Tag: Transmission

How To Tell If The Transmission Is Slipping

Is your transmission slipping?First things first: what does it mean when someone says your transmission is slipping? A “slipping” transmission is what happens when you’re driving in one gear and suddenly it changes gears without you doing anything. You may notice strange noises from your engine, like “whining” or grinding. This can happen with either a manual or automatic transmission, so it’s a good thing to be aware of no matter what you drive.

The Importance of Routine Maintenance

Some of the common causes of transmission slips include worn holding devices, electronic control problems, lack of internal pressure, or bad transmission fluid level/condition. The vast majority of these causes can be avoided or eliminated by keeping up with your routine vehicle maintenance, but sometimes transmission problems can’t be helped.

The easiest way to tell if your transmission is slipping is to simply pay attention to your car. Make a mental note of how it drives normally so that you can quickly tell when something isn’t quite right. Take your car to an empty parking lot and shift gears while you drive so that you know what each one sounds like. When you’re driving normally, notice if your car’s handling changes without warning. Turn the music down and listen for changes in pitch or whining from the engine. If any of your gear shifts feel “clunky” or jerky, that’s another sign that your transmission is having problems.

If you do notice your transmission slipping, there’s no reason to panic – it doesn’t mean the car’s ruined, it just means you need to go in for maintenance right away. Waiting will only make the problem worse and cause issues that can’t be easily fixed. Procrastination is rarely the answer, and especially not in this case. If you catch the slippage in time, your car may just need a minor part replacement or a fluid change. Wait too long, though, and you could be looking at serious transmission repair or replacement.

We hope this answers your question! If you have any other questions about transmissions or other maintenance concerns, let us know.

Hope For Your Vehicle’s Transmission

Transmission

Transmission repairs have become an interesting phenomenon in the automotive repair industry.  I thought I would share some information with you that could result in saving you money!

  • Most cars will start to experience transmission issues around age six
  • When a check engine light illuminates, 20% of the time it is because of the transmission.
  • 50% of those issues can be fixed easily
  • 80% of repair shops, because they don’t have enough knowledge about transmissions will tell you it needs to be replaced.  That is because for them it is just easier to replace the entire thing since they don’t know enough about transmissions to fix it or don’t want to be bothered with it.

Many consumers are keeping their vehicles longer these days due to the economy.  We make sure we help in this area.  Consumers might opt to buy a different car rather than pay to repair their current one if the cost is high.  Replacing a transmission is a lot to pay for a repair and if the vehicle will need more of the same, say in six months, I am completely upfront with them.  I want them to make the right decision for them and for their budget.

If you feel you are having transmission problems, before you pay out an exorbitant amount of money to have it replaced, ask what the problem is exactly.  A really good shop, like Certified Automotive Specialists, can save you a lot of money!  The average repair shop just guesses instead of investigating.

Sometimes, of course, it really does need to be replaced but again, a shop that really knows what they are doing will give you options rather than “just replace it” as a solution.

If you suspect your vehicle is experiencing transmission problems, give us a call!  We’ll tell you upfront what the problem is!  We want to be the solution to your vehicle problems!

Please call us with any questions at 626-963-0814 or visit our website at www.CertifiedAutoCA.com.

Hometown Service You Can Count On!