You might already know that you should have your vehicle's transmission serviced on a regular basis. What you might not know is how often you should have this done. It's best to ask a professional from a transmission servicing shop about this, as they can give you the best answer based on your specific vehicle. These are some of the things that impact the frequency with which automatic transmission servicing might be needed.

Does Your Vehicle Have an Automatic or Manual Transmission?

First of all, you should know that both vehicles with automatic transmissions and vehicles with manual transmissions both need transmission servicing. However, how frequently this servicing is needed does partly depend on the type of transmission that you have. Transmission fluid can become contaminated more quickly and easily with vehicles with manual transmissions, and you also have to worry about your vehicle's clutch wearing out. In most cases, you'll need therefore to have maintenance done on a vehicle with a manual transmission more frequently.

What Do You Use Your Vehicle For?

You might not think that what you use your vehicle for really matters when it comes to transmission servicing, but it does. If you are a bit rougher on your vehicle's transmission than the average driver — such as if you use your vehicle for racing of any kind, if your vehicle is a work truck, or if you use your vehicle for hauling or towing on a regular basis — then you might need to have its transmission serviced more frequently.

How Old Is Your Vehicle?

Even newer-model vehicles need transmission servicing. In fact, since newer cars often have warranties and since you often have to have your transmission serviced in order to keep that warranty, this is not something that you should forget. However, as your vehicle gets older, you might find that it will need transmission servicing a bit more often. This can help you keep your older vehicle (and its older transmission) in good shape for as long as possible so that you can reach the maximum lifespan of your vehicle.

What Does the Manufacturer Recommend?

Different cars are made differently, and you can typically get the best advice about how to take care of your specific make and model of vehicle by consulting the manufacturer's recommendations. You should be able to find a guide in your vehicle's manual about how frequently you should have transmission servicing done, so check your manual if you haven't already. Your vehicle dealer should be able to give you some information about this as well.

For assistance, take your car to an auto transmissions service.