Archive for May 2024Fears and Gears (Signs of Automatic Transmission Problems)Posted May 19, 2024 4:10 AMAutomatic transmissions rule. The old days of shifting your own gears are a thing of the past for most drivers. But automatic transmission trouble can be a big inconvenience for any driver if it comes at the wrong time in the wrong place. Here are some signs to look out for that may mean you are having transmission issues. When you are driving, your vehicle seems to slip in an out of gear without you touching anything. That's what some call, not surprisingly, a "slipping transmission." When your vehicle shifts from one gear to the next, you hear a loud "clunk." Transmissions are supposed to be nearly silent when they shift, so that noise is telling you something is wrong. If you notice there's a puddle of some fluid under your vehicle, your transmission could be leaking fluid. Try to figure out what color it is (try putting a piece of cardboard underneath to capture some of the fluid). If it is red or brown, that's a sign it could be transmission fluid. Sometimes you may smell the transmission fluid, too; it has what some consider a "sweet" odor. You may have a warning light that goes on when your transmission fluid is low (it could be a special transmission symbol or simply the Check Engine light). That light could also mean the fluid is too hot or has low pressure. If you shift your vehicle into D (for Drive) and it doesn't move or slowly engages after some delay, you may be seeing the start of a serious problem. Of course, you don't want a malfunctioning transmission to strand you at some inopportune time. So if your vehicle is showing any of these signs, arrange a time for a technician to check it out. Not only are broken transmissions an inconvenience, they can be a safety hazard, too. American Brake Centers Inc. The Best Book that's Not a Best-SellerPosted May 12, 2024 4:10 AMSometimes the movie is better than the book, sometimes it's the other way around. But when it comes to your vehicle, the best book of all is the owner's manual. The plot is simple: Owner wants long life and dependable performance from the vehicle, manual has the way to achieve that long life and dependable performance. And yet, it's amazing that some people will own a vehicle for years and never even crack this book. They'll only read it when they absolutely have to, for things like finding out how to change the clock. Ok, so you're probably not going to rush right over to your glove box and start reading the owner's manual cover to cover. We know that. But just think of what you can get out of it. Consider this. Those who wrote or helped write this book include the engineers who designed it and the people who tested and refined it. They know more about your vehicle than anyone, period. They know how long a part is likely to last and what you need to do to take care of it. They know how far a distance or how long a time you can drive before you have to change certain fluids in it. They know what temperature it can reach before things will start to break. And they've put your vehicle model through torture, testing it in the absolute worst conditions to see how to make it stand up to more abuse than it will ever receive. They've then torn it down, examined it and, in many cases, redesigned the parts to make them even better. And they've put down—in fairly minute detail—this blueprint that, if you and our experts at American Brake Centers Inc. follow their suggestions, will make it very likely that your vehicle will serve you well for a long time. If you don't follow those suggestions, all bets are off. We didn't even mention that the owner's manual tells you how to operate everything in your car. How to adjust the heat and air conditioning, how to pair your smartphone with the audio system, how to program your key fob so it won't sound the horn when you lock your vehicle. Have you lost your manual or did you buy a vehicle that didn't come with one? Many are available either online or in paper form. If you don't know where to begin with such a long book, try a couple of pages a week, just three minutes. You’ll discover your vehicle does things you never even knew it could do. And the movie will never be as good.
What You Need to Know from Your American Brake Centers Inc. Service AdvisorPosted May 5, 2024 4:10 AMLouisville drivers may feel intimidated when they take their vehicles to a service center. They have questions but aren't sure how to ask. They don't want to feel embarrassed about their lack of knowledge. They don't want to make the service technician feel that they don't trust him. American Brake Centers Inc.
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