Characteristics of Transmission Issues in Automatic Cars

Over these past five years, automatic cars have become prima donna in the automotive industry. You can see many automatic cars passing by, especially in the big cities. When compared to manual transmission cars, automatic cars are generally easier to drive. The driver just needs to steep on the gas and brake pedals. There is no need to change the gear lever when they need to slow down or speed up. 

Cars with automatic transmissions are indeed easier and more comfortable to drive. However, if not treated properly, the damage can be faster than a manual transmission. Besides having routine maintenance, you must understand the characteristics of cars with automatic transmission issues so that you can do early anticipation. 

Characteristics of Transmission Issues in Automatic Cars

Just like any other car component, problems with automatic car transmissions can occur anytime. When you are indicating some of the characteristics below, means you have to immediately bring the car to the qualified repair shop. 

1. Car makes unusual  noises

All cars indeed is producing a certain “vroom” sound. Cars with healthy engines mostly will sound like jets and will be louder when you are revving. The cars are also qualified as healthy when it has regular and constant sound. 

However, if someday you suddenly start to hear weird and unusual noises like humming, whining, or clunking that you have never heard before, the car may be having transmission issues.   

It’s time for you to check up on the transmission and shock breaker since those noises used to come from the transmission components that are clashing with each other. It happened when the engine lack of transmission oil.  

2. Rough Shifting 

There will be so many consequences faced by car owners if they are lazy to do routine maintenance. One of the consequences is the gear shift feels rough or stomping. 

Those consequences are mainly caused by rough driving behavior and too late to change the transmission oil. The transmission needs to work harder than normal so that it will be damaged sooner. 

3. Delayed Response

The other characteristic of transmission issues in automatic cars is delayed response. When you step on the gas pedal, it does not immediately move. Instead, the engine is rumbling heavily. 

After it produces a rumbling sound, the car will be slowly moving but there is no significant speed acceleration. 

If your car is experiencing that kind of delayed response, there must be a problem with the transmission such as the dirty body valve and thin clutch plate. Bring it to the car repair shop instantly so it does not get worse. 

4. Burnt smell 

The brunt smell is one of the distinct characteristics of automatic car transmission issues. The cause of the burnt smell is overheating. To cope with overheating, you need to provide enough lubricant so that the transmission moves well. The other function of the lubricant is to maintain temperature stability.  

5. Leaking fluid

The other sign of transmission issues in automatic cars is leaking transmission fluid. 

In a healthy car, the transmissions are sealed so that the units shouldn't leak any transmission fluid. If you notice spots on your driveway or garage, place some cupboards underneath your car. 

Examine the color of the spots. If the color is brown or dark red, your transmission is likely leaking. You need to bring the car to the qualified repair shop immediately to fix the transmission and refill the fluid.

6. Gears Slipping

The next symptom of automatic car transmission issues is gears slipping. It is hard for the driver to move the gear lever position, for instance, from N to D or to P. 

It happened because the switch is dirty due to the piled-up dust or oil crust. Bring your car to the nearest credible repair shop to get it cleaned or replaced with the new one. 

Then, you also need to shift the gear carefully so that your transmission lasts long. For example, you need to shift the gear from D to R in a stationary position, not while moving. 

What causes the automatic transmission problem?

After knowing the sign of transmission issues in automatic cars, it is important to know the causes of it. Don’t immediately blame the car producer when a certain problem occurs. Instead, you need to be reflective of your driving behavior. 

Here, one of the leading causes of transmission issues is using unsuitable transmission oil. As you may already know, every car has its own specification and transmission oil type. Therefore, you cannot use the same type of oil for all the cars. 

Although the special transmission oil may be a bit more expensive, it can cost you around IDR 200,000.00/ liter, the cost you pay will be worth it for your safety and comfort while driving the car.  The other cause of transmission problems is you never change the transmission oil. Generally, you need to change the oil every 10,000 or 15,000 km, or according to the oil manufacturer's suggestion. The newest type of automatic cars even just need to change the transmission oil much longer than the old type which is every 20.000 km.  

How much does the automatic car transmission service cost? 

As we have discussed before, it can be said that transmission issues mostly are caused by the lack of car maintenance. Not only keeping the car from transmission issues, but routine maintenance will also save you from expanding extra fees for further repairment too. 

