An automatic transmission (automatic transmission) is one of the most reliable units of a car. Its repair is included in the warranty service, and car manufacturers try to do everything possible so that it does not fail before the end of the warranty period. For the most part, automatic transmissions are designed for a certain period of operation, after which they may become unusable. There is an opinion that it is not necessary to change the oil in an automatic transmission. We propose to figure out whether this is really so, and if you change the oil in an automatic transmission, then when?
Any motorist knows that it is necessary to change the oil in the engine, and he has a period of work. After several thousand kilometers, the engine oil poured into the engine becomes unusable. This is due to the fact that it works in an environment in which a lot of combustion products are formed. In turn, gear oil operates in much "softer" conditions, and it may seem that its replacement is not required.
There are two opinions on this subject, each of which has its own justification:
It should be noted that if we are talking about a CVT automatic transmission, then the recommendation for changing the oil is written in the “passport” of the car. This type of transmission does not allow the oil to retain its useful properties for more than 60 thousand kilometers, and at this point it should be replaced so that the gearbox does not fail.
If you decide to follow the recommendations of the transmission manufacturers and change the oil in the gearbox, you should not do this as often as. The best option would be to search for information on the frequency of oil changes specifically in your transmission. Such information can be easily found on the Internet. Most often, it is indicated when to change the oil in an automatic transmission under standard or severe operating conditions. These figures vary significantly, by about 30%.
The severe operating conditions of the automatic transmission are as follows:
If it was not possible to find information on the frequency of changing the oil in an automatic transmission for a specific transmission model, general recommendations should be followed. Most often, an automatic transmission oil change is carried out, when the car is operated under normal conditions, after 60-70 thousand kilometers. It is believed that in older models of cars (before 2000), an oil change in the gearbox is required more often - once every 30-40 thousand kilometers during normal operation.
Attention: If you bought a car "from hand", we advise you to immediately change the oil in the automatic transmission or check its quality.
We recommend reading:The easiest way to check the oil in an automatic transmission is to take a sample of it. It is almost impossible to determine "by sound" or by the nature of the movement of the car that an oil change in the box is required, unless we are talking about critical cases. 
To check the oil in the automatic transmission, you should take a little of it for a sample and drop it on a white sheet of paper or rags. Next, it remains to determine the degree of oil contamination by color, in accordance with the following rules:
- The oil is transparent. If the oil is clear, then it does not need to be changed. In this case, do not pay attention to the color of the oil. In the process, pink oil may turn black, but the main thing is that it remains transparent;
- Cloudy oil. If no white sheet is visible through the oil, then it is contaminated with small particles and should be changed. In this situation, the driver can choose a full oil change or a partial one;
- Oil with chips. If the details of metal chips or other particles are clearly visible in the oil sample taken from the box, then there will soon be big problems with the transmission. Also, this oil has a pungent smell of burning. Most often, when metal chips appear, an oil change will no longer be able to save the automatic transmission from destruction.
If you suspect the beginning of the destruction of the gearbox, you can completely drain the oil and remove the sump to diagnose the problem with the gearbox. A clean pallet will show that the fears were false. If a small metal shaving (the so-called “hedgehogs”) has stuck to it, it should be understood that the destruction of the automatic transmission has begun, and soon the transmission will stop working properly. Having noticed obvious pieces of metal on the pallet, which can be more than 1 mm in diameter, it is possible to diagnose the actual destruction of the gearbox and the need for urgent overhaul.
An automatic transmission is an expensive unit, and it is necessary to fill it with strictly the oil recommended by the car manufacturer. If the original oil could not be found, then it is necessary to find its analogue. In the reference literature of a particular car model, as well as on the Internet, they always write the name of not only the original automatic transmission oil, but also its analogue.
Attention: It is possible to completely change the type of oil poured into an automatic transmission only if the transmission and torque converter have been completely disassembled. Mixing different "grades" of oil can lead to the destruction of the gearbox.
