It is really important to check your transmission fluid regularly to help avoid costs associated with repairs. But how often should you change it?
The kind of transmission you have will help determine how often you change it. Automatic transmissions require a change much sooner, depending on the vehicle, sometimes between the 30k – 60k mile range, whereas manual transmissions can generally go to about the 60k – 100k mile range. Can you guess which transmission can go longer?
Changing Transmission Fluid
Most car owners don’t think about their transmission fluid. All you hear from the owner of an automatic transmission car is that it’s important not to be low on transmission fluid.
You haven’t overfilled it, and it’s past time to change or flush your transmission fluid at the recommended intervals.
However, those with manual transmission cars must consider their gearbox when it comes to the oil inside it. If it is too old, you will have sludge and plenty of metal shavings present.
The following information discusses how frequently to change your transmission fluid in an automatic transmission car and a manual transmission car.
Automatic Transmission Fluid Change Interval
The transmission fluid in your automatic transmission car will go bad or burn, eventually. Moreover, if you experience more stop-and-go in city traffic, towing, and the vehicle is heavy, the fluid will deteriorate faster.
The reason that this makes a difference is due to more heat created when the transmission is in operation. The higher the fluid gets, the more stress is added to the fluid and the transmission.
And since the fluid is responsible for allowing the gears to move and turn smoothly, if you don’t have fluid that is thicker than it should be, the gears will have to perform more work than they would normally.
Most automatic vehicle manufacturers recommend transmission fluid changes at 60,000 to 100,000 miles. If you asked a mechanic, they would tell you this is way too long to wait.
Automatic transmission fluid should be changed every 30,000 to 50,000 miles. Nevertheless, be sure to see your owner’s manual for the proper change interval and use it as your rule of thumb.
The cost of changing transmission fluid is insignificant compared with possible damage to the transmission itself.
Manual Transmission Fluid Change Interval
Most manufacturers recommend changing your manual transmission fluid or gear oil at least every 30,000 miles (or no more than 60,000 miles), depending on the make and model of the manual vehicle.
You can always check your car manual for the actual recommended interval. But if you are putting your manual transmission under constant stress, you should change it sooner, maybe at 20,000 miles.
Stressful conditions for a manual car would be regular short-distance city driving, stop and go, and very rarely going on the freeway or out of town.
These short drives force the gears of a manual car to change routinely, which stresses the transmission.
Other stressful situations can be the new driver who is just learning how to properly change gears. They will make plenty of mistakes, like grinding gears and adding stress on the internal gears.
Summary
Whether you have an automatic or manual transmission, changing transmission fluid will take a while. The mechanic has to get the vehicle up and drain the old fluid from the transmission.
Before adding the new fluid, they will check the gaskets or seals for the fluid to be sure there are no transmission fluid leaks. Don’t attempt this job yourself because it needs professional people who know what they are doing.