So, how much does the automatic car transmission service cost?  

The service of automatic car transmission issue costs vary. It depends on the car type, how bad the damage is, and what kind of spare part is used. For the lightest damage, it can cost around IDR 5000,000.00. However, if the car needs to change the clutch and transmission seal, the cost will be around IDR 15,000,000.00.

When the damage is more severe due to the infrequent oil change which causes the clutch lining to burn and make the driven plate sticky, the replacement cost will be around IDR 20,000,000.00.  One tip you can use before going to the repair shop; always do some research on the service cost to get the best price. Sometimes, there are some fraudulent repair shops that will give unreasonable prices knowing your knowledge of car components is lacking. 

Tips on choosing the best repair shop

It will be better to fix your automatic transmission at a repair shop that exclusively deals with the automatic car. There are several services provided by automatic car repair shops, namely: 

• Change the oil. You can change your car oil, both for the automatic transmission, conventional, or CVT type. 

• Change the car battery. We suggest you change the car battery when the car is 2-5 years old. At that age, the car battery quality begins to decrease. 

• Transmission maintannance. You can do several transmission maintenances such as changing the transmission oil, cleaning filters, replacing filters, cleaning clutch pads, and replacing clutch pads.

• Car tune-up. To maintain car performance and extend the car's “lifetime”, you should tuned-up the car at least once a year.

• Overhaul. When your car has been showing bad signs such as a noisy engine or the odometer has exceeded 100,00 km, the car needs to be overhauled. You may need to change the car engine and other spare parts. 

• Drain the oil. The repair shop also provides automatic oil drain services. It works by removing all the oil in the transmission system, then replacing it with the new transmission oil. Generally, the amount of oil needed by a car is about 12 liters. 

• Car inspection. If you do not find any damage in your car and just want to know the exact condition of the car, the repair shop has a car inspection service. The professional technician will look at the entire car condition thoroughly. They will tell you if there is something that needs to be repaired or replaced. 

• Crane service. Some of the repair shops have towing services. It will be very helpful when your car is completely broken so it won’t start. 

Now you know what kind of services that are provided by the automatic car repair shop. Next you need to know how to choose a good automatic car repair shop, too. 

1. Choose the official automatic car repair shop

Manual car repair shops are different from automatic car repair shops. Repair shops that are exclusively for automatic cars have much more complete tools and legal spare parts rather than the general repair shops. 

Don’t forget to pick the official repair shop that has collaborated with Agen Tunggal Pemegang Merek (ATPM) - the sole agent holding the brand, too.

2. Do some research 

If this is the first time you come to a repair shop, do some research beforehand. Look at what the previous customer say about the services and the cost through online reviews such as on Google. 

After deciding to come to a certain place, don’t hesitate to ask for detailed information about your car issues and pay attention to how the technicians work on your car. 

3. Mind the spare parts 

You need to make sure that the repair shop uses original and legal spare parts from the ATPM which are suitable for your car. 

4. Give you warranty  

Make sure the repair shop gives you a kind of warranty of free service if there are problems that appear 1-2 weeks after the service. 

5. Seek the best price

Every repair shop has its own rate service. You can pick the one that is suitable for your wallet. And you need to note that not all “less expensive” repair shop means having poor performance and not all “luxurious” repair shops have outstanding performance. 

Do some meticulous research to get a repair shop with the best service and price. 

By knowing all of the characteristics of automatic cars with transmission issues, now you can do a personal checkup on your car. You will know what to do if there are some issues with your cars, too. Hopefully, it makes your automatic cars have a longer “lifetime”. 

Don’t want to be bothered by having your car cause you need to maintain it frequently? You can just come to MPM Rent to get your perfect car when you need it. 

MPM Rent is present in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Makassar, and other big cities. As a big car rental service. MPM Rent provides many choices of vehicles including passenger cars, luxurious cars, logistic vehicles, and heavy duty. You can rent it either for a long or short period. 

And you don’t have to worry since  MPM Rent always provides the best vehicles with professional drivers. All for the customers' safety and comfort. For further information about automatic car rental, you can contact MPM Rent here.