Modern automatic transmissions can take some abuse and perform wonderfully, to a point. But avoiding transmission problems needs to be high on your list of things to do for your car. Here are five simple things to do to keep your transmission humming.
First--and this should go without saying, but it usually does not--no machine can run forever without being kept in good working order. The manufacturer of the car you drive recommends preventative maintenance for a reason. Pay attention to those recommendations.
For example, changing filters and fluids can take a half-hour and cost $100. Fixing a blown transmission caused by skipping those simple changes can cost $2,500 or more, plus the time and income you lose while your car is in the shop. That's a bad trade.
If you do the simple things, like checking your filters and fluids on a regular basis, they stay little instead of turning into big headaches.
Second, remember that automatic transmissions are failure prone. It is a fact of life. Technological advancement in automatic transmissions has improved fuel economy and reliability, but it has also introduced more things to go wrong. That means sensors--lots of them. They are the little gadgets that monitor transmission operation. Every single one of them can go bad.
This is yet another reason to keep up with your recommended preventative services. A good mechanic can check things out and tell you if you're at risk of a major failure. Then you can decide what to do about it. In most cases, a simple preventative repair can save you a big expense later.
Third, pay attention to how you drive. Most automatic transmission problems boil down to overheating (excuse the pun). That might be caused by hard driving in stop and go traffic, towing excessive weights, rabbit starting and short stopping, etc.
These things tend to heat up your engine and break down the fluids in there. Your oil loses its viscosity, for example, and does not lubricate as well. Metal parts can warp or weaken. Rubber gaskets can harden, crack and start to leak.
This is yet another reason to stick to your maintenance schedule, because you'll catch lots of these problems before they become big. But don't forget to treat your car well when you're driving. Take it easy and your transmission will run smoothly for a longer time.
Fourth, pay attention to what your car is telling you. Your car can not talk, of course, but doing a little detective work can save you from big expenses.
Is your car leaking fluids? That's a sign that you need to give it some attention. It really does not matter what the car is leaking--any leak could be a sign of a bigger problem on the way. If you detect a leak, or even if you suspect one, have your mechanic check it out right away.
A modern automatic transmission is a marvel. It is also convenient to drive, especially in city traffic. Avoiding transmission problems is pretty easy. If you treat your automatic transmission right, without abusing it or letting it get out of shape, there's no reason it can't give you years of trouble free driving.
Free Classified Auto Ads
Are you ready to sell your car? When selling anything, it's very important to get the best possible price. Forget the trade in money that dealerships are offering towards your next car. You'll be paying for that trade in value through higher monthly payments or a lower discount on the car you're buying.
The best way to sell your car is through free classified auto ads.
By selling online, you have way more people who can see your car listing and make an offer. Traditional ads limit your exposure because they target local buyers only, but with free online auto listings, anyone with internet access is a potential car buyer. The more people who see your ad, the more potential buyers you have. There may be thousands of persons searching for a car like your one but not living in your area, or not reading that specific newspaper where you purchased a classified ad, they'll never see your listing; this won't happen with classified ads as they offer the same visibility to your car ad for your neighbor as for someone in a different state.
Not only can free classified auto ads blast your ad in front of more potential car buyers, but they are completely free. What does this mean? Unlike traditional newspaper classified ads, free automotive classified ads stay up until your car is sold.
There are no extra fees to keep the ad active and each and every day potential buyers see your listing. You don't have to settle for a lower offer just because your newspaper ad ran out.
It's very easy and quick to put up free classified auto ads. All you need to have is the information about the car you are selling, but you can also put up pictures of your car. Adding photos of the car is strongly recommended, both inside and outside of the vehicle should be well visible in the images.
The more information you put in your ad, the better chance you will have of finding a buyer quickly.
Your car is one of your biggest personal investments so it pays to make it easy by more and more people. Free auto listings help you do just this. If you are serious about selling your car and getting the best possible price, then putting up a free classified auto ad is the way to go.
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Auto Ads
Free Classified Auto Ads
Are you ready to sell your car? When selling anything, it's very important to get the best possible price. Forget the trade in money that dealerships are offering towards your next car. You'll be paying for that trade in value through higher monthly payments or a lower discount on the car you're buying.
The best way to sell your car is through free classified auto ads.
By selling online, you have way more people who can see your car listing and make an offer. Traditional ads limit your exposure because they target local buyers only, but with free online auto listings, anyone with internet access is a potential car buyer. The more people who see your ad, the more potential buyers you have. There may be thousands of persons searching for a car like your one but not living in your area, or not reading that specific newspaper where you purchased a classified ad, they'll never see your listing; this won't happen with classified ads as they offer the same visibility to your car ad for your neighbor as for someone in a different state.
