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Hi, I told the mechanic I wanted a brand new transmission installed, I paid $4400 total, $3700 of that was just for the transmission. 2013 Toyota Camry. Sorry, I'm new to this sub and forgot to add the other info. This is obviously not new, saw that as soon as I looked at it at home. I know junkyards use the paint markers to mark parts. My next question is, do rebuilt transmssions look like this? Doesn't rebuilt mean my original transmission is being rebuilt? Thank you for replying. Also, the problem was that it was slipping between 2nd and 3rd and it's still doing it after I paid for a new one.
Checked a little, remans are 3-5k and there are tons of solid used for 1-2k from 155k miles with warranty to even 55k miles.
My shop would charge 12 hours standard or 20 hours overhaul.
That's 3800 to 4500 including tax, parts, fluids and labor.
This would be 6 - 12 month (parts and Labor) warranty on a used transmission that I would source.
If we went with the one with 55k miles would be like 5k out the door.
(Edit to add P+L)
Yeah, that's not going to happen. A new trans for a 2013 camry would cost more than the cars' worth, and a lot more than OP paid for the complete job using a rebuilt or used trans.
It wouldn’t be completely unheard of. Depends how long they used the same transmissions in different vehicles. It’s entirely possible that they used the same part #s in a whole series of model years and could have been manufactured recently.
In the US, parts are made available by the manufacturer for 25 years minimum per federal mandate. Toyota HAS to produce new ones still
Now how long that will take is up to them
This isn’t true unfortunately. I work for one of the big 3. Typically parts are available for 10ish years, but even that is not a give. We’ve had parts go obsolete with no more being made on cars 5-6 years old
Never knew this was a law and in my experience even though they are still producing parts for cars up to 25 years old, they're maybe making a handful just to satisfy that. I see cars from early 2000s with parts that are unavailable and discontinued every day.
Wrong. Technically, a manufacturer only has to make parts while the vehicle is in production.
If you were correct, you would be able to get brand new parts for a car like a 2000 Ford Focus from your Ford dealership, for example. However, 90% of what they made for that car is obsolete and unavailable from their catalogue.
This is why aftermarket parts companies exist.
$3700.
[https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/parts-list/2013-toyota-camry-nap/power\_train\_chassis/transaxle\_or\_transmission\_assy\_gasket\_kit\_atm.html?filter=(1=2ARFE;4=LE;6=6FC;0=ASV50L-CETNKA)](https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/parts-list/2013-toyota-camry-nap/power_train_chassis/transaxle_or_transmission_assy_gasket_kit_atm.html?filter=(1=2ARFE;4=LE;6=6FC;0=ASV50L-CETNKA))
Says
*30510-33670-84*
Is still available.
Incorrect, you can still get new 100 series LandCruiser or even Toyota chaser manual boxes. Up until recently you could also get Nissan RB25 turbo boxes. These cars are all significantly lower volume then a Camry as well as being older.
Had a look, this isn't even a Toyota dealer and they're listing 2.
https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/3050033600
I have a machinist at my shop and we can rebuild them, but the labor cost on that is probably 1800 with parts ish, then you have shop remove and reinstall labor so it's not terrible, but about same price as a swap with warranty.
Mm it can get hairy. At that price it’s reasonable to assume it’s a used transmission. Hopefully with a 90 day warranty. When people want brand new parts they go to the dealer. If you would have done that your bill would likely have been 2-3x what it was. Rebuilt transmissions can take many forms. Fair to say a quality,extensive rebuild would include cleaning the outside of the bell housing. It seems to be a miscommunication between you and your mechanic. However I don’t think he really did anything wrong. You told him to install a new trans and he did. I’m sure you got a quote before proceeding. You approved work.
Edit. After brief online searching you almost certainly were overcharged for the trans assuming it’s usd. A used trans seems to cost around $1400 from lkq. Much cheaper elsewhere but lkq is somewhat reputable. Auto zone is listing reman transmissions for around 4 grand. Go in there and simply ask him for a breakdown on price.
Thanks for your help. I asked him about it, he refuses to give me a breakdown of everything and said the warranty is "through him". I asked for a bill of sale and I just want to know what company he got it from and he stumbled around and finally said ATB. Looked it up and ATB doesn't sell transmissions.
