Top 5 Things to Know Before You Get Your Car Fixed

This post is written by Tommy's daughter, Angela.

This post was prompted by a good friend of mine who had her transmission go out in her car. We chatted about it and she asked me a few questions. I realized that even though my Dad has worked on transmissions for a living nearly all my life, I knew very little about them, how sad! So I asked my dad about transmissions and such and here is my little Transmission 101 for all of you. I hope it's somewhat helpful.

1. First and foremost, when your car has trouble how do you know where to take it? Find somewhere you trust. Asking local friends/family is really helpful. The other great thing is to look at the Better Business Bureau in your area. As the consumer on their site you can type in a business's name and find out what rating the BBB gives them. If the company has customer complaints you can view them. You can use this site for any business or charity, so it's super helpful. Since we are all so uneasy bringing our car in for service, I think looking the business up before we go is a smart idea. Here is my dad's BBB rating (A+) GOOD JOB DAD! And the company he used to work for has a (F rating), OUCH!

2. What does a transmission do? The easy explanation: It transfers power from the engine to the wheels to get you movin'.

3. How do I know if my transmission is going out? There is delayed engagement. There are slips.

4. How do I know if my clutch is going out? (Clutches are only found in manual or stick-shift vehicles) The clutch slips to other gears or it won't release to let you shift.

5. What kind of questions should I ask when calling around to find someone to fix my transmission or clutch?

Once you've determined your vehicles problem (whether it's a transmission, timing belt, alternator, etc.) then find out what the shop charges to fix it. You'll find this will vary sometimes quite a bit. This can be very frustrating (believe me, I know). You may want to ask them breakdown costs. What is your shop rate? A shop rate is the amount of money they charge per hour of labor time the job takes. Typically, with anything, they know how long a job will take. Car places don't go by how long it "really" takes to get it fixed. They go by the "book." Sometimes this is good for them and sometimes bad. For instance, if the "book" says that it should take 10 hours to complete a transmission rebuild on a 1994 Mazda protege then the amount charged for labor is: Shop Rate X labor hours. If shop rate was $85, and hours were 10 then you're looking at $850. If the mechanic finished the job in 6 hours, it doesn't matter, you pay for 10. If it takes him 20 hours, it doesn't matter, you still pay 10. Make SURE that is how it works if you are getting your transmission fixed. Okay, so there is the labor cost breakdown. Now that's not all you're paying for, you have to include parts too. How much do the parts cost? For transmissions & clutches: What kind of parts do you use? How long is the warranty coverage? Nationwide or local? How long does it typically take for a transmission to be fixed? Some can be fixed in a day and some take several days. It depends on parts availability and also how busy the shop is currently.

So there is my Transmissions/Car problems 101 lesson for you all. I know that being more prepared in any situation gives us more confidence and lightens the load. Knowledge in the car world definitely equals power. Do you have other car maintenance questions left unanswered? If so, leave a comment and I'll do my best (with my Dad's help) to answer them for you.

When you get your transmission fixed, your car is lifted high in the air. This is me taking a picture from below the car, so this is the bottom of your transmission. I think this is where transmission fluid is located. My dad working to get a transmission out of a vehicle. A very physically demanding expertise.

How Tommy's Got Started

This post is written by Tommy's daughter, Angela.

Most of know that this thing belongs in a car but could you say for sure what it is? I know I wouldn't be able to if it weren't for my genius Dadio. My dad opened his own business in June 1998. He had been seriously ill with Osteomyelitis and was hospitalized. He almost lost his leg and that hit him really hard. While in the hospital a nurse spoke with him about how smoking inhibits blood flow and discussed how harmful it was to the healing process. Shortly after, Dad quit smoking after 25 years, recovered and was determined to live his life to its fullest. AMAZING!!! (especially to his nagging twin daughters who hated the smoking). Dad was the manager of a dishonest Transmissions company in Ogden Utah. I know that sounds mean but it's very true. He decided to start his own Transmissions company shortly after his illness recovery in Ogden and it has been a success ever since. We are really proud of dad!

So I write this post because NONE of us want our transmission or clutch to ever go out on our vehicle. It is the most expensive thing to fix in a car, and is very time intensive. SO....we should all know at least a little bit about them so that we can know why we need them, what they do, and most importantly (I think)--avoid DISHONEST mechanics. I for one hate bringing my car to get fixed anywhere because I'm always afraid they'll rip me off.

In the next few days I'm going to give you all some Transmission and Clutch 101 lessons. I'll attempt to teach you what a transmission is and how to know if where you are getting it fixed is an honest, reputable business.

Lesson 1: Transmission above is an old transmission in your car. Transmission below is the new transmission. Here's the thing to note: If you have a manual transmission you DO NOT have to get a new transmission put in your car. You can have the mechanic take your transmission out and fix the problem. This will save you hundreds of dollars.