What Does Transmission Fluid Do?

Transmission fluid has a big job. It is used to:

• Lubricate the moving parts inside your automatic transmission
• Cool the transmission
• Transmit energy from the engine to the drive wheels

But ATF does even more. It has chemicals that help prevent corrosion and wear, clean the transmission, condition the gaskets, and so on. So it's a pretty complex fluid.

As with all things auto, there are different specs for ATF. It's important to use the ATF that is right for your car or truck. Using the wrong ATF can damage your transmission.

ATF should be changed according to your owner's manual, usually every 30,000 miles or so. If it's been a while, bring your car or truck to any of our stores for an ATF flush and refill.