Cost of Transmission Rebuilding

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Cristobal

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The Beast is showing a little steady vibration with the transmission when it is cold. It was really noticeable up near Tehachapi while going uphill during a recent snowstorm. It has maybe 186,000 miles on it, and a trusted mechanic has said that sometime from 20,000 to 100,000 miles from now it will need to be rebuilt.

He said it will not strand me anywhere - it will get rougher and more and more annoying until I will need it done. He says it will cost about $1,600.00 and take a week, but he is not a specialist shop.

The local stealership wants about $4,000.00, and they are not honest.

There is a specialty transmission shop in El Monte run by this old Chinese guy, who can do it for $1,300.00 in three days. He has all the kit on hand too.

What are your opinions of the last price and how does it compare with prices in your area? I do not think I can do better.
 
The second price sounds reasonable to me if the guy does good work. I would find out if the second shop offers any sort of warranty on his work and for how long. Take into consideration the age and mileage on the car also of course to determine if this repair is worth it.
 
I'd go to the Chinese guy.

Do you think your clutches are shuddering? IDK how Avalaon trannies blow up but if you just need "soft parts" that's a better deal than snapping stuff.
 
I want to hang on to this car for at least 10 more years.

I do not know if it is the clutches. The transmission is attached to a 1MZ-FE engine, a 6 cylinder, if that helps. It only does the vibration when it is cold. When warm it acts just fine.

The Chinese guy has a 1 year, 10,000 mile warranty, and a good reputation.
 
Have you tried changing the fluid? What about a bottle of Lubegard?

I was just quoted a price of two grand to rebuild a transmission in my 93 Ford Taurus AXOD metric transmission. There are a few places locally, (central Florida) that will do it cheaper, but the two grand place has a rock solid reputation and has been in business for over 30 years.

BTW, back in '88-89 I lived in Lancaster Ca. My wife and I smoked a tranny heading up to Tehachapi to play in the snow one day. Limped home where a buddy and I changed the fluid and added a can of Trans X. I drove that car all the way back to Wyoming to see my wife's parents, then to Indiana and then down to Florida where I sold it for 600 bucks. It was a 1981 Chevy Malibu with three speed automatic transmission.
 
The complete kit is between $200 and $300. I guess $1300 is a reasonable price, assuming he replaces everything in a master rebuild kit.

Have you looked at a reman transmission also?

I know you want to get another 10 years out of it, but is that realistic given the engine, body, frame?

Your vehicle is getting close to 20 years old. Not yet, but close.

Many people put a lot of money into a vehicle in the last 6 months to a year and then decide to sell it and wish they had not put the money into it.
 
Make sure the engine is performing OK , many times people mistake a tranny problem but it is actually the engine . You could be getting a misfire when it's cold . An ignition problem , fuel injector and other issues might cause this so be sure before you do the tranny .
 
My mechanic already checked it and says it is the transmission. The cold vibration is also very steady, like clockwork when it is cold, so it does not seem to be a misfire. The engine is sound, the body in good shape, the interior perfect, and the frame has no rust or cracks. I have always budgeted about $200.00 a month to maintain this car.
 
Try brake torquing it when it is cold , that is put your foot on the brake firmly put it in drive and take the engine up above idle (say 1500 ) or so for 10-15 seconds and see if you still get the vibration . Also try it when it is warmed up and see if you notice anything .

I just want you to be sure it isn't an engine issue , I've seen this overlooked many times and believe me....it is .
 
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$1300 is a super good price in my opinion. I just replaced one in a 4wd Grand Cherokee for 3200 with tax a few days ago.
 
Someone that is familiar with them, does this kind of job everyday, and knows what to look for is potentially better than a dealer who is just going to swap a rebuild in with a fat price tag.
 
$1,300 is a very good price offered by the China Man.

Ask him for some references of people that he has rebuilt transmissions for in the past.

He may be a very honest man who does excellent work.
 
For what it's worth, in 2005 I had a '60 Buick transmission rebuilt by Foothill Transmission Service, up on E. Walnut in Pasadena.

At the time he was the only transmission shop on Walnut without any BBB complaints. He asked how I heard about him, I told him that, and he had a few stories to tell about the place down the street, and the ownership changes every few years.

It worked out well for me, also needed driveshaft balanced. Was about 1k in labor, 2k in parts. He gave a 1 yr, 12000 mi warranty.
 
There are good reviews on Yelp about Lee's Transmissions. Some forks think he is from S. Korea though. But they say he is pretty good at doing this sort of work.

I got to run an errand tonight and I tested the transmission as Nighthawk said. The vibration is there at 1500 RPM when cold. When warm, it is not. When I was driving in the cold storm up at Tehachapi the other day, it would really vibrate when I was going up hill. When on the level, hardly at all.
 
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