If your transmission has experienced a high amount of damage and you want peace of mind, a transmission replacement or rebuild is a good option. However, if there is minimal damage and you want to keep transmission costs low, a transmission repair could be the right choice for you.
If your car is not properly or well maintained, or you have poor driving habits, you may need to consider scrapping or selling off the vehicle. But if you have always maintained the vehicle in pristine condition within and without, repairing the transmission may be worth it.
Work you do to fix up a classic car—from a new transmission to an EV conversion—is often well worth the investment. While you are unlikely to find a classic transmission, updating with newer parts will keep the vehicle drivable. Many drivers also find it worthwhile to fix up cars with sentimental value.
Better Choices: Rebuild or Remanufacture
Your shop is far more likely to see successful transmission replacements and happy customers when you opt for rebuilt and remanufactured transmissions instead of used units.
When repairing a transmission you are replacing the bare minimum amount of parts to bring your transmission back into working order. Often with a transmission repair, you are only fixing one specific part of the transmission. This repair can take place without having to rebuild the entire transmission.
You can expect a rebuilt transmission to last about 30,000 to 50,000 miles, but if the work is done well, and you perform regular maintenance, a rebuilt transmission can last just as long as a new one, giving you anywhere from 120,000 to 150,000 additional miles.
New transmissions can cost thousands of dollars more than rebuilt ones, and the down payment requirements for a new vehicle can be much more, depending on the vehicle you want. Rebuilt transmissions typically come with warranties, ensuring that you'll get your money's worth out of the unit.
Advantages of Used Transmissions
They often cost less than new or remanufactured transmissions, and they solve an immediate problem. Install one of these, and you can be back on the road under budget. You can find these parts advertised online by private parties or at auto salvage yards.
While a "rebuilt" transmission usually implies that only worn-out parts have been replaced, the process to remanufacture a transmission is typically much more thorough. Good reman transmissions have all new mechanical tolerances set to factory specifications, as well as like-new durability and quality.
How much does it cost to rebuild a transmission? Rebuilding a transmission will cost about half the price of replacing a transmission. That means you should expect to spend between $2,000 and $3,500, based on our estimates. In some cases, it might be more than that, depending on the complexity of the situation.
With proper maintenance, transmissions can last up to 300,000 miles or more. This includes changing the fluid in your transmission system and regular checkups. However, when you don't keep up with routine maintenance, your transmission might have problems at the 100,000-mile mark or even sooner.
In some of the most extreme cases, you will not be able to give the car any gas, which means you may slow down and this can cause problems when trying to continue going, especially on a highway or major road.
However, we do know that most modern automatic transmissions, if treated properly, generally last for at least 100,000 miles. Regular service, appropriate fluid levels, and reasonable driving techniques are the best way to ensure that your automatic transmission lasts as long as it can.
The short answer to this question is no, you should not drive with a bad transmission.
Low Fluid – Low fluid level reduces the hydraulic pressure necessary to properly shift and operate the automatic transmission gear sets, which can cause the gears to slip or shift erratically. Dirty Filter – A dirty and/or clogged transmission filter can stop the normal flow of fluid, causing slipping of gears.
So, rebuilding a transmission not only saves you money on upfront costs, but it also saves you money on your next car by providing a higher trade-in value. A second warranty guarantees quality. A warranty is great news because it means you'll get your money's worth from your rebuilt transmission.
Rebuilt transmissions are typically patched with old components; however, they work as you would expect, but the parts are not new ones. In contrast, remanufactured components are re-created, or somewhat refurbished with new parts, which makes them seemingly new systems.
Transmission Mileage
One of the most important factors is the age and mileage of the transmission. Automatic transmissions often fail between 80,000 and 150,000 miles. Manual transmissions can fail even sooner than that, especially when routine maintenance is neglected.
Intricate work , many new parts , transmission fluid costs a fortune .. but mainly labor .. it takes hours to pull out , clean , inspect , disassemble , inspect again , more cleaning ,evaluate and replace parts the reassemble. And that's not including removing and replacing the unit out and back in the vehicle ..
It can be as easy as replacing fluids or it can be a more than $5000 reconstruction. Minor transmission repairs involve replacing defective solenoids, re-sealing for leaks, replacing parts, and throttle cable adjustment. Major transmission repair requires disassembling, inspection, cleaning, and rebuilding.
Estimated Time to Replace a Transmission
It depends on the type of vehicle you drive, including its age, make, model, and drivetrain. In general, service experts agree that it doesn't take more than one to two days to replace a standard transmission, with more finicky models taking closer three or four days.
Driving with a slipping transmission is not recommended because the vehicle's safety can be unpredictable. It can go into different gears without warning, shake, and cause damage.
Manual transmissions require less servicing to remain functional and don't need the same type of oil as an automatic transmission. Cars with a stick-shift usually last longer than an automatic of the same make and model.