my little golden car

[anotheranon]

There are times when I fervently wish I could get around easily without a car.

Gas is punitive, and unexpected expenses like the flat tire are a pill, but even the maintenance can be cruel.

The local oil change chain has advised me that I need to get a transmission fluid change. As I remember the transmission failure on my first car and the enormous barrel of monkey$ that was, I'm eager to do what I can to avoid such merriment in the future :P Hive mind: I've got ~67,500 miles on it, do I really need to do this now? And if so, what is a reasonable price to expect to pay? (Yes, I'm going to check the fluid myself this weekend - I love my manual).

And today I get hit with a callup for emissions inspection in the next few months :P

But tonight, I sew! doGdammit, I am going to cut out the venetians tonight if it kills me! Then I'm going to lift some weights, defeat my enemies and burn their villages....

Comments

[dustdaughter.livejournal.com]

I want to say 80 bucks or so for the transmission fluid change but don't quote me. It's been a minute since I've taken my car in for a checkup.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Jiffy Lube is quoting me $99, but this seems exorbitant with all the "do it yourself" directions I've been finding on the web (FWIW, I'm not about to try doing this myself! I'm just not that auto-savvy). Where did you get it done for $80?

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Wow. At $99.00 it must either require some special transmission fluid, an unusually expensive filter, or both.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

I drive a Honda Civic, and all my internet research on the subject of Honda automatic transmission fluid indicates that Honda-brand fluid is recommended for best performance.

The reason I'm asking about intervals is because what I've seen online varies widely - everything from 15,000 miles to 90,000 mile changes.

At this stage, I'm in the "can't hurt, might help" mindset - I might NOT be overdue, but a full change isn't going to hurt anything.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

The owner's manual will have the specific interval for your car, but I'm frankly amazed that anybody is recommending 90,000 miles for an automatic transmission. Because of the way an automatic transmission works, the fluid accumulates particles of transmission band material over time. The filter catches the bulk of this, of course, but eventually it runs out of capacity.

Anyway, check your owners manual and see what it recommends.

[dustdaughter.livejournal.com]

I want to say Merchant's Tire in Alexandria but it was a while ago so my memory is fuzzy. I'll do a little checking on the web and see if I can find some more info.

A Couple of Links

[dustdaughter.livejournal.com]

On second thought, it may have been the Goodyear Auto that's next to Landmark Mall in Alexandria (5701 Duke St, 703-354-2034). Their prices weren't bad for stuff like oil changes.

Also found these while Googling 'transmission+fluid+change+prices' today.

AAMCO's FAQ's

This link talks more specifically about GM cars but may be helpful since you're interested in the DIY approach.

More general and DIY info

Re: A Couple of Links

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sending these on!

[geekchick]

I ended up having an oil change, transmission fluid change and some other fluid changes at Jiffy Lube last year and it ran me something like $200. I don't remember how much of that was the transmission fluid change, but it wasn't more than $100 and probably less.

[kat1392.livejournal.com]

$80 to $100 seems to be a pretty standard range. I know it sounds really easy on the diy stuff, but take it from someone whose husband is a mechanic (although he never seems to work on our vehicles :ppp), it's not something that you should do unless you have all the tools. It can be a royal pain!

[wcg.livejournal.com]

The transmission should be serviced (fluid drained and refilled, filter replaced) at 30,000 mile intervals. So at 67,000 it's well overdue. I think the last time I had Jiffy Lube do this for my minivan it cost about $45.00