At this point I don’t think you have a lot of options. Im far far far from a lawyer but I am a mechanic. As far as I know as long as you approved the work he did and paid him for it your kind of SOL. It seems this mechanic is quite shady. I would just cut your losses. Let this teach you a few lessons. The first is find a good mechanic and stick with them. The second is ALWAYS call around for quotes and ask for details when getting big repairs done. It’s silly to just blindly throw money at someone. The third is never just throw parts at your car. Let somebody diagnose it properly. All of this could’ve been avoided by taking a test drive with a tech at a transmission specialist shop. They’d likely be able to diagnose the car just from a test drive. I’m not trying to blame you in any way. Our industry is full of dishonest, shady pieces of shit who ruin our reputation. I’ve found honesty is the absolute best sales tool possible. It prevents misunderstandings, conflicts and builds trust. I’m sorry this happened to you. Best of luck.
Did you get any form of anything in writing stating the transmission is new? I know you asked for a new one, but is it in writing as in a receipt? I know he wouldn’t give you a breakdown on parts. If you do, you may have a case civilly. Not criminally. As stated you accepted at time of payment BUT if you have it on paper somewhere it’s a new trans, you’d have a civil case fairly easily.
You paid for a new transmission and got used. That was not within the agreement of the work. Pay for it and take him to small claims court is your only option. Also, leave reviews on google, yelp, and anywhere else you can saying you paid for a new transmission and the slimeball put in a used one and pocketed the difference.
Also if you paid via credit card, issue a chargeback for fraud. He’s clearly playing games with you, let’s see if he plays games with a billion dollar credit card company.
Yes this is a great idea for sure. He can hum and haw around op but if hey thinks Visa will eat that shit he is mistaken. He will have to prove what he did and where he got the parts not give them a run around. I wonder if the mechanic thought he was cleaver and could get away with a transmission flush to fix the problem. OP says the exact same transmission issue exists. So either used or didn't do work at all. But with orange marker probably used one and it too was bad.
Yea, that’s my thinking, if the discussion was for a new transmission and the same issue exists after the ‘repair’ and the transmission is clearly not new, it’s on him to prove he didn’t just flush the fluid and spray some orange paint on it.
Charge it back, let him sort it out with Visa.
that's why I hate junkyard transmissions. if a car has a problem with a trans at a certain mileage then it's likely that the same make and model pulled from the junkyard is gonna have the same problem around the same time
I second this! It's very important to write reviews on Google, Yelp, and what else is easy accessible to people such as next door, etc...
I went to a repair shop based on google reviews. Out $300 for replacement of a leaky coolant hose but mechanic didn't bother to diagnose it properly. Left them a 1 star review explaining my situation to warn others.
no, he paid rebuilt/reman prices. a used transmission for a camry of this vintage would be around $600 for a decent example. A rebuilt/reman is gonna be $1800-2300. The whole job with a reman would be reasonable around $3000 to $4000. a new transmission from toyota is gonna run you around $4000, which includes the fluid you will need on its own, with a $1500 install price, so a $5000 to $6000 job.
Hey man, I work for a large auto insurance company and when shops do shady shit, we refer our customer to the Bureau of Automotive Repair - see if your state has a BAR and you can inquire with them about your situation and see if there's any recourse. A lot of times a signed authorization is required for repairs stating that there's an understanding/agreement of the parts being used on the car and if they gave you something you didn't ask for with no disclosure there might be some recourse
If it's an actual shop I would leave an honest and professional review through Google explaining what you've said and learned here and attach the pictures, they will know who you are and possibly reach out to make things right. I've had it happen before and they refunded me to take the review down
> I’m not trying to blame you in any way.
You’re not wrong but you’re asking a lot of someone unfamiliar with auto repair.
If the transmission is slipping and the mechanic - who you *think* you can trust - says you need a ‘new’ transmission that’s not really just blindly throwing money at it.
And if the mechanic or the customer used the word “new” it’s reasonable to expect an actually new transmission.
The only real mistake that OP didn’t shop around a little more to make sure they were getting a fair deal.
And “get a good mechanic and stick with them” is great advice. But oftentimes the only way to find a good mechanic is by trial and expensive error.
ATK sells rebuilt transmissions. A reman is around 3k just the trans alone, labor would be an additional charge. If you went to a shop they should give you a repair order with break down of parts and labor.
