Dr. Evil Transmission failed, please sticky*
01-05-2007, 05:44 PM
#1
Dr. Evil Transmission failed, please sticky*
forgot to post this in the 1st Gen forum:
grab a cup of coffee and follow me on my journey.
i began by confirming an order with dr. evil / road master transmission in june 2006. i was told they could not do a core exchange with my because the transmission model number did not match anything they are familiar with, this meant sending my physical transmission to them. ok, we removed it and their courier picked it up. they received the transmission not because they told me, but because i had to call to make sure it was received. during their opening of it never ONCE did they mention anything was missing that they needed. he described the condition of the transmission, i asked for a full written analysis so that i could have a record, i received nothing. i would also like to note that the transmission sat around for a week at their facility because they were installing a new transmission dyno. i dont know why they couldnt just run mine on the old one. also i was worried they werent familiar enough with the new one yet. needless to say i got my transmission back after about 4 weeks.
it looked good, the torque converter was painted red and the bellhousing was painted silver. but it was painted with all the sensor on so the sensors were covered in silver paint.
upon installation the torque converter did not match the flywheel. the torque converter was far too small. i contacted dr. evil and he asked for me to send it back. i overnighted the torque converter and 2 CL-S flywheels (just to make sure on our part) at my expense. i once again had to call to make sure he received them, and he admitted it was the wrong torque converter. i had to wait an additional week because they could not find the right converter. he said they got a new torque converter and send it out to get rebuilt.
so now we had the right torque converter and our flywheels back. everything bolted up just fine, but we noticed something strange. the neutral safety switch was missing. i contacted dr. evil and asked if he knew anything about it. his reaction was simply, we sent back the transmission how we received it. BUT he claims EVERY sensor and solenoid was replaced. so where is my neutral safety switch? my shop had no reason to remove that single sensor. we ordered a new neutral safety switch. not to knit pick, but the dipstick was also not sent back. this had to be ordered as well per my expense.
finally we had the car up and running again. we had issues getting the neutral safety switch set up initially, but it was figured out. sometime early august 06 it was complete and the car ran fantastically. ALSO my motor was rebuilt at the same, so i did not even engage vtec for almost 1,000 miles. the brand new tranny was broken in properly. i did not beat on it because both the motor and tranny were brand new. they were not abused.
sometime at the end of october of 06, the car was acting up. ocassionally when i would come to a stop, the car would 'slip' out of gear as if in neutral, and it would just rev. it would not engage back into gear unless i put it into 2nd gear manually. i wanted to eliminate any other possible problems before i blamed dr. evil. i brought it to multiple places and we analyzed the car over and we fixed other things. NOTE at this time, we did not receive ANY codes for the transmission on both code readers and professional scanners. we pulled up a couple codes for the catalytic converter and o2 sensors, all of which were fixed. by december of 06 the problem was still there, but the car was free of any codes. i finally contacted dr. evil.
i described my problem and he said to check out the VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor). Our cars have 2 on the transmission. So i brought the car in and we checked the wiring for the VSS. All was fine, so we replaced the 2 sensors. The problem was still very apparent. Saturday, December 30th, days after speaking to Dr. Evil and replacing the speed sensors, my car threw a code. P0740. Holidays made times tough to get into a shop. I pulled the code with my reader. January 2nd I contacted dr. evil. I did not get a reply until Jan 3rd. I had left my cell phone, but i had no missed calls or voice mails from him. I told him the code i pulled and he still insisted on electrical problems.
I brought it to a local transmission shop where they pulled 2 or 3 codes. I contacted Dr. Evil again informing this of him. He get infuriated that i didn't tell him i wasnt using a scanner initially. When in reality it had been LESS THAN ONE WEEK since the CEL had initially came on and the car was driven VERY little. He said i probably made things worse and that it wasn't his fault. I told him I could not wait 2-3 weeks for the whole warranty process, but that i thought it was reasonable that i get some reimbursement for simply the R&R and/or shipping & handling. He refused all of this and said that he only warranties the work on the transmission itself. That's where our conversation ended as he hung up on me. Needless to say i'm not dealing with them anymore, and i don't recommend anyone else to either.
grab a cup of coffee and follow me on my journey.
i began by confirming an order with dr. evil / road master transmission in june 2006. i was told they could not do a core exchange with my because the transmission model number did not match anything they are familiar with, this meant sending my physical transmission to them. ok, we removed it and their courier picked it up. they received the transmission not because they told me, but because i had to call to make sure it was received. during their opening of it never ONCE did they mention anything was missing that they needed. he described the condition of the transmission, i asked for a full written analysis so that i could have a record, i received nothing. i would also like to note that the transmission sat around for a week at their facility because they were installing a new transmission dyno. i dont know why they couldnt just run mine on the old one. also i was worried they werent familiar enough with the new one yet. needless to say i got my transmission back after about 4 weeks.
it looked good, the torque converter was painted red and the bellhousing was painted silver. but it was painted with all the sensor on so the sensors were covered in silver paint.
