Is this to much $$$ to give dealer to fix

P

PRob52

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So I was having some hard shifting thought it was the transmission but after searchin around on the site a lot of people that were having the same type problems said it was probably the Soleniod. Well took to get checked out. Tranny is all good, turns out to be the Soleniod body. They said it will be $1,229.00 to order the part, labor, and change the filter! whaaat???
 
That's about $300 too high around here, but it could be the correct rate for your area.
 
^ they could do it for way less and that would still not be a good deal.
 
Thanks. Im going to check out where my nearest aamco is to get an estimate. Times like this I wish I was mechanically inclined. 1LoudLs where and what would you consider a reasonable price?
 
1LoudLS said:
^ they could do it for way less and that would still not be a good deal.
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Exactly.

I assumed that PRob52 wanted his car and transmission to operate correctly after the work was done.
 
PRob52 said:
Thanks. Im going to check out where my nearest aamco is to get an estimate. Times like this I wish I was mechanically inclined. 1LoudLs where and what would you consider a reasonable price?
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Please, please don't. It worth it to have it done correctly with the correct part at the dealer. You've been warned.
 
joegr said:
Please, please don't. It worth it to have it done correctly with the correct part at the dealer. You've been warned.
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X 1000!!! ^^^

Our cost for the solenoid, fluid, filter and gasket is about $500. Not sure what you mean by "solenoid body", but if you are talking about the "valve body", that part is $550 alone, plus more intense labor to replace. Then add fluid and filter. Don't forget that dealer labor is about $100/hr. Either way, I think you are getting a fair price for the expertise of the dealer.

Tell you what. Go to your local AAmature shop, and have them diagnose the problem. Don't tell them you already went to the dealer. I'll bet they tell you you need a transmision rebuild, and will charge around $2500., and I'll bet you have nothing but probelms with the tranny afterwards. Regardless of what repairs they actually do.

Good luck,

---Mike---
 
A local salvage yard once told me that they had a deal with AAMCO to sell them all the transmissions they had come in. Apparently when you bought their rebuild what you got was a junkyard special. If it failed inside the warranty period, they slapped in another one. If you fell out of warranty, you started over. They were paying 100 bucks each at the salvage yard and charging 1500 for a rebuild, at the time. It's been a few years. I wouldn't stop at AAMCO to change a flat in their parking lot, just in case the suck is catching. I will say that I've never used AAMCO for anything of mine. I know a lot of their victims, I mean customers, and I do try to learn from the mistakes of others. :D Disclaimer - I have no proof to offer that any of this is true. It's all hearsay, and here I am saying it. Take it for what it is.
 
PRob52 said:
what would you consider a reasonable price?
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call five other places, and average the price (including others dealers, a small non chain stores)

PRob52 said:
where
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either someone that i personally know and have experienced their work, or a FoMoCo dealer.

while an automatic transmission in not NASA type rocket science, it is one of the most complicated parts of the vehicle, and some times it just better to take it to the right people, something that cost a lot is better to pay once, rather than pay a little bit less over and over because something was not done properly.
 
I caught some critisism for how i handled my tranny issue. Rather than replacing part by part and hoping that solved the problem only to have another issue down the line i went ahead and had the dealer install a new (not rebuilt) tranny for just under $3k. Came with warranty and everything. Depends on the funds available and the peace of mind your looking for.
 
1LoudLS said:
while an automatic transmission in not NASA type rocket science, it is one of the most complicated parts of the vehicle, and some times it just better to take it to the right people, something that cost a lot is better to pay once, rather than pay a little bit less over and over because something was not done properly.
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X2. I know how they work and understand the flow maps, but I treat the transmission like a one piece unit when it comes to actually working on them. The only thing I've ever messed with inside one aside from a fluid and filter change is I replaced a valve body on one and was surprised it worked.

Fla02LS said:
I caught some critisism for how i handled my tranny issue. Rather than replacing part by part and hoping that solved the problem only to have another issue down the line i went ahead and had the dealer install a new (not rebuilt) tranny for just under $3k. Came with warranty and everything. Depends on the funds available and the peace of mind your looking for.
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No reason for anyone to criticize, unless they are the ones writing the check. Your car, your money, your decision.
 
Fla02LS said:
I caught some critisism for how i handled my tranny issue.
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i have seen far to many issues with different trans being rebuilt poorly, only a fool would say that was a bad ideal. it may cost a little bit more to do it that way, but the peace of mind that having a brand new trans give you may well be worth it. especially since a trans rebuild can cost you $2k-$2.5k to have done.
 
