximum distance yous should go between automatic transmission fluid changes.

Conditions May Vary

However, even in your owners' manual, y'all're unlikely to find one hard and fast rule about the number of miles you can go before you'll need a transmission fluid change. More than likely, you'll find two or iii numbers broken down by driving conditions, such equally "normal," "moderate" and "astringent."

"Normal" is a mix of different types of adequately low-stress driving. "Moderate" might involve more finish-and-go. If y'all practice a lot of finish-and-go in an extreme climate (whether hot, cold, dry or dusty) and throw in some trailer towing, that might fall under the "severe" category. Driving in severe atmospheric condition will likely require you lot to change your transmission fluid sooner and more often over the lifespan of your vehicle.

Here's Why

Automatic transmission fluid acts as both a lubricant and a coolant for the internal parts of an automatic manual. Information technology helps keep shifting shine and precise. The fluid cools by absorbing the heat every bit it flows through the transmission. But like all chemicals, over time automatic transmission fluid begins to intermission down. Every bit information technology does, it loses its cooling and lubricating properties.

Not only does your automatic transmission fluid trap heat; it likewise traps debris and particles. The longer the fluid is left, the more debris accumulates, which can cause the fluid to become more annoying than lubricating. These conditions can lead to premature wear of the automatic transmission components and a shorter life span for the vehicle. If the issue is left unaddressed for too long, you could confront a big bill for a manual repair or replacement.

Information technology may come up as no surprise, then, that a lot of maintenance-savvy owners use the "severe" recommendation as a criterion. After all, buying automatic transmission fluid more oftentimes than the owners' transmission recommends can be cheap insurance against bigger problems down the road.

Cheque out all the automatic manual fluid products available on NAPA Online, or trust ane of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more than data on how often you should get a transmission fluid change, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA Automobile PARTS store.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Mike Hagerty View All

Mike Hagerty is an automotive journalist whose work has been featured on radio, TV, in impress and online since 1997. He's the Publisher and Editor of MikeHagertyCars.com, and contributes car reviews to the Los Altos Boondocks Crier and losaltosonline.com. Previous outlets have included KFBK and KFBK.com in Sacramento, California, the ABC television affiliates and Hearst-Argyle and Emmis radio stations in Phoenix, Arizona; AAA magazines for Arizona, Oklahoma, Northwest Ohio, South Dakota and the Mountain West and BBCCars.com.