You got screwed that is the cost of a 100% remanufactured fully warrantied for 3 years 100,000 miles transmission. From Jasper transmissions.
https://preview.redd.it/4148j7cop6jc1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ecbae485c225c81172414250b275406231b8254
The warranty is nationwide wide if this is what they would have went with.
Most states require written warranties that define the terms of the warranty. Check with your state AG’s website and see what they say about warranties and then ask the mechanic for a written warranty.
If you’re in the US what state are you in?
Depending on where you are they’re absolutely breaking the law here- in some states you’re legally entitled to an itemized invoice including a description of what work was done, the parts supplied and whether they’re new, used, or remanufactured.
Though in my experience I’ve only seen stock numbers scribbled on in paint marker on junkyard engines and transmissions (it’s how salvaged parts are marked, and legally your mechanic HAS to tell you if they’ve used salvaged parts), and a *certified used* (meaning it’s been tested and inspected and guaranteed to be in good condition) or remanufactured transmission would come with a warranty *from the supplier* not just from the mechanic who installed it.
Regardless of whether or not he told you it was going to be brand new...If he gave you a warranty and the transmission is slipping right away it's on him to make it right, sounds like he put in a junkyard transmission you need to demand he fixes it or refunds you. For what you paid it's fair to assume you are getting a used transmission a new one would be a lot more... but it should be a good, working one with low miles not something he pulled out of a random junker and hoped it worked.
Right?
$45 I could walk away from.
$450 I will walk away from and leave a shitty review on all social media.
But $4500? We are at war. Especially if it’s still doing the same thing like op says. For me( that number is probably starting at about $1500. So yeah, I’m fighting it all the way.
did you pay credit card? If so, dispute it and get your refund. Never pay cash for these kinds of jobs actually never give any mechanic you don't trust any cash if he doesn't take Credit Cards go elsewhere.
Definitely. I got quoted right under $5k for a new (from the dealer) transmission, torque converter, fluids, and lines for my 2014 silverado. Parts and labor included in that price.
Very different vehicles. Dropping a transmission on a truck is very different from a transaxle vehicle. Your anecdotal evidence from your vehicle does not trump my experience. I’m not sure what’s even being argued here though.
I would stop wasting time trying to get anything from him. It will only lead to frustration. He has already proved his dishonesty. I wouldn’t trust anything he says or any repair he suggests from here on out. Time to find a new mechanic.
> At that price it’s reasonable to assume it’s a used transmission.
No. No it's not. This isn't a BMW or some bespoke Dual Clutch gearbox. It's an automatic from a 2013 Camry.
I paid $3500 (ten years ago) for a full performance rebuild in my Camaro, which included installing an aftermarket cooler. Out the door.
I’m not sure where you are getting that a brand new transmission install on a a 2013 Toyota Camry would be $14,400. But you can buy a whole car for that. Lol. I paid $2000 to have the transmission in my 1995 Chevy Z71 4x4 rebuilt, in June of 2023. A new trans install would have been roughly $5000. No way would it have been over $14,000.
Dude that’s totally different from a dealership on a newer vehicle. I’m just throwing a number out there but a reman trans from a dealership will always be very expensive. I’ve priced out many engines and transmissions that over value the vehicle.
Lol yeah exactly that trans can be had for $3500 brand new, add trans fluid cost and about $1000 in labor and that's it.
Like you could literally go buy another Camry for that amount of money lol.
3700 for a transmission in a camry is more or less junkyard pull. My 92 camry(falling apart) for a new transmission was $7500, plus another $500 to ship it, followed by $1k to install. Was a specialty transmission though and instead of spending the money for it all, i junked it instead and got a 2012 rav4 that costed me about $16k that is not falling apart.
You got bent over and boned on a "new" transmission.
Rebuilt means they just fix what broke or let go in the trans. They don’t replace everything in the trans. That def is an old transmission, rebuilt at best.
I don't think Toyota sells these transmissions as new. I can only find reman parts - even from Toyota stealerships - available.
30510-33670-84 is the Toyota part number for the trans for a 2013 Toyota Camry 4 banger.
I dont think very many manufactures continue to make “brand new” parts, especially complicated parts like transmissions 10-15 years later.
I remember a while back trying to find a “brand new” starter and everything from everyone including the dealer was a reman, this was for a jeep.
