Should I fight the transmission shop?

More than likely the unit in your truck is a rebuilt your old trans most likely was returned as a core to the rebuild shop. They were not up front with you but you do have a rebuilt unit. Finding people these days that can actually fix stardard transmissions is getting harder many years ago I worked for a transmission shop I was the only one in the shop that did standard transmissions there were 5 other tech that did automatics and none of them had any interests in touching a standard. We did not paint any transmissions all of the units were meticulously cleaned in a machine that resembled a giant dish washer only ones painted I have ever seen came from a rebuild shop most of the rebuilders did just that they repaired the cores brought to them painted them and sent them back.

 

I had a local shop that I would not normally do business with do some diagnostic work on a troubled 5VZFE just over a year ago. I was too busy to do my own work and wanted to outsource it. I ended up doing it all in the end.

Although the lead tech drive a 3rd gen 4Runner, the work was some of the worst that I've seen. The left off a retaining bracket for one of rear full moon seals that started a huge oil leak 500 miles later. I had them inspect the lower rod bearings. They stopped at pulling the windage pan. When reinstalling the oil pan, they got a large amount of RTV on the bpttom of the windage pan. Everything they touched was a mess. I guess they don't expect an owner to go behind them to check out their work.

Anyway, they went out of business 6 months later. Their sloppy work must have caught up with them in the end.

 

What he said. They failed at every level of what you asked for and they originally agreed to do. You received no communication when they deviated from what was agreed upon. In most states you have legitmate legal recourse. Shops get away with this because nobody ever follows through with legal recourse. You are entitled to have all your parts back. You paid them to find out why 5th wasn't working. Go get your broken case back.

 

I had them do a fluid change on the front diff and rear end as well, 2200 after tax out the door

 

That's what I thought, when I was younger and worked in a heavy equipment repair shop we ALWAYS gave all the old parts back without fail.

I believe @Wsidr1 is correct in that all they did was an R+R and sent my unit back, I found a local shop last night that sells second hand japanese motors with the same warranty he gave me ... I have no proof that's what he did but it's what my gut says

 

Would this be considered small claims court?

 

Re reading the agreement you are correct in the small print it does say they can put a rebuilt unit in if they are unable to repair the original.

I really just wanted to know about 5th! Because if it was a bad part from the rebuild kit I would a whole lot better about my own repair abilities lol

 

You're right about that! I called around alot of shops and most wouldn't touch a standard trans.. settled on this guy cause he was one of the few that said yes and his estimate price was the most reasonable

 

Exactly why I want to do all repairs myself... even if I have no idea what I'm doing

 

time will tell if their work is good. Does the shop know that that is not what was discussed, them swapping out your trans? At this point in time I would document as much as possible "just in case". There are time statutes that are running and if there is an issue in the future you might forget something. If she is fixed all you are doing is getting upset over a car, yes it stings as you feel you were taken advantage of. In addition, if you paid cash, your choices of recourse are limited. If you paid by credit card, you have other options.

 

Yes I paid cash, rookie mistake but the machinist I used for the engine gave me a cash discount and did fantastic work.. can't give NW Connecting Rods enough praise... so I assumed the same kinda thing at the transmission shop.

Yes the shop is aware that we did not discuss swapping "entire" transmission, I've been dealing solely with the owner and his bold faced lie to my face when I told him that he didn't rebuild my transmission and just swapped it was "yes we did rebuild it, but we cracked the case and had to get a new one, that's why it's painted. But that's your transmission in the truck"

That was not 2 minutes after he pointed to my actual transmission in the corner of his shop and said I'd have to pay a core charge to get it back. At that point I was furious and had to remove myself from the situation.. I hate confrontation because I turn into my father and it's not pretty .. so I took my keys and left

 

understood... like I said, it is just money and a car, both replaceable.

 

What the owner wanted = To fix 5th gear pop out
What the shop did = stated he would rebuild the whole thing
What the owner countered with = agreed on the rebuild BUT keep the original transmission parts
What the owner actually spotted = Different transmission, no old parts provided

 

Too true, they print more of both everyday lol

 

Perfect TL ; DR sum up

I had to look up what that meant because I've seen it so much on here haha that's the first time I got to use it

 

Even if it was them that screwed it up, sounds like they did the smart thing and kept the customer happy with a running truck. Alot of places would blame it elsewhere instead of doing what they did. And to put a year warranty on it shows they have nothing to hide

 

I think it is their fault. They weren't detailed on what they meant by 'replacing everything'. Instead they took an easy route and claimed they rebuilt it but actually didn't. I understand it speeds up getting a vehicle out of the bay by outsourcing the rebuild but to me that leaves a bad taste in my mouth when you don't state that upfront that you outsource the rebuild

 

yeah the place I went to was a hole in the wall shop too. That was the lesson I chalked it up to - you often get what you pay for. The trans shop I went to was one of the cheapest quotes I could get and they promised it back by the end of the day. Looking back I should have seen that as a red flag...a small one garage shop run by 2 guys with multiple jobs on hand that promised a clutch job done by end of day for half the price of everyone else? No wonder they messed it up. But I didn't know better at the time.

When I went back a week or so later after Toyota showed me that they had installed the clutch plate backward, I got an earful about how they are a family business barely staying afloat, don't have enough cash on hand to reimburse me, 'we didn't mess up it was probably the wrong parts', yada yada. Man that was a nightmare lol. I get worked up thinking about it and it was 4 years ago now.

 

All sorts of shadiness going on.

Honestly, if they can't be upfront with you in the first place, I wouldn't be able to trust that it's *actually* a rebuilt trans. Maybe it is, but was it done right? Judging by the decision making skills they've showed you already, I don't have the highest confidence they didn't have a couple of drunken monkeys (like literal monkeys) do the rebuild.

If it's shifting fine, so be it.

100% never step foot in that shop again, though.

 

Concur