Know Your Manual Drive

Top Tips To Maintain Your Transmission

Drivers choose a vehicle with a manual transmission, or stick shift, for many reasons. They enjoy the feel of shifting gears as they go down the road, or they might enjoy the drive options a stick shift gives them. However, it is easy to damage the transmission if you don’t properly drive a manual. Many drivers have come to Reggie’s Motorworks in Noblesville, IN, where we have seen our share of bad clutches and damaged gearboxes for transmission repair. Our ASE-certified technicians are giving our customers a list to keep their manual transmission in top condition.

The Right Gear Matters

Vehicles with automatic transmissions have it easy. The right gear is one move up or down away. There isn’t a decision between different drive gears. A stick shift requires a driver’s knowledge to choose the right gear. Analyze the road and traffic conditions you are in before choosing a gear. Selecting the wrong gear causes grinding and inefficient wheel rotation. Over time, selecting the wrong gears damages the transmission system.

Downshifting Matters

It’s common for manual drivers to shift into neutral as they slow down. The belief is it helps them to come to a complete stop sooner. However, this is not a good move for your transmission’s health. By continually putting your vehicle in neutral, it strains the transmission. The best practice is downshifting. Downshifting works better with the engine to promote smooth stops.

Go Easy On The Clutch

It may seem cool to ride the clutch at a stoplight, but you are hurting your car or truck. It won’t look cool if your car stalls out at light while you do this. You only need to press the clutch to change gears; any other time is needlessly damaging your clutch. Truly looking cool is keeping your vehicle working!

Pay Attention

“Practice makes perfect” applies to driving a stick shift. It’s important to pay attention to the road conditions. It will help determine what gear you need to shift into. It’s good practice to learn how your car responds to gear shifts. The more you drive, the more you will shift gears smoothly and know how to read the road.

Having a manual transmission is a fun experience. We also know that problems arise from careless driving. Our mechanics here at Reggie’s Motorworks in Noblesville, IN, are here to answer any questions or handle your transmission repair.