3 Signs Your Car Needs A Transmission Fluid Flush
Even though you might understand the importance of never skipping an oil change, there's a chance that you might be slacking off on one important car maintenance task -- having your transmission fluid flushed. This involves having all of the transmission fluid in your car drained out and replaced with fresh fluid, which is important for the proper maintenance of your vehicle's expensive -- and essential -- transmission system. These are a few signs that it's time to have your transmission fluid flushed.
1. Your Car's Maintenance Schedule Suggests It
Your vehicle should have come with a maintenance schedule, which you should be able to find in your owner's manual or online. The frequency varies from car to car -- overall, cars with manual transmissions generally need fluid changes more frequently than cars with automatic transmissions. If you're still unsure of how often you should be having this done to your car, you should talk to a transmission repair professional. Overall, it's best to err on the side of having your transmission flushed more often versus not often enough, since extra changes don't cause any harm, but failing to change your transmission fluid when you should can affect your transmission system.
2. You Put Your Vehicle Through Heavy Use
If you put your vehicle through a lot of heavy use, it may be best to have your transmission fluid flushed more often. For example, if you tend to drive on dirty and dusty paths often, there is more of a chance that dust and dirt can contaminate your transmission fluid and cause problems. Even though it's metal shavings in your transmission fluid that you typically have to worry about, dirt and dust can cause problems and prevent the transmission fluid from properly lubricating your transmission's parts.
3. You're Having Transmission Issues
If you are having minor transmission issues, having your transmission fluid flushed and replaced could be what you need to do to get your vehicle operating smoothly again. Problems can include things like a vehicle that shifts roughly. It's usually a good idea to try more affordable options if you think there is something wrong with your transmission before you assume that there is a serious (and expensive) problem, but a transmission repair professional can take a look at your car to determine if the transmission fluid could be the source of the problem.
Flushing your transmission fluid is relatively affordable and is an important part of maintenance. For more information, contact S & A Transmission or a similar company.