Transmissions: How Much Do They Cost to Repair?
When car transmissions break down it can be a scary prospect. Unless it is under warranty or you are made out of money, you know what you are looking at is likely to be expensive, especially if it involves the repair of transmissions.
Having your car break down for any reason can be a scary prospect. Unless it is under warranty or you are made out of money,
you know what you are looking at is likely to be expensive, especially if it involves transmissions repair. Finding a good, honest shop that will deal with you fairly and give you a good price is your first, best step. But even with that, you’ll probably want to know what kind of expenses you’re looking at so you can prepare for the worst. Because these types of situations can happen at any time, it is usually a good idea to keep a good chunk of savings tucked away in case you run into an emergency.
The original cost of your vehicle and the type of car it is will go a long way towards telling you the approximate cost of transmission repair and replacement. For instance, if you drive a stick shift, the repairs will probably be much less than if you drive an automatic. Since the vast majority of new cars in the United States are automatic, however, the chances of that are relatively slim. Automatic transmission replacement can easily run you to $2,000 or more, depending on how old the car is and how nice the car is. Luxury cars and imported vehicles will likely carry an even higher price tag than that.
Thankfully, the internet can be a wonderful resource for times like these. Search for your car (make, model, and year) and follow up the search terms with the words “transmissions repair” to get an idea of what you might be looking at. If you can find people from your area that have had to recently do replacement or repair, you might get an even better idea of the approximate costs in your future.
Of course, if you really want to cut to the chase, just start making some phone calls. Contact three or four reputable repair shops in your area and ask them what they would charge to completely replace the transmission in your car. Then you have worst case scenario pricing and if they only need to repair it, you can obviously save some money. Ask your friends and coworkers if they recommend anyone in particular to do the kind of work you’re looking for. If you can find a fair and honest shop, you’ll have a resource you can return to again and again when it comes to repairs and pricing.
