Many car owners have doubts about changing their transmission fluid. What does transmission fluid do for your car? How often should you change your vehicle’s transmission fluid? This post will answer these questions.

Transmission fluid serves as a lubricant for all the moving parts inside your transmission. It helps transfer the engine’s power to the transmission system smoothly. In automatic transmission, the fluid also serves as a coolant, preventing corrosive damage and ensuring more durability of the parts.

When should I change the transmission fluid?

A typical service interval for automatic transmission is 60,000 to 100,000 miles. For a manual transmission, the fluid should be changed every 30,000 to 60,000 miles. Changing it more often, however, does no harm.

Why should I do this?

As the bearings and gears of the transmission wears, metal particles break off and contaminate the fluid. Once this happens, the fluid starts to lose its function. If the transmission fails, your car could require some hefty repairs. According to the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association, 90% of all transmission failures are caused by overheating. Most of these can be blamed on worn out fluid that should have been replaced. In other words, changing your transmission fluid at the right time is a very good investment.

To conclude: you don’t have to sweat about changing your transmission fluid very often, but when you do, it’s an important task. Much like an oil change, it is easy to check your vehicle’s transmission fluid. When it comes to a complete transmission fluid change, however, it’s far simpler and safer to leave it to an auto mechanic professional.

At Havoline® xpress lube® in Kernersville, we’d be happy to check your transmission fluid. We conveniently serve customers across the Triad, from Greensboro to Winston-Salem. If you have questions regarding your vehicle’s transmission fluid, swing by today and we’ll make sure you are taken care of.