Atlanta's Professional Automotive Repair - Import & Domestic

Transmission Services

A lot of auto service shops are now offering automatic transmission flushes. In the "old days" if we did anything, it was a drain and refill of the transmission and sometimes also replace the filter. Why all this flush business now?

First let's talk about the old style service, the drain and refill. This service was better than nothing but it only replaced about 1/4 - 1/3 of the oil and the rest of the remaining dirty fluid stayed in the transmission. So why bother, right? The trouble was that was the best you could do for your transmission until recently.

Today's sophisticated service market suppliers saw a need and filled it with a new technology that allows us to not only replace all the fluid but flush the system clean at the same time.

Some of you might still say "Why bother, I never did it before". I will answer your question with another. How many engine rebuild shops are in your neighborhood? Probably none. And how many transmission shops are in your neighborhood? They are very common.

A search on Atlanta's Kudzu showed 50 results within 50 miles using the search terms: "Atlanta GA transmission rebuild shops". See the box on the left.

The reason the entire transmission repair industry exists as it does today is that transmissions seldom got serviced and when they did the methods available were not very effective.

"OK", you say "but why should I get my transmission serviced at your shops rather than anywhere?" There is one good reason. We have experience and are knowledgeable about much more than transmissions. Someone who has done nothing but transmission work for years will not have the experience to look at the rest of the systems on your car and advise you if you need any other repairs or suggest other preventative services which could save you from the hassle and expense of unscheduled breakdowns.

We recommend a transmission flush every 30,000 miles on a car with organic based fluids and every 60,000 miles on a car that uses synthetic fluids. The quantity of fluid varies for different cars. Call for a price on yours.

The synthetic fluids are more sophisticated and last longer than organic fluids but they also cost more. However, the extra mileage you can get on the synthetic fluid offsets this cost difference.

You should never mix the fluids! The wrong fluid can ruin your transmission in a very short time, usually less than 1,000 miles.

If your car has more than 75,000 - 100,000 miles on it we may or may not recommend you do a flush. At this point each car must be judged on the condition of the fluid and behaviors of the transmission. A fifteen minute inspection and test drive can determine the best course of action.

If you want to catch up on your transmission services on a higher mileage car, we suggest 3-4 drain and refills with a cleaner solvent added each time, over the course 1,000 miles. Then you should consider making a transmission flush a part of your routine service every 30,000 miles.

If you are already having transmission problems a power flush won't make it worse. In fact it fixes about 50% of the cars we have serviced without the cost of a new or rebuilt transmission. It's worth a try before spending thousands of dollars.

The best way to keep your transmission in good health is to have it flushed regularly as preventative maintenance. A proactive approach is always better than a defensive recovery!