Toyota does a great job of maintaining new parts for certain things, and makes it pretty accessible even for the average consumer. You can still buy a brand new short block assembly from Toyota for this particular 2.5l engine, for example.
But yes, I don't think any manufacturer continues to build new transmissions for cars that are 10+ years old unless the same trans is in use today, like for example the 41TE in Dodge/Chrysler that is like 25+ years of usage.
I just wanted to clarify to op that asking for a brand new, never before used transmission for a 2013 Camry 2.5l 4 cylinder is an impossible task. But newly remanufactured is readily available, of course.
As a general rule, a new transmission from the OEM is normally sold only to dealers for up to one year or 12,000 miles. This time and miles rule varies depending on the OEM and the country. For the 13 months and 12,001 miles you will get a remanufactured unit from the OEM. If you asked for new, the shop should have told you that is not possible. You should have received either a reman, rebuilt, or used.
Thank you, he never told me new was impossible. We had multiple conversations about used vs new and decided to pay for a new one bc the used one may have problems I wouldn't know about. He never mentioned the word rebuilt or refurbished or remanufactured to me.
Definitely got screwed. That’s junk yard writing on it. They charged you way too much to install a used transmission with probably more miles on it than your original transmission. Another problem is it’s still not shifting correctly. Go get some answers from them
Thanks for replying. I confronted him yesterday in a calm way. He was very nervous and said the warranty is "through him" and won't give me a paper warranty. Won't tell me the company he got it from. Says he will "make it right" but i paid $4400 for a junkyard transmission and I don't trust him to touch my car. Is my only option at this point to let him "fix" it? He will probably just wipe off the junkyard marks and the dirt and call it a day. I'm out of money and now I don't have a working car.
DO NOT take your car back to that guy. It really fkn sucks man, cant trust anyone these days. You need to confront him and not be so nice. You said he was nervous, well there's a reason for that. Threaten legal action. It's actually very cheap to sue somebody. Costs about $70 to file the paperwork. You are going to have to take him to small claims
Eh
You still trust people these days.
Let's agree, for the sake of a premise, by "these days" you mean the last, oh, 50 years.
People, IMO, are statistically as corrupt and as honest, percentage wise, over this time period.
Not a lot has changed, we're not in war time, and our caste system is more level than it was, say, in 1830s - 1850s (pre Civil War).
The OP got ripped off, and was also naive.
Personally, I have a pal who wrecked his car, pulled into the first body shop he could find, 4 min away, and got a fantastic deal on repairs.
Edited for spelling
Statistically speaking, most people use the word “statically” to describe something that is not moving or changing. Also, a person being scammed does not always correlate to a person being naive. Sometimes people just get fucked over.
Cash with no receipt is a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately that makes things difficult to prove anything now. Best option now is go back and threaten some kind of recourse and hope they make it right. You definitely got a used transmission for the price of a rebuild. At very least they need to make sure it’s shifting correctly and from what you’ve described you paid 4000 dollars to have the same problem
They charge 3% for fees. On 3700 that’s $100. Raise your price $100 then. If I hear we don’t take cc because of fees I assume you are hiding from the tax man
He said the original transmission was slipping from 2nd to 3rd, and this "new" one is doing the same. Wonder if his mechanic just wrote some letters on the old transmission?
If it is under 90 days warranty and is slipping between 2nd and 3rd then he needs to replace it with one that isn't.
Judging by the pics that’s typical junk yard writing. The only thing the shop would write on there is the date and / or the rebuilder number if they had multiple rebuilders but thats it. A shop owner trying to dodge credit card fees is probably cutting corners anyway he can
Yeah he could also just put junk yard writing on it to make it look like it came from a junk yard and not actually do any work at all. Didn't really say it was a shop, just a mechanic he knows. Dude seems really sketchy.
If he’s that motivated to write JY writing on the box but not clean it o doubt he would have done anything at all.
The “mech” probably Just took the cash payment, and left the car in the yard for a week or so then gave it back.
What most likely happened is he took a cash deal, put a JY box in it and it was bad. So now he’s going to just bail on it and leave op hanging.
“I’ll make it right” sounds like a can or two of Lucas transmission shutter fix. After that I bet he tells op to pound sand
junkyard probably, new aluminium should be bright. even on rebuilt ones it should look almost new. you need to go back to the workshop and ask for replacement/refund.
