Manual vs Automatic Transmission in Vacaville, CA
There are various types of gearboxes on the market when it comes time to purchase a car. This is an important aspect that we recommend you keep your eye on and at Vacaville Honda, we want our customers to be informed about the differences between manual and automatic transmissions. If you have any questions, we will be more than happy to assist you when you’re in need. Contact us during our open business hours.
Manual Transmission
Often referred to as a stick shift gearbox, the manual transmission is one of the least popular options on the market. This choice is often found in sporty vehicles as it offers you more control as you’re navigating to Lagoon Valley Park on rocky terrain. It requires additional knowledge so it isn’t recommended for new drivers. Because it’s only available on a select inventory of vehicles, your options when it comes time to purchase a car will be quite limited. Services for these gearboxes should be performed every 30,000 to 50,000 miles, as it doesn’t self-regulate and needs to be maintained to ensure the performance of your vehicle.
Automatic Transmission
The most popular option for gearboxes are automatic transmissions. These systems are self-regulating, and are found in the majority of the vehicles for sale. Cars like the Honda Ridgeline offer varying speed automatic transmissions, for a smooth performance on I-80. Your purchasing options broaden as well, so you don’t have to worry about buying a car that you don’t like simply for not having gear-shifting knowledge. An automatic transmission is best serviced every 60,000 to 100,000 miles and you can always make an appointment for transmission repair maintenance with our Schedule an Appointment form.
CVT
Finally, a more recent release in the transmission industry are Continuously Variable Transmissions, or CVTs. These gearboxes don’t have traditional gears within, and instead use a pulley system to provide you with smooth transitions as you accelerate. They are like automatic transmissions because they don’t require you to regulate them but they have to be maintained every 30,000 to 60,000 miles like manual transmissions because of the mechanisms within. Each gearbox requires different fluids and our Vacaville Honda service techs have all of the necessary knowledge to get your car back to working condition.
Read About Transmission Services Below!
Dealership Information
Testimonials
“ Had had a great experience with all people that help me with the purchase of my vehicle in October 2025 ”
“ We have been happy with the service we have received at Vacaville Honda. ”
“ David , David and David That’s what you need to ask for if you want to buy the car . Such a humble and genuine person truly caring for your needs. Very polite professional, kind and going in to all details . Such a blessing for this place . Thanks David . Really really appreciate it . ”
“ Very nice personnel, did a great job ”
“ Dominic Manno provided outstanding customer service. He was extremely helpful which made the complicated service process a lot less stressful. He communicated clearly and effectively about what needed to be done, and even went the extra mile when I asked for advice. Vacaville Honda — your Service Advisor Team deserves a raise! Thank you Dominic, my A/C is finally working perfectly! ”
“ After talking to a lot of salespeople at Honda dealerships all over the Bay Area, I ended up with Darek at Vacaville for my new car purchase. He was the most earnest and straightforward out of everyone I spoke to, and he moved quickly to match--and just narrowly beat--other dealerships' offers. He proactively arranged for transport to the dealership, and the purchase process went smoothly with Darek and finance manager Adrienne. In my experience, the dealerships in Vacaville have been much better than those in SF/Peninsula/South Bay; Vacaville Mazda was also the winner the last time we were in the market for a compact AWD car. If you're looking to buy a Honda, I do recommend checking out Vacaville and reaching out to the very prompt and professional folks here. ”
“ AMAZING EXPERIENCE........! ”
“ Just bought a 2009 Honda Civic from Vacaville Honda and had an awesome experience working with Josh Warshawsky. Josh made the whole process super easy and stress free. He was upfront about everything, transparent pricing and honest communication. If you’re looking for someone who’s straightforward and genuinely helpful, ask for Josh. Highly recommend! ”
“ Eric White gave us the best customer experience we’ve ever had in purchasing a vehicle. I highly recommend that management dresses him up as sultan from Aladdin for a day and everybody else can play genie and get him whatever he likes for a day! But in all seriousness, he’s a true professional and a stellar salesman. We’d buy from him again any time we need something. ”
