Anyone have any experiece with Autozone remanned transmissions?

I'm towing it elsewhere and getting it rebuilt for $3100. I put the request for the reman transmission estimate in on Wednesday and they didn't get back to me before they shut down for the weekend. In fact I texted the owner Thursday and told him I would be there Friday to pay for the diagnostic and was wondering if the estimate would be ready by then. He ignored me. I show up Friday anyways to pay my bill and the shop is locked up tight and no one is there.

So just out of curiosity I call the dealership for an estimate on a reman install and they call me right back with a quote for around $4700. If they got back to me that quickly why is this other shop dragging their frigging feet?

Anyways I'm going in Monday to pay my diagnostic bill, tow the car to a transmission shop and have it rebuilt.
 
Well after sitting out in the parking lot waiting for a tow truck I watched a little white car pull up with blue parts boxes in the back. So I'm pretty sure I would've ended up with a NAPA Reman. Also worth nothing he didn't charge me for the diagnostic so I guess waiting for 5 days wasn't so bad.

The shop I'm taking it to has been rebuilding transmissions for over a decade so I'm trusting him with the work.
 
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HyundaiAbuser said:
Was 3100 the cheapest rebuild you could find or just the one you trusted the most
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The only shop within 30ish miles that rebuilds transmissions. And that 30ish mile shop is an Aamco which I've been told to stay away from.

And the 3100 includes labor for removal and installation plus fluids.

EDIT: And it's worth mentioning he doesn't just replace problematic parts, it's a complete overhaul.
 
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3800Fan said:
I was originally completely against this but someone has somewhat managed to talk me into replacing the transmission in my 13 year old Buick. My aunts husband's brother will be doing the install. He's a retired master Chrysler tech.

I'm not willing to pay jasper prices but I see I can get one from autozone with a 3 year warranty for $1500 after core charge.

I'm just wary of autozone brand stuff.

https://www.autozone.com/drivetrain...atic-transmission-assembly-t280497/162919_0_0

Anyone familiar?
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How many miles on vehicle, at 13 years a 3 year wty will probably be sufficient, no?
 
Dinoburner said:
How many miles on vehicle, at 13 years a 3 year wty will probably be sufficient, no?
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Depends on where you live. Here on the west side we drive em till they get crashed. I'm currently having the rear axle rebuilt on my 2002 jeep($1500)...I plan on driving it till it gets wrecked by an illegal with no insurance while texting on an Obama phone.
 
3800Fan said:
Well after sitting out in the parking lot waiting for a tow truck I watched a little white car pull up with blue parts boxes in the back. So I'm pretty sure I would've ended up with a NAPA Reman. Also worth nothing he didn't charge me for the diagnostic so I guess waiting for 5 days wasn't so bad.

The shop I'm taking it to has been rebuilding transmissions for over a decade so I'm trusting him with the work.
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More & more transmission shops are installing units remanufactured by a 3rd party, Most shops buy direct though.....Not through a retailer like NAPA or Autozone.

Experienced transmission builders are getting scarce, There might be 1 replacement for every 4 that Retire/Leave the Industry/Die. I've had 2 apprentices I taught to build.....Both work for big Remanufacturing Outfits, They have great pay, benefits, Treated well, And don't have to work in a Hot/Cold dark dungeon of a build area that exists in most independent Transmission Shops.
 
Dinoburner said:
How many miles on vehicle, at 13 years a 3 year wty will probably be sufficient, no?
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The vehicle only has 140000 miles on it but it sat for 3 years so the seals and gaskets probably all went to hell. Engine was replaced with a low mileage junkyard unit in 2018 and only has 72k miles on it.
 
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I called a few days for an update and he said they got backed up but would be pulling my car into the shop as of Thursday and I should have my ride back early in the week, possibly Monday or Tuesday. After I put a couple grand on the odometer I'll pop back in and update Ya'll.
 
There's a lot more to broken Forward Apply Band's than just replacing it with the latest GM part#, Malfunctioning EPC Solenoid, And worn Pressure Regulator & Torque Signal Bores can cause slow line pressure rise.....The PCM/TCM will attempt to make up for that by lowing the Duty Cycle to the EPC....By the time the EPC catches up....Max line pressure is commanded which causes the Band Apply Pin to SLAM into the Band & eventually break it.

The Band Clearance also needs to be adjusted, They usually have about a 1/2" of clearance.....Needs to be reduced to 3/16"-1/4". Less clearance prevents the Apply Pin from crashing into the Band at such a high speed.
 
