Bad Tranny

Hudgehog

Hudgehog

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Upstate, SC
Boy, my wife has had no luck with cars in our ten years together. In 2005 we bought a 2005 Pre-Owned Certified Honda Odyssey Touring, when we had our first boy. The thing was a lemon from the get go, the DVD player broke and electronics weren't covered under the warranty. The heater coil broke, flooded the vehicle with antifreeze, ruined the carpet, heater coil was covered under warranty, carpet wasn't. The transmission was gone at 70,000, extended warranty covered. The front shock towers cracked (still not sure how, but nonetheless did). We traded, for a loss, on a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan, it caught on fire, dodge says it wasn't their fault, it was a bad wiring harness. Insurance paid, but I never felt safe letting her driving it with my, now two boys. Traded for a 2008 Certified Buick Enclave. The shifter has been replaced, power steering pump has failed twice, radiator has had problems and now the transmission is shot, it had a 100000 mile/5 year warranty. We have 94,000 miles, but the warranty ran out in April. I am waiting on a response from GM if they can offer assistance with the repair since the transmission was probably going bad before the warranty expired. I have dilemma because it is paid for and has been for some time, as were the other two, and I hate having a car payment, but do not want to keep sinking money into a money pit...

Rant over...
 
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If GM won't help I would go with an indy shop. Do you know if there are hard parts in the pan? If so, rebuilding yours is out. I have paid for three transmissions. First was a Chrysler $1200 out of the car, Next was a Pontiac Sunfire $1200 in the car and the last was a Cadillac 400 turbo that slipped in reverse, $750 in the car. When the transmission in my ex wife's Caravan went out (hard parts in the pan), she had a local estimate of $2800. I called around and another Chrysler dealer sold her a Chrysler rebuilt transmission (installed) for $1800 with the same 3 year warranty.

It is probably possible that replacing the shifter was connected with your transmission failure. How much time between?
 
I remember the transmission went out in my '96 Pontiac Bonneville at about 120,000 miles. The new one lasted well into 215,000 before I traded her off.
 
I hate to read that the Honda was such a bad deal for you. I worked at Honda/Acura dealerships for quite a while, & I wouldn't consider your experience "typical" in any way. But I guess anyone can build a bad one.
 
Obviously your wife is the problem. If she wasn't driving then there would not have been all these problems. The answer is simple, suspend her license. Right after you give your divorce attorney a retainer.
 
Actually, you aren't all that far from where I live. I have a man I work with (see above post) who does good work without costing a fortune. If you think it is reasonable, I will give you the contact information (Assuming GM doesn't help you out.)
 
Personally I would cut my losses (if GM won't perform the repair work) by putting in a Junk Yard Tranny, trading or selling and buy a new vehicle. Even if you are not really in the financial position to buy new, my personal feeling is that most of the time it's the least expensive way to go in the long run. The new cars have better warrantee's and at least you will know that for the next 5 years you won't lay out any money on repairs. Because interest rates are near zero now, it's the best time to buy new.

Sorry for you bad vehicle luck - been there, done that so I know how it feels.
 
chief38 said:
Personally I would cut my losses (if GM won't perform the repair work) by putting in a Junk Yard Tranny, trading or selling and buy a new vehicle. Even if you are not really in the financial position to buy new, my personal feeling is that most of the time it's the least expensive way to go in the long run. The new cars have better warrantee's and at least you will know that for the next 5 years you won't lay out any money on repairs. Because interest rates are near zero now, it's the best time to buy new.

Sorry for you bad vehicle luck - been there, done that so I know how it feels.
Click to expand...

I think we have decided to proceed with repairs, if GM assists, and then trade. If GM doesn't assist, we will trade as is. I think we are going to go with a new Toyota Sienna. They have 0.0% interest right now...I just hate the thought of a car payment, cuts down on the number of guns I can buy.
 
Hudgehog said:
I think we have decided to proceed with repairs, if GM assists, and then trade. If GM doesn't assist, we will trade as is. I think we are going to go with a new Toyota Sienna. They have 0.0% interest right now...I just hate the thought of a car payment, cuts down on the number of guns I can buy.
Click to expand...

Wife has a 2006. 90k... just routine maintenance.
 
