Advancements in technology have allowed the automotive industry to develop modern automatic gear shifting solutions for vehicles. These complex mechanisms are a combination of mechanical, electrical, and computer control systems. In many countries, including Canada, the automatic transmission is preferred over manual transmissions by a wide margin. Automatic transmission systems offer a smooth and comfortable drive – eliminating all the complexity of manual clutch operation and changing gears frequently.
Automatic transmissions are our number one specialty at Bob’s Driveline. Our technicians are the best trained and most experienced in the industry. Because we focus on transmissions we have honed our operations to provide these services more efficiently and effectively than other transmission reapir shops in Langley, so we can do a better job while keeping our costs low. We pass these savings on to you.
Fluid Change vs. Full Service
A proper transmission service involves removing the tranny fluid pan and exposing the internal components. An inexperienced service provider can easily cause damage with this procedure. You could get a transmission fluid change done at a quick lube shop or general repair shop where they don’t remove the pan to access the inside of the transmission and replace the filter, but what’s it really worth? When you change your engine oil you wouldn’t think of doing so without changing your oil filter at the same time because the new oil will just get contaminated with the dregs left in the filter. A transmission could be flushed to try cleaning the internal filter, which partially removes contaminants, but a filter works by trapping particles, so if it works as designed, some particles will remain in the filter, thus reducing fluid flow, and leaving the possibility of particles jarring loose to cause further damage in the future. Transmission fluid filters are an internal component on almost all vehicles, so the tranny fluid pan must be removed to replace the filter and thoroughly service your transmission. This type of proper maintenance costs a little more than a simple fluid change or flush but it’s far less expensive in the long run. For the longest life of your vehicle, always have your transmission serviced at a specialized automatic transmission repair shop such as Bob’s Driveline.
We Won’t Remove a Transmission Unless it’s Absolutely Necessary
Many, if not most, transmission shops will do everything they can to get your transmission pulled out of your vehicle. For a full overhaul, of course that’s necessary, but many inspection, service and repair procedures can be done without pulling the transmission, thereby saving you a lot on labor cost. Removing the transmission fluid pan for a full transmission service also allows for a very thorough inspection of many of the critical components including the solenoids, valves, springs, some of the seals and pistons, and the entire valve body itself. Even repair or replacement of these critical components can be done via this access port into the transmission without removing it from the vehicle.
Gravy, Soup, or Stew
Your transmission fluid can provide a lot of clues as to what’s going on without even looking inside your transmission. With a normal transmission repair service your fluid should always look and smell clean. It may be a little milky or tinted from its original color after many kilometers of use, but anything worse could indicate damage that should be repaired as soon as possible to avoid greater expense.
At Bob’s Driveline we facetiously categorize the fluid we see coming out of transmissions into three grades; Gravy, Soup, or Stew. Gravy tends to indicate the transmission has overheated, the fluid hasn’t been changed for quite some time, and/or it’s been contaminated. A transmission in this condition might be repairable without removing it from the vehicle but other tests and inspections are required to be sure. Soup is like gravy but with small discernible particles in it. This usually indicates that the friction surfaces of the clutch plates have been burned up or ground down. There may be additional bent parts found once the transmission is opened up but an overhaul will be required in any case. If it’s just these so called Soft Parts it won’t be too expensive because, for most vehicles, these clutch plates, seals, gaskets, etc. all come in a mass produced rebuild kit. If the tranny fluid looks like stew, meaning it contains actual chunks of metal, it indicates some of the internal Hard Parts have been severely damaged. The full extent of the damage won’t be known till it’s opened up but in this case a full rebuild of both the Soft Parts and some Hard Parts, or a replacement transmission, will be required.
CONCLUSION:
Automatic transmissions have made the driving experience for most people simpler, and made vehicles more efficient. These systems are comlex, however, and must be cared for by qualified automatic transmission repair shops to ensure optimal durability and performance. Bob’s Driveline pecializes in maintaining and repairing automatic transmsissions in the most cost effective way possible. We do this by specializing in this area of automative technology, keeping our overhead low, and by providing honest, ethical service and repairs, only as needed.