As an employee, I have sold transmissions through autozone. I find it is dependent upon what vehicle it is being used on and how well the unit is installed. Having sold them commercially but not to DIY, I warrantied out 2 of the 9 transmissions I sold within the first 6 months, but then did not hear anything on the warranty replacement. Both transmissions I had to warranty out were on Chevy Tahoe's, and one of them had 30 inch wheels with a lift on it. which were probably not easy on the transmission.

If it were my car, I would first see if I could find a well reviewed respectable transmission shop locally. If I could not, I am not sure if any brand or parts store is better than another.
 
clinebarger said:
There's a lot more to broken Forward Apply Band's than just replacing it with the latest GM part#, Malfunctioning EPC Solenoid, And worn Pressure Regulator & Torque Signal Bores can cause slow line pressure rise.....The PCM/TCM will attempt to make up for that by lowing the Duty Cycle to the EPC....By the time the EPC catches up....Max line pressure is commanded which causes the Band Apply Pin to SLAM into the Band & eventually break it.

The Band Clearance also needs to be adjusted, They usually have about a 1/2" of clearance.....Needs to be reduced to 3/16"-1/4". Less clearance prevents the Apply Pin from crashing into the Band at such a high speed.
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He told me all of this. He completely rebuilt the transmission so new EPC solenoid and he used a sonnax apply pin which is .200 longer then the OEM pin so there isn't so much clearance.

https://www.sonnax.com/tech_resourc...and-slippage-breakage-with-a-longer-servo-pin
 
3800Fan said:
Sorry I misread your post. Autozone and NAPA are parts places here in the states.
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I am familiar with Autozone and NAPA.
You had stated that "the outfit who makes their parts" in a post referring to both (and that the outfit is bad)

I am not trying to troll in any way but am genuinely curious which parts supplier among the two you had in mind.
It was not clear from the post if you were referring to AZ or NAPA and I am looking for data to steer myself to either or none.

Again not trying to troll in anyway just want to know :)
 
palmerwmd said:
Who autozone or napa?
Not trying to troll genuinely curious.
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Because after poking around online I found out there really is no difference between reman and rebuilt. Plus reman is more expensive. When I called the dealership they wanted $4700 for a
palmerwmd said:
I am familiar with Autozone and NAPA.
You had stated that "the outfit who makes their parts" in a post referring to both (and that the outfit is bad)

I am not trying to troll in any way but am genuinely curious which parts supplier among the two you had in mind.
It was not clear from the post if you were referring to AZ or NAPA and I am looking for data to steer myself to either or none.

Again not trying to troll in anyway just want to know :)
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They're both fine now. AZ used to carry in house parts only, now you can find good quality and OEM parts there. Same with NAPA.
 
@clinebarger

Couple of things that have me worried. 3 actually.

1) He used Mercon fluid in the transmission. When I inquired it was V or LV he just said it was the good stuff which I assume is LV. I have read online this is the same as Dex VI but I don't know how true it is. It would make sense since GM and Ford Co Engineered all those transmissions together.

2) I keep smelling fresh ATF whenever I come to a stop or get out or the car. Also smells quite strong with the hood popped and car running. No leaks anywhere. Also the ATF is only filled slightly above the minimum line.

3) Today while driving up a very slight hill after shifting into 2nd gear my RPMs stayed at 2k for a few seconds before settling back down to 1.5k as if it got hung up in gear or something.

Am I just worrying too much or are there valid concerns here?
 
id keep an eye for fluid but not worry about it yet.
1. 2nd gear hang could be grade logic, since you were coming off a hill.
2. Smells could be fluid left on the case burning off, which can take a while.

if anything, call them and ask. They may want to see it themselves. Are you sure you are reading the fluid level correctly? You saw the original trans as low too? I would not fiddle with it at all yet; don’t interfere with their work without talking with them first.
 
meep said:
id keep an eye for fluid but not worry about it yet.
1. 2nd gear hang could be grade logic, since you were coming off a hill.
2. Smells could be fluid left on the case burning off, which can take a while.

if anything, call them and ask. They may want to see it themselves. Are you sure you are reading the fluid level correctly? You saw the original trans as low too? I would not fiddle with it at all yet; don’t interfere with their work without talking with them first.
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Yeah I'm not adding any fluid to it or anything. I checked fluid again (parking brake set, shifted through all gears then left it in neutral) as per owner's manual and the level was slightly higher barely above the MIN line in the crosshatch area.

My only other concern is when I first got the car back all shifts were nice and smooth, but now the 1-2 shift is very firm. It's like it almost lightly jerks into gear. It also seems to engage abruptly when shifting from park to reverse or drive or from reverse to neutral if I remember correctly.

EDIT after a quick a search online it looks like with the 1-2 accumulator is stuck or the PCS is acting up.
 
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