Transmission Service
You open the sale paper and see the ad from your local chain store:
Transmission Fluid Exchange Service — $69.95
Wow! That’s about half what the transmission shop wanted for a transmission service. The price sounds almost too good to be true.
The price is legitimate. The problem comes in when you try to compare it with the service from your local transmission shop. Sure, their service costs more… because, in most cases, what they’re offering is completely different.
Before you assume you’re looking at the same service, check the fine print. There you’ll see that some cars are excluded. Which cars? For one, any which require a fluid other than a generic Dexron or Mercon. Synthetics? Not a chance. HMF fluids? No way. Those cost extra… a lot extra.
The fact is, most cars today won’t be covered by those advertised prices. Your 20-year-old Chevy will; wait, you don’t have a 20-year-old Chevy? Plan on paying more.
And what about the filter? They’re offering to exchange the fluid, but they’re going to leave you with the original filter?
According to at least one service manager from a chain service center, the filter doesn’t need to be changed. The fluid exchange service cleans out everything, so the filter is good to reuse.
But wait… aren’t they supposed to check the sump when they replace the filter? That material is how a professional transmission technician “reads” the transmission, to determine its condition. How are they going to identify problems if they don’t check the material in the sump?
They aren’t. In fact, most of those guys wouldn’t know what they were looking at even if they did pull the pan. That’s where a professional transmission technician comes in. By examining that material, he can tell you whether the wear is normal for the age and mileage on your car, or whether you’re looking at serious problems in the not-too-distant future.
A professional transmission service should include removing the pan (where possible) and checking the material in the bottom of the sump. And it should include a new filter — the right one, installed the right way, because many of those filters look awfully similar. The difference is, only one will work properly; the other could destroy the transmission.
Next the technician will connect his fluid exchanger and flush out the rest of the fluid (optional and as an additional charge). And he’ll replace the old fluid with a high quality fluid that meets or exceeds the factory requirements. He may even top it off with a special additive designed to help the fluid maintain its qualities under extreme temperatures.
Will the service cost more than at the chain store? You bet. But are you getting your money’s worth? Absolutely… because a proper transmission service can add years — and miles — to the life of your transmission. Which means that you’ll save money in the long run… and isn’t that the reason you had your transmission serviced in the first place?