Bill,

I like your analogy of maintenance scheduling where the manufacturers cover their a__? But I think of the heavy towing on those hot days and tell myself that I believe the conditions are severe rather than typical. I think the $75 for a transmission filter and oil change is short money every 24,000. IMHO.

On the Camping World's Tekonsha Transmission filters: How do we size the filter from one vehicle to the other? Does Harriet's 460cu" Ford and Bob's 360cu" Dodge and my 454cu" Chevrolet the same flow characteristics? Where do we mount these? Where do we buy replacement filters? What does this do to my extended waranty? Are there really particles that get loose in a transmission to warrant a filter? Are we really trying to clean the fluids varnishing properties as a result of heating, etc.?

I want to be sure you know I am not asking all these technical questions of you and that I am trying to stir up some discussion.

I hope there are others out there that aren't reorganizing their sock drawer tonight; we've got some beneficial chit/chat going on here!

I might be repeating:

I remember an article in a magazine describing the service to a transmission. It might have been a Ford.(?) The article described the maintenance procedures on the transmission and the way to get all the fluid out. It involved draining, dropping the pan and then running the vehicle in drive with the wheels chocked or on a hanging lift(?) and pumping every last drop of transmission fluid out of the system.

The person writing the article had some very valid reasons for doing so.

I swore I was going to save that article, but I must have heaved the magazine it was in during one of the clean the office wall to wall days when I couldn't find anything else.

It might have been in a Blue Beret or the Highways magazine. That article might stir up some discussion which could cause a thread 14 miles long without any cutting.

Rich Walbridge