How you treat your car has a big impact on the health of its systems—including your driving habits impacting the transmission. Do you tend to slam on the brakes or gas pedal? Are you quick to shift out of reverse when backing out of a parking spot? Do you sometimes ignore transmission problems or skip maintenance services? Each of these will negatively impact your transmission’s health in different ways—and can cause serious repairs the longer they continue.
How Driving Habits Can Impact Your Transmission
Pay close attention to your driving habits behind the wheel. If you catch yourself doing any of these, it may be impacting your transmission’s health. The sooner you change your habits, the more likely you are to avoid excess wear and tear or serious repairs.
Frequent Stop-and-Go City Traffic
Let’s face it, stop-and-go traffic isn’t fun for anyone—but it can also be hard on your transmission. The more frequently you shift gears, the more wear and tear happens to related components. Speeding up from a stoplight, stop sign, or halted traffic means you have to cycle through the low gears again to gain speed, contributing to gear wear. While there may not be much you can do to avoid city driving, it can help to change other habits to minimize the overall impact.
Shifting In & Out of Reverse While Still Moving
When you’re leaving a parking space, you may be in a rush—but if you’re shifting out of reverse while your car is still moving, you may be damaging the transmission. Though it shouldn’t feel difficult to shift in and out of reverse, it does involve completely flipping the direction of motion for your vehicle. If your car is still in motion, this can cause damage to important gear parts, such as the synchronizer.
Towing or Hauling Heavy Loads
The more weight your vehicle is carrying, the harder it is on the engine and transmission. With more strain comes an increased risk of damage—and the faster you’ll wear out components in your transmission. While you may not be able to avoid towing heavy loads, be sure to stick to the recommended weight range in your owner’s manual. You can also help prevent issues from increased wear and tear by scheduling maintenance services more often.
Using Your Transmission & Engine to Slow Down Often
If you drive a manual transmission vehicle, this is a common way to slow your vehicle without adding wear to the brakes. However, if you drive an automatic car, you may cause damage by using the engine and transmission to slow down. Instead, gently tap the brakes to slow your car, which will help prevent overheating or increased wear.
Skipping the Parking Brake
Are you in the habit of always engaging the parking brake before leaving your car? If not, you’re putting more strain on your transmission. When you don’t use the parking brake, it’s up to the transmission to keep your vehicle in place, putting more pressure on gear parts and potentially leading to damage. Make sure you don’t skip this important step before getting out of your vehicle and you’ll help avoid extra transmission repairs.
Neglecting Routine Maintenance Services
Though not technically a driving habit, skipping maintenance services and continuing to drive anyway can lead to transmission damage. Regular fluid changes, transmission inspections, and other professional services help you stay ahead of issues with your vehicle and keep systems running smoothly. Instead, stick to your car manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule and find a mechanic you can trust with any services or repairs.
Look Out for Signs of Transmission Trouble from Your Car
Each time you drive, pay attention to changes in performance that could indicate transmission trouble or another looming repair. When it comes to your transmission, these symptoms most often show up as difficulty shifting gears, hesitation or jerking during acceleration, strange sounds like grinding or whining, and a burning smell in more extreme cases. As soon as you notice any issues that may point to a transmission problem, head to a trusted mechanic for diagnostics and repairs to stop them from continuing to grow.
Optimize Your Transmission’s Health with a Visit to AAMCO
With or without the right driving habits, your transmission will need the attention of a professional mechanic from time to time. Regular maintenance, inspections, and occasional repairs should all be handled by a trusted mechanic who understands how this complex system works—like the experts at your local AAMCO. Schedule your appointment with us today!
