The transmission in your vehicle is what allows you to shift from one gear to the next as you drive. It is one of the most important components of your vehicle. Without your transmission, you would be stuck in neutral, unable to engage your engine and get anywhere. As a new driver, you are just starting to form your driving habits. Make sure you form driving habits that will keep your vehicle in great shape. It's easier to form new habits than break old ones. Here are three specific driving habits that you should adopt right now that will extend the life of your transmission. Even if you don't consider yourself a new driver anymore, adopting these habits can still be beneficial for your vehicle. 

Let Your Vehicle Warm Up

Whenever it is cold outside, you need to give your vehicle time to warm up before you get on the road. By allowing your vehicle to warm up for at least five minutes on a cold day, you allow your engine to get hot and you allow the fluids inside of your engine and your transmission to start flowing. When you start moving too soon on a cold day, the fluid in your vehicle doesn't get the time it needs to warm up and properly lubricate all the moving parts on your vehicle. This causes unnecessary wear and tear to your vehicle, and especially to your transmission. 

Don't Rev Up Your Vehicle When You Start It

Remember, your vehicle is most likely not a race car, so don't treat it as such. Revving up your engine just after you start the car like you are getting ready to jump off the start line is not good for your transmission. This allows absolutely no time for the fluid in your transmission to start flowing and lubricating all of its parts. When you rev up your engine, you force your car to jump into action without giving it the time it needs to get ready. 

Stop before You Reverse

As mentioned before, your transmission is responsible for shifting from one gear to the next. When you need to reverse, make sure that you come to a complete stop before you throw your vehicle into reverse. You should also make sure that you are stopped before you put your vehicle back into drive.

When you don't stop your vehicle before you reverse, your transmission has to leap from whatever gear it is in to reverse. The same idea applies when going from reverse to drive. This process is a lot easier on your vehicle when it is able to go from neutral to reverse. It wears down on your transmission less. This small change in your driving style will extend the life of your transmission. 

As a new driver, it is important to develop driving habits that will not only keep you safe on the road, but that will keep your vehicle running smoothly. By developing the three habits listed above early on in your driving career, you will be able to extend the life of the transmission on any vehicle you drive. Pick one of these habits and work on developing it this week. If your car is having transmission troubles, take it into an auto service shop like Joe's Transmissions Services Inc.