You are driving down the road to work and all the sudden you hear a noise coming from your car that should not be happening. There is a loud clunking noise and then your car cannot automatically change gears. All the car does is rev at a high RPM when it should be changing to a high gear. Obviously your car is in need of some serious help, but you aren't sure what exactly is the problem. From the sound of it, it may be time for a transmission repair.

In all automobiles, there are two types of transmissions available. An automatic style will change gears in an automobile automatically without the driver having to shift. All the driver has to worry about is putting the car into park, drive, neutral or reverse. As for a manual transmission, drivers are responsible for shifting through gears while driving. The driver listens to the car and shifts when the car reaches a certain RPM. The type of car you choose is strictly personal preference. Some individuals like the automatic style because they have two hands free to hold the wheel. However, other individuals like manuals because they are in charge of the car and when it shifts.

Because of the mechanics involved with an automatic transmission, they are more likely to need transmission repair at some point. However, that does not mean that manual transmissions do not need repaired as well. There are a number of things that can go wrong with your transmission. With manual transmissions, it is typical to have to replace the clutch once your car reaches a high mileage. A bad clutch can cause your car to slip between gears or might not even let you shift between gears at all.

With an automatic, one thing to check if you think you are in need of a repair is to make sure you have a sufficient amount of transmission fluid. If you are low on fluid it can cause your car to not shift. Often times if you have low fluid level, you might not even be able to move your car. Also with an automatic, it is common for the solenoids to stick or fail. In this case the whole valve body would need to be replaced in order to fix this problem.

When you take your car to an auto repair shop, one of the first things they will do is perform a diagnostic test. Often times this test will be able to tell the mechanic what is wrong what needs to be repaired or replaced. It usually consists of a computer-based diagnostic test, but mechanics will also perform a visual inspection. A transmission repair can range anywhere from a complete rebuild of the transmission to simply just changing the fluids.

Not all auto body shops perform repairs on transmissions so it is important to shop around to find one that does. First go to your personal car repair specialists to find out if they are capable of fixing a transmission. Since you take your car to this place they know more about your car than someone who's never worked on it. If your regular auto shop does not do this type of service, ask them for a recommendation. This way you are able to have someone you and your auto mechanic trust to handle your transmission repair.