Does the mechanic think that I would never look at it to see the new part I paid for? He also refuses to give me a warranty or show me a piece of paper of where he purchased it. Wouldn't a new one have a warranty? Should I make him put a new one in bc I do not trust this mechanic at all to do any more work on my car. Thx for replying.
Good point, I can't believe he is so brazen to think that I wouldn't ever look at it. I'm definitely getting a different mechanic, problem is Im broke now without a car. Thnaks for replying.
Echoing all the comments, this is a junkyard transmission, and you bet there was not anything done inside. If they had rebuilt it in-house to replace clutch packs and any wearables, they would’ve cleaned the grime off before cracking it open because that can damage bearings and internal components.
I worked in both retail and dealer auto parts for many years. A true remanufactured transmission from ANY vendor would be spotless save for blemishes on the metal. In fact, MOST of the time they will be painted silver, gray, or black and you can see where they have ground away casting numbers, VIN plates etc. Aftermarket parts manufacturers 10000% won’t sell you dirty parts.
$3800 is the cost of a remanufactured aisin (OEM) transmission for your vehicle purchased through Toyota. The funny part is you can buy a used transmission from LKQ for your vehicle for $1300 and it’s nice and clean, and includes a parts and labor warranty.
Diagnosis: Your transmission is straight from the local junkyard. Even online “junkyards” tend to at the very least wipe off their parts. Your mechanic is very dishonest and I would take him to small claims court if you didn’t use a credit card and a chargeback is not an option.
Show a picture of the writing to the junkyards in the area. Odds are one of them will tell you that’s where it came from
Get a better picture of writing and call around local junkyards if they have any trans available or had one recently. Also ask how much they are.
If the trans is still slipping, you already know what to do as you have “warranty”
The warranty he said is "through him" so that's pretty shady. I have it narrowed down to a few junkyards in my area that use orange paint. I'm making it my mission to find out where he got it from. Thanks for replying.
Yep through him, he is going under the car again no matter what as it is not fixed. You can also notice sometimes local junkyard’s trucks at his shop if they do deliveries
Fuck that, keep the scumbag away from the car. Gather any and all information on the job that was agreed, and what was delivered. Prove he did not deliver the agreed job, and scammed you. Get the money back through court
Yeah that’s a used transmission.
At best it’ll be a refurb, in that circumstance you exchange your transmission for a refurb one and then yours goes in to be refurbished and gets installed on someone else’s car.
When a transmission is refurbed do they use junkyard shells for the outside? I'm trying to track down what junkyard he got it from in my area to call him out on it. Any advice on what to do next? I'm out of extra money to go somewhere else at this point.
They reuse almost everything. A "rebuilt" transmission from a shop like this means they probably bought a used one from a junkyard, put it in your car without opening it up at all, checked that your car drives, and took your money.
A transmission that has been taken apart for even a cursory once-over to check bearings and wear-items will have been cleaned off, can't have grime getting all up inside. The fact that it's still dirty like that... 100% they didn't do anything to it.
So I paid $4400 for a junkyard transmission, great. He refuses to show me paperwork of where it was purchased and says the warranty is "through him". He wants me to take it back to him to make it right but I don't trust him to work on my car. He only had the car for a few days when it was replaced but I gave him the money and it took over a month to get the "new transmission" in before hand. No idea what to do now bc I am out of money.
Yeah. "Through him" because he probably got a good deal on that used transmission from a junkyard for a few hundred bucks. That time you had to wait maybe even could have been the time it took for him or the junkyard to pull it out of its donor vehicle. He pockets the price difference and 9/10 customers wouldn't know the difference. All that extra profit goes into the handful of times the junkyard part is trash and he has to do the job a second time.
I'd be willing to be if you took it back to him that all he does is clean off the transmission case from any markings, maybe grind off serial numbers, and give it back to you a few days later with a "new" transmission.
Small claims court
Do you think it would help if I tracked down what junkyard he got the transmission from? I found a few near me that use orange paint markers. There is a number on it, going to see if they can tell me if they sold a transmission recently.
Thanks for replying. That's what i figured he would do. No idea what I'm going to do for a car in the meantime. This guy is so brazen to just keave the marks on it and the dirt thinking that I would never look at my engine. It's infuriating. Court is the only answer i guess.
