This droid's got a bad motivator!

Sorry, no pictures today. The novelty of a 1.3+ megapixel camera on my phone has worn off. Maybe one day I'll splurge and go for a bonafide all-inclusive smart phone instead of a moderately clever phone trying to run with the big kids.

Warning: The following text may be boring.

Saturday saw the auspicious occasion of my graduation from "Lazy Car Owner" to "Car Owner Who's Actually Crawled Under Their Car And Unscrewed Something". Oil change? Child's play. We're talking about an automatic transaxle fluid transfer (which is the fanciest way I could think of to say 'transmission fluid change', and which happens to be easier than an oil change). So yeah, after half a dozen mechanics suggesting that I get my ATF (automatic transmission fluid) changed, and then quoting exorbitantly inflated labor charges, I set about researching if it was doable for the amateur home auto mechanic.

I found out that there is a heated battle going on between the proponents of ATF flushes, and those who believe in ATF changes. Simply put, the flush involves a machine which forcefully pushes a solvent (I think) through all the ATF-containing components in your vehicle, exchanging the whole ~10 quarts of fluid in the system, but potentially breaking off chunks of built-up grime and getting them lodged in valves and whatnot. The alternative is to remove the drain plug or drop the drain pan from the underside of your engine, and let 3-4 quarts drain out of the main fluid compartment, then repeat the process 15 miles later, thus diluting the old fluid out of the system (although some forums said 10,000 miles later).

ATF Flush: $100-150, 1 hour at the mechanic

ATF Change: $30 (4 quarts of ATF, funnel, drain pan), 2 hours of research, 30 mins of labor

So next time your mechanic suggests an ATF flush ("What's that? You offer that service here? And you promise your suggestion is unbiased?) I say try it yourself. You'll get a little dirty, and spend longer doing it, but you'll emerge from under the hood with a fuller wallet and a sense of accomplishment. And then you can brag about it on your blog!

Ok, fine, here's a funny-looking coffee stain: