As gas prices reach record highs, service technicians at Mr. Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care have some tips to help you save money at the pump.   Reverberations from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are being felt across the globe. While Americans rally to support the Ukrainian citizens and rush to provide aid to help stem the humanitarian crisis, they are feeling the impact of the war on the home front. Economic sanctions imposed by Western countries are curbing Russian oil exports, causing the price of gasoline to soar.   The national average price of gasoline in the United States rose to $4.104 per gallon at the end of the first week of March, shattering the existing record, according to GasBuddy, a fuel savings platform. The previous all-time high was set back in 2008 at $4.103 per gallon, ahead of the Great Recession and housing crisis.   “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine paired ... read more

Understanding when something is wrong with your vehicle, including silent signs, can save you money on repairs and prevent a long stay at the auto repair shop.   Only 39 percent of Americans can comfortably cover an unexpected bill of $1,000, according to Bankrate, an online financial resource. Regular car maintenance is key to preventing breakdowns and ensuring your ride delivers you safely to your destination. Despite saving customers money, many Americans put off car maintenance, especially during the past year. Hectic work and childcare schedules can make it difficult to put car care on your to-do list.   Following the outbreak of the pandemic, many Americans did not keep up with maintenance schedules. They were driving less and coping with the stress of telework and remote schooling. According to the ... read more

If you head out to start your morning commute and your car refuses to reverse out of the garage, Mr. Transmission has the solution to get your day moving in the right direction again.   Putting your car in reverse to back out of a parking space is something we do every day without much thought. When your car decides backing up is for the birds, it can be a shock and a major inconvenience. If your car refuses to back up, the likely culprit is a problem with your transmission. The transmission is your car’s gearbox. The modern car transmission is made up of five or six gear sets that control the amount of power the car has without impacting the speed. Changing gears at the correct time improves fuel consumption and ensures your engine does not get strained while you are driving.   In cars with automatic transmissions, a built-in torque converter will automatically shift gears and transfer power to the wheels to enable acceleration. Drivers with manual transmissions ch ... read more

Committing to changing the air filters on your vehicle on a regular basis can prolong engine life, maximize engine power, help the planet, and improve your health.   There are two types of air filters in every car. One filter cleans the air that enters the engine, and another filters the air you breathe inside the vehicle. Both filters are made of paper, cotton, or foam and trap dust, pollen, mold, and debris, preventing it from getting in the engine or in the air you breathe. The experts at Milex Complete Auto Care recommend changing the air filters on your car to keep it performing at the top of its game. Learning how to check your air filters and understanding why keeping them clean is important are key to your health and the well-being of your vehicle.   How to Tell if Your Engine Air Filter Needs Changing   Your car’s engine requires sufficient airflow to run properly. A clogged air filter ... read more

If your car refuses to go into gear, Mr. Transmission has some tips to narrow down the cause of the problem and get your car running smoothly and back on the road.   The first automatic transmission vehicle used compressed air to change gears and was invented by a Canadian steam engineer, Alfred Horner Munro. General Motors developed a transmission that used hydraulic fluid, which took the new method for automatically shifting to the mainstream.   Data compiled by CarMax, a used car dealership, revealed that 97 percent of car buyers opt for a vehicle with an automatic transmission, while only 2.5 percent of shoppers choose a stick shift. Idaho, Oregon, and New Mexico have the highest number of drivers who choose a manual transmission ride, while drivers in Illinois, New Jersey, and Wisconsin all prefer to let their transmissions shift gears. Automatic transmission offers a comfortable ride, delivers good fuel ... read more

Summer of Gridlock: More Driving Around Town Means More Wear and Tear Many aspects of American society are re-opening. Droves of workers are returning from working remotely to working in offices or at job sites. People are taking vacations and visiting family and friends. But many of those people who are out and about again to commute to work are avoiding mass transportation, and the impact of that is substantial in many ways. Traffic expert and former New York City Traffic Commissioner Sam Schwartz—who coined the term “gridlock”—predicts an unprecedented level of traffic. Significant numbers of commuters in metro areas will choose to drive instead of take buses and trains where they could be too close for comfort with other passengers. Gas prices are low right now, adding addi ... read more

Preparing Cars for a Summer Road Trip Now that summer is here, many people are finalizing their plans for a vacation.  Whether it be a trip to a beach, mountains, campsite or visiting family, people are planning a getaway from the cabin fever that has gripped the country. Even as much of America has “re-opened,” travelers are wise to exercise a high level of care and safety. You may be wary of air travel and opt instead to drive to your destination. Even absent a pandemic, being in the confined space of an airplane with many people emitting many different germs and viruses is an easy way to catch something unpleasant at best and dangerous at worst. It Just Makes Sense If you are opting to drive, you’re not alone. A recent survey by the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), r ... read more

Don’t Put Off Regular Maintenance Most of us have been guilty of at least one of the following while driving a vehicle: Driving past your recommended allotted mileage between tire rotations or oil changes. Having an indicator light illuminate your dashboard, hoping that it just goes away. Maybe there are unfamiliar sounds coming from your car or it doesn’t just feel right.  You feel you can hold off on any repairs when you get back out on the road more often or some of the current stay-at-home restrictions are lifted.  We get it. You will eventually get around to it because, relatively speaking, it doesn’t seem as important right now. While fewer people are on the roads these days, that may feel like another excuse to put off routine maintenance to your vehicle. You shouldn’t be waiting until “things get back to normal” in order to service your vehicle. By putting those things off, you a ... read more

What You Should Know About Gasoline Each day in America, 360 million gallons of gasoline are used. A majority of vehicles on the road today need gasoline to run, but when you’re filling up at the pump, do you really know about the liquid you’re putting in your vehicle that makes it “go?” The Different “Levels” of Gasoline When you arrive at a gas pump, you’re often greeted by several gasoline options to fuel your vehicle. There’s “regular” gasoline, which will be the cheapest, the most-expensive “premium” gasoline, often with a “middle” option, both in rating and price, in between. Above these fuel types, there is a corresponding number, typically 87 for regular, 89 for the middle level, and 91 or 93 for premium. These numbers represent octane ratings. Octane ratings refer to the fuel’s type’s res ... read more

Caring for A Car Battery One of the most integral features of an automobile’s anatomy is the car battery. Simply put, without a battery, your car will not start, so it is important to keep your battery as healthy as possible. But you might have some questions about the battery inside your vehicle. What is the Lifespan of a Car Battery? While the lifespan of a battery truly varies from vehicle to vehicle, and is dependent on many outside factors, the average life of a car battery is approximately four years. The two main factors that cause excessive wear on a battery are volatile weather and poor driving habits. Excessive heat can cause the mixture of water and acid inside a vehicle battery to evaporate and cause harm to a battery’s internal components. This will result in a shorter lifespan for the battery. While you might not ... read more