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Well, my trans finally went LOL - few questions...
I laugh because I was posting on here like a month ago about why it hasn't went. Well, Merry Christmas! For reference, it's a 2007 TL Base with 282k miles. I've had it since 189k miles and have taken good car of it. Main questions: rebuild, replace with used, replace with reman? Any other work I should have done while it's out?
Yesterday it started REALLY slamming into drive and reverse. It slips a little bit in 1st gear and slips a lot in reverse. Still driving - for now. I used the search function for like 45 minutes and I'm either using it wrong or can't find what I'm looking for lol.
I think a "rebuild" is out of the question, mainly because of how vague shops tend to be with it. I just moved to Dallas-Fort Worth 9 months ago, so, I don't know anyone and can't ask for referrals complicating the matter. That said, there's a shop up the road from me with decent Google Reviews that will do a rebuild for $4,000 (includes a 4 year, 50,000 mile warranty) in a week, holiday notwithstanding. I will be spending the morning and day making calls hunting for quotes and turn around. Any and all feedback and suggestions appreciated.
I'm wondering though, why not put this 3.5 motor with trans into it?
My fear is that I drop $4k into the trans, then, soon after, the motor goes and there goes another $4k. Fortunately, $8k is about how much I'd need to spend to get a car as "nice" which I would then have to start repairing anyway. Motor has had no issues. Another upsides is that, after everything I've fixed, once there's a new motor and trans in it then there's not much else to fix, literally.
Update: Found a guy here in Arlington. $3600 to rebuild with 18 month warranty. For another $1,000 he'll do a 100,000 mile, 3 year warranty. Recommends replacing the Rear Main Seal. Claimed that OEM seal is made by a company called "National Seal". No warranty on that. That's $100. He'll also slap in an OEM rear motor mount (my old shop put shit ones in there, my cabin vibrates like crazy, can't stand it any more) which he'll do for "free".
He said he can call around to find a ReMan once I have him the car. I will likely move around the US as I don't like Texas very much (Wanna take car overseas, too), so, he said that with a ReMan the warranty will cover me nationwide whereas his HAS TO be out of the shop he's doing it in here in Arlington.
So, $3700 for rear main, rebuild, OEM rear motor mount installation +$1,000 for the extended warranty. I'm assuming that a reman with installation will be about $4500.
Sounds like a good guy, been in transmission trade since 1976.
Claimed that OEM seal is made by a company called "National Seal". No warranty on that. That's $100. He'll also slap in an OEM rear motor mount (my old shop put shit ones in there, my cabin vibrates like crazy, can't stand it any more) which he'll do for "free".
I had to call all over the USA to find an OEM parts warehouse that actually had all the OEM trans and motor mounts. He's going to put on the OEM mounts (i'm doing all 3 motor mounts and both trans mounts) for "free". I went with www.hondaacurapartsdirect.com, shipped to me which I'll bring to installer. So, the labor for the remove and replace the transmission + all 5 mounts is $1,000.
So all told: ReMan'd Trans (after core w/ 3 year unlimited mile warranty via Gearhead) is $3700
Front, Rear, Side Motor Mounts + Both Trans Mounts w/ expedited shipping: $1100
Labor for all: $1000
Rental Car: $400
The new cars around here for $6k are garbage I'm in Dallas Fort Worth and can't find anything comparable to what my TL is. The issue I'm finding now is that the place I got my transmission from has absolutely awful reviews.
Have a good warranty, but if it breaks I'm still out the car and all this other crap, so, if anyone knows of a better place I'd be happier to check it out lol.
^
I remember watching an Eric the Car Guy video where he put in a reman. Acura or Honda from go-powertrain.com.
He talks about them at 24:36min. Though this place has Acura remans.
^
I remember watching an Eric the Car Guy video where he put in a reman. Acura or Honda from go-powertrain.com.
