How to extend the life of an automatic transmission?

There's a common misconception among car owners that automatic transmissions are less reliable and less durable than manuals. That's not so. Or rather, not quite so. An automatic is just more demanding about maintenance quality and operating conditions, and accordingly, if the automatic transmission is serviced correctly and on time, and driven properly, an automatic transmission can last just as long as a manual, or even longer.

So, here are a few important points that owners of cars with automatic transmissions should understand and keep in mind:

• "Kick-down" in an automatic transmission is only for extreme situations! This isn't a sports car, is it? So don't try to turn your everyday car into one. If deep down you're a street racer, an automatic gearbox clearly isn't the right choice for you. At high revs the oil temperature in the transmission rises and the clutch packs wear out faster. And from a safety standpoint, you shouldn't be making any sudden moves behind the wheel anyway.

• The oil in the transmission must be changed on time! That's right — if the service book says 60 thousand kilometres or two years, whichever comes first, then that's exactly what you need to do. An automatic transmission is extremely sensitive to oil quality, and over time (mileage) it loses its performance properties significantly. And an automatic transmission repair is a very expensive pleasure.

• No substitutes! If there's an original transmission oil from the carmaker for your gearbox, use only that one! Simply the name ATF is usually not enough — transmission manufacturers often impose their own additional requirements on transmission oils that go beyond standard quality classes like DEXTRON III.

• At traffic lights and in traffic jams, you should absolutely never shift the transmission into "park" or "neutral" — sitting in "drive" for a few minutes does far less harm and wear (by a factor of ten) than repeatedly shifting back and forth.

• In winter, you must always warm up the automatic transmission! No matter what (make, model, type of transmission oil, and so on), in freezing weather start the car, engage (without releasing the brake pedal) "drive" for a few minutes, then "reverse" for a few more minutes. 4-5 minutes of this kind of warm-up at -10 is entirely enough.

• Always use the handbrake! Regardless of whether your car is parked on a slope or not, the correct and safe way to start and shut off the engine, for the sake of the automatic transmission, is by the following sequence:

1. Shutting off the engine: bring the car to a complete stop — (without taking your foot off the brake pedal) shift into "park" — (still without releasing the brake) apply the handbrake — shut off the engine
2. Starting the engine: press the brake pedal — start the engine — (without releasing the brake) shift into "drive" or "reverse" — release the handbrake — release the brake.