Has your car been noticeably slow or jerky getting out of the driveway with the cold weather?

"Business increases without fail by over 50% whenever we see extreme cold in the Valley," said Dave Riccio, owner of Tri-City Transmission. 

Transmissions react poor to extremely cold weather because that’s when the transmission leaks show up. If you have red puddles in your driveway, this may be you.

"Never ignore a transmission leak. You can take a simple problem and make it much worse by doing this," Riccio said. 

Don’t automatically think the worst if your transmission is misbehaving with the cold. Minor transmission leak repairs and topping off transmission fluid are everyday business at Tri-City Transmission when it’s cold.

(WASHINGTON – January 12, 2015) U.S. motorists are paying an average price at the pump today ($2.13 per gallon) that is more than forty percent lower than the 2014 peak of $3.70 reached on April 28. The national average continues to test lows not seen since May 2009 and has now dropped a record 109 consecutive days for a total decline of $1.22 per gallon during this span. Today’s price is seven cents less than one week ago, 45 cents less than one month ago and $1.18 less than one year ago. Barring any major increases in the global price of crude oil, AAA expects the national average price for regular unleaded gasoline to remain below $3.00 per gallon in 2015.

Would you know what to do if you were caught in a chain reaction collision? If you're in a car accident, you could inadvertently turn-off your passive safety systems like airbags! This important tip from automotive expert Lauren Fix, The Car Coach could save your life.

How close are we to seeing driverless cars on the road and how are they affected by excessive sun, rain or icy conditions? Automotive expert Lauren Fix, The Car Coach explains both the potential and limitations of autonomous technology.

193 vehicles were involved in a deadly crash along I-94 in Michigan. Automotive expert Lauren Fix, The Car Coach joins The Weather Channel from the North American International Auto Show in Detroit to caution drivers caught in a pile-up car accident. Keep your family safe and follow these tips to prevent or survive a massive winter car collision.

Are car sharing services like Uber, Zipcar and Lyft going to radically transform the way we use transportation? What about the larger economy, including energy use, and car production? Automotive expert Lauren Fix, The Car Coach debates the future of carsharing with Andrew Ross Sorkin. What are your predictions for the automotive industry in the next 25 years?

(WASHINGTON, December 22, 2014) The steady decline in gas prices this autumn is now longer than any period AAA has previously tracked. The national average price of gas has declined for 88 days in a row, which is the longest consecutive streak on record. Gas prices have fallen every day since September 25 to today’s average of $2.39, which is the lowest average price per gallon since May 2009. On Sunday, the decline in gas prices broke the previous record of 86 days set in 2008 during the height of the Great Recession.

The best news for consumers is that the decline in the price at the pump has accelerated during the previous week. The current week-over-week drop of 15 cents is the largest such decline in more than six years. Motorists are paying 43 cents less than one month ago and 85 cents less than one year ago to refuel their vehicles, which mark the largest declines for those spans since 2008 and 2009 respectively.

Pressure from consumers, regulators and the automotive industry finally forces Takata to respond to the massive airbag recall. Now the automakers are scrambling to find solutions to fix or replace the faulty airbags. Don't miss this segment where Lauren Fix and Gerri Willis take apart an actual Takata airbag live to demonstrate what happens when a faulty airbag explodes in the faces of drivers or passengers.

Is your car prepared for the freezing weather ahead? Automotive expert Lauren Fix, The Car Coach is on a national winter car care tour to provide winter driving and safety tips to drivers across the country. Don't miss these important tips and helpful products and services!

ORLANDO, Fla., (December 16, 2014) – AAA projects 98.6 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the year-end holiday season, an increase of four percent from the 94.8 million people who traveled last year. This upward trend marks the highest forecast growth rate for the year-end holiday season since 2009 and the highest travel volume for the holiday period on record. (AAA data dates back to 2001.) The year-end holiday period is defined as Tuesday, December 23 to Sunday, January 4.

Highlights from 2014/2015 Year-End Holiday Travel Forecast:

  • Holiday travel is expected to total 98.6 million, an increase of four percent from the 94.8 million who traveled last year.
  • Travel volume for the year-end holidays will reach the highest peak recorded by AAA (since 2001).
  • Nearly 91 percent of all travelers (89.5 million) will celebrate the holidays with a road trip, an increase of 4.2 percent from 2013.
  • Air travel is forecast to grow one percent from 2013, with 5.7 million travelers taking to the skies.
  • Low gas prices continue to help boost disposable income this holiday season, with today’s national average price of gas at $2.53 per gallon, 70 cents less than a year ago.

Bumper Audio Clip of the Week


Bumper to Bumper helps a listener decide between conventional and synthetic oil for his Ford F250.