The landscape of the auto industry is changing dramatically. It seems to be a very up and down flow of change and innovation. With changes in laws and regulations, fuel consumption continues to be a battle all over the country. That being said, things like CVT transmissions and 8 to 10 speed transmissions are becoming more prominent. The automatic transmission has been around forever, but it is also more important than ever to change the transmission fluid regularly. We have had so many vehicles come into our shop with only 80k to 100k miles on them and the transmission is already shot. Chevrolet SUVs are a major culprit. Also the vehicles like Nissan with CVTs are another. The main cause of failure is lack of maintenance. These vehicles are very sensitive to oil pressures and friction. Both of these issues can be mitigated by fresh fluid exchanges and flushes. It is best to check the manufactures recommendations, but most recommend fluid exchanges between 30k and 50k miles. This is the one service I almost never waiver on. The main reason is that these transmissions cost upwards of $4000 with some going to $7000. Used parts is not an option for replacement on many new cars. The reason being is that used transmission may have been neglected as well as have common issues that have not been updated by the manufacturer. You might think that shops make more money selling new transmission, but unfortunately, they make far less. Margins are very low on reman and new engines and transmission. So all in all, the best case scenario to save you big bucks and make sure your vehicle last for a long time is to change the transmission fluid regularly. Oh….and change the oil very regularly too in the engine. You can find that in a previous post.
