Cost of Transmission Rebuilding

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This guy is dirt cheap:

http://www.leetransmission.com/Llist.php

I would make sure that he isn't cutting any corners. A lot of these shops have a tendency to get excellent reviews from people who do not know any better.

Originally Posted By: Cristobal

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


I have heard great things about Longo, and they are the largest Toyota dealer in the US.
 
I am not talking about Longo Toyota at all. I have no experience with their service department. I was referring to another dealership...and that's all I will say.
 
First of all, as mentioned above, correct diagnosis is the key. I have seen many minor engine issues mimic a trans problem well enough to fool even supposed experts.

But I prefer independent transmission shops. My local guy has a two week or more backlog of work, you can't even begin to see his shop past the sea of cars! Look for the busy shop like mine, they do tons of dealership work, etc.

I get an unlimited mileage warranty as long as they get to see it once a year! I'd be much more worried about the quality of the work than a few hundred dollars difference in pricing.
 
Hmmmmm , I'm still concerned something engine wise is going on and as Steve mentioned it's not uncommon for an engine issue to mimic a tranny issue . Generally when something is going wrong in a tranny it will be most noticable when it's shifting....a shudder or a harsh shift , hesitation when going into gear...etc . You generally don't see a "vibration" when cruising .
Perhaps this Lee fellow can give you his opinion on what might be going on . It is possible the pump pressure is low when cold effecting the clutches but I still think if that was the case you would be feeling some harsh shifting issues and the like .

I would hate to see you spend money on a tranny rebuild only to find out afterward it's engine related .
Since you have been told it's may last some time and not fail and leave you stranded I would suggest you take some time with diagnostics and make sure before you go that route .
 
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If it's a clutch thing you should find a bunch of grey silt if you drop the pan. Only problem is what constitutes a "bunch" will vary from person to person, and from trans to trans.

Pull your dipstick and just lay it on a paper towel, if you have a bunch of clutch dust floating in there it will make a "ring" of grey junk on the blotter.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
This guy is dirt cheap:

http://www.leetransmission.com/Llist.php

I would make sure that he isn't cutting any corners. A lot of these shops have a tendency to get excellent reviews from people who do not know any better.

Originally Posted By: Cristobal

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


I have heard great things about Longo, and they are the largest Toyota dealer in the US.



pretty dang good pricing. the pilot would cost 5k at the dealer. by it and pay some mexican to R & R it
 
Originally Posted By: Cristobal
The mounts were all recently replaced


that means nothing if the new mounts were torqued down incorrectly. unless you have 100% full confidence in your mechanic, i would elminiate the motor/trans mounts first.

in addition, if you did not use mid-high quality motor mounts, perhaps its an after effect of [censored] chinese or solid mounts.
 
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I also echo the above posts. I'm not at all sure the trans is the problem. A co-worker of mine had his trans rebuilt, but all that was wrong was a vacuum leak! The leak was in the power brake booster, and the result was rough running. The booster vac line attached to a runner on the intake manifold, causing that cylinder to run lean under modest load. Idled fine, full throttle was fine...

Note: Keep an eye on ebayy for new and overhauled transmissions. Often they can be found for far less than a local overhaul.
 
Vibration can be caused by so many things, but a transmission is one of the last things I would blame. Drive it until the transmission actually fails. I would blame the CV joints long before I would blame the transmission. I am assuming that the car has them since you mention nothing about the actual vehicle.

Plus making a judgement about vibration while driving it in snow is questionable to begin with.

If for some reason you want to rebuild the transmission anyway, $1300 is a very cheap price, yes. You could do it yourself for a lot less.
 
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I agree that it is unlikely to be the transmission. Before you really rebuild it find a couple more mechanics to diagnose it (and probably pay a diagnostic fee) just to be safe.

My wheel bearing issues that comes and go were though to be brakes and transmission issues by 2 independent mechanics, both very honest but are not familiar with non common maintenance type repair. I end up taking it to a guy in the ghetto that specialize in race car repairs (mostly Porsche and other 80s & 90s Toyota and Honda), and the guy told me right away it is the wheel bearing, fixed it within a day too.

Unless your transmission lost a tooth or have an exploded bearing, I don't think it can generate constant noise. If it is not clicking it shouldn't be a tooth, and if it sounds the same in every single speed / gear ratio, it can only be the input or output side of the bearing.
 
Originally Posted By: beast3300
$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.


It isn't a completely fair comparison. The labor to R&R a transmission in a 4WD vehicle will almost always be higher than that of an FWD vehicle.

Anyway, $1300 for the Avalon sounds fair to me as well.
 
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