Going on third tranny...

[Beau M]

So, I have a 02 P5 with 87 thousand miles on it. It has the sport auto. Just before I bought it, the tranny was replaced by Mazda. I have all the paperwork from the dealer that did the work. This was about 40 thousand miles ago. Well, just the other day the wife said the car was driving funny. Sure enough, its hunting for gears and won't shift out of second or go over 40 miles an hour. There is no CEL. I took it to a reputable local shop, who said they think the drums are cracked. He quoted me 5K for a brand new tranny, or 3K for him to have it rebuilt. I told him I would think about it and picked the car up. When I did he took me aside and told me that I should go to Mazda and raise hell, that tranny's shouldn't break after 40K, especially a new one. While I did not own the car when it was replaced, I did buy my other vehicle (an 04 Frontier) from that same dealership, so I am a paying customer. What do you all think, do I have a legit reason to ask for their help? Even if they went half, or waived the labor I would be happy.

-Beau

 

[msp5]

Working for a dealership,id say go back to mazda and raise hell.As long as you have all the papers on the work completed,they should do something for ya.The biggest think dealerships look for is loyalty.so if ya dont get any service done there they may go like 50/50 or something.

 

[idrift4wd]

its worth a try right? its better then getting a rebuilt one like i did(sport auto) 2 grand and doesnt run the same. not bad but its just not the same : /

 

[HawkBat]

My Tranmission is going now also, and at the worst time. Need to figure out what the hell to do.

 

[nullbyte]

Dude, you can find a used tranny for less than $500 and then another $500 for the install TOPs. $5000 for new or $3000 for a rebuild....don't even think about it. ALSO, a transmission shop or mechanic shouldn't be telling you what is wrong with the tranny until they have it opening up and can see first hand what is wrong.

 

[Tom03es]

So, I have a 02 P5 with 87 thousand miles on it. It has the sport auto.

I didn't think the sport auto was available in 2002.

 

[Don Juan]

I didn't think the sport auto was available in 2002.

It was. Well, my door says 2002.5

 

[Beau M]

Well, Mazda pretty much told me to F off. So, I will be taking it down to AAMCO so I can get bent over and violated.

 

[Tom03es]

It was. Well, my door says 2002.5

Actually, if I remember right, that's the difference. It wasn't offered in 2002 but it was introduced in the mid-year model upgrade designated by 2002.5.

What type of fluid have they been using in the transmission? Perhaps it's time to ditch the crappy fluid cooler that runs through the radiator and install a proper cooler.

I've been running Red Line D4 fluid in my transmission for over 30,000 miles. I recently just replaced the fluid along with the filter/strainer. I also slapped in a Lentech Street Terminator valve body just for fun. That's been in there for about 7,000 miles. I've also been running a proper fluid cooler for about 15,000-20,000 miles. I am completely bypassing the factory cooler right now. That thing is worthless.

 

[Beau M]

Well, we are at 2100 and counting. That does not include any hard parts that may be broken in there. Ugh.

 

[EMPIRE]

Anyone looking for a tranny $300+ shipping. Manual or auto (sport)

 

[Beau M]

Grand total from AAMCO: 3100 bucks. OUCH.

 

[mrpopo573]

Sorry man. Five speeds for life!

 

[Beau M]

I wish, the wife flat out refuses to drive one. She knows how, and could get away from a tsunami or whatever if she had to, but will not drive one on a daily basis.

 

[Beau M]

Ugh. So, when I took the car to AAMCO I told them that another shop said they could re-build my tranny for 2800 bucks. (Which they did) AAMCO said they should be able to beat that, and that they would give me a break on labor costs to do so. So, I took it there to get a warranty. I dropped it off on a Thursday, and they said it would be done by the following Tuesday. During that time the price shot up to 3200. I went to pick it up on Tuesday, they said it wasnt done becasue they didn't have a part. Then they said it would be done late Friday. I told them I would pick it up Saturday morning. Just before I left, I decided to call them and make sure it was done. Guess what, it wasnt. Something about recieving bad parts from the dealer. So, I got a call yesterday saying it was done, and am going to get it tonight.
Am I out of line for asking for a price break, at least down to the 2800 estimate? This thing is a week over due. I told them that if I knew it was going to take them so long and they were going to charge so much I would have taken it somewhere else. What a PITA.

 

[pasadena_commut]

Ugh. So, when I took the car to AAMCO I told them that another shop said they could re-build my tranny for 2800 bucks. (Which they did) AAMCO said they should be able to beat that, and that they would give me a break on labor costs to do so. So, I took it there to get a warranty. I dropped it off on a Thursday, and they said it would be done by the following Tuesday. During that time the price shot up to 3200..

This sounds like it is mostly a contractual matter - also like you may be dealing with some scummy operators.

Did AAMCO not give you a written estimate of the work? Any guarantee in there on how long it would take, or clauses governing extra costs? What did they add to their original estimate to raise the price to 3200? Did you give them consent to add this item?

Off the top of my head, it seems to me that for $2800 they should just fix the transmission no matter what they find. I mean, if they opened it and it was a disaster they could have put a used one in instead of repairing yours, and it would still have made them money on the $2800. (Assuming this was an option in the contract.)

 

[Beau M]

No contracts, I havent even met them in person. I dropped the car off after hours, all contact has been over the phone so far. When I did, the lady told me they would cut me a break on labor and that it should be less than the other shops estimate. Then they called me to authorize 1100 worth of work so they could pull the transmission and see what was wrong. I said fine, go ahead. Then they called to say the tranny was screwed, and would cost 3200 to fix. What was I to do at that point? My tranny was in pieces on a bench somewhere. I said that I would authorize the work, but I was not happy with the price and would be expecting a discount. Then they were a week late, and when I called them it was always "let me ask someone else, then I will call you back" which they never did. I always had to initiate communication. Except yesterday, when someone who I had not delt with before called to tell me it was ready. I pick it up tonight, hopefully they make me a satisfied customer.

-Beau

 

[pasadena_commut]

No contracts, I havent even met them in person.

Nothing in writing? Is that legal in your state? It isn't here. (Admittedly for small stuff, when the mechanic is in a small shop or gas station, and you know the guy, this step is often omitted. This sort of situation: "Hey Joe, how much to change the oil and rotate the tires?" "$30". "That's fine, go ahead and do it." When the bill is expected to be more than $100 or so a reputable mechanic is going to want the written estimate too, just to be sure that he is (literally) on the same page as the customer.)

Here are the rules for California:

http://www.bar.ca.gov/80_BARResources/07_AutoRepair/Auto_Repair_Guide.html

Look for something similar for your state.

 

[cbrcrx]

That's crazy. I would never pay that much. I only paid $1500 more than that for my whole car! When my trans goes, I get one from a salvage lot. My Civic went and I got a used one for $200. It only took three hours to put in by myself and I had never done one.

 

[Beau M]

Well, they owner was pretty cool about the whole thing. He lowered the price to 2800, gave me the 3 year warranty for free, and gave me 100 store credit for oil changes and stuff. While it is still expensive, having the peace of mind of a warranty is nice. The cheapest I could find a used tranny with decent miles was 800, due to it being the sport auto and all. Another bonus, the manual mode works better now than it ever did before, I almost enjoy using it now.