How to Find a Transmission Repair Shop

 
Things to Look For
  1. Ask your friends for recommendations of good transmission repair services.

  2. Take your car to more than one shop. Talk to be people at the shop. Look around their shop for organization and professionalism. If they don't take pride in their shop and take good care of it, it's hard to believe they will take good care of you.

  3. Ask other trusted repair shops for a referral.

  4. Don't equate size of Yellow Pages ad with the reputability of the company.

  5. Get an estimate before authorizing any work. Ensure that the estimate is complete with low and high estimates. These estimates should have a maximum that will not be exceeded.

  6. Don't blindly believe information in an ad. Some companies have been known to publish ads with false or misleading information.

  7. Call the local Better Business Bureau to see if there have been any complaints against certain companies.

  8. If possible, tour the shop. See how willing they are to show you work in progress. Some shops want to hide their work in order to charge you for parts you don't need. Incidentally, you can always make unscheduled visits during the repairs, and see the how the work is progressing. This is another way to be sure you get what you're paying for.

  9. Only authorize work to be done after a clear explanation of the problem.

  10. Never pay in full, up front. Paying a partial deposit of around 50% is a legitimate business practice, but be sure you are dealing with a reputable company before leaving a deposit with your vehicle. And don't leave any deposit for future work without a firm, final, quote, in writing.

Red Flags


If you encounter any of these signs, look more closely before authorizing repairs.
  1. High Pressure. Does the technician pressure you to make a quick decision?

  2. Brief Diagnostics. Any shop can condemn a transmission with a quick scan and brief road test, lasting commonly under 45 minutes. Real diagnostics that get to the root of the problem take much longer. If a shop spends less than an hour actually looking at your car (don't count the time it just sits, waiting to be looked-at), get another opionion from a qualifed shop that will spend the time to really diagnose your car.

  3. Commission Paid. Is the service writer's pay dependent on the amount you get charged? 95% of all service writers are paid on commission. This makes it harder for them to recommend the right repair, rather than an expensive repair.

  4. False Ad Claims. Things like boasting "Voted #1 in Customer Service", when there is no such public vote. Look for claims that can be verified, like a BBB Accreditation.

  5. Promises really fast service. Major transmission work takes two to three days. Any shop that promises less time than that for a transmission overhaul is not taking the time to do the job right, if they are doing it at all.

  6. Uses salvage yard units. Beware of any shop that will use salvage yard (also known as "reman") units. Often, these are no more than junkyard units, spray-painted silver to look good. This usually indicates that the shop doesn't have the expertise to properly rebuild transmissions and therefore not the diagnostic capability to determine what is really wrong with your transmission.

  7. Limited Warranty. A short warranty is another sign that they're using junkyard transmissions or junkyard parts. Any reputable shop will give you at least a 12 month warranty. A 30 day warranty means they are anticipating that your transmission won't last long after it leaves their shop.