Q: Multiple problems with the car I just purchased
Hey I just bought my first car and the guy told me it had 100'000 miles. Come to find out carfax said it had 185,000 in 2015 so by now I wanna assume it has 200,000 or little over that. The check engine light was taken out so if there are problems I really wouldn't know and you can feel some misfire from the car when in park and I failed my first emissions test. My question to you is would you recommend a transmission fluid change ? My friend told me not to to just leave the old fluid and ride it out. He said if anything just add new fluid on top of the old one that putting new fluid in can completely damage the tranny. Also I intend on having this car for a good while do you think I can get maybe 10 more years out of it may be more ? Your response is greatly appreciated sucks I got a shitty deal on my first car but that's life for you
My car has 200000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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Hi there. I am so sorry that this has happened to you. The Check Engine Light bulb needs to be replaced so that you know when the system sees a problem; you didn’t know that you would fail the emissions test because there was no check engine light to tell you a problem existed.
As for fluid changes, would you not change the oil and only keep adding to "prevent damage to the engine"? Of course not, changing the fluid is part of normal maintenance; just because one person didn’t change it does not mean that it should never be changed. However, a lack of maintenance on any vehicle system results in premature wear and possible damage. If something has been added to the transmission or oil to "help" the operation, this additive will be gone when you change the fluid; again, not changing this fluid will only provide you with a mirage that everything is ok until it expectantly fails. The transmission may already have internal damage.
You may or may not get 10 years out of this vehicle; it depends on how much you’re willing to invest. A good inspection by a qualified technician would be beneficial to you in determining if you want to keep the vehicle. YourMechanic has several available technicians that can assist you with a thorough safety inspection and a Check Engine Light inspection to pinpoint any issues that need to be addressed immediately.
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