FAQ

What holidays do you observe?

We are closed during national holidays, such as: Christmas, New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving.

Why is it important to service my transmission?

A well-maintained transmission will increase your gas mileage

How do I know if my transmission is bad?

This is a difficult question that depends on the type of problem the vehicle is exhibiting, the type of vehicle and the type of transmission. The only true way to determine if the transmission is bad and what type of repair you will require is to bring your vehicle to our shop for a free evaluation, and diagnostic check to determine the cause of the problem and what it will cost to repair

How much is this going to cost me?

The initial check to determine the problem is free. Transmission repairs range from the cheapest being about 30 bucks to several thousand dollars depending on which transmission is in your vehicle and what type of vehicle you drive.

How come transmissions cost so much money?

To be quite honest, out of all the things that can possibly go wrong with your car mechanically, the only thing worse then transmission failure is engine failure. Automatic transmissions is particular are very complex units that work hydraulically, mechanically, and today’s automatic transmissions are electronically controlled as well. It takes anywhere from 8 to 18 hours to rebuild an automatic transmission, and there are literally hundreds of parts that make it function. It takes a very skilled individual to know how to repair today’s transmissions and understand how they work. These factors make repairing transmissions sometimes costly.

How can I prevent transmission failure?

The easiest way to prevent transmission failure is to service your transmission according to the guidelines in your owners manual. Generally, we recommend changing the fluid and filter in your transmission every 30,000 miles at the latest and 15,000 – 20,000 miles if you tow, drive in high temperatures, or do mostly city driving. Drive your car easy. Hard driving makes transmissions wear out quicker. If you ever encounter a transmission fluid leak, fix it immediately, and do NOT run the transmission low on fluid. If and when your “Check Engine” or “Service Engine Soon” light comes on, have it diagnosed immediately. It may be on due to a failed electronic transmission component that may be easily replaced. If you continue to drive it you may cause extensive damage to your transmission. If you tow or haul a lot of weight (generally in commercial vehicles) and your vehicle is equipped with an automatic transmission, we strongly recommend installing a transmission cooler to keep the temperature down.

What causes transmission failure?

Many things. As the old saying goes “Nothing lasts forever”. The biggest reason people experience transmission failures is due to not performing required service, failure to repair leaks immediately, hard driving, towing or hauling too much weight, and overheating. Remember, your radiator not only cools your engine but your transmission as well, and when you overheat the engine, you are also overheating the transmission. Other factors that cause transmission failure are technical design flaws in the production process of the transmission. Quite often car manufactures make mistakes in the design of transmission parts, and they may not realize these flaws until a vehicle has many miles on it. As well, car manufactures seldom run recalls on vehicles for transmission problems unless the problem is a safety issue.

Should I just get a used transmission for my car?

It depends. If you have a manual transmission, and the damage to your transmission is extensive, it may be wise to get another one instead. Generally, you can tell if a manual transmission is bad before you put it in. Not always, but usually. If you have an automatic transmission, we strongly advise NOT to get a used transmission for several reasons. #1 – You can not tell if it is a good transmission until it is installed in the vehicle. #2 – If it is in fact bad, once it is installed, you still have to pay for the labor to install it, and if you have a problem with it down the road, the labor will not be warranted. Today’s vehicles require a lot of time to install a transmission (especially 4WD and Front Wheel Drive vehicles), and if the transmission does not work, you may wind up paying more money for the repeat installation of a used transmission then you would have spent to repair or rebuild the one you have. #3 – If the used transmission you got is from a junk yard, it may have water inside it from sitting outside. Water will make internal components fail. Even just a little water. As well, it may have been involved in an accident and something inside may be broken which no one will know about until it is installed. #4 – Used transmissions are generally warranted for 30 days. Any transmission we rebuild is warranted for 12 months or 12,000 miles. If your used transmission fails in two months, you just threw your money away.

Why should I let you repair or rebuild my transmission as opposed to getting a new one from the dealer?

99% of the car dealers out there don’t offer “new” transmissions. The transmissions they sell are rebuilt by the manufacturer. They are rebuilt back to the original specifications set forth by the manufacturer. Which means, that they may well put back inferior parts. As transmission shop we have access to many aftermarket parts that were built to correct design flaws that were present in the original parts. We refer to these parts as “updated parts”. Updated parts are often more durable then OEM parts, and last longer. Our goal is to not only repair / rebuild your transmission but to make it better then it ever was before. Also, as an independent shop, we do not have the expensive overhead that most dealerships have, thus we can offer you a better repair at a cheaper price.

How long will I be without my car?

This depends on the car and the type of repair required. Many repairs can be fixed the same day or within a few hours. However some major repairs can take as long as 2 – 5 days.

What is the warranty on your repairs?

Anything we rebuild is warranted to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 12 months or 12,000 miles. Minor and general repairs are warranted to be free of defects for 30 days.

Should I even put the money into repairs of my older car?

Is the car in good running condition? What will it cost to replace the car your driving with something comparable or better? Can you even sell or trade your car with a bad transmission? Do you like having to make new car payments and paying for full coverage insurance? Generally speaking, it is worth repairing your older car if it is in good shape. Not running, it will be difficult to sell, and the cost of buying a new car goes up every year, as the cost of new cars rise. And God knows we ALREADY pay enough money for insurance in New Jersey!

My car just has a small leak. Should I add a “stop leak” additive to correct the problem?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!! Stop leak additives work by causing the seals of your transmission to expand. They may work temporarily or slow down the leak temporarily. The problem occurs in that these additives don’t know when to stop working, and eventually they turn your seals into “mush”. Also, automatic transmissions have internal seals that will be damaged by these additives, and by using them. you may go from having to replace a faulty seal to rebuilding the entire transmission.