price to rebuild auto transmission.

When you have transmission problems every place I called give me a flat
charge before even looking at the transmission. This seems suspicious.

In some cases it could be just one small external repair or it could be
a complete rebuild replacing many parts. But still the price is the
same. (Usually 1200 to 2500 dollars.)

If its just replacing some small plastic part on top of the transmission
it could be fixed in a few minutes. But they still want $2500.

Rip off or not?

In this area people seem to have a very low opinion of transmission and
radiator repair shops.

"Kayla W" > wrote in message news:29247->

> Rip off or not?
>
> In this area people seem to have a very low opinion of transmission and
> radiator repair shops.

Depends on what you ask the shops when you call them. An overhaul
probably does normally run within the range you quoted.

And it is also probably a little rare that an aging tranny can be repaired
reliably by replacing some external part alone. Would you do that and then
warranty your work? If so, you would probably get a lot of complaints.

Now, there ARE rip-offs out there. Some shops might charge you that
amount and still not do a good job.

Bottom line, as I see it, you are going to have to pay a reasonable price
to get work done that you will be content with. There is no free lunch.

Find a GOOD shop, if you can, then get an estimate. Dont assume a
dealership will be a good shop. It might be but also might not be.

Kayla W > wrote:
>When you have transmission problems every place I called give me a flat
>charge before even looking at the transmission. This seems suspicious.

That's because none of them are transmission shops, and consequently their
solution is to replace the transmission, no matter what is wrong.

>In some cases it could be just one small external repair or it could be
>a complete rebuild replacing many parts. But still the price is the
>same. (Usually 1200 to 2500 dollars.)

This is true. However, the vast majority of transmission problems are
indeed inside the transmission, and will require a teardown. Since
this is a job for a specialist, your local mechanic will just send it out.

>If its just replacing some small plastic part on top of the transmission
>it could be fixed in a few minutes. But they still want $2500.

This is unlikely although it has been known to happen.

>Rip off or not?

I think the whole concept of the automatic transmission is a ripoff. Get
a manual. There's a lot less to break, and when something does break, your
local mechanic can do the work himself.

>In this area people seem to have a very low opinion of transmission and
>radiator repair shops.

Somewhere there's a good one. Find it. But do not ever expect an easy repair
on an automatic.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

"Scott Dorsey" > wrote in message >
> Somewhere there's a good one. Find it. But do not ever expect an easy
> repair
> on an automatic.
> --scott

Yes, there are good and bad...probably a lot more bad than good,
and, I reiterate, being a dealership shop guarantees you nothing.

Auto trannies are very complicated.. Even the best expert will sometimes
crimp an o-ring, etc.

hls wrote:
>
> "Scott Dorsey" > wrote in message >
> > Somewhere there's a good one. Find it. But do not ever expect an easy
> > repair
> > on an automatic.
> > --scott
>
> Yes, there are good and bad...probably a lot more bad than good,
> and, I reiterate, being a dealership shop guarantees you nothing.
>
> Auto trannies are very complicated.. Even the best expert will sometimes
> crimp an o-ring, etc.

They've been getting less complicated now that they are all computer
controlled and don't need the very hinky valve bodies they used to have.

About ten years ago, the local Dr.Transmission shop rebuilt the
automatic transmission in my 1978 Dodge van.It cost me about $885.00.So
far, so good.
cuhulin

Pete C. > wrote:
>hls wrote:
>>
>> "Scott Dorsey" > wrote in message >
>> > Somewhere there's a good one. Find it. But do not ever expect an easy
>> > repair
>> > on an automatic.
>> > --scott
>>
>> Yes, there are good and bad...probably a lot more bad than good,
>> and, I reiterate, being a dealership shop guarantees you nothing.
>>
>> Auto trannies are very complicated.. Even the best expert will sometimes
>> crimp an o-ring, etc.
>
>They've been getting less complicated now that they are all computer
>controlled and don't need the very hinky valve bodies they used to have.

This is true, the lack of hydromechanical controls has made the things
simpler and has made them easier to diagnose (for those with the proper
test equipment). You can plug a scanner into the side and see when
all the valves are opening and closing.