Not only can free classified auto ads blast your ad in front of more potential car buyers, but they are completely free. What does this mean? Unlike traditional newspaper classified ads, free automotive classified ads stay up until your car is sold.
There are no extra fees to keep the ad active and each and every day potential buyers see your listing. You don't have to settle for a lower offer just because your newspaper ad ran out.
It's very easy and quick to put up free classified auto ads. All you need to have is the information about the car you are selling, but you can also put up pictures of your car. Adding photos of the car is strongly recommended, both inside and outside of the vehicle should be well visible in the images.
The more information you put in your ad, the better chance you will have of finding a buyer quickly.
Your car is one of your biggest personal investments so it pays to make it easy by more and more people. Free auto listings help you do just this. If you are serious about selling your car and getting the best possible price, then putting up a free classified auto ad is the way to go.
Label:
Auto Ads
Car Maintenance Tips - 5 Ways To Save Your Car
It be great if you could buy a car, drive it until you wanted a different one, and never have to do anything in between. Too bad cars are machines. Machines need a little tender loving care if you want them to keep running well. Here are five car maintenance tips that will keep your car running well, and as cheaply as possible.
Tip 1: Change your oil regularly
This is an easy one. It's also one of the simplest things you can do to make your car last.
Oil breaks down. It stops doing its job of lubricating your engine so the parts don't wear out. That's a fact of life. You have to stay ahead of the breakdown by checking your oil regularly and doing one of two things:
Top off the oil if your dipstick says it's low
Changing your oil when your car manufacturer recommends
Most relatively new cars can go 3,000-5,000 miles before an oil change without any problem at all, and many can go longer than that. But going years without an oil change is a recipe for major expense down the line.
Tip 2: Take care of your tires
When most people think of a car, their mind thinks "engine." But your tires are an important part of your vehicle, and keeping them in good shape helps your engine work better.
Have your mechanic check your tire pressure every time you get an oil change, and check it yourself when you fill up at the pump. If the pressure is too low, add some air. Many gas stations have a public use air pump, and it usually costs less than a buck to add some air to your tires.
And get your tires rotated regularly. Every second or third oil change is a good idea. That's every 9,000 to 15,000 miles for most cars. Rotation keeps tire wear uniform, and uneven wear can tell you if you have wheel alignment problems.
Tip 3: Stick to your maintenance schedule
Your auto manufacturer recommends regularly scheduled maintenance. It pays to listen.
There are some maintenance items that simply can't ignore. Timing belt replacement is a good example. You'll end up replacing the best roughly every 50,000 to 80,000 miles, and it's not cheap. You can try to cheat and go longer, but sooner or later, the belt will wear out. If that happens at full speed on the highway, it could do major damage to your engine.
Tip 4: Change your filters
This means your oil, air, transmission and fuel filters. Your car's owner's manual will give you the recommended schedule for changing them, but here are few guidelines that should hold true for most cars:
Change your oil filter at every oil change
Change your air filter at every tune-up, or at least every couple of months
Change your transmission fluid every two years
Change your fuel filter once a year
Tip 5: Clean your engine
A dirty engine runs hotter, and makes it tougher for your mechanic (or you) to spot leaks and other problems.
You can clean your engine yourself, but be sure to cover sensitive parts with plastic to avoid water damage. A better option is probably to have your engine professionally detailed or steam cleaned once every couple of years. That's not free, of course, but a clean engine is likely to save you money in the long run.
Tip 1: Change your oil regularly
This is an easy one. It's also one of the simplest things you can do to make your car last.
Oil breaks down. It stops doing its job of lubricating your engine so the parts don't wear out. That's a fact of life. You have to stay ahead of the breakdown by checking your oil regularly and doing one of two things:
Top off the oil if your dipstick says it's low
Changing your oil when your car manufacturer recommends
Most relatively new cars can go 3,000-5,000 miles before an oil change without any problem at all, and many can go longer than that. But going years without an oil change is a recipe for major expense down the line.
Tip 2: Take care of your tires
When most people think of a car, their mind thinks "engine." But your tires are an important part of your vehicle, and keeping them in good shape helps your engine work better.
Have your mechanic check your tire pressure every time you get an oil change, and check it yourself when you fill up at the pump. If the pressure is too low, add some air. Many gas stations have a public use air pump, and it usually costs less than a buck to add some air to your tires.
