Sealed transmissions are car transmissions systems that, as the name says, are sealed up. These are systems where you're not meant to change the transmission fluid for as long as you have the transmission. Both automatic and CVT transmissions can be sealed. If you're looking for a new car and have wondered if buying one with a sealed transmission is going to cause maintenance and repair problems down the road, a good person to ask is your mechanic. Chances are, you'll find out some very good things about sealed transmissions.
Less Worry About Leaks (but Not "No" Worry)
Sealed transmissions do have access ports so that mechanics can evaluate the state of the fluid inside, but there are no huge openings for the fluid to drain out quickly and be refilled quickly as you'd see in a transmission that wasn't sealed. That greatly reduces the risk of a leak from one of those openings. However, as with any car part, metal, plastic, and rubber can all wear through or be punctured, so the risk isn't fully eliminated. Still, it should be more than a bit calming to realize that leaks from the transmission are not going to be a constant issue.
Less Fluid to Dispose Of
If the system is sealed and the fluid is meant to last, you won't be flushing out the transmission and disposing of the old fluid. You won't be using more replacement fluid, either, which will only become more old fluid to be disposed of in a few years. This helps the environment greatly as there is simply less to worry about.
Less Maintenance Overall
With a sealed transmission system, assuming the transmission stays in good shape for the life of the car, you will have less maintenance to deal with overall. You'll still need to have the transmission inspected and checked — it's a mechanical part, and all mechanical parts are at least at some risk of having problems. But you won't need to schedule regular transmission fluid flushes, and that really does save you time.
You'll still be able to take your new car to your current mechanic for maintenance and repairs, and you can ask them about what they've noticed regarding sealed transmissions. Also ask about whether they've noticed increased or fewer problems with the model of the car you plan to buy. If you haven't had a car for a while and actually don't have a regular mechanic now, start looking so that you can take the car into a shop you trust.
For more information on sealed transmissions like automatic transmissions, contact a company near you.
Share16 August 2022
I love to take my car down to the track on the weekend. Running a race car is an expensive exercise so I need to be smart about how I spend my limited car budget. I do some of my auto servicing myself, but I don't have the equipment to some of the more complex jobs. I have put a lot of time and energy into my car so it's quite a commitment to trust someone else with my car, even for a few days, so I've found a trustworthy car service centre with a lot of experience in high performance vehicles. This blog has some tips on finding car servicing for racing cars.