We begin our penultimate article about how you can extend the life of your car by talking about the transmission. It is best to change the fluid and filter of an automatic transmission after the first 5,000 miles (8,000 km) and then once every 25,000 miles (40,000 km) or once every two years, whichever comes first.
Another way would be to check the owner’s manual to see the recommended timetable for making this procedure. It is highly recommended that you make these changes annually if you use the vehicle for towing.
Those of you that have a car equipped with a manual gearbox should replace the lubricant after the first 5,000 miles (8,000 km) and then once every 50,000 miles (80,000 km). Unless the owner’s manual says otherwise, you should buy synthetic motor oil or gear lube to prolong the life of your transmission.
If you will be doing a lot of towing, consider adding oil coolers in case the vehicle doesn’t have them. Those aftermarket transmission fluid and engine oil coolers are affordable addons which will work just the same as the vehicle’s radiator. These allow the fluids to flow through them and are capable of absorbing and dissipating excessive heat. The lifespan of your engine and transmission is significantly increased if the engine oil and transmission fluid operate at a lower temperature.
Another valuable piece of advice that we can give you is to check out the hoses beneath the bonnet at least once a month or two so that you will avoid problems related to a broken hose while you are taking a longer trip. To properly check these, the hoses have to be squeezed when the car is cool and off. You’ll have to replace them if you hear any crunching sounds or if they are very hard, sticky or soft. The hoses must be inspected for collapsed sections or for bulges when the car is turned off yet still warm.
Moving on to the seatbelts, you should begin with the one on the driver’s seat and verify its condition and tension. This has to be done at least once a month and keep in mind that a belt which is too tight can eventually wear out the bearings in the accessory compartments, like water pump, AC compressor, as well as the power steering pump. If the belts are too loose, these will wear out quicker and prematurely fail. Needless to say, the examination procedure must be done before you drive off with the vehicle.
To check out the tension you should press in the center section of the belt’s longest exposed run while holding a ruler next to it. The tension is good when you can depress the belt half to one inch but no less or more. If the tension is bad, you should adjust it according to what the owner’s manual says or you can go to a repair shop to get the problem fixed. Don’t forget to look for any belt damage like cracks, fraying or glazing which is often caused by oil leakage.
