Transmission Repair for the Long Haul

Remember when you got your first gear-shifting bike for Christmas? You didn't even care about whatever other gifts you got—the sweaters, the stockings teeming with socks, the new soccer cleats—those all could wait. All you wanted to do was go outside and try out your spiffy new bike with its eighteen different possible gears. You certainly weren't experienced in this craft, likely didn't even really know what it little number on the handlebar meant, so you messed around with them a lot, switching back and forth between one and other until—whoops—there's that heart-stopping sound of a loose chain and all of the sudden that brand new bike doesn't look so brand new anymore.

Fast forward, say, another twenty-five years. You've finally shrugged off the old family station wagon and have bought yourself a brand new car. As it was before, your first instinct is to take it out on the road for a spin. Only history repeats itself: you immerse yourself a little too deeply in the fantasy, start switching gears when you shouldn't be switching gears, thinking you're a real pro; and then—whoops, again—another sound, only this time even more severe and gut-wrenching. And now it's not your bike chain that needs fixing—you need a transmission repair, and without one, good luck getting that car moving again anytime soon.

Now, although this scenario is a possibility and has certainly happened before, it's more likely that you need a transmission repair not because you were too busy trying to fulfill your NASCAR aspirations, but because your car is weathering through the same wear and tear that all cars experience. Some common signs that you probably need to bring you car in for a consultation include a check engine light (this should be obvious enough), no forward or reverse movement (again), noticeably weak acceleration, bad gas mileage, harsh or rough shifting between gears, vibrating, engine racing for no apparent reason, or severe bucks moving when shifting to drive or reverse. Any of these symptoms could indicate that a transmission repair is in order. If you take your car to a professional auto mechanic, just like with any other routine tune-up, they'll provide you with an expert consultation and fair estimate.

Whether you drive an automatic, semi-automatic, manual, or any other style, without a fully functional gear shifting system your car is not particularly useful. No one wants a car whose engine doesn't work, whose oil is constantly leaking, whose wheels are perpetually flat. And likewise no one wants a car that can't go forward when you want it to or go backward when you need it to or park when you need it to sit still. A car that can't perform those operations ceases to be a car. It's a hassle. Get a transmission repair to keep your car from being something other than a car.