Still, if something goes wrong inside the case, it all has to come apart.
And when something DOES go wrong, it's usually in there.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On 2010-11-29, > wrote:
> About ten years ago, the local Dr.Transmission shop rebuilt the
> automatic transmission in my 1978 Dodge van.It cost me about $885.00.So
> far, so good.

Those old Torqeflites are great transmissions and can still be overhauled
when needed for well under $1000. The one in my Hornet is still going strong
after 35 years, still very responsive, positive shifts, and no slippage.
I'm surprised yours would need an overhaul after only about 22 years,
maybe you got a lemon.

--
Roger Blake
(Change "invalid" to "com" for email. Google Groups killfiled due to spam.)
"0bama snoozed while oil oozed."

On Mon, 29 Nov 2010 03:06:38 -0600, (Kayla W) wrote:

>When you have transmission problems every place I called give me a flat
>charge before even looking at the transmission. This seems suspicious.
>

First, ask local mechanics where they send cars to have trans work
done.

Second, if "transmission problems" means the car is still drivable, a
good trans shop will drive the car and know enough to give you an
estimate for a fix.
I had a loud SLAM! once from the trans on my '88 Celebrity while
driving on the highway. My mech sent the car to his trans guy, who
sent it right back saying there was nothing wrong with the trans.
From the symptom I described to my mech the trans guy guessed the ECU
had glitched and shut down the motor for an instant, and the slam was
from the restart.
He was right, as the ECU started killing the motor frequently as time
went by, and ultimately failed completely.
I wasn't charged anything by anybody until my mech replaced the ECU.

All problems don't require a rebuild.
A few years later that Celebrity, with about 160k miles on it, started
shifting hard and I took it to the same trans shop.
The trans guy took it for a short drive and told me it would cost $200
for him to replace some springs in the shift valves.
He did that, but it was still shifting hard and I took it back.
He said he'd put softer springs in and did that at no additional
charge.
Trans was fine until I junked the car because of rust at 190k miles.

Anyway, it's best not to try to become an expert on transmissions, but
put your efforts into being expert at finding a good honest expert.
Not always easy. Sometimes it's just being lucky.

>In some cases it could be just one small external repair or it could be
>a complete rebuild replacing many parts. But still the price is the
>same. (Usually 1200 to 2500 dollars.)
>
>If its just replacing some small plastic part on top of the transmission
>it could be fixed in a few minutes. But they still want $2500.
>
>Rip off or not?
>
>In this area people seem to have a very low opinion of transmission and
>radiator repair shops.

You're dealing with the wrong shops if there's any questions not
answered.
Once you find the right trans shop, it still won't be cheap for FWD if
they have to drop the transaxle.
Dropping a RWD trans is a piece of cake compared to a FWD.
On a FWD you're pulling all the front suspension to drop the
transaxle.
$2500 isn't out of line for a thorough FWD rebuild.
That's when you give serious thought to whether the car is worth
keeping.
A few years ago my daughter had the trans fail on her '01 Eclipse.
Cost her $2800 for a rebuild, but she loves the car.
Since I usually pay about that for an entire Chevy that I drive for
6-12 years, that's beyond my experience.
Since her car was still worth about $8000 it made sense to fix it, and
she has no regrets.
BTW, if you go the rebuild route, don't do a swap for another rebuilt
trans, but have your own rebuilt.
"Compatible" trans can cause issues.
Your car might be down longer, but you won't have to deal with the
issues that can arise with a strange trans in your car.

--Vic

"Scott Dorsey" > wrote in message news:id0r05$c15>
> This is true, the lack of hydromechanical controls has made the things
> simpler and has made them easier to diagnose (for those with the proper
> test equipment). You can plug a scanner into the side and see when
> all the valves are opening and closing.
>
> Still, if something goes wrong inside the case, it all has to come apart.
> And when something DOES go wrong, it's usually in there.
> --scott
> --

That is the way I see it too.

If the clutches are worn out, you have to go in and replace them. And
in my book, you dont just replace clutches on a worn out tranny.....
If you have a sticking valve body, you may be able to pull that, clean,
polish, and reinstall but if it is sticking because the tranny is worn and
nasty, you still have to go through it.

My statement that even the best of experts sometimes make a mistake
in reassembly is one I stand by. No matter how careful you are, you
will occasionally have a problem during reassembly.