Transmission fluid has three main functions;

1: Lubricate; Transmission fluid is much like engine oil, designed to lubricate moving parts and preventing major wear and tear.

2: Cooling; To prevent a drivetrain from overheating, fluid cools the transmission by transferring heat away from transmission to other components such as external fluid coolers.

3: Power transfer ( Automatic transmission); Automatic transmissions require hydraulic pressure and friction to assist in transferring power from the engine to the transmission, this is done through a torque converter.

Now we need to understand why changing transmission fluid gets such a bad reputation. Once fluid remains untouched for 150,000-200,000 miles the fluid most likely has large amounts clutch material/ small metal particles.over time, buildup occurs within the transmission when flushes do not occur at regular maintenance intervals. If you remove this buildup, you leave gaps in the soft parts (clutch material) which means less material for the transmission to work with. This causes faster wear in the material which is left, which causes the transmission to need rebuilt sooner. Often times when you get to this many miles it is best to add fluid additives periodically.

When servicing a transmission it is best to do a fluid and filter replacement. This means that over the course of many fluid replacements you will continue to introduce new fluid into the system and prevent breakdown from fluid failure. While at the same time you don’t run the risk of causing the transmission to slip as a tradition flush service would.

What is the best option for my vehicle?

For starters we always recommend using the manufactures recommended intervals, however newer cars can be tricky. Below is an example of what the manufacture recommends for a 2020 Camry. With new cars it has become increasing harder for DIY or at-home mechanics to get fluid maintenance done. This is mainly because the service procedures sometimes requires special tools or computers. If you are unsure or feel uncomfortable about servicing your transmission give us a call and we’ll be happy to help.