ATF is a lifetime fluid

>>28897903
It is lifetime in the same way engine oil is lifetime.

>>28897903
>>28897923
No one has an answer to this
Even Scotty’s carkiller site gives vague answers.

Why is ATF such a mystery??

>>28897930
people get confused because they wait until their transmission starts slipping to change it and are surprised when clean fluid only makes the problems more obvious
just do a drain and fill every 60k-100k miles and it'll work forever

>>28897934
wtf is your problem? you one of those people on the mri redddit with part of their brain missing?

READ THR FUCKING POST! The car is driven 1000 miles a year. So you’re saying to change it in 60 years!? ATF last that long???

>>28897939
yes
it's hydraulic fluid, it doesn't have a shelf life
heat cycles are what cause it to degrade, and unless you're torturing your transmission it's going to be just fine for well over 100k miles

>>28897939
With how much the fluid costs you're literally better off not changing it at all and replacing the transmission when it fails versus treating it like engine oil

>>28897930
The transmission manufacturers have the answer and they all recommend fluid changes at 100k. Car manufacturers say it's lifetime fluid but it isn't

>>28897871
If you drive only a tiny amount you should look up the recommended mileage interval and divide by 10k miles per year or 7.5k miles per year to get your yearly change interval (typical or low average yearly mileage estimates in the US). My old slushhox recommends 30k miles so I change it every 3 or 4 years.

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>>28897871
No, but you should only be using Genuine OE ATF, Nothing else.

>>28897871
i drive a 2017 model year car with 85k miles. also wfh and rarely drive. as far as i know, the transmission fluid has never been changed. i'll probably trade in my car in another 2-3 years, so the plan is to never change the transmission fluid. it's not worth the risk of blowing up the transmission and destroying the resale value (or costing me thousands for a new transmission.)

Automatics fail long before manuals and at higher frequency. They're so expensive to replace that it often totals cars under 200k miles.
Maybe you guys should start actually changing the fluid regularly.
8 years and 8k miles isn't much to worry about.

>>28897903
It's lifetime if you're 36mo leasing and believe in car as a service, if youre actually keeping it, you change it no more than 30,000 miles, probably a lot sooner if you're doing severe stop and go type stuff with the car.

Change your atf you black person

I change mine every 30,000

>transmission works
Do nothing.
>shifts hard
Filter change.
>slips or doesn't go into gear
Buy a new transmission.

>>28899133
>filter change

You are proof this thread is full of morons who don’t know jack shit about cars. It’s not a filer, it’s a fucking strainer. It’s been mislabeled so idiots like you fall for it.

Take apart any tranny with 200k+ miles on it. It will be spotless. It’s a fucking sealed transmission. There’s nothing to filter! Those metal parts just flow through it.

You never have to replace this.

>>28897871
>>28897903
>>28897943
>>28897971
>>28898171
You are all fucking beyond stupid. Total faggetry here.

Yes you fucked up big time. You change it every 3 years if you don’t drive long enough. If you’re doing short trips under 20Mins.

You change it every 5 years if you do highway driving 30+ minutes so the trans heats up long enough to burn the moisture.


ATF is hydroscopic. It absorbs moisture. Yes even through sealed trannies, it’s called condensation. Basic 7th grade science class.

You fukt up. You’re prolly already feeling jerks in shifts that’s why you’re here.

If you change it now, they’ll prolly be more noticeable. Deal with the jerks or change it and gamble on the outcome.

You fukt up. You all a fuck ups. CHANGE THR FUCKING FLUID!! You cheap/poor fucks!!! This one buying used is such a gamble. You morons!

I wouldn't know as I am not a faggot who drives an automatic transmission.

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>>28899402
You like being out shifted and out cornered by manumatic cars?

i havent changed my atf since 2001

>>28897939
Fluid gets old regardless of the miles too. I dont think anyone has an easy answer but I'd say every 10 years regardless of miles if you really care about proper maint.

>>28899383
Transmission aren't truly sealed they all have breather holes or some way for pressure equalization. Trans fluid expands/contracts a lot with temp.

>>28897871
I do a drain and fill at around 100k. Change the filter if possible, if not I put a magnefine inline filter on the return line. Have done this to over a dozen vehicles and have never had an auto transmission shit out on me

>>28899133
>filter change
requires pan drop and fluid change so...
>shifts hard
could be due to a dozen things like broken piston spring, worn hydraulic solenoid, broken internal something
>slips
Could be due to wear/abuse (rebuild necessary), solenoid wear, leaking valve body seals, or other things

>>28899501
60k should be the MAX, 30-45k if lots of city time and/or dusty/high heat areas or high heat operation.
most trans are "cooled" by the radiator so they're eating 205-210 degree heat and running way hotter than they should. not uncommon to see 190F trans fluid at sustained highway operation. 190f = 30k changes

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>>28898171
>these are the autotragic normgroids I share the road with
Never relax around them.

>>28897943
>heat cycles are what cause it to degrade
ATF heats up to 200 - 230F every time you drive the car. I think that could be considered a heat cycle.

>>28898159
if it has the OEM spec printed on it, it's as good as genuine OE, or maybe better.
Volvo doesn't have a fluid plant, they pay a major fluids manufacturer to produce their spec of oil, slap their brand sticker on it, and sell it for twice the price.

>>28899700
If your trans is regularly hitting >200 you fucked something up

>>28899706
With the typical engine coolant/ATF heat exchanger, cars will be at 190-200 just idling
Actually drive and you'll get to 200+ very easily
Be in a hot climate and on a toasty highway drive, 220F
My experience is they tend to stabilize around 200-210 though so it'll last the warranty period without trans fluid changes but fuck car manufacturers that do this

Jokes on you fuckers, my transmission changes its own fluid every 10,000 miles.

