transmission problems

[wrigley1]

I took my '97 camry, that has 138,000 miles, into a transmission shop. He took a look and said it could not be rebuilt and had to be replaced. He also said an axle was bad. After he finaly got the transmission and axle to put together he then said my detent cable was also bad and needed to be replaced which will be another couple of days to get the part. Is it true that he would not be able to tell if the detent cable was bad until he tried to put everything back together and if so would it leak if the old one was put back in. He said it was stretched and would make my transmission leak. I haven't heard anything good about this shop since I took my car there and I'm just wondering if he is telling me the truth. I wish I would have known before I took my car there. I've also been told after the fact that he is way over priced.

[csaxon]

It's really too late for advice since you commited to him and he did the work. Most shops just replace a transmission with a rebuild because it's cheaper labor wise.

What was the transmission doing that made you take it to a repair shop?

[Kep]

Can't advise you on the particulars. What csaxon said is pretty much it. However, don't even think of leaving the shop without a copy of whatever warranty that they have and a clear invoice showing the transmission, axle, cable and anything else that they worked on. If they give you a hard time, ask for the owner. Document everything (who said what when). Don't be obnoxious about it (most places expect to provide this) but be thorough. If you do have problems within the warranty's time frame then you will at least be able to support your claim. Transmission rebuilds are notoriously problematic. Be very aware of anything unusual and get it taken care of while the warranty covers it.

Kep