Driving Habits that can Cause Damage to Your Transmission

The automatic transmission is a very important module of your car. It allows your vehicle to cruise at highway speed without blowing up the motor. It multiplies the torque of your engine to aid in propelling the weight of your vehicle. It makes driving in traffic less stressful as it eliminates the clutch and shifts itself.

While vital to the proper operation of your car, many people take their automatic transmission for granted. Even worse, they contribute to their failure via bad habits. Let's take a look at some of the bad habits that can destroy your transmission.

The transmission is undoubtedly one of the most important parts of your car. It's also one of the most expensive to repair, so if you want to prevent damaging it, make sure you avoid the following.

Car overheating

Many people continue driving when their cars overheat or take actions on their own to fix the overheating, especially with older vehicles (like constantly refilling coolant). This not only has an effect on the engine but can also cause severe harm to the transmission, which uses the same cooling system.

Skipping transmission flushes

When recommended by your mechanic, don't neglect to have your transmission fluid changed. Like other fluids in your car, it breaks down and becomes dirty over time, rendering it less effective at protecting transmission parts from heat as well as less effective at lubricating transmission components, which is one of its primary jobs.

Exceeding tow limits

Even if you own a car, truck or SUV that's rated for towing, it's essential not to push the limits of your vehicle's towing capacity, which can put lots of added stress on your transmission.

Towing with drive wheels on the ground

To be safe, if you have an automatic transmission and your vehicle is being towed, never leave the drive wheels on the ground. And if you have a vehicle with 4WD, choose a flatbed truck if your vehicle ever needs to be towed.

Shifting without stopping

With some new cars, this may not be an issue. However, for all cars with automatic transmissions, it is advised to coming to a full stop before shifting (e.g., from drive to reverse and so on). This will help prevent straining your transmission.

Not using parking brake

Especially on hills, this can be hard on an automatic transmission. Some experts even recommend using the handbrake every time you park to help take extra pressure off of the transmission.

Ignoring transmission fluid

Checking transmission fluid levels periodically is essential. A low fluid level is highly damaging since it means there's not enough fluid to properly lubricate all of the components that work hard to make your car run.

Clogged transmission fluid filter

Most people don't know there's a filter for the transmission fluid. This filter helps keep the fluid clean and of high quality. If the filter becomes clogged, it will not let the right amount of fluid through. The lack of lubricating and cooling transmission fluid will either cause the transmission to grind to a halt, or it will overheat.

Leaking transmission fluid

The easiest way to predict transmission problems is to look for signs of a physical leak. The fluid is usually red in color. Leaks are typically found near the drain plug or seal between the transmission and the engine. Transmission fluid is imperative for the operation of your car.

Remember

If you don't service your transmission on regular schedule dirt and contaminants can build up and cause your transmission to develop problems over time. Your transmissions performance will decrease and the parts inside will wear out. If you ignore regular maintenance for your transmission long enough it will eventually fail outright. These are all early warning signs that something might be wrong with your transmission. It is best to bring your car to a certified transmission expert.

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