Vacations are right around the corner. It’s the time of year where families and old friend get together and slowdown from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The last thing you want though is to spend your vacation week at an auto-repair shop in the middle of nowhere. Regular maintenance will help extend the life of your car but there are a few items you want to pay extra attention to before heading out on a long trip.

Many times, a long trip includes a stretch through a desert or area of the country that’s reaches higher temperatures so you’ll want to check your cooling system. Most cars today use a single, serpentine belt to operate the water pump, alternator, power steering pump and air conditioning compressor rather than a combination of two or three fan belts. These serpentine belts generally have a service life of about 100,000 miles. If you have 100,000 or more miles on your car consider replacing it. A failing belt will give you no warning before it breaks but it will leave you stranded if it does. While you’re having the belt replaced your mechanic can check the condition of the water pump and other devices that you otherwise couldn’t with the belt on.

Also, if you’ve reached or exceeded that 100,000 mile mark have your radiator coolant replaced. Old coolant loses its lubricating ability and is a common cause of water pump bearing failure. In addition, as the coolant ages it becomes more acidic and begins to attack freeze plugs as well as the radiator and other metal areas it contact. Over time it can eat right through the radiator core or heater core and without any notice.

And don’t forget your automatic transmission. If you haven’t done so in a while (or ever) have your transmission serviced before the trip. Old transmission fluid loses its lubricating and cooling properties. It also gives your transmission specialist an opportunity to make sure it’s working properly.

Your local ATRA can help you with the transmission service. Many work on other areas of the car and would be more than happy to check and service those cooling-systems items too.

To find a local ATRA member… http://www.atra.com/shopfinder

The Car Care Council provides service information to both consumers and automotive repair professions on the importance of regular maintenance services. For consumers it’s an excellent resource because it reminds people of often-forgotten services that’ll help extend the life of their car. For industry professionals it helps them provide this valuable information to the public.

Twice a year, April and October, the Car Care Council emphasizes the importance of regular maintenance by supporting Car Care Month. Auto repair business can register for the events and invite people of their community to come in and learn more about how to maintain their car. These programs are free to the public. One of the more commonly under-serviced components is the automatic transmission. Regular services can greatly extend the life of an automatic transmission. A rebuilt transmission can cost upwards of $3,000 so regular services can go a long way in avoiding that expense.

To learn more about Car Care Month and business supporting this program go to www.carcare.org. To learn more about servicing your transmission visit the service section of this website. Also don’t forget to take your car to a local ATRA transmission repair specialist to make sure your using the correct fluid. To find your local ATRA shop click here http://www.atra.com/shopfinder.

The training schedule began on February 11 in Charlotte North Carolina to an audience of about 120 transmission specialist. ATRA is one of the few sources for expert training to the Transmission Repair industry.

Over time, these seals may become hard and brittle. In this condition they’re unable to contain the hydraulic pressure so the clutches and bands develop delayed engagements or may not apply at all. Generally, this condition is worse when the transmission is cold. After the transmission warms up the seals will soften enough to operate properly.

This condition requires replacement of the seals in order to fix it properly. This is part of the rebuilding process. However, there are products on the market designed to soften these seals. You can find several brands of “transmission fix” at your local parts store.

Beware though, while these products do restore the sealing properties of the seals they will, over time, soften the seals to the point that they fail. The fix, if you want to call it that, is a short-term remedy and within a few months you can expect the transmission to fail completely.

Here’s the danger: If you’re in the market for a used car you may unknowingly find one that’s had an additive used to fix leaks or shifting problems. Detecting these additives is pretty simple; they have a distinct “sweat” smell to them. If you’ve ever smelled automatic transmission fluid you will definitely recognize the difference with an additive. Just remove the dipstick and take a whiff. If you’re unfamiliar to the odor of transmission fluid or feel uncertain about it then take the car to your local ATRA member; they’ll be happy to check it for you.

Finally, not all transmission fluid additives cause these kinds of problems. Some are actually beneficial to the operation of your automatic transmission. Here again, you can talk to your local ATRA member for more information regarding transmission fluid additives.

As with any purchase you want to get the best value for your dollar. If you have an older vehicle you might have to consider whether it’s worth investing in the cost of a rebuilt transmission. Perhaps arepair might be a better choice. But if you’re thinking about investing in a quality transmission repair understand that a $1,500 rebuild would be like buying a 50” flat-screen TV for $99; it’s not realistic and the quality just won’t be there.

OK, you like the car you have and you’d like to keep it for awhile but the transmission went out. ATRA can help you understand the cost of rebuilding your transmission. If you’re thinking of trading in your car make sure you check out ATRA’s Fix or Trade Calculator. It’ll help determine whether keeping your car and getting it fixed might be a better choice than replacing it with a new or used car.

You have a lot of choices when it comes to transmission repair. Take a few moments to learn more about the costs before you spend the money.

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No one component in your car has more going on inside than your automatic transmission.

The transmission is a mechanical component designed to transmit power from a vehicle’s engine to the drive axle, which makes the wheels drive the vehicle.

