Many people opt for automatic cars due to the ease of driving. There’s no need to worry about gears and clutch; driving an automatic car is as easy as it gets. However, the convenience does come at a cost. Generally, repairs for automatic cars can be costly when compared to manual cars. One way to save on repairs, however, is regular automatic transmission maintenance.
Let’s explore how you can keep your car’s transmission healthy.
How to Maintain Automatic Transmission Performance
To keep your automatic car’s transmission up and effective and to avoid transmission problems follow these maintenance tips:
Keep a Check on The Transmission Fluid
The car transmission fluid is a great indicator of the transmission’s overall health. Keeping a check on the fluid levels is an integral part of automatic transmission maintenance, as this fluid plays a vital role in enhancing the transmission’s performance and life.
Checking automatic transmission fluid level is pretty simple:
- Park your car but don’t switch off the car engine.
- Pull out the dipstick from the engine.
- Wipe the dipstick and insert it back into the engine.
- Wait for a bit and pull the dipstick back out.
- If the fluid level is low, this might be due to a fluid leak.
- Make sure the fluid is red in colour, clear and sweet-smelling.
- In case the fluid is dark, muddy and smells rotten, take your car to a professional.
Use the Right Transmission Fluid
Many times car owners unintentionally damage their car by putting non-compatible automatic transmission fluid in the engine. For automatic transmission maintenance, it is pertinent to use the right type of transmission fluid as mentioned in the owner’s manual. All you have to do is go through the manual and use a fluid compatible with your vehicle.
Flush Out Transmission Fluid
The owner’s manual from the vehicle’s manufacturer details the time and mileage for changing your car’s transmission fluid. How frequently you need to change the fluid depends on the miles covered, your driving habits, the conditions and terrains and a car’s operating temperature.
A general automatic car maintenance rule is to flush out the transmission fluid at least once a year.
A transmission flush out from a professional ensures no oil fluid remains in the torque converter or oil cooler lines unnecessarily. Flushing out also helps eliminate any grease and dirt particles trapped in the transmission.
Getting a transmission flush or exchange regularly makes sure you don’t end up paying huge repair costs.
Inspect Car Cooling System
A car’s cooling system not only prevents the engine from overheating, it also ensures that the transmission fluid pumping through the gearbox is at an ideal temperature. A faulty cooling system can severely damage the engine and transmission of your automatic vehicle.
To make sure the engine and transmission fluid don’t overheat, inspect the car cooling system and maintain it for your car’s safety.
Keep a Check on The Brakes
Drivers often have the habit of pressing their feet slightly on the brake pedal. However, this isn’t a good practice. Even a small push on the brake pedal puts a serious strain on the engine and the automatic transmission.
Your brake light switch will also turn on unnecessarily due to the pressing of the brakes. Therefore, avoid resting your foot on the brake, even if you’re injecting little pressure.
Shift Gears Mindfully
This is one of the easiest automatic transmission maintenance tips. Ensure to completely stop your vehicle before shifting gears from ‘drive’ to ‘reverse’ and vice-versa. Failing to do so and shifting gears while the car is moving will damage your car’s transmission over time.
The most important part of car automatic transmission maintenance and care is a routine inspection as described in the owner’s manual. You can also extend your vehicle’s life by following a car maintenance checklist.
If your car needs too many costly repairs, it’s best to switch. You can go through quality used cars in the UAE at a variety of price ranges and select the one that fits your needs best.
Stay tuned to the UAE’s top car blog for more about car mechanisms, auto parts, auto tips and car DIYs.
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