I don't think I believe this. Engines consume oil. I would assume they consume XMSN fluid also.
I own 2 high mileage cars. I have definitely noticed a "lag" in the auto XMSN even when the oil has been changed (i use synthetic).
Need more proof than what some German with an agenda provides.
Jiffy Lube had to buy me a new transmission, because their idiots put motor oil into my transmission, by mistake!
Well, I hope it was a mistake, since it requires a funnel to get the spout from the oil hose into the transmission, the nozzle is too big.
It might have been my Republican bumper stickers?
Lots of work release prisoners work at these joints in my area!
Yeah and they consider life of the vehicle 115K miles.
Never-the-less, sealing them up is probably better than having one of these QuickLube outfits bungle the job.
If you want your transmission to last, change the fluid and filter every 30K miles of normal use. Go to a specialty transmission shop if you have to and make sure before hand that you have read the manufacturers TSB's to verify the correct type fluid to use.
Yeah right. An additive. What a scam. The only car I know of that requires transmission fluid changes on a regular basis are the Northstar Cadillacs in the 2000's year range. I think it is every 30000 miles.
The world is in chaos and we are worried about transmission fluid?
Factory service recommendation is to change the transmission fluid every 30K miles.
If you want your transmission to last as long as your engine - i.e., past 120,000 miles for 4 cyl., 160,000 for 6 cyl. and 240,000 for 8 cyl. then the following rules of thumb are a good guide:
1. For non-filtered transmissions - typically Hondas - whether regular or synthetic (typically regular) - do a complete fluid change every 15,000 miles or as needed.
Hondas are pretty easy - most can be done at home. It’s just like an oil pan - drain - and refill.
2. For filtered transmissions - sealed or non-sealed - whether regular or synthetic (typically synthetic or blend) - do a partial fluid change every 30,000 miles or as needed.
DO NOT DO COMPLETE FLUID CHANGES ON FILTERED TRANSMISSIONS THAT SEE NORMAL USE. THAT CAN HARM THE TRANSMISSION. PULL OUT THE MANUAL FOR SUCH CARS AND IT’LL TELL YOU EXACTLY THAT.
One of the early mistakes made at “Jiffy Lube” like centers early on was the “complete fluid flush” service that was offered on ALL TRANSMISSIONS. A lot of these centers got hit with suits early on for damage to transmissions that required partial fluid changes. They’ve wised up nowadays...
=8-)
Unless you regularly tow a trailer or something, you shouldn’t need to change your transmission fluid more than every 60K to 100K miles. It is important to use the correct fluid, of course.
Interesting that they did mention filter changes. I don’t know what ‘sealed up’ means either...do they literally not have a pan on the vehicle?
I’ve noticed my newer vehicles have a magnet in the pan...usually covered with small bits of metal. I wipe the shavings off the magnet, change the filter, add back the amount of fluid lost when I dropped the pan, make the sign of the cross, and go on with life. I figure changing the filter often enough will change out enough fluid over time.
I think the lesson learned here is that the quick-lube places usually use very low quality fluids....they added an additive to make it AT-4? If that worked, you’d be able to buy the same additive off the shelf.
Many of my newer cars require fairly specialized oils...semisynthetics, in some strange weights, like 5-20. I would be terrified to go to a quick-lube place, since that magic hose that dispenses the oil is probably just 10-30.
If you have a newer car, I think the options are increasingly becoming DIY or dealer...but I do have little trust for the independent lube places.
I remember reading in my Chrysler owner’s manual years ago that the transmission (or transfer case?) fluid had a colorant that faded away gradually. Repair shops did not like to hear that, said it was news to them, that my fluid was “dirty”.
As for Jiffy Lube, my last visit there a decade ago had them tell me a throttle plate cleaning at $245 was part of my vehicle’s scheduled maintenance. It was not.
It’s been Walmart for me ever since, and I’ve saved hundreds of dollars on oil changes, filters, batteries, etc.
We just had our transmission filter changed and it’s been running lousy ever since. Bringing it back to the shop tomorrow. Maybe I’ll print out this article and bring it with me.
I constantly stew about how often to change diff, transfer case, and manual tranny fluid on my 4WD. Was worrying about it even this morning. Not allowed to do it at home and can’t shell out the bucks for the inflated dealer intervals.
there is nothing wrong with changing your transmission oil and filter- i do it every 30 thousand miles cause your filter starts to stop up with fine clutch shavings. after 30,000 you can pull your oil pan off and scrap about 1/16 of and inch of clutch shavings with your finger. so you know its in the filter if its settled in the pan also. i’ve heard of people putting pure synthetic oils in there trans, and the car woundnt even move cause the clutchs slip to easy due to the oil is to slick- trans fluid is kinda dry when you feel of it, i guess so the clutchs plates can grab better. it is good to change your trans fluid, cause heat will break down any oil over time. oil would last a lifetime if the heat wasnt breaking it down.
For all hydraulics the thing to remember is...keep it cool and keep it clean. Heat will destroy a transmission, and an automatic is run by hydraulics.
2003: Tranny started losing fluid and smoking when it got low. I couldn't drive 20 miles without losing so much fluid that it smoked. Even got pulled over by a State Trooper once 'cuz it was smoking trying to nurse it home (very rural area, no place to stop and pick up a quart or two to get it home).
Bought a large bottle of Lucas Auto Transmission stop leak, filled the tranny with it and drove it 4 more years, no more smoking, no more leaking, and shifting as smooth as the day I got it. The stuff is gold.
“Chrysler makes its own transmissions....”
That explains a lot.
If your car has over 100K miles, opening the tranny for the first time to service it can give you a lot of problems.
Mercedes seals their trannys. You don’t even get a dipstick but a tamper resistant cap.
If your tranny is slipping or having issues, then changing the filter and fluid might help it; you really have nothing to lose except for the parts and service cost.
If the tranny is cruising your neighborhood, call the cops, it might be Ru Paul...
We have one of those machines in our small truck shop that pushes new transmission fluid through while it flushes out the old.It takes a few extra quarts to do this.It’s suppose to clean out the filter so you don’t have to remove the pan to replace it.If you do the drain and drop the pan to change the filter method,you’ll have old fluid trapped in the torque converter.That’s why the flush method is recommended so much.