When your
transmission dies, it is not the end of the world or even the end
of your vehicle. Your transmission can be put back just like it was
when it was new, or even better. Here are some questions asked by
people just like you when they had a transmission
failure.
My transmission only has 41,000 miles on
it but Sometimes it wont work right and other
times it works fine for days before it acts up again.
Does this really mean I need to have a new transmission to fix
it.
Not necessarily,
sometimes a electronic component can intermittently fail and
cause a problem but when you restart your
vehicle again it can reset itself until the next time the
problem occurs. When you talk to a repair facility ask them if
they can scan and diagnose fault codes. This procedure is used
to determine if the transmission just needs a minor repair or
a complete rebuild.
Who do I take my car too? There are so many
places.
Talk with others that have had transmission repairs
performed.Word of mouth is the best advertisement or try your local
dealership. If you must pick from the phone book call the BBB and
get a consumer report.
When I called to get a price they told me
there was no way of knowing what it would cost until they check it
out. Is that true?
No.
Although it is not possible to give an exact figure, most
transmission repair facilities have built enough units just like
yours to have a pretty good idea of the cost. Some repair
facilities do not give a price over the phone because they
feel it may scare a potential customer away.
I took my car to a place to have my
transmission looked at because they were cheaper than other
places I called. Now that they have diagnosed it they want me to
authorize them to take the transmission out and get a better idea
of the problem and cost even though they already gave me a
price. Should I let them?
Be
very careful here. Once you give them the ok to remove your
transmission you are obligated to pay for all of their labor hours,
diagnostic time, and towing even if you can't afford their new
higher quote and want to pick up the vehicle. It is always best
when signing a repair order to make sure that this phrase is put on
it.
"Diagnose and
call before removing or repairing transmission." This could save you a lot of headaches
later.
I took my truck to a transmission shop and
they gave me a wide price range $1100.00 - $1900.00, but they think
my price will be at the low end because it only has 78,000
miles on it. Is this wide range normal?
Beware of the wide price range and be
ready for the higher end of the scale. Today's transmissions are
very expensive, they operate with the use of solenoids, sensors,
and computers. If you have an overdrive transmission it is more likely than not to see $1900.00 on a final invoice. Approximately 90% of today's transmission installations are over $1500.00.
Most transmission repair facilities are of good
nature and honest, just because they give a price range or no price
at all does not make them dishonest. It is up to you to do the
research and gather as much information as possible to make
the best decision you can, including a second opinion. It is always
best to get any repair quote in writing.
Remember, today's transmissions are very complicated and take
extensive knowledge to rebuild, this makes them very expensive. So
if you get a quote that sounds to good to be true it probably
is.
