Automatic transmissions on modern vehicles are extremely sophisticated and generate an extreme amount of internal heat. This heat must be displaced by the transmission fluid through the vehicle cooling system to maintain proper transmission operation. As a result, the fluid used in this process must be serviced regularly or the heat will cause it to breakdown internally, which will result in catastrophic transmission failure. It is for this reason alone that the fluid used in modern automatic transmissions must be serviced regularly according to the manufacturer specified service intervals (typically every two years 30,000 miles in severe conditions such as those we have here in Minnesota).

Manual transmissions do not generate the same heat as an automatic transmission, but the fluid used in these transaxles must also be serviced regularly to avoid failure from contamination and extreme pressure resulting from the internal gears. These fluids typically require replacement every 50,000 miles, but this can very between manufacturers.

Automatic Transmission Service:

A typical automatic transmission service involves removal and replacement of the transmission filter (on vehicles with a serviceable unit) followed by a complete machine flush of the transmission to replace all of the fluid completely. This will provide the most effective means of ensuring that the transmission will operate as efficiently as possible through any conditions. A typical transmission service (with a filter replacement) takes about 90 minutes to complete.

On vehicles without a serviceable transmission filter, the fluid is simply flushed completely and replaced on a regular basis. A transmission fluid service on this type of transaxle takes about 45 minutes.

Manual Transaxle service involves draining and replacing the gear lubricant at regular specified intervals to protect the internal components. This procedure takes about 15 minutes to complete.