He talks about them at 24:36min. Though this place has Acura remans. https://youtu.be/O20ADz6JaqE
Thanks for that video. I called to see if Gearhead includes the transcooler. They do not. I have to supply it. If you don't put a new cooler on, then it voids the warranty. Apparently that's the only random thing that will do that, but, it's like wow man lmfao.
So, along with the trans oil cooler being replaced, if I don't put OEM trans fluid in there it also voids the warranty. Me thinks that if anything goes wrong with the first or second unit (I paid $200 for a no-questions asks replacement policy...) I'm fudged.
Zoopzop, so sorry to hear about your AT problems. I have a 04 TL w 155K, and have had the usual AT probs. Got it w 122K and done the 3X plus switches, still going strong. Ya got a big decision to make w your ride. A good trustworthy mechanic is VERY hard to find, and may take years ! And specially if your spending 6K, (but you don't have time for that) plus CAN YOU REALLY trust his warranty ? Research reasearch reasearch !!! The one thing I have learned is picking your parts supplier is critical !! OEMacuraparts.com are my #1 supplier, period !! More $$$, but worth every penny. Cheers
Some companies may quote you a rear main seal replacement instead of a transmission R&R to save you money. nearly the same work, just rang up differently.
I am guessing that doing a 3.5L swap on a 2007 3.2L is much easier than a 04-06 3.2L Because there are other changes between those years that would increase the complexity, like wiring harness changes, and the pinout changed on the diagnostic link (FCAN) for the HDS troubleshooting connection... and probably more.. I have not looked at every possible connection to the ecm and where it goes..
BUT I contacted a shop in DENTON, TX about doing a transmission swap.
The Owner (Jason) said: " I only use a remanufacturer for these. They only do Honda Acura. It is essentially a new unit. $4140 installed plus tax on parts. 2 year warranty parts and labor." https://www.aaidenton.com/
I'm going with Westmoreland Transmission in Arlington for the work. I think the warranty on his labor is 1 year/18k miles. He has some of the best reviews I've seen for a shop and, other than not telling me to get a trans cooler, has been good to deal with. I went to meet him the other day and his shop was clean, well presented and I got zero scumbag vibes. He'll do the Rear Main Seal for another $100 for a total of $1100. I'm ordering the fluid right now, so, it'll be ATF DW1 directly from Honda. I've been checking out used TL's and, while they have way less miles, they're $10,000 for one that doesn't have a cracked dash or leathers seats like mine does. If I buy an 07/08 TL with 140k miles on it for $10k, all the shit I've already fixed will just break again lol.
The warranty on my reman trans from GearHead Engines and More (They claim to be a subsidy/sales division of LKQ) is 3 years, unlimited miles. I also spent another $200 on the "Gold" Warranty that provides more $ for labor hours, fluid, towing and rental car allowance in the event of a break down in addition to a one time, no questions asked replacement. The only thing I can't find OEM is the trans cooler, but hey, should be fine. I called the company that someone mentioned above that Eric the Car Guy had mentioned and they are 18 days out on building one. They would have been the better option, but, with the extra build time it's just not doable.
As for the motor mounts, I literally had to call all over the US for a whole morning to find ALL 3 motor mounts and both trans mounts from Honda for $1100 with expedited shipping.
The Master Tech at the Acura Dealer in Fort Worth was telling me he'd expect around 400k to 500k miles out of the motor meaning that I've got another 4 years out of it. With how much I've replaced, I'll probably just get another motor.
