Transmission Services in Martinez, California

Why is Transmission Maintenance So Important?

There are different reasons why transmission repair work is so important. One is that you eventually run out of transmission fluid; indeed, you may need a transmission flush anywhere from every 30,000 miles to every 100,000 miles, just depending on the kind of car you drive. And even apart from fluid, your transmission system undergoes a lot of wear and tear just through everyday use—so sooner or later, transmission repair is almost inevitable.

What Makes Transmission Fluid Necessary?

Your transmission system itself works a bit like a bike. When pedaling a multi-speed bike in a low gear, it’s easy to get acceleration, but hard to work up much speed. By shifting into a higher gear—once the bike is on level ground and moving at a decent clip—higher speed can be achieved. That’s essentially the same function that transmission serves within a car—regulating the power relative to speed. And that requires the use of transmission fluid, which serves a critical function—lubricating your gears and minimizing the effect of daily wear and tear. All of this points to a basic point about vehicle maintenance: You should have transmission fluid inspection—and yes, transmission flush—as part of your regular preventative maintenance schedule.

The Benefits of Your Transmission System

To understand what makes a transmission so important, think of a bike. When you pedal in a low gear, you can get great acceleration, but usually not much speed. Once you start coasting along a flat surface, you can switch to a higher gear and start improving that speed. Your car’s transmission does basically the same thing, modulating your power to ensure optimal performance.

How Often Do You Need a Transmission Flush?

As for how often you need a transmission flush, it just depends on the kind of car you’re driving. The best practice is to simply check transmission fluid whenever you do your other routine vehicle maintenance. Meineke’s service technicians can tell you if you’re do for transmission repair or for a transmission flush.

Why Check Transmission Fluid?

Transmission fluid is a critical part of your transmission, serving in one key capacity: It keeps your gears lubricated, and safeguards them against wear and tear. In other words, it extends the lifespan of your transmission system. As the transmission fluid becomes dirty, though, it doesn’t lubricate nearly as well, which is why you’ll eventually need to schedule a transmission flush.

Where Does Transmission Fluid Go Wrong?

The reason you need to have your transmission serviced on a regular basis is simple: The fluid gets dirty, and loses its lubricating power. From there, the wear and tear done to your gears can be major—and if you don’t get it checked out quickly, it could snowball into an even bigger problem down the road. The urgency of transmission maintenance cannot be overstated!