What You Need to Know About Transmission Fluid Changes

The transmission fluid is a very important part of your engine. Without the proper levels of transmission fluid in your car, you will experience all kinds of problems. Additionally, if the transmission fluid is not changed periodically, you will experience problems. Some people have come to believe that transmission fluid is something that never needs to be replaced. While it does not need to be changed as often as oil does, it is still very important to check and maintain clean fluids in your car.

The schedule by which to change your transmission fluid will differ between manual and automatic transmissions. Every 30,000 miles is a very good suggestion for all drivers regardless of whether they own an automatic, or manual. Those who are heavy manual transmission drivers are suggested to get a change every 15,000 miles. Intervals for automatic cars goes up as high as 100,000 miles between changes. There are reasons why you would want to change the transmission fluid more often than that. Because of the long length of this kind of fluid in automatic cars, some believe it never needs to be changed. This is incorrect and can lead to costly repairs.

The problem that you will run into with it is the build-up of metal particles. These particles will float through your engine and build up in different components causing you other kinds of problems. The money you saved on not changing the transmission fluid will seem like a drop in the bucket compared with the price of replacing the entire transmission later on. This can be avoided by simply changing the fluid regularly. Keep in mind, automatic transmissions run hotter than a manual does. For this reason, transmission fluid can actually be broken down over time. This will cause the fluid to not lubricate as well which will lead to mechanical problems.

Those thinking about changing their own transmission fluid may want to reconsider as it is not as simple as an oil change. With regular oil, you can utilize gravity to easily drain the car of any oil it contains. It is much more viscous and requires a transmission flusher to get everything out. It is recommended to bring in your car to get this kind of fluid change in order to make sure all metal shavings in the old fluid will be washed away. Not removing all of the fluid can cause you just as many problems as if you did nothing.

Those looking to check the levels between maintenance visits simply need to know what they are looking for. Keep in mind, most manual engines will not come with a dipstick to help you check the fluid level. Those with an automatic transmission will want to either have their mechanic point out the right dipstick, or check the owner's manual. Many will confuse the crankcase dipstick with that of the transmission. Keep in mind, generally the only reason why the fluid level will be low is if there is a leak. If you check your level and it is low, you need to get your mechanic to check out the transmission right away.

Synthetic Oil Changes Vs Conventional Oil

Most individuals don't change their oil until far past the recommended date, a lot of us can't manage to find the time in the day to get an oil change. At that point when we finally take the time to get an oil change we head to the local shop and get the cheapest oil change available. Now it's time to consider that more expensive offer that they've been telling you about, synthetic oil change. By utilizing synthetic oil you are helping the quality of your motor, which helps you not focus on expensive repairs in the near future. Choosing a synthetic oil blend is the smartest thing you could do, it's a great way to assure that your engine will stay up and running.

Not all cars allow for synthetic oil use, most do, if your car qualifies for then you should change to synthetic on your next oil change. Most brand new car manufacturers have moved over to requiring synthetic, and most newer makes and models specifically require using synthetic oil as it has been precision engineered and consists of uniformed molecules.

Before we get into that, let's understand what oil does for your engine. Conventional motor oil works because it helps reduce buildup within the motor itself which overall will reduce friction that can lead to wear and tear on internal parts. Natural conventional motor oil is created from a distillation process of crude motor oil. Synthetic oil on the other hand rearranges the molecules to a new product that conforms to perfect specifications in shape and size while adding additional additives that help fight off sludge and other motor build up. This is why synthetic can last a much longer time without needing to be changed. Most engine friction occurs when the motor is just warming up or while under high load. Synthetic oil assures you that your engine will be working and staying in good shape regardless of your driving habits, whether its cool driving or fast back road driving. With synthetic oil you get the added benefit of having to change oil less and less then in comparison to conventional oil, due to the chemical structure of synthetic. It also protects your engines for a longer time frame, which will help you save money in not only oil changes but in motor changes as well.

The main advantage to using a synthetic blend lubricant is that the actual flow of oil through you engines motor is far more efficient. In most driving conditions, synthetic motor oils are by far the best solutions. Synthetic motor oils primarily excel in just about any driving condition but most importantly they excel in conditions that allow for fast driving. The oil will naturally circulate more efficiently with a synthetic blend as well as more efficiently then your typical non-synthetic blend. To reiterate another time, the actual interval between each and every oil change is greatly reduced.Because synthetic motor oil is specifically manufactured,the issues that usually occur from normal motor use occurs far less often. A usual oil change is required every 3,000 - 5,000 miles where as a a synthetic oil change only requires one every ten thousand miles.

What are the main problems with synthetic changes? Price. Synthetic oils are generally twice as expensive as conventional oils where as they also last twice as long if not longer. Although the pricing is easily justified as you get twice as long without needing to change your oil. Think about going synthetic the next time you get an oil change. You'll want to talk to your oil lube expert and talk about whether or not synthetic is the best option for you. I'm sure you will enjoy their answers.