Just change the engine oil every 5k miles and forget about the motor. Haha
as for me, just because a company might be affiliated with LKQ to me that doesn't give them any bonus points. There's too many people doing different things ..employees come and go.. who cares who owns who? It doesn't make somebody else's work better than others.. especially if they are associated to a salvage yard which is what LKQ is.. so!!
and as for me I wouldn't want to buy a bunch of extra warranties that didn't already come with the transmission itself. I mean if it's great then why do you need a warranty? Or at least why do you need to go beyond the warranty they automatically give you? You mentioned Towing and blah blah blah and a bunch of other doo doo. Overboard
remember there is a such thing as getting what you pay for in some cases. I mean if the going rate is $4,000 then why is somebody willing to do it for you for $2,000? Buyer beware!
if this company is associated with LKQ it might not be remanufactured at all so you better watch out! Hence the short warranty only one year.
hey I know what just clean up the outside tell him it's remanufactured and give him a 1-year warranty and he'll never know snicker snicker. And while we're at it we'll make it cheap enough to where it's a normal used transmission
Good points lmfao. They claim it's a remanufactured, so, hopefully that's what I'm getting. I guess all this nonsense is why people just buy new cars. The trans itself, with warranty was $3700. The one that Eric the Car Guy Mentioned was $3900 and the Acura Dealer said they could get a reman from Honda for like $6500.
Last time I had a trans rebuilt it was on a GMC Envoy and it failed, according to the guy I sold it to, within a few weeks so I figured a ReMan was the way to go. I see now I should have probably ordered the trans and kept it in my garage throughout the year as I waited for mine to go.
Keep me in your prayers! While Gearhead and LKQ have nothing but terrible reviews, I don't think it's THAT big of an issue because of how few negative reviews there are relative to their sales volume and all the shops I asked about them, including the one that is going to install this one, said they're fine in their experience. I hope it works out, 'cause, if I end up getting boned on this when I could have spent half the price on an S-Type motor and trans with 112k miles on them I will be very, very salty and will be suing people lol.
dude. what good is a prayer if you have the warning in your hand and you chose to continue? I ain't saying no prayer! haha since I already told you.
Hey, Did you know that I am also affiliated with LKQ? Yup.. sure am.. I walk right up to their retail parts counter instead of the wholesaler parts counter.
Both are side by side at LKQ. "That make me affiliated" with them. Sounds like someone is playing you!! Take your time and think about the credibility of these people.
Ask them, what parts have you replaced in this "remanufactured" transmission? If they stutter or stumble, or punt to another guy, and say "Ya I need to get Joe in here and see what he does".. Then its not really manufactured. The more they "Ho-Hum around", the more liekly you are buying a simple "used transmission" with little re-work done to it.
And on that note, there are different levels of re-manufacturing anyway.. Some guys don't replace everything!
I bet you $2 you are getting a used transmission with maybe a new gadget on the outside, with a 1 yr warranty.. haha
The best LKQ has to offer!
They might even paint the transmission for you.. haha To cover up all the old yuk.. haha
Right, right, well. If you know of any places that sells Transmissions, let me know!
They said they did Kevlar, High Energy, ect parts for the internal. They claim to do a complete overhaul. Have to maintain ISO certification because they supply to dealers. Got the guy on the phone now. No ho-hum. Sounds very professional, imo. He re-iterated that because I have the Gold Warranty, it's all no fault if the first unit goes, so, I think I'll be g2g. I got all my OEM motor mounts in from Fed Ex as I was typing. Apparently, there are more than 3. I got all the "bottom" ones:
50810-SEP-A04
50830-SEP-A04
50820-SEP-A03
That side bracket by the power steering pump did not come in, so, hopefully that one doesn't transfer much vibration lol.
I just read through everything and to me, the most important thing is that you met them and had a good experience. You can tell when a person is out to get a sale or if they’re looking to do good business.
People buy rebuilt transmissions all the time…I used to work at a shop and aside from getting one from the dealer, there are limited options. I think you’ll be fine man. All the transmissions I sold at the shop I worked at had to be remans or we wouldn’t install them. Never had any come back. If they wanted a rebuild or reman was unavailable, we would recommend a transmission shop locally which specialized in them. Pricing sounds about right as well. You’d be able to save money if you put one from another TL into it but if you plan to keep it a long time that would be a gamble.
