Transmissions
Servicing, Rebuilds, Rebuilding or
Remanufactured Installation
Decision
Factors-Actual Transmission Repair Case Study
Lehman's Automotive Services,
Inc
Hi! It's
Keith Lehman again. The best guard against transmission failure is to
service it by regularly changing the transmission fluid. Transmission
fluid can discolor, which is a key sign that the fluid needs replacement.
Again, this is preventative maintenance but it can only guard against premature
failure. Regular servicing does not guarantee that transmission failure will not
occur. Failures are dependent upon the brand and manufacture of your
vehicle. Obviously some vehicle types fail more than others. There
are other factors too. One owner might change vehicles every two years
while another might keep a vehicle for 10 or more years. Each situation is
different.
Transmission replacement is
quite common. Again, the reason is primarily due
to economics - "This car is in perfect shape, except for a blown
transmission." When you figure the cost for the remanufactured replacement
or rebuild in terms of the number of new car payments, the payback might be too
overwhelming to ignore. Generally fixing a car, with a reliable
history, is always less expensive in the long run. The counter to this
statement is also true, fixing a car with a questionable history is like
throwing money down the drain. Obviously, there are many other factors or reasons why an
transmission replacement might be the right choice for you. The key is, that there is
more than one choice to consider, and there is money to be saved.
What makes transmissions
replacement somewhat unique is the prime choice between remanufactured
replacement versus rebuilding your transmission. Quite simply, a
remanufactured replacement maybe someone else's prior headache where rebuilding
means that they will rebuild your existing transmission (with a known history). Based on prior
experience, we'd personally prefer a rebuilt
transmission.
Of course there is always
a risk as the rebuild or remanufactured transmission are only part of the equation.
A remanufactured or rebuilt transmission does come with a limited warranty, but the labor to remove and install it is
not covered under that warranty.
Obviously, the choice is
yours. If you'd like to have more information about transmissions, we'll do our
best to answer your questions. We' d also be happy to provide you
with a cost estimate at your convenience. Just give us a
call.
10/02/2008
