How To Find A Repair Shop For A Transmission Overhaul
How To Find A Repair Shop For A Transmission Overhaul
Your transmission is slipping and the mechanic has delivered the bad news: it needs to be overhauled. It’s an expensive job and prices vary wildly depending on the shop and the area in which you live. Sometimes, the prices at a single shop can practically double based on the amount of work involved for the technician. That’s why most shops will refuse to give you a firm quote until they have lifted your tranny, dismantled it, and have all of the pieces laid out in front of them.
The question is, how do you find a garage that will overhaul your transmission while maintaining a high level of quality in their workmanship? Millions of drivers can attest that the process of having your tranny overhauled is not as simple as having an alternator or water pump replaced. The work can take days and costs can rise dramatically. It’s not uncommon for the job to cost $1,800 or more.
In this article, I’ll provide a few helpful tips for finding a trustworthy repair shop that will perform the overhaul.
Use Your Local Auto Repair Garage
You’ll find that a lot of auto repair garages don’t work on transmissions. It’s labor-intensive and specialized. Even if the mechanics are capable of doing it, they’ll refuse the job. This is the reason many garages specialize in this area. Their entire business is focused on repairing and overhauling transmissions.
Use your local mechanic as a first resource. That is, ask him to serve as a go-between. Many auto technicians will maintain relationships with tranny shops and refer their best customers to them. If there’s a problem with the assembly after the repairs are performed, you can call your regular mechanic and he’ll communicate with the specialist for you. You may need to pay your local auto technician a small fee, but it’s worthwhile to avoid the headaches of working directly with the transmission shop.
Abandoned Vehicles?
If your mechanic is unable (or unwilling) to refer you to a trustworthy specialist, you’ll need to find one on your own. When visiting a tranny shop, check to see whether there are abandoned vehicles in their lot. That might suggest the garage’s quotes are far lower than the actual price of the repairs; owners may have decided to abandon their cars rather than pay the bill.
Also, check whether any of the vehicles that the specialists have worked on are similar to your own. Every car is a little different; knowing the mechanic has experience with your make and model will provide peace of mind.
When you go inside the shop to speak with the tranny technicians, ask them to quote a “worst case” price. Transmission repairs and overhauls have a way of escalating far above the original quote. A “worst case” price will help you prepare your expectations while discouraging the garage from trying to entice your business with a low-ball quote.
If your transmission is slipping or you’re having similar shifting troubles, finding a reputable specialist you can trust will be difficult. Your best path is to ask your local repair garage to serve as a liaison.
