Most people realize they have a car trouble when they hear odd sounds coming from their car: the buzzing that sounds like you have a beehive under your hood or the whirring that makes you wonder if someone replaced your regular engine with that of an Apache helicopter. Here comes the crossroads: do you go get it checked out and spend up to $2,500 or do you can keep “flying” around in your “Apache helicopter.”
If you chose the latter and wait to get it looked at, you could be causing more damage than what was originally wrong. Add in a few new hoses or fluid caps plus labor and your price will skyrocket. Your best bet is to just go get it checked out and cough up the money. The good news is that you don’t have to go to the mechanic blind. You can get an idea of what is wrong by listening to the noises your car is making.
If you hear an unusual grinding, your gears could be worn or defective. Your gears might not have been properly installed. If you drive a manual (and yes, there are still some out there), your clutch could be the cause.
If you hear a baby rattle but don’t have a baby in your car, the connections to the transmission or some other fasteners could be loose. If you hear a clunking sound from under the car, you could be looking at a transmission problem or you could be looking at your constant velocity joints (CV joints) or your differential could be acting up. If you think you have a beehive or an Apache helicopter for an engine, you could be looking at a transmission issue.
Your car might not make a sound, but it might smell or light something up to warn you that it needs help. If you smell something burning and it’s not your bar-b-que, your transmission could be overheating. Don’t worry though! This could just be a sign for low fluid or that your current fluid is dirty and needs to be changed. If you see a clear, red fluid under your car, it could mean the same thing. Since transmission fluid doesn’t get burned up or “used,” fluid being low, means a leak somewhere.
If your car lights up the “Service Engine Soon” signal, take that as an S.O.S. and get to your mechanic.
The trick is to get your car checked out as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more persistent the noises will be, and you could cause extra damage. More damage means more higher repair costs. Just take a deep breath, and listen to what you’re hearing. Budget Transmissions Albuquerque won’t breathe down your neck or charge you for problems that didn’t occur until the car was in their care. Contact Transmission Repair Albuquerque at 505-296-8645!
ABQ Transmission and Auto Repair