Check Engine Light Illuminates
If your check engine light comes on, it could mean that your transmission needs to be repaired. Most vehicles don’t have a specific light for the transmission, so the check engine light is sort of a catch-all for parts and systems that don’t have their own lights.
Regardless of what is wrong with your car, you need to get it in for service immediately because if it is the transmission, you don’t want to make the situation worse by waiting. 
Grinding Noises
When your car shifts, you should not hear anything except the change in RPMs. Grinding noises when you shift mean that your transmission is probably running low on transmission fluid, which is designed to lubricate the gears in your transmission when you shift.
It could also mean that your transmission fluid is dirty because the fluid that is contaminated with sludge and grease cannot properly lubricate your transmission either. Your fluids should be checked right away and flushed if necessary.
Gear Shifting Issues
No matter if you have a manual transmission or an automatic transmission, your gears should shift smoothly and easily. If you have a transmission problem, though, you might discover that the gears do not shift at the appropriate time, or in the case of a manual transmission, you’re finding it difficult to shift gears at all.
Typically, this means that the transmission fluid is low or dirty and not doing its job to lubricate the gears as you shift.
Slipping Gears
Conversely, you might also experience slipping gears, which is when the transmission shifts without any action on your part. Cars should stay in gear once they are put there by the driver. However, if there’s a transmission issue, your car may drop a gear when you least expect it.
This could cause a dangerous situation where your car stalls or is unable to accelerate to get out of a tricky situation. This is one condition that must be inspected immediately.
Fluid Leaks
Transmission fluid is a very distinctive pink color unless it is dirty. So, if you see a pink or brown fluid on the driveway under your car, you probably have a transmission fluid leak.
If the fluid levels get too low, you’ll begin to have other issues such as grinding noises, slipping gears, and other shifting problems. As such, fix any leaks as soon as possible so that a small problem doesn’t become a big one.
Burnt Smell
As you probably know, it’s never good to smell a burning odor coming from your car. Dirty transmission fluid may start burning as it breaks down, or you could have a leak that is dripping on hot engine parts. Either way, this is a situation that requires repair, so head on into your service center to have your transmission inspected.
Transmission problems are nothing to mess around with, especially if you don’t want to be stranded anywhere. So, bring your car into DARCARS Lexus of Greenwich right away to have our experts check your transmission out and fix it if necessary.
Photo by Lexus
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