price to rebuild auto transmission.

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.

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

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.

This is unlikely although it has been known to happen.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Everybody makes mistakes sometimes. The difference between the professional and the amateur is how well the customer is supported when a mistake happens.

--scott

Amen!

If you are asking them about a rebuild OR saying something like, "My transmission doesn't go into gear what will it cost me to fix it?" They are going to look at the chart they have with pricing by make/model of trans and give you the rebuild price. They don't know what is actually wrong until they get it in the shop.

How many doctors can you call on the phone and say "Gee doc my leg hurts really bad, what do you think it is?" Same problem, until they see it the estimate is going to be worst case.

Most transmission shops are going to test the trans, run a scan then give you a better idea of what is wrong. BUT, if the trans is slipping or making noises it's going to get a rebuild. Other than a valve body repair there is nothing external on the trans that makes it work. If it's a cooler leak and the trans isn't low on fluid or hasn't burnt fluid then you may get by with just some repair work.

Very few small parts on a transmission. If it's something like a speed sensor or temp sensor then that's different.

Probably because they have no idea what is actually involved in working inside those transmissions.

They ought to get some of those TSA naked body scanners and check those transmissions.

Ooops, only joking. cuhulin

Easy way around this, go to vo-tech for a few years, then a few years working on the job getting experience, spend a thousand maybe five thousand on tools and remove it, tear it apart and fix it yourself. You can even open your own shop and be making all that easy money. Now what I'd do if I were you is decide if you want to invest the bucks to have a decent diagnosis of the problem (it could be just that small plastic part, or a filter fluid change will get it back to normal, but I doubt it). Worse case, if the vehicle is worth it to you to spend a couple of thousand on a warrantied remanufactured transmission. If it is then bite the bullet and spend the money. It costs money to go a mile down the road, break it all down and you'd be surprised what transportation costs to get from point A to B. Let us know how it turns out.

FatterDumber& Happier Moe wrote in news:4d01f2fa$0$14811$ snipped-for-privacy@news.suddenlink.net:

suspicious.

transmission

I think It is about a buck a mile for actual costs now. Remember that the next time you just run to the store for some little thing. Pretty expensive trip I say. KB