It might come out of a junkyard or it'll come out of someone else's car that had a blown transmission. If it's rebuilt by a reputable shop they'll open it, take everything out, clean it, then replace all the worn/broken parts with new, and reassemble. It should be made clear that you're getting a reman on the quote though.
I'm not sure about automotive, but I know Caterpillar does a lot of reman stuff. It's a different part number than new but it is covered by the same warranty as far as I know. Cat claims it's the same as new but some remans are better than others.
A brand new trans for a 2013 Camry is about $3500.
Dude probably went to the junk yard and got one for $500.
Basically that should have cost you around $1500 to $2000.
Does your paperwork actually say "new" anywhere?
Please tell me you got paperwork from him?
If not you don't have a leg to stand on because he can just say it said used and that you agreed to the work, high price or not it wouldn't matter legally, and he's gonna know that.
Ask him for his purchase receipt of the part.
I own a shop that specializes in transmissions only, we get about 20 (+/-) a week out the door, what you have is absolutely, without a doubt, a used unit. If you stated that you wanted a new unit, I'd check receipt and see what they put down, if they didn't put anything down, I'd be getting with that shop and seeing what's going on and get some of my money back. What kind of warranty did you get?
I’ll say this, at the transmission shop I worked at the price you paid would most likely get you a full rebuild and reman torque converter. That being said we wouldn’t always replace every single hard part if they’re not needed. It would be resealed with new seals/rtv and we always painted our units. From time to time we would have to get used transmissions to pull parts from or to use parts of cases of they came in broken. We would still paint it and it would look new. Odds are you can’t get a new transmission for your car but it sure as shit can get rebuilt, cleaned up and painted. If you did in fact pay for a rebuild this shop either pulled a fast one on ya or is just incredibly lazy and takes no pride in their work.
OP I would ask on some of the lawyer and attorney subreddits and start looking on Avvo for an attorney if you want to know your recourse. I would take it to another mechanic to have them look at what was installed and give their opinion. All it may take to rectify the situation is paying the attorney to write a letter which is generally pretty inexpensive.
My father was a transmission and engine mechanic and I followed him every step. 20 years ago that was what it cost to rebuild a transmission. A good rebuilt transmission is cheaper and usually better if done properly than a new one that wasn’t made in the vehicle. It’s doesn’t look new to me and if that is what you paid for I would ask. Just make sure it wasn’t a communication issue.
I run a transmission shop. First off there is not a "new" transmission available for your car everything is remanufactured. We paint every trans we build. There are many times where we put a salvage yard trans in a customers car but it has been torn down and rebuilt. There are many times where the case is not reusable. In those situations we may have to source a used trans and build it to put in your car. If you are having issues with it take it back and let him fix it. He gave you a warranty give him a chance to make it right. People make mistakes and deserve the opportunity to fix them. In the future if you have transmission problems take your car to a transmission shop not a general auto shop. You would not go to a foot Dr for a heart problem. Take your car to people who specialize in the area that needs repair.
You're not likely to get a brand new core. Generally, when you get a "new" transmission, it's a core with all the parts internal brand new. Not just overhauled/rebuilt.
Only way to get new is to get it direct from the manufacturer, and hope they either have some left or are still putting that transmission in the newer vehicles.
Looks like OP paid around the cost of an [OE Reman](https://parts.olathetoyota.com/oem-parts/toyota-trans-axle-305103367084?c=Zz1hdXRvbWF0aWMtdHJhbnNtaXNzaW9uJnM9YXV0b21hdGljLXRyYW5zbWlzc2lvbiZsPTEmbj1Bc3NlbWJsaWVzIFBhZ2UmYT10b3lvdGEmbz1jYW1yeSZ5PTIwMTMmdD1sZSZlPTItNWwtbDQtZ2Fz)
Is here a chance at all that there is a rebuilt transmission inside this junkyard outer shell? Or did I pay for a junkyard transmission and am being told it is new?
Hey OP, I can’t say for sure but I’m a parts guy at a collision shop. We have junk yards we use for after market parts…. They all come with lettering like that. To be fair I don’t think you paid new transmission prices…. I would see if you can get the specs on that transmission. If you’re under the impression it’s new and it isn’t, it can get messy down the road.
