Auto Transmission on 2018 Tacoma Off Road

I screwed up and didn't think about the transmission fluid until it started shifting hard at 125k. My previous 2 toys were manual transmissions. I had a local mechanic flush it and put new fluid in it. He said the fluid didn't look too bad and found no debris. But it still shifts late and shifts hard. Current gas mileage is less than 13 mpg. I'm 3 hours from the nearest dealer and 5.5 hours from the San Antonio dealer I bought it from. I called the dealer in San Antonio hoping to get some idea of what to expect (how long do I need to plan on being there, should I just drop the truck off and driver back home, etc.). They were absolutely no help. When I left my truck with them to fix a non-functioning fuel gage, it took them 3 days. And they knew I drove into town and was in a hotel, the manager I was speaking with promised they'd get right to it. They didn't get to it till day 3. So, my questions are:
1. Can my local shop handle this? We had a long conversation about "right to repair" laws and I worry a bit that he will get in there and find he can't do anything.
2. should I go to the original dealer or go to a closer one?
3. I don't see any forum posts on this issue. Has anyone seen this?

TIA

 

you screwed the pooch for sure , get a quote, and a second opinion .what do you mean right to repair? its not a john deere tractor lol anything can get fixed with money

 

I asked him if he were buying a new truck what would he get, and he went off on how new trucks are almost impossible to work out without very expensive subscriptions to software and that he wouldn't buy anything new.

How do I get a quote? I guess pay for the diagnosis, then go somewhere else?

 

lol wtf go with someone else, and you waited a little to long , either your transmission is low on fluid or it needs to be repaired

 

Well,, you now know where not to go.
Maybe look for another shop in the big city that understands your predicament and will accommodate. Be prepared for most to want to replace an automatic transmission as the “fix”.

 

From what I've read on these forums, Dealerships don't repair or rebuild transmissions, they just replace them.
I would skip the dealer unless under warranty and find a reputable transmission shop to diagnose and quote a repair.

 

Rebuilt auto transmission from the dealer is $3K not including labor.

 

Try cleaning your MAF Sensor and Throttle Body. These electronically controlled transmissions can be finicky if they're being feed even slightly skewed data from sensors.

 

Turned out not to be a problem with the transmission. I mentioned my problem to our local clock repair guy, who also takes care of the radio and lighting needs of emergency vehicles. He wondered if it might be electrical. That got me to thinking, and I realized that my cruise control (another thread on this site) was not working a day or so after the transmission started shifting hard. I realized that I probably hadn't tried to use my cruise control the day the tranny went bad. I mentioned that and we both landed on mice damage. So my I took it back to the guy who did the service to hook his computer up to the truck and sure enough, the knock sensor returned an error. Yep mice did the damage. Both transmission and cruise control are now working. I appreciate all the discussion here. I learned a lot.

 

Maine tried to pass the "right to repair" it would have made it so a private shop couldn't work on newer vehicles cause of the software. They can't plug in to diagnose. We would be forced to go to the dealer. It didn't pass thankfully.

 

Transmission issues that are not under warranty should go straight to a transmission specialist.

I would not bring that to a dealership or a general mechanic. That's just my opinion on it.


Edit: Unless its mice damage. Sorry OP. Fuck them meeses.