Your car has many moving parts that must work together to help the car run. However, there are also several fluids that are needed as well. It's very important to replace these fluids when the time comes, since ignoring them can cause some big problems with how your car operates. Here are the signs to look out for that say it's time to change your motor oil and transmission fluid.

Motor Oil

Motor oil should be changed anywhere between 5,000 and 7,000 miles, which really depends on how much you drive your car and the condition of the oil. The easiest way to test your motor oil is to check it with the dipstick. Simply dip the stick into the oil reserve tank, remove it, and wipe it on a paper towel. You should be able to see the color of the motor oil to see if it is dirty or not. If it is dark in color, you know that you have dirty motor oil.

In addition, you may notice a burning smell coming from your engine, problems with the engine starting, or vehicle overheating.

Transmission Fluid

Transmission fluid needs to be replaced much less often than oil, with it ranging between 30,000 and 60,000 miles on average. However, you shouldn't wait until you hit those miles to change the fluid. It helps to know what other warning signs to look out for as well.

You may notice that the transmission is making some odd noises that you haven't heard before, specifically, a grinding sound. This can be accompanied by issues switching gears, caused by all that grime in the transmission fluid preventing gears from changing as smoothly as they once did.

When driving on the freeway and switching gears, you may also notice that the gears slip. This is when the transmission drops down to a lower gear and you can't reach the higher speeds that you want. Once again, this is due to grime in the transmission fluid that is not allowing the transmission to stay in the proper gear.

Not sure if the fluids in your card need to be changed? Take your car to a local mechanic, like Action  Transmission, for an inspection. They'll check the fluids, as well as a variety of other parts of your car that can go bad. It's the best way to ensure that your vehicle continues to run well.