By varying the gear ratio, the transmission alters the levels of power and speed to the wheels. For example, in low ranges, the transmission provides more power and less speed; in high ranges, just the opposite is true. This reduces the load on the engine, while increasing the vehicle’s speed and fuel economy.

Some vehicles use a clutch to connect and disconnect the transmission to the engine, controlled through a foot pedal next to the brake pedal. These vehicles have a manual transmission. If your car doesn’t have a clutch pedal, it has an automatic transmission.

If you have to press a clutch pedal and shift the transmission manually, your car has a manual transmission.

Automatic transmissions depend on a special fluid — called ATF — to cool and lubricate the moving parts inside. But the fluid does more than that: In fact, it’s no exaggeration to say that the fluid actually drives the vehicle. So there’s little doubt that the fluid is very important to the transmission’s operation. This is why it’s important to check the transmission fluid level and condition regularly (check your owner’s manual) and to have your transmission serviced at least every couple years.

Later model front wheel drive cars also incorporate another major component into the body of the transmission itself: the differential or final drive. These types of transmissions are known as transaxles.

Many cars today have the final drive incorporated in the transmission, to create a transaxle.

Front wheel drive configuration improves fuel economy and handling, and reduces manufacturing costs. But because of the additional components in the transaxle, it’s generally more expensive to repair than a transmission when it fails.

If you have any questions you can e-mail them to ATRA’s Technical Department through the Technical Services page or call 1-866-GO-4-ATRA (1-866-464-2872).

To find the ATRA Member shop near you, click the Shop Finder link.

Automatic overdrive transmissions were first introduced in 1978 by Toyota. In 1980 Ford came through with an automatic overdrive, followed by General Motors in 1981. Shortly after every auto manufacturer had a four-speed automatic overdrive available in the car line; it became a mainstay for many years.

An overdrive transmission offers the benefit of fewer engine revolutions, hence less fuel needed, per driven mile. Think of it like a 10-speed bicycle: when you’re in a higher gear, like 10^th, you barely have to pedal to go pretty fast. It’s harder to pedal, and if you get to a hill you have to switch to a lower gear but while you’re cruising you can just zip along without too much effort.

An overdrive transmission offers the same advantage. In overdrive the engine spins slower and uses less fuel as you’re cruising down the highway. And just like the bicycle example, the transmission has to shift to a lower gear to get up a hill or for hard acceleration.

Beginning in the early 90’s car manufacturers began enhancing this idea with the introduction of five-speed overdrive transmissions, followed by six-speed transmissions in the early 2000s. Here, the strategy was a little different: by having sixspeeds it allows the engine to stay at its optimal rpm (revolutions per minute); where it runs most efficiently andoffers better fuel mileage.

Now, a new problem was developing: These new five and six-speed transmissions keep the engine at its optimal speed but the number of internal part required to get those speeds, in itself, became problematic. There’s a level of inefficiency built into a design with that many parts spinning around.

In 2011, the ZF corporation introduced a radical design that not only offers eight speeds for even better engine efficiency but they did it with only five friction elements (clutches) compared to eight in many of the six speeds. The ZF8-HP45 was first introduced in 2011 for select Audi and BMW cars and is now used in the 2012 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300.

The transmission is too new to report on any problems or service issues but it’s a big jump in transmission technology. The transmission has always been an important component of a car’s performance. And as the technology continues to improve we’re sure to see more efficient models appear. There’s already news about a 10-speed on the horizon.

That’s because today’s automatics are lighter and more efficient than those of just a few years ago. So much so that only a highly motivated driver will have any hope of wringing substantially higher gas mileage out of a manual transmission.

What’s more, the back-end costs of a manual will quickly eat away at any savings you might receive at the pump. Most drivers can expect to have the clutch replaced as often as every 30,000 miles or so. And when it comes time to sell or trade the car, they can expect a dramatic drop in value with a manual transmission.

For most people, an automatic transmission is a far better choice when buying a new car. They’re more efficient, easier to drive, and last longer than those of just a few years ago.

1. Get Recommendations — Ask friends and family to recommend a shop where they were treated well and were happy with their work.

2. Look for a Professional Appearance — A clean, organized shop indicates a professional attitude. And that usually carries over into all phases of the business… including their repairs and job pricing.

3. Avoid Phone Estimates — Today it’s virtually impossible to give an accurate estimate over the phone. Any shop that will give you a price before they see the car is probably low-balling you. Expect the price to go up considerably before the job is finished.

4. Ask for a Detailed, Written Estimate — After checking your car thoroughly, the repair center should have a fairly good idea of what’s wrong with your car. They should be able to provide a written estimate that specifies what’s wrong, and what it’ll cost to repair it.

5. Look for Membership in Consumer Organizations — Most reputable shops are members of an organization or association that provides consumer arbitration in the event of a dispute, such as the Better Business Bureau or AAA. ATRA provides this service to its members.

Find a ATRA shop by clicking this link.