[Beav]

The rpm should not increase during the shift no matter if you're driving easy or hard. It is true that a smooth shift is harder on a transmission than a firm or hard shift - kinda like slipping the clutch with a manual tranny. If you do a search for 'transmission' you'll find many posts with the same problem that end up needing a tranny. Some prolong the inevitable by disconnecting the resistor behind the battery (thereby raising the line pressure) but if you have a warranty you'd be crazy to do that. If the service dept. found that they might be nice enough to disallow your warranty.