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I have a 1998 VW Polo with 88000 kms. I have seen on the Internet that this model has a sealed automatic transmission. Being sealed, is it possible to flush it. If so, would a flush be advisable/beneficial?

John

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 8 September 2008

One of the reason manufactures have sealed transmissions is to stop unnecessary drains, flushing and most importantly having the transmission refilled with the wrong type of fluid.

The life span of a vehicle is normally considered to be around the 200,000km mark, so the transmission fluid will be formulated to last that long. There will always be the scenario where a transmission develops a problem, and rectification work will be required and as part of the repair process, the fluid is replaced, but if there are no problems they leave it alone.

We also have to assume vehicles and transmissions with long life fluids are operated in the conditions that they are designed for.

There are garages (not all) who recommend transmission flushes and refills as a way of increasing their sales & profits and such jobs do little to provide any extra benefit to their customers.

The type of fluid a manufacturer uses and recommends can also quite often mean the difference between a smooth operating transmission and one which develops all sorts of problems, another reason to keep them sealed.

To be fair, there are some makes of vehicles with transmissions which do benefit from a flush and a change of fluid, but the majority of these units have recommended change intervals which have been quite often overlooked.

My best advice is to contact your local or nearest VW agent and ask for the specific change points for your vehicle.