They've got really, really bad reviews, but, being a subsidy of LKQ that goes through tens of thousands of units per year I don't think that's all that bad. Most people probably just get the trans and forget about it. I should put at least 60,000 miles on it in the next 3 years, so, that entire time will be under the warranty
As for the motor and trans mounts, I had to call all over the US to find an Acura/Honda dealer with the OEM mounts. They both have vacuums lines, so, super excited to not have to deal with that nasty vibration any more.
I just read through everything and to me, the most important thing is that you met them and had a good experience. You can tell when a person is out to get a sale or if they’re looking to do good business.
People buy rebuilt transmissions all the time…I used to work at a shop and aside from getting one from the dealer, there are limited options. I think you’ll be fine man. All the transmissions I sold at the shop I worked at had to be remans or we wouldn’t install them. Never had any come back. If they wanted a rebuild or reman was unavailable, we would recommend a transmission shop locally which specialized in them. Pricing sounds about right as well. You’d be able to save money if you put one from another TL into it but if you plan to keep it a long time that would be a gamble.
Yeah, the shop that's doing the work gave me a great impression. I couldn't meet the people who make the remans, but, over the phone, both the guys I talked to sounded good, which, being a sales guy myself, was reassuring because after talking to tens of thousands of people on the phone and IRL I can pick up on stuff most people couldn't.
New trans + all new motor mounts + trans mounts = new car haha.
Update: They sent me the wrong Transmission. They're 6 weeks out on having a new one for the 2007/2008.
Go Power Train (The Company used by Eric The Car Guy) is about 3 weeks out. I spent $1,100 on OEM trans and motor mounts since this shop would put them in with no additional labor cost while removing and replacing the transmission WITHOUT hunting down/adding vacuum lines to the mounts, so, I guess I'll just sit on those until I figure out what's what.
Having the shop it's at run a proper diagnosis. It was driving fine the day that I took it into the shop, so, with any luck, I can squeeze out enough mileage to get a new trans built from a facility that doesn't suck. I'd run it until it doesn't drive at all, but, with this long of a build time on units, it's like, wtf man. Could I just order the trans and keep it at my house until I need it?
I found a 2019 TLX with 55k miles on it for $26k. $350/mo payment for 6 years. Issue is, I drive like 25,000 miles a year, at least. It'll hit 100k miles with 4 years left on the payment plan leaving me with payments and a repair bill. For comparison, I have kept all the receipts for my car and, not including pleasure fixes like body work, it's about $600/mo on average over the last 100k miles and 4 years to fix mine.
You go brand new and lose a ton on depreciation, so, I'm thinking in my case just sticking with the 2007 TL is the best move especially considering the fact that, at this point, there literally isn't much left to fix on that car lmfao.
ZoopZop, I hate that for ya! Like I said earlier, a good mechanic is a "process". You seem like your way more qualified that most of us in doing that. Man, I could tell you some stories about mechanics that I "trusted" ! Most recent one was (two years ago), when my car was is his shop for repairs, and my keys were stolen off his shop rack. Luckily car was recovered, 3 days later with minor damage/loss. Ya just never know! Cheers
Update: the trans shop can't find anything wrong with my transmission. He thinks it's probably the mounts causing the issues I'm having with the slamming into gear and what not, which it's stopped doing since, so, I've got all 3 OEM in the truck and the two OEM trans mounts as I wanted those replaced since the after market mounts went bad and sucked anyway. Only $1200 for parts with expedited shipping.
He's going to replace all 3 motor mounts and both trans mounts for $500. Assuming there's no massive hassle with the vacuum lines being reconnected he may or may not charge for that. $125 for the trans diagnosis. So, $625 out the door for labor plus $1100 for all the mounts.
The number one thing I learned here, as I've been taught so many other times, is to not get emotional and make stupid decisions and ALWAYS get a diagnosis. What are the chances I got sent the wrong trans when I didn't even need one. God damn. I also found an honest mechanic, so, hey. Been wanting those mounts for a while hahaha.
