One of the most important parts of owning a car is making sure your vehicle is getting all the routine maintenance it needs. This is so it continues to give you great performance around Littleton, Parker, and Castle Rock, CO.
A part of this maintenance includes inspections. While most inspections should be performed by a professional—like the ones here at McDonald Hyundai—there are a few checks you can do yourself at home. This includes checking the transmission fluid, which we explain how to do in this guide.
To check and see if it is time to change your transmission fluid, just follow these easy steps:
You will first need to get the engine warmed up before you go ahead and check the transmission fluid. Have your car parked on an even surface and the gearshift in Park and let your engine run for a little bit.
Next, you can pop open the hood and find the automatic transmission fluid dipstick. Â Once you have found it, pull out the dipstick and wipe it clean before replacing it slowly back in.
Once you have placed the dipstick fully back in, you can then pull it out once again. At this point, you are now ready to get a reading on its level. There should be marks on the dipstick, with one reading full. If fluid levels are below that marking, you are going to need to add more fluid.
Before doing that, though, you will also want to inspect the condition of the transmission fluid. If the fluid is a red or pink color, then your fluid is still healthy and in great shape. If you notice it is a darker, more brownish red or even black color, then you will want to go ahead and schedule a transmission fluid replacement.
If the fluid is still in good condition, then you can go ahead and just add more fluid until it reaches the fill line on the dipstick. Use a funnel to make it easier to pour in the fluid and do this incrementally, so you don’t overfill.
Even after filling your transmission fluid, make sure to regularly check it again in the next few days to make sure it wasn’t a leak that caused the low levels in the first place. If it does become low again, you will want to have your car serviced to fix the leak. Also, if the fluid color is dark, you will want to have your transmission fluid flushed out and replaced with fresh, new fluid.
Now that you know how to check transmission fluid, go ahead and see if you have enough clean transmission fluid in your vehicle. If you notice it is time to change it or think you may have a leak, our technicians here at McDonald Hyundai can help you out.
Schedule an appointment with our service center now and our professionals can make sure your transmission is in top shape and filled with high-quality fluid for exceptionally smooth, safe, and efficient performance around Littleton, Parker, and Castle Rock, Colorado.
