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Auto Maintenance: Choosing One Repair Shop

One of the things I learned from my dad is that it pays to find a good auto repair shop and stick with it. True enough, I have tried using more than one shop, based on what I needed done to my car. Every time, I found myself going back to one shop that knew my car and the car's history. I had found that shop not too long ago. They had offered help with everything from rebuilding engines to dent repair. The shop is located near my home, and they keep records that went back for years. Thanks to the long history, they always knew what to do when something was not working as it should. If you think that finding one shop to meet all your needs is a good idea, let me help. With a little effort, you'll know exactly where to take your vehicle any time it needs some work.

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Auto Maintenance: Choosing One Repair Shop

A Closer Look At Transmissions

by Noelle Snyder

If you've ever heard car jargon or had to take your car in for repairs or a check-up, then you've probably heard the words transmission or transmission services. However, you might not know exactly what that means. Here is an abbreviated introduction into the subject, as well as some additional related topics for you to research yourself.

What is a transmission?

In your car, the transmission is responsible for an intermediate process that transfers the energy produced by the combustion of gasoline to the wheels. In essence, it translates the power produced by your engine into a mechanical force that spins the axes and wheels of your car. Without a transmission, the wheels on your car would not spin when the engine is running.

Transmissions come in two types, which you are probably aware of: manual and automatic.

What's the difference between manual and automatic?

A manual transmission requires user input to determine the gear. The higher the gear, the higher the gear ratio, and the more energy is transferred from the engine to the wheels, which results in higher speeds. 

The gear ratio is basically just a proportion of how much surface area connects two separate gears, but the physics involved in that interaction are significantly more complex than this article will cover. For now, simply understand that increasing the gear increases the amount of power that is supplied to the wheels, which allows for higher maximum speeds. This is why lower gears are used when at rest or moving slowly, while higher gears are used on the highway.

An automatic transmission is essentially the same as a manual transmission, aside from how user input works. An automatic does not require input from the driver to change gears. Instead it relies on a hydraulic system to track the current pressure in the transmission, and adjusts the gear accordingly. Thus, an automatic transmission will change gears automatically as is required, rather than requiring constant attention from the driver.

Further Reading

Now that you have a basic understanding of what a transmission is, there are quite a few subjects that you can explore. You can examine the science behind the conversion that changes the thermal energy of combusted gasoline into the mechanical force that turns the axes of your car. You can also learn more about the principles behind the gear ratio, the history of automatic vs. manual transmissions, or the application of transmissions with regards to bicycles.

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