Every motorists knows about the importance of engine oil changes, but few know about changing their transmission fluid. Be it a Toyota, Honda, or Chevrolet everyone knows that timely oil changes keep your engine running great. What most people don’t know is that also changing their transmission fluid will also make their car last longer. Transmission oil lasts a lot longer than engine oil, so we recommend changing it every 30,000 to 60,000 miles.
When do I change my transmission oil?
Being a mechanic shop located between Astoria and Long Island City, the majority of our customers drive automatic transmission cars. An automatic transmission works as a middle man transferring power from the engine to the wheels. Transmissions are filled with a special type of oil that does many jobs. It cleans, lubricates, cools, creates pressure to actuate different components. Once transmission fluid is worn the transmission can overheat and wear out prematurely. As transmission fluid ages it gets darker in color until it turns brown. Then if not changed it will continue darkening until it turns black, which usually indicates that there is transmission damage. You can easily check the condition of your fluid yourself. Under your hood find you transmission dip stick and smear a sample of your transmission on a paper towel. If it is brown or black then you are over due for service.
Most auto manufacturers claim their transmissions have lifetime fluid and some don’t even include transmission oil dip sticks to even check the condition of the transmission fluid. There is no such thing as lifetime fluid. When transmission fluid is worn out the transmission will start to slip. Transmission slip happens when you give a car gas and the engine revs, but the wheels don’t move the car forward. When a car has this symptom it usually means that the fluid is very dark or black and the transmission needs a rebuild, which can cost thousands. That is why Tolima’s Auto Center recommends following a transmission oil change service interval depending on the type of car and how hard you drive your car.
