The Anatomy of Healthy Cars: A Service and Repair Blog

Why You Need To Change Your Automatic Transmission Fluid Regularly

by Brittany Marshall

Most car owners know how prudent it is to keep their vehicle's engine running smoothly. This is why they will regularly check on the engine to ensure that it is in optimal working condition. However, one of the most overlooked components of your vehicle tends to be the automatic transmission. As long as the vehicle is up and running, then not many drivers will take the time to ensure that the transmission is operating on clean transmission fluid. This is unfortunate because the moment that your transmission fluid becomes dirty it will translate into an array of other car problems that could have easily been avoided. Here are some of the reasons why it is important to regularly change your automatic transmission fluid.

Clean automatic transmission fluid prevents vehicle lock-up

When you neglect changing your automatic transmission fluid on a regular basis, it begins to accumulate debris and sediment. These contaminants become susceptible to burning when the automatic transmission fluid heats up while the vehicle is in use. The hotter the automatic transmission fluid gets, the higher the chances that your vehicle will experience lock up. This is when the vehicle ends up shutting down since the automatic transmission fluid is not providing the appropriate lubrication to your transmission system. In most cases, you will find the automatic transmission fluid has turned completely black. Regularly changing out the transmission fluid will ensure that it burns evenly, thereby not posing a risk to your vehicle.

Clean automatic transmission fluid is cost effective

A misconception that some drivers may have is that regularly changing out their transmission fluid will end up costing them unnecessary expenses. The truth of the matter though is that waiting for extended periods of time without changing this fluid is more likely to cost you exorbitant amounts is automatic transmission repairs than replacing the transmission fluid on a regular basis would cost.

Clean automatic transmission fluid extends the life of your vehicle

When you regularly change out your automatic transmission fluid, you are effectively enhancing the lifespan of your vehicle and the various internal components. Clean automatic transmission fluid ensures that your engine is running cleanly. This keeps it working at optimum and reducing the chances of engine relate problems. Additionally, as the engine runs cleaner, it also enhances the vehicle's fuel economy. This means better usage of both petrol as well as the transmission fluid. All this works toward extending the lifespan of your car.

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