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How often should transmission fluid be changed?
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10-07-2011, 05:38 PM
It depends on the car, but 30k seems unnecessarily short. mrbigstuff was spot on with the online forum recommendation; my ATF is designed to be "lifetime" (never needs changing) but what that really means is do it ever 100k.
10-07-2011, 06:05 PM
Ammo,
Ditto on checking the manual. One thing I've learned about dealers is that they often follow their own guidelines as to how your car should be serviced. They might say change X after Y miles, while the manufacturer itself says change X after X miles. Personally, I stick with the manufacturers guidelines unless something out of the ordinary dictates otherwise. For example... I use synthetic oil in my '09 Mazda CX-7. The manufacturer normally recommends changing the oil after X miles but for normal oil. Synthetic changes that interval. So, I follow my own interval instead. However, for something like the transmission fluid, I'd follow the manufacturers guidelines. I'd go otherwise only if something happened that required changing the transmission fluid sooner. Robert
10-07-2011, 06:24 PM
The real question is whether the warranty is still valid. If so, follow the owner's manual. Do you really want to void the warranty on the transmission?
10-07-2011, 06:45 PM
Most people don't worry about the transmission until it is acting up which is at the point it's probably too late and will cost $$$ soon.
Whenever we bought a car (we never bought a brand new one), first thing I do is get the transmission fluid changed. After that, I get it changed about every 30K-50K miles. Depending on how the color looks. How it smells. Have I pulled heavy loads with the vehicle.
10-07-2011, 06:54 PM
Check your owner's manual. I really don't know why you didn't consider that option before posting your question here.
10-07-2011, 07:27 PM
cbelt3 wrote: I write the date and mileage of air filter, battery, and transmission fluid changes RIGHT ON THE DEVICE with a silver Sharpie marker and/or a Brother heavy-duty label to keep everybody honest--including myself, because I often forget when I've done the work.
10-07-2011, 08:24 PM
N-OS X-tasy! wrote: I may be wrong, but I figure service intervals listed in owner's manuals are usually going to be pretty conservative in order to limit the manufacturer's liability and to generate sales for dealership service departments. Thanks to all who responded!
10-07-2011, 09:08 PM
Ammo wrote: I may be wrong, but I figure service intervals listed in owner's manuals are usually going to be pretty conservative in order to limit the manufacturer's liability and to generate sales for dealership service departments. Implied in your statement is that you know better than the manufacturer what the service interval should be. As noted above, service manuals typically have two service interval schedules, one for normal driving conditions and one for heavy duty driving conditions.
10-07-2011, 09:41 PM
N-OS X-tasy! wrote: I may be wrong, but I figure service intervals listed in owner's manuals are usually going to be pretty conservative in order to limit the manufacturer's liability and to generate sales for dealership service departments. Implied in your statement is that you know better than the manufacturer what the service interval should be. As noted above, service manuals typically have two service interval schedules, one for normal driving conditions and one for heavy duty driving conditions. And under pressure of government scrutiny the service intervals don't get too "conservative" to generate sales for service departments. Generally the pressure for earlier service is coming from the dealerships and other service providers, I still get a 3,000 mile oil change service reminder stuck on my window even though most vehicles have been at 5-7 K or better for decades. I just mentally add the difference. |
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