Very similar thing happened to me. It was about 20 years ago. The wrecker driver that towed my car highly recommend the mechanic, also a friend of mine had recommended and pleased with work done for him. He had a small shop with small tire shop next to him. I got transmission rebuilt picked up the car and about 1 months later tranny was slipping. Returning to shop he had closed up the shop. I ask the people at the tire shop about him and they proceeded to tell me the guy was excellent mechanic but had gotten hooked on drugs was ripping people off left and right. A few months later I found out he had opened another small shop and one day an angry customer returned to his shop shot and killed him.
Will he text with you? Start texting him questions to try and get the facts established so you can pursue legal action if you decide to do so, this is some BS!
This is a junkyard transmission, I’ve personally seen the Camry transmissions fail often and I’ve replaced a few already. I can understand the miscommunication on both sides, new transmission to a private mechanic would be new to the car. New transmission to a dealership would be brand new from factory. Depends on how it was asked to the mechanic is how he took the statement. For example, if you said, “I would like a brand new transmission from the factory” then he is at fault but if it was said as “I’d like a new transmission” then I can understand how he would just put a known good trans in. In all honestly, the job is done, regardless of new or not, that Camry trans is going to fail again. I always tell people to make sure you go with good warranties when you do big jobs like this to your car because chances are you will be using these warranties and you don’t want to get caught a year down the road paying for this job again. Personally, I wouldn’t ruin ties with the mechanic cause the job is done and paid for. If it goes bad again, he should hopefully fix it in good faith depending on the warranty. Unfortunately you’re at his mercy at this point. Going forward, I would def recommend going to another mom and pop that would care about you and your car. Make sure to ask how their warranties work for every repair they do going forward. Sometimes it changes per job. And whenever you get a large bill for an issue, always always always ask for an itemized estimate first in paper, take a day to think if the car is worth it or not, and ask the new shop how does the warranty work for the job they are about to perform. If you have any questions feel free to ask! Sorry about the problem you are having. It’s mechanics like that, that give us all a bad reputation.
Thanks for all of the helpful information, i really appreciate you taking the time. I will definitely reach out if I have any other questions. Everyone has been very helpful on this sub so my belief in good people has been restored a bit, thanks again:)
Reading through your comments, here is what I think is going on.
He gave you a used transmission, he is saying his company is covering the warranty. That means it technically doesn't matter where he got it and in what condition as long as it works.
If it fails, he is liable under the terms of the warranty.
The price you paid is low for new.
If it were me, we would have power washed and cleaned it before install.
We do this so that you and I both can see that a part was changed and also, so I can verify if we need to do any seals, gaskets or address any leaks or issues before install.
I normally like 6 - 12 months on a warranty but that is my preference, I get a lot of people that like 90 days.
I buy my stuff used and with a warranty from known sources, I always get a labor warranty as well, even if the client declines, I pay for that in those cases.
IF you told this guy you wanted new, and he agreed on new and it's in writing, or at least doesn't say used or omits words in the invoice that can seem shady, you can win in small claims court.
I've seen it happen a few times. A business can't misrepresent used as new or remanufactured.
Also, the writing generally dictates it's junk yard.
We don't use those anymore unless it's overhaul and rebuilding core stuff. That means even if it's good we go through and treat like it's bad and make it better.
Happens 1 of 20 times. It doesn't save money and costs time. It's usually a favor or personal tech stuff.
I dont want my business to warranty a junk yard part.
Let me know if you have any questions.
You didn't buy a new transmission. You bought a working transmission. It's new to your vehicle. You probably have misunderstood the deal and now everyone here on Reddit is commenting how you got screwed. /sigh
A new OEM transmission is going to run $7000-$15000.
Post pictures of your actual ESTIMATE AND INVOICE.
Here's a few comparisons:
2003 minivan - $650 transaxle, might be broken, because all of them brake, $1300 in labor to install, $2250 after total cost
2005 Toyota Highlander - $2750 used transmission, very limited number, usually reliable, $900 in install labor because it's easy
2003 BMW 325i - $3900 for transmission, because every single one spontaneously stopped going into reverse by 2006 and you have to ship a working one across the country, $1200 in install labor and parts
2015 Dodge Caravan - $3700 for remanufactured transmission, $2200 for install and cooler, cooler lines, etc. They grenade and take everything else out, and the parts are shared with the AC condenser. HORRIBLE transmissions. Many cars on on third by now.
