We all know the adage about an ounce of prevention. To keep your car’s transmission in smooth working order, that means checking the fluid regularly between changes. Fortunately for cars with automatic transmissions, checking the fluid levels is easy and only takes a few minutes. Here’s a basic walk-through of what you’ll need to do.

1. With your car in park, turn the engine on. You want to check the fluid while the engine is running and warm to get a true reading. If you’re checking the fluid on a cold day, let the car warm up a few minutes.

2. […]