Having the transmission serviced will not only increase its lifespan but also improve the vehicle’s fuel efficiency. Knowing when to undergo a transmission service is the easy part. Vehicles with an automatic transmission should receive a flush or change anytime between 30,000 and 100,000 miles. However, vehicles with stick shifts, which are a dying breed, should receive service every 30,000 to 60,000 miles.
With gig jobs like DoorDash and Instacart, there are a lot of people driving in constant stop-and-go traffic, which can wear out a car even faster. If that’s your case, or your car is going through more than the average amount of wear and tear in some other way, it’s better to have the vehicle serviced more frequently at every 15,000 to 20,000 miles.
When it comes to deciding between a flush or a change, the better option is typically a fluid change. Some manufacturers recommend foregoing a flush altogether, depending on the make and model of the vehicle. And for drivers who regularly change their transmission fluid every 30,000 miles, a flush might not be necessary at all. However, if issues persist after changing the fluid, flushing the transmission could fix it since it replaces the entire system with brand new fluid, leaving zero contaminants. In general, it all depends on the health of the system and the state of the fluid.
