| By :
Nick Messe
For a lot of people their transmission is out of sight and out of mind. When you throw open the hood the engine is staring you right in the face, but the transmission is buried off somewhere such that you never see it. If you're well schooled in basic maintenance you might check your transmission fluid every once in a while. However, the fact is that your transmission is a very important and complex component that deserves the same attention and care as the engine and the other systems your car is made up of. A lot of different symptoms can easily be misdiagnosed as engine problems when they are in fact indicating issues with the transmission. This is why it's important to have your car checked by a repair shop or mechanic with a wide breadth of knowledge. A lack of power or flat spot on acceleration could indicate engine or exhaust issues, but such symptoms can just as easily result from problems with the transmission. A bad torque converter can make a clunking sound, low fluid or loose bands can cause problems on acceleration due to shifting issues, and even more diverse problems can be caused by the plethora of electronic and computerized components present in modern transmissions. Today a good transmission repair shop has a number of tools in their arsenal. Good techs will be able to narrow down symptoms to a short list of possible causes simply by test driving and listening to the way the car runs, but they'll also have complex diagnostic equipment available as well. Many modern vehicles separate their engine and transmission computer monitoring systems, such that only a dedicated transmission shop is likely to have the full range of diagnostic capabilities. Oftentimes a well qualified transmission repair shop will be able to use these advanced diagnostic tools to pull trouble codes and diagnose electronic components that are the root cause of your problems. In some cases the faulty electronics will be located inside the transmissions and require removing the transmission to get to them, but often the shop will be able to save you time and money by replacing components without removing the transmission. This is why it pays to always take your car to a reputable transmission repair shop if you suspect transmission problems. Costly transmission repairs can be often be avoided through a thorough schedule of preventative maintenance. If you can find a good, reputable transmission repair shop it benefits you to get your car in on a regular basis to have it checked up. The transmission repair shop will be able to check and flush your fluid as needed, check for trouble codes that might not have turned a light on yet and more. If the shop you choose doesn't exclusively work on transmissions you can even have brake repair issues and regular service items checked out at the same time. When you're considering maintenance options or even hearing funny noises don't forget to think about your transmission. It might be stuck out of sight under your car. But if it fails you'll be stuck on the road just as surely as if your engine gave out. It certainly pays to be proactive.
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