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Don’t Do These To Your Automatic Transmission

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There are plenty of things that can damage your transmission, but here are three commonly overlooked actions that are either illegal or damaging to your automatic transmission:

Don’t coast in neutral gear

It’s tempting to save fuel economy and lower engine revs by letting inertia or gravity take over, but coasting downhill on an automatic transmission is a no-go. It’s not harmful to the engine or drivetrain components in a majority of vehicles, but you want to avoid coasting in neutral because California law actually prohibits it and you don’t want to end up with a ticket.   

Shifting Gears Before The Car Fully Stops

We’ve all done this in parking lots before when we’re in a hurry. Backing out of your parking spot, and then slamming the shifter from reverse to drive before the car fully stops reversing. It might be faster, but not coming to a full stop damages internal components that are designed to shift when the wheels aren’t moving. Always make sure the car comes to a complete stop before changing gears. The extra second you’ll wait can save you thousands of dollars.  

Not using your parking brake

Parking brakes aren’t just for executing drifts or handbrake turns. Your parking pawl is the part that locks your transmission up when you’re in park (P).  While this prevents your car from rolling away, the pawl can be damaged in a parking collision or fail entirely. Your brake can help prevent damage by helping keep the car in place, or at the very least keep the car from free rolling in the event of pawl failure.

Give Us a Call Today!

Hopefully, these tips keep your transmission healthy and smooth. Having transmission problems? Give us a call today and let’s talk about what issues you’re experiencing, and what we can do to fix them. We’re here to answer any automatic transmission questions you have and get you back on the road in no time!

5 Kern County Locations

Request An Appointment

Use the form or call us at one of our three convenient locations to request your transmission service. We’ll then contact you to confirm your appointment.