I have no idea if CDC logs transmission frustration episodes as it tracks mental stress in America, but maybe they should. I would guess that of 10,000 active S&W Forum members, around 5-10 are having serious transmission difficulty with a vehicle at any given moment. This week I had the automatic transmission on my almost 15-year-old F150 overhauled at a well-regarded local independent shop. It had failed spectacularly while going up a hill with a load of old boxed documents I was transferring to the local Historical Society. At least it failed in the most convenient place possible, because I could roll back into the parking lot of a fire station where my son-in-law, a retired firefighter, used to work. Everybody there knew the truck because it used to be his. How lucky can you get when bad luck is knocking at the door?

I know this particular model of transmission is prone to problems, as my daughter had to replace the one on her Expedition several years ago and friends with other Ford trucks have had to do theirs as well. My truck has about 85000 miles on it -- it's been a kind of low use vehicle for its entire life -- and I had hoped for a few more miles before a major repair after I picked it up not too long ago. But I can't say I am surprised to have had to do something about it. Fix Or Repair Daily, as the old saw has it.

Anyway, the vehicle drives better now than it did before the failure, so I'm happy. I have already loaded it up with a bunch of yard junk and will be heading for the landfill first thing Monday morning to dump the stuff and make room in the bed for the next load. There are a few small things wrong that I can fix myself, and there is an unaddressed recall on the model that never seemed important enough to prior owners to take care of. It annoys me, though -- a single flip of the windshield wipers will occur about once every two hours of operation. Completely nuts. Since that one's a freebie I guess I will get the truck over to the dealer in the next few weeks.

Trucks -- even when they cause you pain, you've got to love them.
 
A10 said:
Oops, thought this was the Ru Paul thread.......
Click to expand...

Whew, me too. There were at least two at Humboldt State. One dressed like a woman but with leather jackets, spikes, F-Bush pins and all kinds of punk rock stuff.
 
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Forget the rest and buy a Subaru there the best car I have ever owned. They have been trouble free for over 200k so far. I refuse to buy any other car. I wish they offered a small truck.

I had a '79 Chevy Chevette with the worst auto tranny ever made so I was told. I changed the oil and filter often on it. I never had a problem with it or any other auto tranny as long as I changed the oil and filter at least once a year. Keeping the oil clean with a clean filter so it can suck oil that's the key to the tranny lasting a longtime.

Reverse is the highest demand for hydraulic oil pressure. Any failure to backup in reverse is the first sign your trannys filter is clogged. A quick oil and filter change will solve the problem in most cases. Don't get sucked in for a rebuild or tranny replacement.
 
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Used cars are always a **** shoot. " Certified" doesn't buy you much peace of mind if you actually look at how the check them out.

I've been in your shoes and now buy nothing but new.; Yes there is a payment but I'll argue it can be spread out as long as needed. Buying new means you replace the car less often, have greater piece of mind and you know what the car has been through and how well it was maintained. Best of all, if you finance with the factory, you can toss the keys at them any time during the life of the payment plan that your not satisfied.
 
why stay stuck on minivans and the ilk when you seem to just have two kids.
Look at the Nissan Murano ... but not too long, you could go blind.
its only made and only available in the US market and possibly Canada. Its an afterthought. Many of the soccermom mobiles fit this thinking
I have a feeling a full size car might suit her driving style a bit better too.... while saving at the pump.
replace with an open mind
 
I think Certified is a marketing tool to help sell high priced used cars. That way the warranty and payments are pretty much the same period.

Regarding used vs. new, you have to look at when cars depreciate. You will probably pay close to used if you buy brand new a 2013 today. IMO, the "break" is at 3-4 years old. They still look pretty much new, but the price is at or below ½ the price new. Around here we have one used car dealer who always advertises that you lose a huge amount when you drive a new car off the lot. Well the bulk of what you lose is the dealer markup and used cars mostly have a bigger markup. Some folks always buy used and have good luck. Some feel when you buy used you are buying somebody else's trouble. Full disclosure, my last two cars have both been used. My 2008 Infiniti G37S bought in december had about 8 months factory warranty. I had the factory replace the pcm and thankfully no cost to me.
 
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