At some point you may be put into a situation where you have to decide if a rebuilt transmission is a better idea than a transmission repair. If you had a serious transmission problem, how do you know when a rebuilt transmission is the best choice over a transmission repair?
Assuming you have the car at an ethical transmission shop and you have given them permission to disassemble the transmission for inspection purposes, after a thorough diagnosis only, the shop may present you with several options. One option may be a repair to your transmission and the other option may be a rebuilt transmission. There may be many many reasons that would sway your decision one way or the other.
The first scenario I will present is a common event. You are driving your 2002 GMC Pickup truck with the 4L60-E transmission and go to back up and your hear a “pop” and a sudden loss of reverse. Lets say it has 45,000 miles on it and is in good shape. Upon transmission removal and inspection the mechanic finds that the transmission is in good condition, except that the sun shell is broken, which causes no reverse all of a sudden. If this is the case, than a repair would be in your best interest. Installing the upgraded sun shell, an full upgrade kit since the transmission is already removed and apart, replace all related seals and the front pump busing, reinstall it and fill it with synthetic automatic transmission fluid should do the trick.
On the other side of the pancake, if the the transmission is in a 2001 GMC 1 ton work truck with 120,000 miles on it, the examining technician may find the reverse planetary is damaged and their is in general lots of wear in the clutch plates and other hard parts, than a repair is not your best choice. In fact recommending a repair may indicate the shop is not so ethical. The shop knows darn good and well you will be back soon with a mandatory need for rebuilt transmission.
Being an educated consumer is one way to make a good decision. A little education helps you to decide on who to choose to examine your transmission and help you make the decision that suits you best in the long term. Not a decision that serves the repair shop best. Obviously a decision that suits both of you is a win-win situation. Read more of our blog and related posts to become educated in the subject of transmission repair or replacement.
That being said, at this point you have 110,000 miles on your vehicle and it has major wear issues inside the transmission and the repair bill may be $1200.00 or more (I’m just picking monetary numbers here, the figures I am picking are for reference only) with a 90 day warranty, and a rebuilt transmission costs $2000.00 with a 3 year nationwide warranty on it. If you have a desire to keep your car for a while longer, than needless to say suggesting a rebuilt GMC transmission is in your best interest.
The point being that knowing when to spend a few extra bucks for a product that will last at least three years is much better than spending less now and doing it again in the near future. That makes the job cost more, frustrate you like crazy and have more down time and you are out of a car for at least a few days.
For more information on what transmission is your best bet, call the specialists at GotTransmissions.com @ 866-320-1182 for solid real world advise.
Several