upon installation the torque converter did not match the flywheel. the torque converter was far too small. i contacted dr. evil and he asked for me to send it back. i overnighted the torque converter and 2 CL-S flywheels (just to make sure on our part) at my expense. i once again had to call to make sure he received them, and he admitted it was the wrong torque converter. i had to wait an additional week because they could not find the right converter. he said they got a new torque converter and send it out to get rebuilt.
so now we had the right torque converter and our flywheels back. everything bolted up just fine, but we noticed something strange. the neutral safety switch was missing. i contacted dr. evil and asked if he knew anything about it. his reaction was simply, we sent back the transmission how we received it. BUT he claims EVERY sensor and solenoid was replaced. so where is my neutral safety switch? my shop had no reason to remove that single sensor. we ordered a new neutral safety switch. not to knit pick, but the dipstick was also not sent back. this had to be ordered as well per my expense.
finally we had the car up and running again. we had issues getting the neutral safety switch set up initially, but it was figured out. sometime early august 06 it was complete and the car ran fantastically. ALSO my motor was rebuilt at the same, so i did not even engage vtec for almost 1,000 miles. the brand new tranny was broken in properly. i did not beat on it because both the motor and tranny were brand new. they were not abused.
sometime at the end of october of 06, the car was acting up. ocassionally when i would come to a stop, the car would 'slip' out of gear as if in neutral, and it would just rev. it would not engage back into gear unless i put it into 2nd gear manually. i wanted to eliminate any other possible problems before i blamed dr. evil. i brought it to multiple places and we analyzed the car over and we fixed other things. NOTE at this time, we did not receive ANY codes for the transmission on both code readers and professional scanners. we pulled up a couple codes for the catalytic converter and o2 sensors, all of which were fixed. by december of 06 the problem was still there, but the car was free of any codes. i finally contacted dr. evil.
i described my problem and he said to check out the VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor). Our cars have 2 on the transmission. So i brought the car in and we checked the wiring for the VSS. All was fine, so we replaced the 2 sensors. The problem was still very apparent. Saturday, December 30th, days after speaking to Dr. Evil and replacing the speed sensors, my car threw a code. P0740. Holidays made times tough to get into a shop. I pulled the code with my reader. January 2nd I contacted dr. evil. I did not get a reply until Jan 3rd. I had left my cell phone, but i had no missed calls or voice mails from him. I told him the code i pulled and he still insisted on electrical problems.
I brought it to a local transmission shop where they pulled 2 or 3 codes. I contacted Dr. Evil again informing this of him. He get infuriated that i didn't tell him i wasnt using a scanner initially. When in reality it had been LESS THAN ONE WEEK since the CEL had initially came on and the car was driven VERY little. He said i probably made things worse and that it wasn't his fault. I told him I could not wait 2-3 weeks for the whole warranty process, but that i thought it was reasonable that i get some reimbursement for simply the R&R and/or shipping & handling. He refused all of this and said that he only warranties the work on the transmission itself. That's where our conversation ended as he hung up on me. Needless to say i'm not dealing with them anymore, and i don't recommend anyone else to either.
01-05-2007, 06:58 PM
#3
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ive got to say, that sucks alot. i have never heard anything about the dr. evil trnasmission, just people recommending it to others. though ive never met anyone on our board thta has gotten one. $$ is an issue. from what i know its diffrent clutch packs (red eagle) and a stronger torque converter, but same gears (correct me if im wrong).
thats good to hear, im glad i took mine to a local show who has been rebuilding transmissions for over 15 years; my mechanic also recommended him. the customer service sounds horrible, and is it a shop or a dude doing it on his own?
thats good to hear, im glad i took mine to a local show who has been rebuilding transmissions for over 15 years; my mechanic also recommended him. the customer service sounds horrible, and is it a shop or a dude doing it on his own?
01-05-2007, 07:15 PM
#5
Dr. Evil sounds like your run-of-the-mill "Mr Transmission" guy. I doubt they do much more than take a look inside and replace any obviously broke parts. They always clean the outside well.
Your experience is why I prefer a used engine or transmission. Yes, I know I might get a dud here also, but I like my odds better than than dealing w/ a shop.
Just so we can share your pain, how much did you have to pay for this experience?
Good Luck
Your experience is why I prefer a used engine or transmission. Yes, I know I might get a dud here also, but I like my odds better than than dealing w/ a shop.
Just so we can share your pain, how much did you have to pay for this experience?
Good Luck
01-05-2007, 07:36 PM
#6
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Wow, I was just about to do a rebuild, but I think you've convinced me to go a different direction. Sorry for your exmperience, everyone that's talked about them has only said great things, but you're the first person I've heard that had one and had problems. But from the getgo it sounds pretty shady, with the sensors and shit being painted 
01-05-2007, 07:37 PM
#7
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Originally Posted by TexasHonda
Just so we can share your pain, how much did you have to pay for this experience?
Good Luck
Good Luck
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01-05-2007, 07:45 PM
#8
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Originally Posted by 97BlackAckCL
Wow, I was just about to do a rebuild, but I think you've convinced me to go a different direction. Sorry for your exmperience, everyone that's talked about them has only said great things, but you're the first person I've heard that had one and had problems. But from the getgo it sounds pretty shady, with the sensors and shit being painted
i already saved up 3 grands for my tranny's impending death but now that i'd heard your story, i'll just go to some local reputable place and have them rebuild (with red eagle packs) for cheaper...sorry for your bad experience man....
i would also like to hear from members who HAD/Have Dr.Evil in their cars that works fine/great... just to hear both sides of the story....
