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I agree, a transmission is really only good for around 200k miles. However, you can buy a used transmission in most cases for under 3 grand, and again labor fo

I agree, a transmission is really only good for around 200k miles. However, you can buy a used transmission in most cases for under 3 grand, and again labor for this thanks to automation is likely less than $500. The real blocker I dont mention is time. Your shop will need that car for a few days and shipping will take time too. At some point the wait isnt worth it anymore. The upside is, 2 used Toyotas are still cheaper than a new one new Toyota

jandrese 2y ago
That and you're not getting another 200k miles out of that used transmission. The other thing that people don't talk about as much is the parts market got seriously messed up during COVID and still hasn't fully recovered. It's more common now for repair parts to either be unavailable or enormously marked up. Like a particular repair might only take a few hours and what should be a few hundred bucks in parts, but the car gets totaled because one of the parts is unavailable or inexplicably costs thousands and the shop doesn't want the liability of hacking together an alternative solution. Especially if the missing part is an ECM or sensor or something else that might make the car fail an inspection.
doubled112 2y ago
Dealers are charging about $200/hr labour in my area. Independent shops are $150/hr and up. I don't think anybody is replacing my transmission for $500. Did you mean the whole job for less than $5000?
- talldatethrow 2y ago
  The entire comment seems off. They said thanks to automation labor will be $500. What automation is there in replacing a used transmission in a garage on an oily rusty 200k mile car on a lift.
  - doubled112 2y ago
    I caught that too, but decided to ignore it. There isn't an automation in the world that will take enough of the car apart for you. Or at least my mechanic friends haven't found it. Will keep waiting for AI to grow itself some arms.
    - fragmede 2y ago
      We're still a long ways from that level of automation, but pitpro automation is picking up after robotire had to file for chapter 11, and is working on automating the tire swap end of things.
blakes 2y ago
There is probably no transmission in a US road car that can be replaced for $500 in labor at an auto shop. Your buddy or some rando may do it, but no shop will for that price. Typical shop rate is $120-$220/hour. Most shops are going to charge a minimum of 4 hours, but probably closer to 8 hours. Have you ever been under a car? The amount of "automation" required to replace a transmission is still in the arena of science fiction.
- fingerlocks 2y ago
  I have personally replaced a Volkswagen transmission in under an hour. I did it alone, in a driveway, with a regular floor jack, a skateboard, and a set of harbor freight wrenches.
  - doubled112 2y ago
    The amount a shop is going to charge you often has little relation to how long it actually takes. They're there to make money. I knew a kid changing turbos in Mk4 VWs on his lunch break. He had time to drive home, replace a turbo, and drive back to the shop. Shop was still going to charge a few hours. Labour last time I had front shocks and struts done? 3 hours not including the alignment. Friend's brake job? 2.5 hours - they were 4 wheel disk, what was the mechanic doing for the other 2h?
_yb2s 2y ago
I think you have those switched... a used transmission is probably about $300, and 3 grand to install it. On most cars the transmission is probably the biggest failure liability- I pretty much only drive manuals for that reason, doing a clutch is a lot cheaper than replacing an automatic, and the better you are at driving it the less you need to do it.
giobox 2y ago
> and again labor for this thanks to automation is likely less than $500. What "automation" innovations have lowered the cost of unbolting a heavy transmission out the back of an engine and attaching a new one?? As best I can tell, the process has been unchanged in a workshop for nigh on 40 to 50 years at this point - it's humans with wrenches and a car lift. I want to see this shop that will swap me a trans for under 500 bucks too...
fingerlocks 2y ago
You didn’t mention the third option: rebuilding. A transmission rebuild refreshes consumables like bronze bearings and seals, damaged pinions are replaced, and the rest are machined back to precision spec. This is cheaper than a used transmission. I paid less than a thousand for this service, when the quality used goes for $4k.

jandrese 2y ago

That and you're not getting another 200k miles out of that used transmission. The other thing that people don't talk about as much is the parts market got seriously messed up during COVID and still hasn't fully recovered. It's more common now for repair parts to either be unavailable or enormously marked up. Like a particular repair might only take a few hours and what should be a few hundred bucks in parts, but the car gets totaled because one of the parts is unavailable or inexplicably costs thousands and the shop doesn't want the liability of hacking together an alternative solution. Especially if the missing part is an ECM or sensor or something else that might make the car fail an inspection.

doubled112 2y ago

Dealers are charging about $200/hr labour in my area. Independent shops are $150/hr and up. I don't think anybody is replacing my transmission for $500. Did you mean the whole job for less than $5000?

talldatethrow 2y ago
The entire comment seems off. They said thanks to automation labor will be $500. What automation is there in replacing a used transmission in a garage on an oily rusty 200k mile car on a lift.
- doubled112 2y ago
  I caught that too, but decided to ignore it. There isn't an automation in the world that will take enough of the car apart for you. Or at least my mechanic friends haven't found it. Will keep waiting for AI to grow itself some arms.
  - fragmede 2y ago
    We're still a long ways from that level of automation, but pitpro automation is picking up after robotire had to file for chapter 11, and is working on automating the tire swap end of things.

blakes 2y ago

There is probably no transmission in a US road car that can be replaced for $500 in labor at an auto shop. Your buddy or some rando may do it, but no shop will for that price. Typical shop rate is $120-$220/hour. Most shops are going to charge a minimum of 4 hours, but probably closer to 8 hours. Have you ever been under a car? The amount of "automation" required to replace a transmission is still in the arena of science fiction.

fingerlocks 2y ago
I have personally replaced a Volkswagen transmission in under an hour. I did it alone, in a driveway, with a regular floor jack, a skateboard, and a set of harbor freight wrenches.
- doubled112 2y ago
  The amount a shop is going to charge you often has little relation to how long it actually takes. They're there to make money. I knew a kid changing turbos in Mk4 VWs on his lunch break. He had time to drive home, replace a turbo, and drive back to the shop. Shop was still going to charge a few hours. Labour last time I had front shocks and struts done? 3 hours not including the alignment. Friend's brake job? 2.5 hours - they were 4 wheel disk, what was the mechanic doing for the other 2h?

_yb2s 2y ago

I think you have those switched... a used transmission is probably about $300, and 3 grand to install it. On most cars the transmission is probably the biggest failure liability- I pretty much only drive manuals for that reason, doing a clutch is a lot cheaper than replacing an automatic, and the better you are at driving it the less you need to do it.

giobox 2y ago

> and again labor for this thanks to automation is likely less than $500. What "automation" innovations have lowered the cost of unbolting a heavy transmission out the back of an engine and attaching a new one?? As best I can tell, the process has been unchanged in a workshop for nigh on 40 to 50 years at this point - it's humans with wrenches and a car lift. I want to see this shop that will swap me a trans for under 500 bucks too...

fingerlocks 2y ago

You didn’t mention the third option: rebuilding. A transmission rebuild refreshes consumables like bronze bearings and seals, damaged pinions are replaced, and the rest are machined back to precision spec. This is cheaper than a used transmission. I paid less than a thousand for this service, when the quality used goes for $4k.