Transmission Services in Brooklyn, New York

An Overview of Transmission Maintenance

Every car has a transmission—most of them automatic, some manual—and all of them do basically the same thing: The job of the vehicle transmission is to regulate the amount of power that goes to your wheels, always relative to the speed at which you’re traveling. The transmission actively shifts gears, much like on a multi-speed bike. Of course, there are some key distinctions between automatic and manual transmission, but what’s the same across every vehicle is that attending to regular transmission maintenance is vitally important.

Understanding Your Transmission Repair Needs

How much power does your engine need to generate? That’s a question you don’t have to think about, because your automatic transmission does it for you. That’s ultimately what a vehicle’s transmission is all about—regulating the power from the engine to match the current speed, ensuring optimal performance. Of course, this involves some wear and tear—as well as depletion of transmission fluid—so transmission maintenance is a must. But what should vehicle owners know about their transmission, and about the urgency of regular transmission repair?

How Often Should Your Car Get a Transmission Service?

As for how often you need transmission service, it just depends on the kind of car you’re driving. With some vehicles, it’s every 30,000 miles. 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 do for transmission repair or for a transmission flush.

Why A Transmission Flush?

One of the most common forms of transmission maintenance is the transmission flush—basically, having your dirty transmission fluid cleaned out and replaced. This is needed for a simple reason: As your transmission fluid becomes dirty, it ceases to function the way it’s meant to, and that can lead to more wear and tear for those gears. It’s recommended that you get a transmission flush done on a quasi-regular basis, much like you do with your oil change and tire rotation.

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.

When to Worry About Transmission Repair

There are a few warning signs that it’s time for a transmission maintenance appointment. If you notice that your car seems to have a hard time shifting gears—if there is a jostling, or a grinding noise—that’s a dead giveaway. The car slipping out of gear, or changing gears at random times, is another one. And any whining noise you heard could point to a transmission issue. That means it’s time to take your car to Meineke in Brooklyn NY for maintenance!