2003 Buick Century Schedule

Yes, it's extremely important to change your transmission fluid at 30,000. Whoever told you that having your transmission flushed would cause problems is dead wrong, and if you listen to them, your transmission will be dead.

Now having said that, it's a good idea to go above and beyond what your dealer advises.

When your car is new, it's a must that you follow their maintenance schedules. But once you vehicle builds up many miles (100,000+), then it's an even better idea to have the fluids changed even sooner. Say, oil+2,000, Trans+20,000.

Because your vehicle can possibly last 300,000 miles if you keep you fluids FRESH! And the same goes for a tune-up.

The older the car, the more frequent the attention. It'll keep going, and going, and going.

Every manufacture recommends different service intervals, even within their different models. It's always best to follow their recommendations, since they spend billions of dollars every year in research and development.

But from my experience as a mechanic, the older your car gets, the shorter you want to make those intervals. Because as the internal components of transmissions and engines begin to wear, they produce deposits of metal and carbon that builds up more and more over time. Putting in fresh fluids is what "washes" these deposits away, and provides a new film (Lubricant) between these parts that will help them wear longer.

And it all depends on how much you care about your car. Ever notice how people who love their cars take good care of them, and they run and look like brand new even 20-years later vs. People who dog their cars out and never do anything but get in them and go? Well, those people are the ones who drive down the street belching black smoke with their mufflers hanging on the ground.

My point is, the more frequent you change your fluids and tune your vehicle, the longer it'll last.

And finally, anytime you have a transmission flush, or oil change, it must include a filter as well. Because all of those deposits I spoke of earlier are deposited in the filter. Not changing your filter is like taking a shower and putting on the same dirty clothes. Make's sense?