>>28899383
>Yes even through sealed trannies, it’s called condensation.
How would it get in there to condense if the system is sealed? Does water just condense its way through steel and aluminum?

>>28900142
transmission’s are not sealed from condensation. While they are designed to be water-resistant, condensation can form inside the transmission when temperature fluctuations cause moist air to be drawn in and condense on internal surfaces.

This moisture accumulation is particularly common in vehicles that undergo short trips or sit for extended periods, as the transmission does not reach the high operating temperatures required to evaporate the moisture.

If water builds up in the fluid, it can lead to foaming, reduced viscosity, and corrosion, which may cause slipping gears or erratic shifting. To mitigate this, regular fluid changes are recommended, as old fluid loses its anti-foaming additives and ability to manage moisture, and professional inspection can detect water contamination indicated by milky or frothy fluid.

Way to fail science class. Dumbass.

>>28899718
No.
I don't care that some modern cars are designed to cook their tranny.
Greater than 200f is bad. Get an external trans rad to get that poor thing out of the radiator, and a temp control solenoid for it. Keep it at 175. New fluid every 60. Will last 500 grand if you don't do launches and too many wot shifts.

>>28897871
What does your owner's manual say?

>>28900274
lol. Kid. Those manuals are shilled so you keep your car “just long enough” to thin you’re smart. Those manuals are written by the company who doesn’t want you to buy more of their cars? Right?

I don’t think any of you here are actual car people.

>>28900435
I would say they're probably still a little smarter than people who leave the same fluid in their car for 8 years.

>>28899383
you sound like a mechanic trying to sell expensive snake oil transmission flushes

>>28900168
How is moist air drawn in if the transmission is sealed?

>>28900511
1. Trans are not totally sealed
2. ATF is hygroscopic like most other car fluids. This means it absorbs water.

>>28900142
>>28900511
Idiot.

>>28900579
So it's not sealed. Got it.

>>28900453
really boss bc you sound like a clueless boomer

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>>28899703
>if it has the OEM spec printed on it, it's as good as genuine OE, or maybe better.
Wrong, wrong, and even more wrong.
Both the Volvo ATF and Mobil 3309 ATF are made by Mobil and are both 3309 Spec, they have different viscosities.

The Volvo fluid is an extra 21% more viscous than the Mobil fluid. Pour points are also significantly different.

>>28897871
Guys, its really fucking simple with fluids.
>Oil
Every 5-8k miles depending on if you're running dino juice or full synthetic
>Coolant
Every 50k OR every 5 years
>Other oils, including ATF, gear oil, and transfer case fluid
Every 100k OR every 5 years, whichever comes first

Cut all of those in half if you are towing, racing, or anything else high performance. Never ever ever FLUSH one of your fluids, only do drain and fill.

>>28901020
if that's true, then the spec (and the engineers who designed the transmission) allows for that difference in viscosity.

>>28901022
>Oil every 5-8k miles depending on if you're running dino juice or full synthetic
Not if it's a turbo. 3k.
4-7k for N/A. Depending on how hard you drive.
Synthetic doesn't make any difference to this schedule.
There haven't been "advancements in oil technology," if Range Rover says to change oil at 21k miles on a turbo engine pushing 5,000 lbs - fuckin change it at 3k.

>>28897871
It's totalled

>>28901082
If an engine is being maintained right there shouldn't by any problem with 8-10k changes.
If it has really worn out plugs, a fueling issue from sensors/cats, something going wrong be it luck of the draw or design fault, then yeah 4-7k.

A car that's otherwise fully functional shouldn't give any reason for 8-10k miles on the oil being a problem no matter how old the car is.

>>28900274
>trusting the goyner's manual
oh no no no why are boomers so fucking stupid lmao

>>28901121
>If an engine is being maintained right there shouldn't by any problem with 8-10k changes.
3-5k oil changes IS the engine being maintained right, holy shit.

This thread is about ATF, not engine oil. And time between changes, not mileage.

Is reading hard?

>>28900758
Can’t tell if you’re a moron or a fail troll. I’m leaning toward troll so I’ll wreck you with science

condensation can and frequently occurs inside sealed environments due to temperature cycling, even when the enclosure is perfectly airtight and free of leaks.

When an enclosure is sealed, the air trapped inside contains a fixed amount of water vapor that establishes a specific dew point. If the internal temperature drops below this dew point—often caused by night-time cooling or temperature swings—the air becomes saturated, causing moisture to condense on the coldest internal surfaces like metal frames, circuit boards, or lenses

Every transmission has a vent somewhere. Temp cycling and fluid expansion/contraction means it breathes outside air that has moisture in it. When you think about it, moisture always enters with thr air, but never leaves the same way because it gets condensed and emulsified with the fluid.

>>28901513
Why wouldn't moisture evaporate from the hot fluid and be expelled with the hot air? Why would it only ever go one way?

>>28902079

The vent is a tiny straw and the evaporation temperature of the water is much higher than the thermal expansion of the fluid, so when the exhale happens, the water is still condensed, and when the water does vaporize, there is no more breathing out due to fluid already reaching max volume.

>>28902127
>he doesn't know about diffusion
>he doesn't know that water vapor has a higher volume than liquid water

>>28898176
avoid getting stuck in snow or mud, & going back & forth trying to get out, this overheats the tranny & that is the worst thing u can do. once i had my front-wheel drive car towed with all wheels on the ground, they said it was in neutral but the tranny started over-revving & slipping a week later, had to have it rebuilt.