Transmission Repair

Some minor transmission repair troubles can be fixed quickly with simple adjustments and /or quick repairs of a few parts. 

If this is the case, consider yourself lucky because these repairs are not as costly as it can be for a rebuild job or a new replacement.

At other times a serious transmission breakdown may occur.

This could require a full transmission rebuild or a complete replacement with a new or used transmission.

Rebuild

Rebuilding a transmission usually costs less than replacing it. However sometimes the parts are too worn out or burned and the unit cannot be rebuilt.

Rebuilding is still costly however. To rebuild a transmission, it must first be removed from the vehicle and disassembled. This is labor intensive work.

Next many parts are replaced, including all of the gaskets, rubber seals, and friction clutches. Many parts are inspected, such as drums and planetary gears. More time and labor adds up here as well.

There are tests performed on all of the electrical parts. 

Once the transmission is completely repaired and rebuilt, it is then reassembled and reinstalled on the vehicle. This is, once again, a long process that adds to the bill for more time and labor costs.

At this point some tests are performed and the vehicle is taken for a test drive.

It takes quite a bit of time and money to repair a transmission. Do preventive maintenance now to avoid repairs later.

Replacement

There is a point where it is not worth the time and money to repair a transmission. When the parts are too damaged and the costs get too high you might as well get a replacement installed.

You can get a new transmission installed or you can try to find a used one that came from another car like yours that was in an accident. When that happens, the junkyard "parts out" the vehicle to scavange the usable auto parts.

The car may have not had many miles on it, so the transmission would still be in good condition. This can save you some money versus a brand new unit.

Call around and get estimates from several shops. Also, ask mechanics where they send cars to get the transmissions worked on. It is a specialty and most regular car repair shops do not work on transmissions themselves. They send the work out to a specialist. Find out who they use and go to that shop too.