Scotty Kilmer Debunks Lifetime Transmission Fluid

By All Auto Staff - April 8th, 2018 in FAQ

Think a Lifetime is Forever? Think Again.

Veteran mechanic and YouTube personality Scotty Kilmer has always had a knack for straight talk about fixing cars, and his advice on “lifetime transmission fluid” is no different:  Every manufacturer defines the word “lifetime” differently, and it’s probably shorter than what you’d guess.

Regular Maintenance Goes A Long Way

It’s a strong selling point for people looking for a no-hassle car but it’s inherently misleading. Most automotive engineers define a car lifetime as 100-150k miles, so fluid only needs to last to that point. It’s why overheating is one of the biggest causes of transmission failure. The fluid degrades to a point where it no longer protects your transmission, and expensive components start to grind and fail.

It’s unfortunate because a bit of preventative maintenance would add substantially more “life” to these transmissions. Cars are getting harder to work on but fluid changes are still far easier (and cheaper) than rebuilds. The silver lining is that, while lifetime fluid is exaggerated, you can still get as much as 60 to 80,000 miles between changes.

Keep Your Car On The Road Longer

If you want your transmission to last a long time, you’ve got to change the fluid regularly. If you’re over mileage it’s still not too late to keep from damaging your transmission!  Contact us today for your checkup and fluid change. We have 3 locations near you in Kern County and can’t wait to help keep your car on the road for longer than a lifetime.