North Austin Pflugerville Auto Repair

To start with, use your owners manual and look at the section that is outlined for severe service. (usually section B) The reasoning here is that we live in a dusty, hot area of the country. These conditions can be hard on the typical transmission. Heat is another one of the major contributing factors to transmission failure. One step onto a parking lot during a Texas Summer and it is no doubt that the Texas Heat is brutal on your cars transmission. It is because of this we would recommend to have your transmission serviced about every 50,000 miles or two years (which ever comes first) However, your book may say something different. If you don’t have your vehicle book, just gives us a call and we will look it up. The real key here is to make sure that you have your service done by a company that will perform that services as specified by the manufacturer. That means, get rid of the idea that power flushing (in most cases) is a great idea. Most times, it can cause more problems ... read more

Believe it or not, this isn’t as simple a question and you might think. Different makes and models have different procedures for checking the transmission fluid level. For most American cars and trucks, (with the exception of Dodge and Chrysler) you would do the following: 1. Make sure the vehicle is on flat ground. 2. Make sure that the engine is running and the trans is in park. 3. Open the hood, and locate the transmission dip stick. 4. Pull the dip stick out and wipe off any trans fluid with a clean rag. 5. Re-insert the dip stick all the way, then pull it back out. 6. Check the leading edge of the fluid against the level marks on the stick. (Check both sides of the stick to be sure you are getting a true level) For most Dodge and Chrysler Products, you would do the same procedure except you will set the parking brake and place the transmission into neutral. BMW – Depending upon year, may require a hoist to check the trans level. Mercedes – Depending upon year may ... read more

This is another one of those tough questions to answer. Outside of the transmission falling out onto the ground while you are driving down the road, the average individual (and quite a few mechanics) may not really know if they are having a transmission problem, or something that is acting like a transmission problem. Some recommend checking the fluid color and smell, but with some of the new transmission fluids used in new cars and trucks, the color is already darker than what many of us are use to. The pretty cherry red fluid is no longer the norm in many vehicles. The smell is different too, due to special additives which may lead one to believe that there is burning going on, when there really isn’t. Today’s transmissions are also directly integrated with the new engine control systems in use. These high power computers control everything that your vehicle does, from turning on the A/C to telling your trans how to shift and when. When something on your vehicle starts t ... read more