1LoudLS said:
i have seen far to many issues with different trans being rebuilt poorly, only a fool would say that was a bad ideal. it may cost a little bit more to do it that way, but the peace of mind that having a brand new trans give you may well be worth it. especially since a trans rebuild can cost you $2k-$2.5k to have done.
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Exactly. Didnt want it rebuilt and didnt want anyone other than the dealer to touch it. I think the criticism came from that fact that i didnt need a new tranny and only needed to replace specific parts, but with a tranny that had 175k miles i found it ridiculous to try replacing part by part. But mine was missing a few gears and sometimes wouldnt even shift out of park, so why try to fix something that is that far gone. Hey, i'm happy. Drives and shifts like a dream. Not to mention the 3 years of worry free driving ;)
 
AAMCO "rebuilt" the trans (when it was an auto) in my 71 mustang 6 times during the 1 year warranty. Those shops are independently owned and operated though, so your experience may vary.
 
scjmc said:
AAMCO "rebuilt" the trans (when it was an auto) in my 71 mustang 6 times during the 1 year warranty. Those shops are independently owned and operated though, so your experience may vary.
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Wow. They couldn't figure out how to rebuild a C4/C6? That is just sad. Those are about the simplest automatics going. A lot of the guys who rebuild transmissions for a living told me a C4 is what they first learned on because they were so simple.

My one and only AAMCO experience was when the throttle cable for the tranny (an AOD) fell off the bracket on an '89 crown vic. This resulted in the transmission not developing enough line pressure to hold gears when you give the car gas. It popped off as I was driving, drove into an AAMCO after about 2-minutes of driving, they tell me the transmission is toast, that I burned it up in that 2-minutes, and it needs a rebuild, $2500 please. Took it, drove another minute down the road, pulled into a Ford dealer, and they put a recall part on it. It was a cheesy $1 plastic clip that goes on the throttle arm. The OEM ones dry-rotted and snapped off causing that exact issue. The new one was Delrin or something. Dealer said it might have cause damage but probably unlikely. Drove car for another 50K-mi before selling it.
 
Just pulled out my invoice from earlier this year and your quote is about $500 more than what I paid. Parts were less than $500, they must be expecting to take their sweet time with it. Agree though, this varies from area to area.
 
Update. So I took the car to AAMCO regretfully because the only other time i took my car there. I stopped to get a code reading because my car was once in safe mode. When they pulled the codes they quoted about $900 in work and parts. Come to find out when i drove home the reason the car went into safe mode and was overheated was because there was no coolant in the resevoir. Once i put the coolent in everything turned normal. They were going to charge me $900 for coolant basically.
Well anyway about the tranny this time. They AAMCO said my tranny fluid was low (FORD DEALERSHIP said it was full and normal). Verified what me and Ford Dealer did. That here was delyaed engagementis into drive and reverse and extended slip bump shifts in 3rd and 4th. They said Reverse band adjustment nut wet.And recommened just a service (drop the pan change filter, something else) $149.99. They said nothing about the solenoid. But if they did the service and orderd and replaced solenoid at same time would be about $850-$900. What do you think? OHHHH Too top my second bad luck visit to this AAMCO,this time, they backed my car into a machine punctured the wall of my new tire and I have had to ride around on my spare for the last 2 days waiting for them to get a new tire for me!
 
Today went by a small transmission and clutch shop, said they will just charge labor if i brought my own parts and fluid. $180 total to change out solenoid and replace fluid and filter.
 
PRob52 said:
Today went by a small transmission and clutch shop, said they will just charge labor if i brought my own parts and fluid. $180 total to change out solenoid and replace fluid and filter.
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That's better then AAMCO. You could probably get a Lincoln dealer to do it for the $900 or so AAMCO quoted.

Does this shop have good word-of-mouth and repeat customers?
Have they worked on LSes (or some of the other Fords with this transmission)?
 
joegr said:
That's better then AAMCO. You could probably get a Lincoln dealer to do it for the $900 or so AAMCO quoted.
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Your neighbor's 5 year old kid would be better than AAMCO. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I wouldn't stop at AAMCO to change my tire.

PRob52 said:
OHHHH Too top my second bad luck visit to this AAMCO,this time, they backed my car into a machine punctured the wall of my new tire and I have had to ride around on my spare for the last 2 days waiting for them to get a new tire for me!
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Unforunately, PRob52 already had to do that. Make sure they weren't taking the time to find a used, dry-rotted tire of the same make!!!
 
Telco said:
Your neighbor's 5 year old kid would be better than AAMCO. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I wouldn't stop at AAMCO to change my tire...
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I suppose that it's possible there is a good AAMCO out there somewhere, but I've never heard of it.
 
The small shop was reccomended to me by a good friend that has been there for service. He has a camero though. Im going to give these guys a shot. If it doesnt work Ill have to shell out the money to the dealership. Money is a huge factor right now so I gotta go with what i can afford right now. Thanks for all the input people.
 
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