Call Autotronics of ST Peter to make an appointment to check your transmission in St. Peter.
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290

Do you have any plans around St. Peter MN for the weekend? Maybe you and some friends and are taking the boat up to the lake. Maybe you’ll be having a lot of fun water skiing and doing a little fishing.

You got the boat all ready. It’s all gassed up. You packed lots of snacks and the cooler’s stocked – ready to go.

How about your tow vehicle? It has plenty of gas and you’ve even vacuumed it out, but is your auto maintenance up to date?

Stop and think. You’ll have some heavy traffic on your way out of town. Hilly terrain as you get to the lake. Some dirt roads – and it may be hot weather. And all the time you’re going to be towing around several thousand extra pounds.

That all adds up a lot of severe strain on your engine, brakes and transmission. Your transmission’s going to be working overtime, spending more time in lower gears. The internal transmission temperature is going to be much higher than normal. What’s a fun little blast to the lake for you is really severe duty for your transmission.

It’s important that you have enough transmission fluid. If you’re running low, the transmission will run to hot and won’t have the protection it needs to cope with the added stress of towing.

And if it’s time for a transmission service, you really should have it done at Autotronics of ST Peter before your trip. Transmission fluid breaks down and gets dirty over time. Whether you have an automatic or manual transmission, you need to have it serviced on schedule to make sure it runs efficiently.

Automatic transmissions contain a maze of passages that the fluid has to pass through to keep it shifting smoothly. If you neglect transmission service, the passages can get clogged up and you start to have problems. Neglect your transmission for too long, and it can fail. Believe us – you don’t want to pay for a major transmission repair.

You know, most of us in St. Peter MN do a lot of our driving under severe conditions. Towing or hauling a big load is obvious, but there are lots of other things that constitute severe driving conditions. Things like short trips or driving in very hot or very cold weather. Also, dusty roads, city driving around St. Peter, and basically any driving that’s not at highway speeds or under ideal conditions is severe driving. We all need to think about whether or not we need to follow the severe service schedule.

So, consider going in for a full service oil change before you leave for the lake to make sure everything has been looked at. Ask for a trip inspection while you’re at it. Your St. Peter MN service technician at Autotronics of ST Peter can check your belts and hoses and let you know if your brakes are in good shape.

Don’t forget the sunscreen. And to thank your St. Peter service technician, how about bringing him back a nice trout?

So you have some exciting plans for the MN weekend. You’re going to take some of your St. Peter, MN friends out on the boat for some water skiing. Of course, you’ve gotten the boat all ready. And you haven’t forgotten about your tow vehicle. You’ve gassed it up and even vacuumed it out. However, there is something even more vital than the cleanliness of the interior: you want to make sure that your minivan maintenance is up to date.

Think about it – heavy interstate traffic on the way out of St. Peter. There’s hilly terrain as you get to the lake. Some dirt roads – and it’s going to be pretty hot in St. Peter this weekend. And all the time you’ll be towing around several thousand extra pounds. That all adds up a lot of severe strain on your engine, brakes and transmission.

Let’s just consider the transmission. It’s going to be working overtime, spending more time in lower gears. The internal transmission temperature is going to be much higher than normal. A fun little blast to the local MN lake for you is really severe duty for your transmission.

It’s critical to have enough transmission fluid. If it runs low, the transmission will run hotter and won’t have the protection it needs to cope with the added stress of towing. Transmission fluid breaks down and gets dirty over time. Whether you have an automatic or manual transmission, it’s critical for St. Peter drivers to have it serviced by automotive professionals like the team at Autotronics of ST Peter in St. Peter to make sure it runs efficiently.

An automatic transmission contains a maze of passages through which the fluid must pass to keep it shifting smoothly. St. Peter drivers who neglect regularly scheduled transmission service risk the passages clogging up and starting to have problems.

St. Peter drivers who neglect their transmission for too long will eventually experience pricey transmission failure. You really don’t want to pay for a major transmission repair.

This reminds us of how much of our driving around St. Peter, MN is under severe conditions. Towing or hauling a big load is obvious, but there are lots of other things that constitute severe driving conditions. Things like short trips, driving in very hot or very cold MN weather. Dusty roads and city driving around St. Peter, MN add to the strain. Basically, any driving that’s not at highway speeds or under ideal conditions.

While you have your vehicle in, ask for a trip inspection. Your service specialist at Autotronics of ST Peter will check your belts and hoses and let you know if your brakes are in good shape.

Now, don’t forget the sunscreen.

Let’s talk about transmission service. It can be easy for St. Peter auto owners to forget about getting their transmission serviced because it doesn’t need it very often. It’s easier for MN drivers to remember to change the engine oil – you know, every 3,000 miles or 5,000 kilometers. But proper transmission servicing keeps your minivan running smoothly and helps us drivers avoid costly repairs down the road.

The transmission undergoes a lot of stress. The grit St. Peter drivers see in used transmission fluid is actually bits of metal that wear off the gears in the transmission. In addition to that, the transmission operates at very high temperatures. Usually it’s 100 to 150 degrees higher than engine temperatures. Those high temperatures eventually cause the transmission fluid to start to break down and lose efficiency.

As the fluid gets older, it gets gritty and doesn’t lubricate and cool the minivan transmission as well – leading to even more wear. The fluid can actually get sludgy and plug up the maze of fluid passages inside the transmission. At best, your transmission won’t operate smoothly. At worse, it could lead to expensive damage.

When your transmission is running properly, it transfers more power from your engine to the drive wheels, and improves fuel economy. That’s why auto makers recommend changing your transmission fluid at regular intervals. Your owner’s manual has a schedule for transmission service and, of course, your knowledgeable Autotronics of ST Peter service specialist can tell you what your car maker recommends.

Hot and dusty St. Peter area conditions; towing, hauling, stop and go driving and jackrabbit starts all increase the load on the transmission and its internal temperature. That means St. Peter car owners with these types of transmission requirements need to change the fluid more often. A good rule of thumb is every 35,000 miles, 55,000 kilometers or two years. If your auto manufacturer suggests more frequent intervals or if you’re driving under severe service conditions around Cleveland, you will need to change it more often.

Most St. Peter auto service centers (including Autotronics of ST Peter) have the ability to perform a transmission service while you wait and the cost is quite reasonable. It’s downright cheap when you think about how much a major transmission repair can cost! Your knowledgeable Autotronics of ST Peter service advisor will know the right type of transmission fluid to use. If it’s getting to be time to have your transmission serviced, do your minivan a favor and have it done. If not this time, then on your next service stop.