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Car Maintenance You Shouldn't Try at Home

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Car Maintenance You Shouldn't Try at Home

In a troubled economy, many people look for ways to cut costs by doing household tasks themselves. Some automotive jobs can be done fairly easily at home, particularly if you know something about cars. However, taking on the wrong job on your own will only cost you more time, stress and money in the long run. My name is Jill, and I want to tell you about which car maintenance tasks you can safely tackle on your own and which really do require some help from a pro. I'll break down the needs of a typical car and tell you exactly why you might need to ask for help sometimes.

Three Factors That Influence The Cost Of Transmission Repairs

9 February 2016
 Categories: Automotive, Blog

A malfunctioning transmission is never a planned event. However, just like many other vehicle malfunctions, it can happen. One of the factors that makes repairs so stressful for vehicle owners is cost. More specifically, not knowing what to expect. While there is no black and white guideline for determining how much your repair will cost, there are some factors that have an influence. At least being aware of these factors can help you budget more accurately.

Extent Of Damage

A leading factor that influences price is the extent of damage. Is the malfunction an ongoing problem that you failed to address or is it something that just happened? A commonly overlooked issue is a fluid leak. Transmission fluid keeps your transmission cool and the gears lubricated.

When fluid is leaking, the unit can overheat and friction can build up within the gears, causing damage. A vehicle owner who takes their vehicle in right after recognizing the leak is likely going to have less damage than an owner who waits until the fluid is basically depleted. Save money on repairs by taking your vehicle in at the first sign of a problem.

Transmission Style

Whether or not you have an automatic or manual transmission is also a factor that influences how much you will need to pay for your repair. As a general rule of thumb, you can expect to spend more money to have an automatic transmission repaired than you would a manual.

The primary reason for this is that automatic transmissions have a more complex design than manual styles. Increased complexity means more labor and more parts, resulting in higher cost. If you have an automatic transmission style makes sure you are prepared to pay a slightly higher cost.

Vehicle Availability

If you can't even begin to count how many vehicles you see similar to yours each day, you're in luck. On the other hand, if your vehicle is a classic, high-end import or other rare style of vehicle, your transmission repair is likely going to be more expensive.

When it comes to this factor, it generally has more to do with part availability than labor. If the pool of vehicle owners is small, the manufacturer isn't going to mass produce vehicle parts. When you find yourself in need of transmission repair it can be both difficult and expensive for a repair technician to find it for you, leading to increased costs.

The more you know about factors that influence your repair cost, the more prepared you will be. Make sure you are considering all these factors when it comes to your vehicle.