Transmission Repair Checklist - Who Says Cars Can't Talk?

If you've driven your car for any length of time, you automatically know by "feel" and sound when something's wrong. People who want to humor you will say it's only your imagination, but you know better.

If your car goes on strike and won't move forward or backward even though the engine light is on, this may prove to be a serious problem with its gears. Without regular cleaning, gears tend to get dirty and can "gum up" your car's operating system. After towing it to the service station, a good internal flushing will get your car feeling like new again.

When your car is in neutral, is it as noisy as Niagara Falls after a rainstorm? One reason may be the loss of fluid in some area of your car surrounding the gears. Or, the fluids themselves may have gotten dirty and need changing. Or it may be something even more serious like a mechanical part needs replacement.

Slipping gears when you're trying to make haste to an important appointment can be very frustrating. Normally, when you shift gears, they stay where they're put. But sometimes they will simply slip or pop out of place while you're driving. This can be potentially dangerous and nerve racking. It's a clear indication you are in desperate need of a transmission repair service ASAP.

For those of you die-hard manual car drivers, you probably know your clutch can drag sometimes. This isn't normal and is an indication of trouble that needs immediate attention with transmission repair. Basically, this happens when the driver pushes in the clutch pedal and the clutch disk doesn't back off the flywheel. This causes a problem shifting gears - they won't. What's worse, an awful grinding noise occurs causing embarrassment among your parking lot peers. Thankfully, this isn't a difficult or costly problem to fix.

Did you know your car could whine just as much as you or your kids? Yep. It's true. Sometimes it's difficult to describe a noise to a mechanic. I know. I've tried that only to fail. But when you drive a car all the time, you know when you hear something that's not right even it you can't exactly tell the mechanic what it sounds like. Once he drives it, he'll probably know that it needs transmission repair just from the sound. If your car is an automatic, the sound may be like whirring or buzzing. If your car is a manual drive, the sound may be more "clunky". Whew! Sounds are as hard to write about, as they are to describe.

Now you know your car has a language all its own. Don't let car noise gremlins and woes stop you from getting where you need to go. A little preventative maintenance will keep your car running smoothly. Be proactive. But if your car does decide to go on strike, solve the issues quickly by visiting a qualified mechanic. You'll be glad you did.