How to extend the life of your automatic transmission

January 22, 2024

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Proper maintenance of your car’s automatic transmission is the best way to get the most stress-free miles from it you possibly can. We’ve put together our best pro tips for maintaining your automatic gearbox to help you avoid costly breakdowns and keep the road humming smoothly beneath your wheels.

7 Auto Transmission Longevity Tips

1. Check the Fluid

Just like petrol and oil, without transmission fluid, you’re in trouble. Transmission fluid lubricates bearings and other metal parts so shifting is smooth and doesn’t strain the gearbox. For newer cars, once a year should suffice unless you see any of these signs of low fluid:

Dark puddles or drip spots under your car
Warning light on the dashboard
Slight gear slippage or hesitation
Burning oil smell

Check your levels immediately if you experience any of these issues. If you’re topping it off, check the owner’s manual for the correct type of fluid for your car. To find the root cause of the problem, schedule a transmission checkup immediately.

2. Stop Completely Before Reversing

Before you shift into or out of reverse, bring your car to a full stop. When you’re in a hurry or distracted, you might shift prematurely. Changing gears while your car is moving is jarring and puts unnecessary strain and wear on your transmission.

3. Know Your Towing Limit

Some vehicles are rated to tow very heavy loads, but most are not. Transmissions send power to your wheels, so when you’re towing, your gearbox is working overtime. Towing more than your engine and transmission can handle can cause it to overheat and lead to early system failure.

Check your owner’s manual for your car’s tow limit and never exceed it. Slow down when towing uphill and rest it if you feel engine or transmission strain.

4. Warm It Up

Let your car warm up for a few minutes before you take off. This allows time for all the fluids to warm up properly so they can sufficiently disperse and lubricate the transmission.

If you zoom off while everything is still cold, a control unit tries to warm up the transmission by delaying shifting so the gearbox revs higher and longer to generate its own heat. Morning after morning, this can cause damage from compounded wear and tear.

5. Drive on Matching Tires

If you get a flat tire and need to use a spare, get a new tire as soon as you can. Not only can driving on a spare ruin your wheel alignment, but it also stresses your automatic gearbox. When tires are mismatched, your transmission must rotate the wheels at different speeds, causing strain on the system.

6. Use the Hand Brake

Shifting into park engages the parking pawl, which is a pin that restricts the transmission and prevents the wheels from turning. Relying solely on the “park” position strains the pawl and could lead to premature failure.

On steep inclines, always engage the hand brake first and then put your car in park. This takes the pressure off your transmission and parking pawl.

7. Get Regular Transmission Maintenance

Getting regular, professional maintenance is the most important step to extending automatic transmission life. Your transmission is responsible for making your wheels move at the right speed with the right amount of power. Don’t put off maintenance; it could lead to an immensely expensive breakdown.

Schedule an Appointment

If you’re having issues with your transmission or need a checkup and are in the Perth area, reach out to Automatic Transmissions R Us for an appointment. We’ve been helping car owners just like you extend the life of their vehicles by keeping their transmissions in excellent working condition.

      Excellent rating  
 Based on 278 reviews 
    
  
 
 
      
     
   H S 
 35 days ago
 
 
 
 
    Came here to check my card transmission, very satisfied with the results and they give me good feed back that I need to do, luckily the transmission is no issue so, no charge for that, thanks very much for best service :)
     
   Faisal 
 42 days ago
 
 
 
 
    Ongoing issues with my car others couldn't fix, they sorted first visit, no issues since. Highly recommended 👍👍
     
   markymark9172 
 43 days ago
 
 
 
 
    Cameron and the team are the go to for transmission issues. I could not be happier with the service provided.
     
   Chris Parker 
 71 days ago
 
 
 
 
    I booked the vehicle in for a noise I thought was coming from the gearbox. Graham inspected the vehicle and found it was not a gearbox issue. Graham pointed out other possible faults that could result in the problem i was experiencing. I felt reassured and can highly recommend this repairer who didn't charge me for the diagnosis. Thanks to Cameron and the team at Automatic Transmission R Us a job well done.
     
   George Doneo 
 71 days ago
 
 
 
 
    Trailblazer/ Colorado TC shudder
Had to fight with Holden for many years for a repair for the TC shudder, offered a band aid fix from Holden that failed on two previous occasions.
The team at Transmissions R us were completely honest, as a mechanic in a previous life the explanation of the common problem made sense. (Phoenix Holden constantly denied this issue)
Had the  Transmission  repaired and drove like new, I literally drove the vehicle across Australia towing a boat. After 10 months noticed some slight leaking of ATF on the bell housing. The team repaired the leak that included removal of the Transmission without question.Highly recommend this business.
     
   Darren Ginnane 
 94 days ago
 
 
 
 
    Took my car in recently on short notice when I was informed of a auto trans issue from my normal mechanic. I was met with exceptional customer service and expertise which lead to a quick diagnosis to confirm my true issue which was a crappy ac compressor making the noise.

Will definitely be returning to these guys in the future for any auto trans work.
     
   luke sampson 
 103 days ago
 
 
 
 
    Was just booking in my car,great conversation very up front with the information I needed to know  very helpful
     
   James Taylor 
 106 days ago
 
 
 
 
    These guys are Gold
🥇
They have gone above and beyond both times iv been in the last 3 years. Absolutely saved me, can’t thank them enough ❤️🙏
     
   Deborah Noack 
 115 days ago
 
 
 
 
    I really have to commend Cam and the team. We had presented a challenging scenario for a transmission rebuild, with added insurance dramas. The quality of work, communication and above all honesty was excellent (and unfortunately rarely experienced in other tradey dealings who to try pull the wool over punters eyes – he is no BS - a true professional who takes pride in his craft). We had a subsequent issue that they readily fixed without contension, and spent a lot of time testing and testing to give us the confidence that it would not reoccur. They stand behind the quality of their work.  I never do online reviews, but felt compelled to highly recommend these guys.
     
   Mark O 
 126 days ago