Six Steps to Estimating Transmission Repair Costs

There’s nothing much more aggravating than driving home from a night out only to find that your check engine light is illuminated. If transmission repair is what you need, then you could be in for a bit more aggravation, stress and a sizable bill. These repairs often range between $750 and $6,000, depending on the type of vehicle you drive and the parts it uses.

But before you begin your ranting and raving, take a minute and a few a deep breaths and try some positive thinking. The battle is not lost, and with the correct info, you can be certain that the price you pay to have your vehicle serviced is fair. In this article, we will offer up a few tips to help you estimate your upcoming transmission service.

Step 1 – Figure in the retail amount of the vehicle, along with the transmission type it uses. Manual systems are generally much less expensive, with a potential of $450 sans labor costs. Automatic systems generally cost much more to service, with a common cost of around $1,700 for common vehicles.

Luxury vehicle owners will typically be looking at a premium for service. For example, BMW automatic systems generally cost around $4,000, whereas a Mercedes system can run around $1,400 manual and $1,800 automatic.

Step 2 – Hop online and look for information regarding other people who have had similar issues and what they have paid to have the problem addressed. These days, there are a variety of online resources available to consumers to help them locate quality service. Some will even post user-submitted ratings and reviews. In cases such as these, you’re likely to locate a variety of estimates to help you determine how much you should be paying.

Step 3 – Look into replacement costs. Once again, hop online and type in your vehicle’s make, model and system type. Even if you’re uninterested in a replacement, this can provide you with a good idea of what you’re looking at for parts.

Step 4 – Once you’ve calculated the price of parts, the next step is adding in the labor. In most instances, customers pay around $300 for labor. Prices may vary a little higher or lower depending on the area where the shop is located as well as the shop’s reputation.

Step 5 – If you know of anyone who has worked in transmission repair, call them up to obtain additional information. He or she should be able to take in your information and provide you with a rough estimate of the price you should be paying.

Step 6 – Contact a few repair shops and obtain estimates from each. This is the easiest and most direct method in finding local market costs for the service you require. Compare and contrast the information you obtain and choose the shop with the best reputation for the price. Avoid choosing a shop based solely on costs alone, as you will typically get what you pay for.