its an 88 RX7 turbo and I took my car in to get a full transmission rebuild because the thing was clicking and humming and all sorts of crazy stuff. So when I take it in, they say their not sure its even the transmission and it might be the clutch but its going to cost $250 to find out. So I say go ahead just find out what the problem is. Well, it wasn't the clutch it was chunked off synchros rattling in the tranny. Now they tell me I need a full rebuild. (that's what I told them). So the guy calls me and says that since the 5th gear assembly and the 4th 5th reverse sliders need to be replaced it would cost amost $1,900 to rebuild, so he claims he looked for alternatives. He said that "used transmissions around here are $850 to $950" and he found one with 70,000 miles. So he said he could get that one with a good 5th gear and such and rebuild it for a measly $1,050. Then he tells me that the clutch is "pretty much gone" (which it doesn't feel like to me) and says that he can do the whole thing for $1,694. This seems outrageous.

Are they trying to screw me over because they already got my $250 to figure out what was wrong? I saw a link to a place that does rebuilds for $300 + hard parts and sold new trannies for $600. This can't be a fair price for a transmission rebuild can it?

Thanks in advance.

 

don't do it man.. most-all tranny shops try to screw you. i went to an A+ tranny shop and the guy said they'll open it up and see what's inside for free. i said ok. he said i'll need a full rebiuld. i said how much. he said $1200. i said no. he said ok.

when i told him i could get a used tranny(or even new... like you said, for $600) for stupid cheap, he said no fawking way...

the other shops wanted to open up my tranny for $300..

just don't give this guy anymore money.

 

so what alternatives do I have? I could go to another tranny shop and get a quote but they will probably overcharge me just like this one right? How feasible is it to try and put in my own tranny?

 

Definitely don't give them another cent! Get your car out of there and find a reputable shop, that doesn't cost an arm & leg for a diagnosis. The average total cost for a tranny rebuild in my area is $500-$575. Anything more, is pure greed!

 

Ask people near you if they recommend any shops as being reasonable and honest. Don't leave it at this place and hope that something happens. I did that getting my motor rebuilt in Austin, and they just kept feeding me endless bullshit. After several months of nothign happeneing, I had it towed to San Antonio. Try asking in the area forum on this site to see if anyone near you knows of a good shop.

 

there is a guy that rebuilds the rx-7 tranny's for I think $600...there is a link some where here that goes to the guys site!! It might be less than that!!


EDIT: Oh here it is .... Transmission Rebuild

the price is $295!

 

I'll definately check around for a shop that people know is good. Thanks for the info.

 

Get one off a forum member that is working, and have that rebuilt.

I got mine for $70 ~80k off a forum member.

So its HELL of alot cheaper then getting your current rebuilt.

 

My rebuild was just about $400, granted mines an N/A but the turbo is just a little bit more.

 

any tranny that I take to these guys is going to be incredibly expensive. I'm pretty convinced that they figured they could screw me on this one. I'm not taking a different transmission to them because they are going to overcharge on that too. Not to mention I use my car to get to and from school and I don't have time to **** around with these idiots again. It took them 2 days to figure out what was wrong with it. When I went in, I told them the syncros were gone and it needed a rebuild anyway. I don't have time to wait for a tranny to get shipped to me either. I'm just going to go in tomorrow, ask them exactly what is wrong with the tranny and what needs to be replaced, write it down and say, "thanks, i'll take my car now". Then I can tell the next place what's wrong and get an accurate estimate. This place pisses me off. I'll make sure its not misplaced tomorrow before I do something like report them to the better business bearou.

 

yea this is a perfect example of why i am my own mechanic...sure its harder, takes more time, and I usually **** stuff up but I dont have to worry about getting fucked and I know (or think ) its done right.

 

I've done the rest of the work on my car myself, but I've never done anything with transmissions so I figured I'd let a shop tackle it. Apparently that wasn't necessarily the best idea.

 

From what I have heard trannys arent really that hard to replace because they are preety much direct bolt ons with some minior stuff that you have to hook up.

 

I went to a tranny shop once and they told me that the NA's don't have an inspection plate so to even check it they would have to open it up and then at the least rebuild it if opened.

not sure if this is right about the NA's though.

 

Digi i never heard that if they open the tranny they have to rebuild it...lol that kind of sucks. Oh well

 

That sounds like bullshit to me. Having to take it out to inspect I can see, but not totally rebuilding it. Kinda like when the Mazda dealership told me that my 626 had dangerously bad engine mounts, a bent suspention piece, a bad drive axle, and several other things. It turned out that there was just a loose screw somwhere in the front suspention

 

fcs3.org sells j-spec trannys for a couple hundred bucks I think.

 

I know I'll probably get flack on this one, but I don't think your being "screwed". My first rebuild was by Mazda under the warranty back in 1995. The cost was $1350 remove/rebuild/replace the trans. & syncros. In 2002 when KD replaced the engine I thought I'd have Dave do the trans as I noticed a very minimal amount of grinding when shifting. Turned out he replaced syncros and 2 bearings. Think it was @ $550 and trans was pulled with the engine, and not much damage. Parts are expensive. Check the cost of the parts that are bad. It will mount up in a hurry. Your probably better off to rebuild a used one, if someone will guarantee that is not total trash.

 

hey, whatch it buddy . I happen to work at a tranny shop, and we certainly don't screw anyone.




umm... sorry, but you can't tell if a clutch is almost gone by "how it feels". and that seems like a pretty decent price for a new tranny and clutch. clutch jobs on a lot of RWD vehicles are normally around $5-600. and tranny rebuilds... I'd guess around $1500 for an FC. a lot of auto tranny rebuilds can run in upwards of $2900, or more.

the thing is, sure, you can get a tranny for $600, but then once you have them install it, its going to go up... a lot. labor is a major part of the cost.

what I recommend doing is:
ask them if you can see whats going on... the problems with your tranny, and clutch. if they'll show you, and you understand what they're saying, then trust them. then, you have a couple options. first, if you want to R&R the tranny yourself, you can save yourself alot of money. find out how much it will cost if you just get a tranny from them, and do the work yourself. or, if you can get a tranny for cheaper, than do that.

or, if you don't want to do the work, see how much it would cost if you got a new tranny, and all the parts(clutch, etc..).

don't just assume they're trying to screw you because prices are high. when you use all new parts, and throw in labor charges, it can get damn expensive.

 

my bad retardhead.. i did say "most"...

PureSephiroth, save yourself the money(which will be shitloads) and just do it yourself.. it is really not that hard to take it out at all. it took me 2.5 hours. and that's it.

unless mom or dad is paying for all this, then why waste your money?

just my opinion.

also, i would not even be bothering taking it to a shop... bottom line is: if you can get one cheaper, GET IT!

 

hgj