You might want to consider getting a urethane side mount, that's typically where the trouble starts with the motor mounts going bad. Since I got the Innovative side mount 5-6 years ago, I haven't had any more issues.
https://www.texasbesttransmission.com If you end up at some point needing a rebuild, this is the shop that did mine in 2016. Still have the car ('04 Accord) and he used the Translab Shift kit as well. $2500 for a full master kit rebuild (he tanks everything for a few days to make sure everything is clean) and the shift kit.
Awesome, thanks for the suggestion about the mounts. Unfortunately, it looks like Innovative doesn't have one for my year. I've got an 07 TL however, I"ll keep that in mind for the transmission! I'm thinking that, like, with how hard it was to find ANY remans for the 07/08 that they don't go back until passed 500k since there's just no demand for them. Guess we'll see. I can tell you that the flare mine has had when shifting from 2nd to 3rd hasn't gotten any worse in 100k miles. Fingers crossed!
The new mounts helped a SHIT LOAD. They were only able to "find" one of the vacuum lines, so, next time it goes in for an oil change I'll be asking about the labor to hook that up or run that remaining one. OEM put that shit there for a reason. I also wonder if there's a specific torque speck for the mounts that impact thier longevity and vibration dampening...
Since connecting the one loose hose, this annoying noise I've heard for a few years is gone, so, I'm thinking it was that. There is still a bit of vibration in the steering wheeling, though, compared to the old mounts, I'd say it's 90% better than it was. I just spent the last few days driving a BRAND NEW 2022 Corolla all over Washington State and, tbh, my 2007 TL with 285k miles on it drives about the same.
No annoying and poorly programmed techno gizmo bullshit to try and adapt to. That car still had creaks, squeaks and weird shit, so, really put into perspective what I got in my old TL lol. The transmission even felt VERY similar.
The new mounts helped a SHIT LOAD. They were only able to "find" one of the vacuum lines, so, next time it goes in for an oil change I'll be asking about the labor to hook that up or run that remaining one. OEM put that shit there for a reason. I also wonder if there's a specific torque speck for the mounts that impact thier longevity and vibration dampening...
Since connecting the one loose hose, this annoying noise I've heard for a few years is gone, so, I'm thinking it was that. There is still a bit of vibration in the steering wheeling, though, compared to the old mounts, I'd say it's 90% better than it was. I just spent the last few days driving a BRAND NEW 2022 Corolla all over Washington State and, tbh, my 2007 TL with 285k miles on it drives about the same.
No annoying and poorly programmed techno gizmo bullshit to try and adapt to. That car still had creaks, squeaks and weird shit, so, really put into perspective what I got in my old TL lol. The transmission even felt VERY similar.
Vacuum lines stiffen the mounts under hard acceleration to help keep everything where it belongs. Aftermarket lack these and usually collapse faster than OEM.
If you are getting a lot of vibration when stopped usually it's the rear mount for the engine that is toast.
Vacuum lines stiffen the mounts under hard acceleration to help keep everything where it belongs. Aftermarket lack these and usually collapse faster than OEM.
If you are getting a lot of vibration when stopped usually it's the rear mount for the engine that is toast.
Man, those aftermarket mounts were so bad that within DAYS of getting them, my car was vibrating like crazy. That same shop screwed me over with garbage mounts and they picked a garbage timing belt kit that left me stranded in Missouri for a week lmfao. It still amazes me how many little things you need to keep right if you want to enjoy reliability. Now? There's just a bit of vibration in the steering wheel at idle, so, like I was saying it was a 90% reduction and well worth $1000 for parts lol.
11-22-2022, 09:27 AM
I'm in Dallas Fort Worth and can't find anything comparable to what my TL is. The issue I'm finding now is that the place I got my transmission from has absolutely awful reviews.
Though this place has Acura remans.
They're 6 weeks out on having a new one for the 2007/2008.
