Back to all

Gear Up: Transmission Service at Ryan?s Auto Repair of Plymouth in Plymouth

July 21, 2024

The transmission system in your vehicle allows you to change gears. Lower gears are power gears. They get your vehicle moving and get it up hills. Higher gears get the vehicle up to speed and get it rolling faster. If you have a standard transmission, then you have to do the work of shifting gears yourself. But with an automatic transmission, the vehicle shifts gears on its own. It automatically starts out in low gear and automatically shifts to high gears as it gets rolling. Again, it will automatically shift to a lower gear to climb hills or when you need a burst of speed.

How does it know when to change gears? Today's automatic transmissions are computer-controlled. The computer gathers information about what the vehicle is doing and changes the gears as needed.

Automatic transmissions are becoming more sophisticated all the time. More gears, or “speeds,” are being added. Almost all vehicles have at least four speeds. Five or six is common. Some are even increasing to seven or eight – up to ten. Adding gears has a lot of advantages for Plymouth vehicle owners: it improves fuel economy and increases performance.

But there is a drawback for drivers in Plymouth: more gears equal more parts and a more complex transmission system. Plus, all those parts need to fit into the same space as older, less complex transmissions. This means that today's transmissions are engineered to much tighter tolerances. In other words, they demand meticulous care from Plymouth drivers. Transmissions are designed for durability. But that durability can be compromised if they aren't given proper care.

That's why changing transmission fluid is such an important part of preventive maintenance for vehicles in Plymouth. Transmission fluid lubricates the transmission and keeps it in good working order. But if the fluid runs low, transmission parts will wear out quickly or suffer damage due to increased friction. The transmission can even fail.

Dirty transmission fluid can clog the small passageways in the transmission, blocking lubricant from reaching all of its parts. Again, this can lead to increased wear, damage or failure.

New transmissions aren't cheap. Repairing them isn't cheap either. But changing transmission fluid is fairly inexpensive at Ryan?s Auto Repair of Plymouth in Plymouth. That's why responsible car care includes maintenance on the transmission system at Ryan?s Auto Repair of Plymouth. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that periodic fluid changes aren't just good auto advice, they actually pay for themselves by preventing transmission repairs.

Ryan?s Auto Repair of Plymouth
41990 Joy Rd
Plymouth, MI 48170
734-454-0979
http://www.ryansautorepairplymouth.com

Need Service?

Request a Quote

More articles from Ryan's Auto Repair of Plymouth

Automotive Tips from Ryan?s Auto Repair of Plymouth: Air Conditioning ? Common Problem

March 15, 2026

Your auto air conditioning system cools and conditions the air in your passenger compartment when you are driving around Plymouth. It also removes moisture from the air to keep your windows from fogging up.A common A/C problem for Plymouth drivers that visit Ryan?s Auto Repair of Plymouth is cont... More

Power Failure (Broken Power Seat)

March 8, 2026

Know anyone who doesn't love a power seat in an SUV, a car, truck or van? They're convenient and precise in their adjustments. But when they break, oh, what a pain. Not only is it inconvenient, it may leave your seat position too close to the steering wheel or too far from the pedals. This is ... More

A Squirrely Problem (Animals Nesting in Engine)

March 1, 2026

If you park your vehicle outside, you are exposing it to all sorts of critters that would love to use it for nesting, food storage and shelter. There are plenty of pictures online of people who've discovered there was more than an engine under the hood. In one case, the driver of an SUV started... More