“ I’d like to start by saying thank you for the free engine bay cleaning. However, I don’t believe just because something is free that the quality of a job should suffer. At the end of the day, if a customer is happy with the service, they will most likely return as a paying customer because they feel they are in good hands. I waited about 2.5hr only to be disappointed with their attention to detail. I will admit my engine bay had never been cleaned since 2016 when I got my car; and that as seen in the photos the engine was pretty gross. However, nothing that chemicals and a good pressure wash couldn’t have removed. I will be paying a mobile detailer to finish the job tomorrow. In my post you can see the before pics (the pics with the play icon in the center.. I had to screenshot from a video I took) and the after. The engine did look better than before, but I’d rather just get it done right and not have to worry about it until next time I need one. ”
“ My wife and I took her mother to Honda to look for a new car, and we were helped by Jose Vallarino. Jose was amazing—he showed us multiple cars, made sure we were comfortable with our options, and didn’t hesitate to grab different keys so we could test-drive several vehicles. When it came time to negotiate, he really worked with us to find something that fit what we wanted. He made us feel safe, supported, and confident in our decision. Jose was truly the highlight of the entire experience. When we moved on to the financing portion, Cinthia Chavez took over. My mother-in-law isn’t familiar with cars, fees, or the many add-ons dealerships try to sell, so before sitting down we made a plan to help her through the process. Unfortunately, our experience with Cinthia was very different. She came across as pushy and short with us, especially when my wife and I stepped in to help explain things to my mother-in-law. She worked hard to upsell various protections, extended warranties, and add-ons, which left my mother-in-law confused. When we tried to support her decision-making, Cinthia seemed irritated. Overall, her behavior was the complete opposite of Jose’s, and we would not recommend working with her. ”
“ Took my car for service and my car just got washed. The service people tracked dirt in my driver side floor without cleaning it up or using a mat. ”
“ The salesman tried to screw me on the interest rate. I was promised 0% but then they drew up the K for 3%. The Transmission died at 123K miles just outside of warranty. I should have known! I was quoted 2,200 for a CV boot. I went to Davis Honda for a second opinion and they fixed it for nearly 1/3 the price. I will never go back to Vacaville Honda or buy a Honda again. ”
“ Incompetent workers from the mechanics to the sales people. Haven’t had a single good experience. Don’t bother, just go to Fairfield instead. They’ve been able to handle everything this location couldn’t. ”
“ Unfortunately not good service in service department. Try Fairfield Honda or possibly Davis. ”
“ Honda refusing to give me the MCO/MSO and forcing registration to CA even when I told them I was not going to register it in CA. When asked for their policy or notes/directives they refused to give me documentation. Never buy a car here or anything ever in your life. Yeah but, your dealership sent MN the temp tags information and not the registration information from CA DMV so you did not understand how to do your role even when asked to check in on it you refused and told me to go talk to someone else. ”
“ I must say that service here is way overpriced for services other local Honda dealers offer at lower prices. ”
“ Awful, would never do business here personally. Got a WAY better price on my civic(around 3k less) plus I just tried to set my first oil change here(car has over 4k miles, first 2 oil changes are free) they told me the oil light has to be on....LOL the car has 4k miles, oil life is 80%, yeah I'll wait til 20k miles to change the oil what a joke, They seem to not want to honor the 2 free oil changes unfortunately. I'll make sure I review everywhere ”
“ I have a new 24 honda civic touring took my car in for a recall and got my car back with my instrument cluster cracked i know for a fact it wasn't like that before they got it. I called and took it in and voiced my concerns their response back to me was maybe the heat caused it to crack.. Really!! ”
“ Do not take your vehicle here !! They do not do good visual Diagnostics . They will let you drive off with a Hazard. ”
“ I had taken my car for an oil change and had a ring stolen out of my car, I reached out multiple times and continuously got told I would receive a call back but anytime I would call, the manager would not be in/never return my call. Unfortunate that there are people working there who are dishonest and would do something like that to their customers. ”
“ I’ve been in the market for a Honda Civic type R for quite some time. I telephoned this facility today and I was informed there was one available. I was then informed there was a $10,000 markup. That would essentially make this a $60,000 Honda Civic. If you can’t make money at full sticker price, you shouldn’t be in business. If this is an indication of the greed of this facility, Proceed with great caution. ”
“ Customer service over the phone is 0 ”
“ Parts department guy with long hair is super unprofessional watched him yell at a customer in front of me about not knowing the correct part then decided to degrade me about wipers versus wiper inserts, decided to take my business to Fairfield Honda ”



“ We called to have work done on our car and spoke with Desiree in service. She is wonderful! She has amazing customer service and we were so lucky to have her help. Thank you Desiree so much for helping us. ”