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^^^this^^^ I had a father-in-law who drove the way the OP describes himself. It's not the least bit impressive to hear about - these are the folks who endanger other drivers, eventually cause or are part of accidents, and in old age are horrible liabilities behind the wheel. It's a stupid/immature attitude to treat driving with impatience and like it's a game to get where you want to go in the fastest time while weaving in and out of traffic. There's simply too many drivers on the road these days to call that an intelligent way to drive.
The truth is that the OP is killing his transmissions. If he wants them to last longer, he needs to buy new and service them well. My father-in-law kept to high end performance vehicles (BMW's) for most of his life and obtained them new (sometimes leasing, sometimes buying) and traded them within 3 years. He paid for the privilege of driving the way he did. If anyone describes you as driving "like Mario Cart" wake up and realize that isn't a good thing - one wrong move or malfunction (either yours or the vehicle's) and someone's life can be forever altered for the worse.
When did I saw I weave in and out of traffic? When the light is green I go. I don't floor it nor do I drive like grandma and go at a snails place. When I was young I drove like an idiot. I am much safer now always staying a good distance between cars and braking early. Just because I take a turn at 30mph instead of 25 hardly means I'm a reckless driver. If the wheel falls off when im driving there is nothing I can do about it. Im not going to live a scared life and drive 15 mph on a country road at night because a deer might run in front of me. I'll keep my brights on and drive at the posted speed or a little under. Enough with the assumptions please. I obviously drive different, but nowhere near reckless. Very defensively.
I would attribute your problem to the make/model, not your driving style. We had a 2002 Jeep Liberty (Chrysler product) that needed a rebuild on the trans at 90k, $3,400. The PT was a Consumer Reports "worst cars" pick.
True. A Chrysler product plus what I presume is a v6 Mustang. Those had some serious garbage trans behind them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Electrician4you
A junkyard transmission imo is borrowed time driving.
Sounds like you're driving aggressive. I don't know if aggressive driving is the only culprit but let me ask you
Do you take the transmissions in for required service?
Do you check the fluid level between services?
A transmission that's driven hard as you drive can overheat. When they overheat fluid can come out the vent and your fluid level gets lower. Running a transmission with low fluid level will overheat and kill it. Heat is what kills transmissions and your style of driving can overheat the transmission
I've had trucks with factory transmissions last 150-190,000 miles with nothing more than recommended service intervals.
I bet OP would have known that simply from the vehicle dropping into "Limp home" mode.
I have had 2 cars in the past 3 years that the transmission has gone out or going out maybe with this one. The car we currently have has had a transmission swapped out from a junkyard within the last 3 momths from a reputable shop dealing only with transmissions. Within the last week from me driving it solely for a few months now it has begun slipping at about 40mph and downgrading shifts quickly on a few occasions. The tell tale signs of a transmission going out from my experience.
It is starting to get quite frustrating. Either I have the worst luck with transmissions or I drive in a way that causes this. My GF says I drive like Mario Kart. I'm extremely safe though. I have had my fair share of accidents when younger and learned my lesson. I may not slow down to 10 mph on a turn, but I don't tailgate and always on the lookout for the idiots who swerve lanes or look like they will pull out in front of me. If I speed it is only 5mp over the limit on highways. You get me drift, yet I don't wait for lollygaggers. If the light is green I'm going, I'm not in the car to sit at a light for no reason. If I can safely make a turn at 35mph or whatever I will. I feel secure in my seat buckled up. You could say I drive like there is no passenger in the car (which there isn't most of the time).
At about $1500 for another swapped out transmission on a 150k 2006 pt cruiser which just had this done a few months ago I'm starting to think I drive in a certain way that causes this.
Tempted to just buy a $1500 vehicle and maintain it cheaply until it dies of a transmission like the rest of them did. I don't like to settle for less, but these vehicles can't keep up with me!
There's your problem. The PT Cruiser has a dismal repair record.
That said, high temps will ruin transmission fluid. A second cooler might be a good idea. Also have your cooling system serviced with close attention to the intercooler tubes. I give my transmission a flush and filter every 50,000 miles.
At about $1500 for another swapped out transmission on a 150k 2006 pt cruiser which just had this done a few months ago I'm starting to think I drive in a certain way that causes this.
Tempted to just buy a $1500 vehicle and maintain it cheaply until it dies of a transmission like the rest of them did. I don't like to settle for less, but these vehicles can't keep up with me!
Your issue is with the Chrysler 41TE transmission, which has to be one of the ****tiest transmissions ever made.
Unfortunately, Chrysler stuffed it into about everything they could get away with. The "1" in the 41TE stands for the relative strength of the transmission, in Chrysler parlance... 1 being the weakest available, used for light duty only. It's almost always the hard parts that fail on these cars as a result (planetary gears, 2/4 hubs, etc.)
The pastor at my church bought a Town and Country van in 2007 or so, back when Chrysler was offering the lifetime powertrain warranty. He's at 110k and on his 6th transmission. That's not a typo, count 'em with both hands. I'm waiting to hear the day that he says he's on #7. It's the van that broke Chrysler...
You want to stop putting transmissions in that car? Junk it.
And avoid the following cars for future reference (list courtesy of Wikipedia):
When did I saw I weave in and out of traffic? When the light is green I go. I don't floor it nor do I drive like grandma and go at a snails place. When I was young I drove like an idiot. I am much safer now always staying a good distance between cars and braking early. Just because I take a turn at 30mph instead of 25 hardly means I'm a reckless driver. If the wheel falls off when im driving there is nothing I can do about it. Im not going to live a scared life and drive 15 mph on a country road at night because a deer might run in front of me. I'll keep my brights on and drive at the posted speed or a little under. Enough with the assumptions please. I obviously drive different, but nowhere near reckless. Very defensively.
From your description you sound like a aggressive or at least impatient driver. There is no way you are driving defensively with the description of "Mario cart" driving style. It has nothing to do with living a scared life (whatever that means).
You drive the way you do, expect to have higher automotive repair bills.
if someone tells you that you drive like Mario cart then there is your main problem. going through a few transmissions in 3 years should tell you something about how you drive and not what you drive.
The OP needs a 2012-13 Impala LTZ. It has 300HP and a transmission gearing so tall and crippled by GM, he will be scared to drive aggressive because the transmission wont do anything at all when you hit the gas lol
Everyone I know with a PT cruiser has transmission problems.
From your description you sound like a aggressive or at least impatient driver. There is no way you are driving defensively with the description of "Mario cart" driving style. It has nothing to do with living a scared life (whatever that means).
You drive the way you do, expect to have higher automotive repair bills.
Sure, whatever you say. I don't need to make a believer in you. Thanks for the advice though.
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