For almost every driver in Albuquerque, Transmission repair is perhaps the most feared set of words in auto repair. The perception is that transmission repairs have a habit of emptying the bank account, but the costs of preserving your transmission can be greatly reduced if the proper steps are taken.

Transmission maintenance must be done on schedule because it is one of the most sophisticated pieces of machinery that most people are exposed to. Although it is capable of dealing with a significant amount of abuse, it is extremely important to give it the care it needs if you are to avoid high transmission repair costs.

Cross-section of a car gearbox and clutch.

First and foremost, it is essential that your car transmission has the proper level of fluid. Though this is not a difficult thing to achieve, it is still very important that the levels are within tolerances outlined by the manufacturer. The reason this must be strictly adhered to is that the risks of having too much fluid are the same as having too little.

Secondly, ensuring that your transmission remains clean can greatly extend the life of your transmission. Over time, small bits of dirt, grime and tiny metal shavings from inside the transmission can have serious effects on how smooth the transmission runs. These tiny contaminants act very much like sand, and as we all know, sand has very adverse effects on the inner workings of machinery.

At Advantage Automotive, we feel that the ultimate goal of almost every driver is to avoid the costs of transmission repairs altogether, though this may not be possible for the long haul of a vehicle, it is possible to keep the costs down significantly, and stretch the time between repairs to the absolute maximum. The best way to do this is to perform transmission maintenance at the recommended intervals.

Fluid exchange– if your transmission fluid starts to look dirty or brown, it’s definitely time to have it changed. Keeping the fluid clean is the single most important thing that can be done for your transmission to give it the longest life possible. We suggest changing your transmission fluid once every 30 thousand miles, or as needed depending on appearance of the fluid.

Watching for leaks – Few things are worse for a transmission than developing a leak. The vast majority of transmission problems stem from overheating, and many of these can be traced back to a transmission leak that was ignored, or left undiscovered. If you see a leak, be sure to have it dealt with sooner rather than later.

Change the filter – The transmission fluid filter can catch the vast majority of contaminants in the transmission fluid, provided of course that it is replaced on time. Otherwise the old gunk will simply be recycled into the fluid, damaging the transmission as it runs.

If you stay vigilant, and have your transmission maintenance performed on time, you can expect to avoid the vast majority of transmission problems for quite a long time. Our staff is standing by to help if you require any further information.