When you own a car, you probably want to keep it running as smoothly as possible, for as long as possible, to avoid having to pay high repair costs or buying a new vehicle. This includes making sure the transmission keeps working well. To do this, use the below three simple tips to keep it in good condition.

Be Careful When Pulling Into A Parking Space With A Curb Or Divider

Whenever you pull into a parking space that has a side curb or a divider in the front, try not to hit it with your tires. While this may feel like a small bump to you, the extra vibration caused by the impact can travel through your car's front or rear axle, which is connected to your transmission's gears.

If this happens repeatedly, it could loosen the bolts on the driveshaft connected to the transmission. This could cause the gears to slip, making your transmission work harder to shift gears while you are on the road. This extra work could wear down your transmission, necessitating a costly repair job or replacement.

When parking your vehicle, be careful not to get to close to the curb or divider. Keeping even the tiniest impacts to a minimum can help you avoid damaging your transmission.

Watch How Hard You Accelerate While Driving

There are times when you have to accelerate quickly while driving, such as when avoiding a collision or having to speed up when merging onto a highway. However, when you are driving down a straight patch of road, this hard acceleration is unnecessary. It could actually cause damage to your transmission if done repeatedly.

When you punch down hard on the gas, the revolutions per minute, or RPMs, increase significantly, signaling your transmission to shift to the next gear. When the RPMs reach double what they should be for second gear, it could make the transmission shift too fast or skip to third gear.

This could cause excessive wear and tear on your transmission, eventually wearing down the teeth of the gears. The constant, excessive heat could also burn the transmission fluid, making it less viscous so it cannot properly lubricate the gears and shaft.

While driving, accelerate your vehicle as smoothly and evenly as possible. This will help keep you from wearing out your gears and burning up your transmission.

Use A Friction Modifier Additive With Your Transmission Fluid

Along with allowing your transmission to shift evenly and being careful when you park your car, you can also help your transmission last longer by mixing a friction modifier additive in with the transmission fluid. The additive lubricates the lubricant, keeping it from sticking to your transmission's gears and the driveshaft, preventing a buildup of gunk and burnt fluid.

When using the additive, make sure you take into account the maximum level of transmission fluid recommended for your particular make and model. When too much fluid is added to your transmission, the increase in pressure can blow out the rings and gears, causing permanent damage. 

Read the recommended amount of additive for your vehicle on the manufacturer's label. Then, subtract that amount from the maximum volume of transmission fluid. This number is how much of the transmission fluid you can safely put in while using the additive.

Using the above tips can help you keep your car's transmission working longer. However, if you start noticing signs that your transmission is going bad, you may want to speak to a mechanic who specializes in transmission repair (like the American Transmission Center) to have it fixed before it goes out completely, requiring you to have a new one put in.