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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.

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Common Repairs That Are Performed On Automotive Transmissions

Your vehicle’s engine receives a lot of attention. Everybody from muscle car enthusiasts to salespeople on the dealership lot recites horsepower numbers like baseball statistics. But, the transmission is a far more complex piece of machinery. It’s more than just a gearbox. There are an assortment of components and systems within the housing that perform their respective jobs outside the limelight.

Eventually, the parts wear down and your tranny will begin to fail. At some point, you’ll need to replace them. However, there are many problems that can be resolved by making a few adjustments or repairs without removing the assembly from your vehicle. Here are two of the most common:

#1 – Resealing Work

Over time, leaks can occur. You might have noticed a small patch of reddish oil on the ground when moving your car. That implies that a seal or gasket has developed a leak. When you take your vehicle to a mechanic, he’ll probably put it on lifts to identify the source. If it truly is a leaking seal or gasket, he can reseal them and eliminate the leak without lifting your transmission. That said, if the leak is coming from the front seal, your mechanic will be unable to reach it without lifting the entire assembly. That becomes expensive.

#2 – Replacing Components

As noted, there are several parts and systems within your transmission; some of them will eventually need to be replaced. The good news is that a technician can reach many of these components by first taking out the oil pan. There is one small caveat, though. Every tranny is a little different. The components that are accessible on one assembly may be inaccessible on another (without removing it from your vehicle). Plus, because the mechanic can only inspect a limited range of parts while the assembly is still in your car, he’ll be unwilling to offer warranty coverage.

When An Overhaul Is Necessary

Sometimes, replacing a few internal parts or resealing areas that have developed leaks won’t fix a persistent problem. If that’s the case, your mechanic will likely recommend an overhaul. He’ll remove the transmission from its cavity and dismantle the entire assembly. Then, he’ll take a look at each component to check whether it has sustained a high level of wear and tear. If it has, that component is replaced. If not, it’s cleaned. Most of the parts that deteriorate naturally (for example, the clutch, gaskets, etc.) are replaced.

Next, the mechanic will check to see whether any changes are recommended by the manufacturer. If so, he’ll make those changes. Finally, he’ll reassemble the transmission and place it back into its cavity. Because he has been able to inspect every part, he’ll usually offer a warranty on the work he has performed.

When your transmission misbehaves, don’t immediately think it needs to be replaced. Take your car to a trusted technician and let him take a look. There’s a good chance he won’t need to remove the assembly in order to fix the problem.

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