01-05-2007, 08:12 PM
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over on there was a guy who had a dud from drevil. and for the record alto red eagle clutch packs arent cheaper but they are 10x stronger, and thats what dr evil uses. but they prolly messed something else up inside.. valve body, pump could be anything. alto red eagle is what they use on some street legal drag cars. when i rebuilt my tranny, i used an aftermarket stock replacment part, and never had a problem with it, well until hass got hold of it.
01-05-2007, 08:51 PM
#13
whatever dr. evil did, he did it wrong. it would cost me more money and time, just to pull the tranny and have the car sit for god knows how long before i got it back. and obviously with the previous condition, i wouldnt even trust putting a tranny in from them again.
point being, they said they were going to do something, and they didnt provide. my transmission shop is a qualified professional, so i dont see why his analysis of the transmission would not be valid. he has no reason to rip me off, he does plenty of other business.
point being, they said they were going to do something, and they didnt provide. my transmission shop is a qualified professional, so i dont see why his analysis of the transmission would not be valid. he has no reason to rip me off, he does plenty of other business.
01-05-2007, 10:27 PM
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Originally Posted by wilp99
over on there was a guy who had a dud from drevil. and for the record alto red eagle clutch packs arent cheaper but they are 10x stronger, and thats what dr evil uses. but they prolly messed something else up inside.. valve body, pump could be anything. alto red eagle is what they use on some street legal drag cars. when i rebuilt my tranny, i used an aftermarket stock replacment part, and never had a problem with it, well until hass got hold of it.
01-06-2007, 03:20 AM
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Originally Posted by Sleep_DEPRIVED_Sleeper
do you know the part number for the red eagle packs for the 97 3.0? i was looking around and they're advertised as serial/part numbers... i have no idea which is the one for my car.... thanks
you can go to thier website www.altousa.com
or they have everything you need here
http://www.levelten.com/store/import...s_acura_cl.htm
to include the racing sensors and switches.
01-06-2007, 03:25 AM
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scroll down to the bulletproffing kits. everything you need. all the same stuff dr.evil uses but itll save you like 3g's. or you can just take this kit to a trans shop and have them install it.. if you remove your own tranny, thatll save you about 1000$.
01-06-2007, 03:44 AM
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Originally Posted by wilp99
scroll down to the bulletproffing kits. everything you need. all the same stuff dr.evil uses but itll save you like 3g's. or you can just take this kit to a trans shop and have them install it.. if you remove your own tranny, thatll save you about 1000$.
These are all the parts i need to rebuild my tranny right? no additional parts?
sorry for hijacking your thread OP...
01-06-2007, 01:39 PM
#23
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thats why i go to the best transmission technician i know . . .my dad. so far the two cars that ive owned have been cars bought cheap with crapped out tranny's. Hes rebuilt both (88 Honda Prelude Si, 97 Acura CL 3.0) its just more fun also wen you get to help out with the rebuilding and tearing down process. And i drive the shit outta my car so far the only thing thats broke after 20,000+ miles has been a mount. probly my fault, could also be cause its old. 
he even told me that that Dr. Evil guy probly just does a simple rebuild if anything and maybe uses reinforced steels and friction plates. My tranny is super smooth and has been since the rebuild.
he even told me that that Dr. Evil guy probly just does a simple rebuild if anything and maybe uses reinforced steels and friction plates. My tranny is super smooth and has been since the rebuild.
01-06-2007, 02:32 PM
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Originally Posted by wilp99
scroll down to the bulletproffing kits. everything you need. all the same stuff dr.evil uses but itll save you like 3g's. or you can just take this kit to a trans shop and have them install it.. if you remove your own tranny, thatll save you about 1000$.
01-07-2007, 06:41 AM
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Originally Posted by CleanCL
stay away from level 10.
01-07-2007, 08:21 PM
#27
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Listen to wilp, just get the same parts and have a local shop rebuild it
01-23-2007, 12:11 AM
#28
Originally Posted by wilp99
i wouldnt send it in to have them rebuild it, but the parts are quality alto red eagle parts. thatrent only used by level 10 and dr.evil. alto makes all the stuff for the force powerglide trannies in hotrods, drag supra's, etc.
Hello,
The parts are of our own design. The converters are our own Billet Torque converter, Triple Disk lockup. Your kit will include our High Friction Clutches and Kevlar Steels. PLEASE CALL ME IF YOU HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS
MIKE
LEVEL 10 TECH
973-827-1000
01-23-2007, 06:08 AM
#29
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when i emailed them about 2.5 years ago they told me that the clutch packs are alto red eagle.. and that they were the base shop for tc rebuilders. im sure they were talking about the tc's being thier own. but maybee things have changed in the couple years since i did my rebuild. could you try and find out if they make thier own clutch packs. or if its just the tc's?
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