Vehicles which are driven occasionally subjected to unusual wear and strain. Consistently never have the opportunity for the engine to warm up to the normal heat range. This can cause excessive engine wear.
Relatively, low mileage transmissions which are regularly used in city or stop and go conditions are subject to much higher wear than transmissions of the same mileage which are used under normal or primarily highway conditions. It is important to note that that it is not necessarily the mileage on a transmission which determines probable wear. Rather, it is the number of times the transmission has been run through its start-up and shift cycles that determines probable wear.
Many other seemingly normal driving conditions can affect transmission life. Things like extreme climate conditions either cold or hot, mountainous, driving, motoring problems which are associated with snow or ice can take their toll.
Under ‘normal’ driving conditions vehicle manufacturers recommend servicing your transmission as seldom as every 12,000 miles or once per year. As you can see from the limited examples above, very few motorist fit into the ideal or ‘normal’ driving condition category.
If you operate your vehicle under more extreme conditions, more frequent transmission servicing will be necessary to maximize transmission life. Servicing your transmission yearly seems to be an industry average. Under the most extreme conditions, even more often may be advisable and you may want to install an external transmission cooler for additional protection.
Tags: mechanical
