Transmission Repair - Listen Up! Your Car Is Talking

Cars talking? Come on! Get real! But recently, I heard about a new form of communication called, "Cooperative Driving". It's a fledgling system of cars talking with each other on the highway. This may seem like something from outer space, but did you know your car could talk to you now?

A car can make as many as 48 different noises or "words". Each one indicates there's something wrong with your vehicle. I'll bet you didn't know your car has such a huge vocabulary. Stands to reason when your car is brand new, it's pretty silent. It's content to just stroll along its merry way, cruising down the highway of life. It really doesn't have a whole lot say. As it ages, it begins to grumble and groan or knock and ping much like our bodies do as Father Time begins to follow us around.

So how do you learn this unique car language? First of all, you've got to turn down your radio and turn up your hearing aid while driving. Sit quietly and listen while you're making your way to your favorite restaurant for take out. That's the first step in understanding car lingo. Listening. I knew someone once who admittedly knew they had a peculiar noise coming from the engine, but they said, in order not to hear it and face the problem; they just turned the radio up louder. Bad idea. Odd thing about cars - they don't like to be ignored.

Okay. Your radio is off. Next step. Once you hear your car speaking to you via a knock or a ping, try to determine exactly where the noise is coming from. What's that? You think it's coming from under the hood? Now you understand Language 101 in car talk. Here's a tip. Try taping the sound. This info will really help your mechanic. Besides, when you tell your friends your car talks to you, you'll have proof that you're not going crazy!

When you finally do take your car to your friendly mechanic, and you play the tape back to him, he may tell you it sounds as if you need transmission repair. First of all, don't panic! This sort of service work isn't as bad awful as it used to be years ago. We've come a long way baby isn't just a funny slogan. If your car is in need of transmission repair, it's very possible to have a rebuild done which saves time and money. And, if you're lucky, maybe your car will just need a thorough flushing out of its mechanical systems.

Remember, you don't have to get a college degree to understand exactly what your car is trying to tell you. Either record the noise or memorize the way it sounds, take this information to your transmission repair mechanic and let him figure out what it's trying to say. Don't let your talkative car drive you crazy any longer.