how many miles before i should replace the atf in my car? i'm at 48k now and someone told me i shoulda changed it at 36k.

 

30 K

 

oh

 

any other fluid changes, general maintenance, etc i should be aware of? this is my first car purchase and i simply don't know. my other cars have been leases so i never really cared too much about keeping them up.

 

You should do a radiator flush.

 

yeah, got that about 4k ago. got it done with the tranny cooler which may or may not be cooling anything.

 

Dealer changed my fluid for the first time @ 15k as part of some 15k Service package or something. Didn't realized that I needed that done until I picked up my car and drove it ofr the first time. WOW! What a difference fresh ATF makes! I'm changing it every 15k from now on.

 

does the manual say 30k? Anyhow, I would do it at 30K.... along with a radiator flush

 

Why not read the maintenance schedule?

 

The maintenance schedule in the owners manual is really only to get you through the warranty period without trouble. If you expect to have a car go past 100k miles/7 years without expensive repairs, you have to do more preventive manintence. All fluid should be changed/freshened every two years. Not just the coolant and ATF, but also the brake fluid and PS fluid.