And get your tires rotated regularly. Every second or third oil change is a good idea. That's every 9,000 to 15,000 miles for most cars. Rotation keeps tire wear uniform, and uneven wear can tell you if you have wheel alignment problems.
Tip 3: Stick to your maintenance schedule
Your auto manufacturer recommends regularly scheduled maintenance. It pays to listen.
There are some maintenance items that simply can't ignore. Timing belt replacement is a good example. You'll end up replacing the best roughly every 50,000 to 80,000 miles, and it's not cheap. You can try to cheat and go longer, but sooner or later, the belt will wear out. If that happens at full speed on the highway, it could do major damage to your engine.
Tip 4: Change your filters
This means your oil, air, transmission and fuel filters. Your car's owner's manual will give you the recommended schedule for changing them, but here are few guidelines that should hold true for most cars:
Change your oil filter at every oil change
Change your air filter at every tune-up, or at least every couple of months
Change your transmission fluid every two years
Change your fuel filter once a year
Tip 5: Clean your engine
A dirty engine runs hotter, and makes it tougher for your mechanic (or you) to spot leaks and other problems.
You can clean your engine yourself, but be sure to cover sensitive parts with plastic to avoid water damage. A better option is probably to have your engine professionally detailed or steam cleaned once every couple of years. That's not free, of course, but a clean engine is likely to save you money in the long run.
5 Ways to Conserve Fuel in Your Car
Whether you're interested in saving the environment, or just saving some money in a down economy, these 5 tips for conserving fuel will help.
1. Be proactive with traffic lights. Get in the habit of looking 10 to 15 seconds ahead of where you are. Notice upcoming traffic lights and signals. If a light is green when you first notice it, chances are it will be red by the time you get to it. In this case, take your foot off the accelerator and begin to coast up to the light. Avoid the temptation to speed up so you can make it through the light - accelerating unnecessarily wastes a lot of gas. In the case of stop signs, you know you'll have to stop. So as soon as you notice one coming up, take your foot off the accelerator and start slowing down.
2. Don't let your car idle to warm it up. Cars warm up much faster at traveling speed than they do just idling. If you let your car idle in the driveway until it warms up, you'll burn a lot of fuel unnecessarily.
3. Minimize air conditioner use. Air conditioners place a significant additional load on your car's engine. In my own vehicle, I experienced about 4 miles more per gallon when I quit using my air-conditioner. I'm not suggesting you quit using your A/C all together, but get in the habit of assessing your need each time you drive your car.
4. Combine errands. With just a little bit of advanced planning, you can combine several errands in one trip. So rather than running over the the shopping center for groceries today, dry-cleaning tomorrow and videos the next day, do all three in the same trip.
5. Coast whenever possible. If you're traveling downhill, take your foot off the accelerator and coast. This is especially effective on long trips, and you can even make a game out of it.
These are just a few simple ideas on how you can save fuel in your car. I encourage you to let these ideas spur your own creativity to find more ways to conserve fuel and save money.
1. Be proactive with traffic lights. Get in the habit of looking 10 to 15 seconds ahead of where you are. Notice upcoming traffic lights and signals. If a light is green when you first notice it, chances are it will be red by the time you get to it. In this case, take your foot off the accelerator and begin to coast up to the light. Avoid the temptation to speed up so you can make it through the light - accelerating unnecessarily wastes a lot of gas. In the case of stop signs, you know you'll have to stop. So as soon as you notice one coming up, take your foot off the accelerator and start slowing down.
2. Don't let your car idle to warm it up. Cars warm up much faster at traveling speed than they do just idling. If you let your car idle in the driveway until it warms up, you'll burn a lot of fuel unnecessarily.
3. Minimize air conditioner use. Air conditioners place a significant additional load on your car's engine. In my own vehicle, I experienced about 4 miles more per gallon when I quit using my air-conditioner. I'm not suggesting you quit using your A/C all together, but get in the habit of assessing your need each time you drive your car.
4. Combine errands. With just a little bit of advanced planning, you can combine several errands in one trip. So rather than running over the the shopping center for groceries today, dry-cleaning tomorrow and videos the next day, do all three in the same trip.
5. Coast whenever possible. If you're traveling downhill, take your foot off the accelerator and coast. This is especially effective on long trips, and you can even make a game out of it.
These are just a few simple ideas on how you can save fuel in your car. I encourage you to let these ideas spur your own creativity to find more ways to conserve fuel and save money.
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