Why Do I Need A Transmission Flush?

In the world of cars, there is a certain phrase that pops its head up frequently, yet is often overlooked: preventative maintenance. We know it all too well: driving down the road with just barely enough time to make it to your destination and something goes wrong. These mistakes are expensive- both in time and in money. The best way to fight against these kinds of incidents is to perform preventative maintenance on your vehicle, or maintenance that is done periodically and routinely in order to prevent a problem from occurring and worsening over time.

Preventative maintenance may seem like a scary thought when little is known about cars, but it really is pretty simple once the information is available. There are manufacturer’s ratings on just about every piece of equipment on a vehicle, and when it comes to fluids there are strict guidelines manufacturers recommend be followed. One such of these fluid guidelines pertains to transmission fluid. On a new car, transmission fluid is rated as a lifetime fluid, meaning the fluid should last the life of the car. Sadly, this is relative information, as a fine print reading would reveal that a “lifetime” to a dealership is only until the warranty runs out. Cars can reach tremendous heights in terms of mileage: there are still cars from the 80’s and 90’s with mileages well into the mid 200,000’s and even 300,000’s. So when it comes to keeping your vehicle pushing for the long haul, knowing when to perform certain maintenance is key.

Transmissions are incredibly complicated pieces of machinery located inside your vehicle. Attached to the engine, the transmission applies the power generated from your vehicle’s engine to rotational energy, which is then applied to the wheels. A transmission is filled with an incredibly amount of tiny, moving pieces which require a viscous fluid to operate correctly or else the friction may burn the pieces. This fluid can over time deteriorate, causing increased wear on moving transmission pieces or even decreased transmission performance. A good indication of a flush being needed is a transmission which seems to be acting strangely, such as taking long amounts of time to shift gears, especially in colder weather. Another indicator may be strange grinding noises occurring whenever a gear is shifted. Both of these issues should be checked out immediately before continuing to drive the car anymore than what is absolutely necessary. A preventative maintenance transmission flush ensures that the vehicle’s transmission is functioning properly from fluid level, and is not experiencing wear from insufficient fluid.

Typically, transmission flushes should occur around every 75,000 miles to be safe. After all, it is much cheaper insurance to service your transmission’s fluid over replacing it entirely. Keeping your vehicle healthy is necessary to ensuring its longevity, and a transmission is no exception. Schedule a transmission flush today to ensure your vehicle is running strongly and without issue.