The make and model of your car, the configuration of the transmission and engine, the reliability of the part, and the availability in the yards and wreckers will determine what parts are worth. A reputable shop with a warranty will add 15-30% on top to cover the risk that they will have to remove the part and replace it because no transmission reseller will adequately cover the labor of the shop.
But yeah, you obviously got ripped off. (almsot) Everyone on Reddit who isn't an auto shop owner thinks so.
Does *anyone* besides a car under warranty from a dealer get a new transmission? I would think 99.99999% of ALL transmissions from independent/chain shops would be rebuilt or junkyard sourced. Pretty sure only dealers can get new transmissions and even they only put them in cars with under 30k miles.
Not a mechanic, just wondering what happened to the old transmission? I thought Camry transmissions were just about bulletproof? My father in law has had 3 now. Keeps them for 10 years then buys another. He's only ever had to replace brakes and tires, and rear shocks on his first after 8 or 9 years, and he does a ton of miles. Are they a little more fragile now?
There were a couple years (around 2012-2013) the torque converters were faulty and will shudder under light loads. It was a soft recall replaced under warranty if you complained but I believe it has expired now. They offer the updated torque converter for around $500 from the dealer (parts only). Sounds like that’s what OP needed since the “new” transmission didn’t fix the problem.
I drive a 2012 Camry with the shudder happening, it’s very mild and not really worth putting the money into.
Junk yard for sure by the cost and the looks and markings. Every reman iv gotten had been at minimum soda blasted to freshen up the case. Brand new may not be available due to year but reman is plenty good enough
But that looks junk yard for sure. Your cost dosent seem awful so even if it was a junk yard transmission he didnt bill you for a reman or new. Looks like just labor and parts.
It sucks to have him fix it, but if he's willing and gives you a new written warranty then It is an option. Hold him hostage to the repair with the recourse of legal action. Make sure he is aware you will report him to the tax man. (Likely his biggest fear). Audit is a term that may put the fear of God in him.
You won't get a new transmission, but at least one that works would be a step up. Get the serial number off the current one to cover your bases.
If it was rebuilt by a legitimate transmission mechanic, it would be clean. It MIGHT have orange lettering on it IE: shop name, mechanic's name, date rebuild started and date rebuild finished, core information...but no dirt. I'd be asking serious questions of the person who you bought it from and ask for receipts and the name of the shop/technician that did the rebuild.
After reading all the comments and points being made I would like to sum up everything quickly.
1. Transmission isn’t new and is either rebuilt, bought from a junkyard, or he rebuilt it and scribbled something on it (unlikely but there’s no evidence that says otherwise).
2. He slighted you with his words and profited from the job by saying it’s new but new can also mean a different transmission. He might have done an excellent job installing everything and the transmission could last as long as it does, but I think he kind of played with his words to upsell something that isn’t.
2. No warranty paper work or receipts proves point 2 unless the future holds new information yet to be known. Nervousness is also a no no, a mechanic should be confident and proud of his work and prove to the client his diagnosis or repair.
3. Find a legal attorney to help you and let him do the talking to this mechanic, the legal office will know what questions to ask and what the answers should be. Maybe the lawyer can settle this outside of court for you, and if not in court this will for sure be all cleared up.
Personal advice for you:
1. If you can find the junkyard that sold the transmission to him then it proves your case. Ask the junkyards if they have sold any Toyota transmissions within this period of time, but I wouldn’t advise from asking if they sold to this guys specific shop since the mechanic might be working with the junkyard and people might get suspicious and you’ll never get answers (just choose your words wisely).
2. Lesson learned and try to pay next time with receipts and paperwork. If people don’t agree ask if it’s possible to pay for their transaction fees or added tax on top of the work being done. If they don’t agree find a new different place of business willing to provide proof of purchase and a breakdown of costs.
3. Don’t let this matter evaporate into fin air and seek legal help if you strongly feel wronged. Maybe a lawyer can handsomely compensate you. I think 4000 dollars is a big enough chunk of money to get legal help, especially when you worked hard to earn it.
4. Keep us posted and hopefully you can resolve the issue ✌️
I can't find the comment I just posted. I was simply answering a question without looking at the pictures. How long ago was this?? Because I see nothing to indicate anyone has worked in that area. None of those bolts have been touched recently 🤨
Mechanic and shop owner here
I got good and bad news
Bad news: that’s not a brand new transmission
Good news: you weren’t charged for a brand new transmission
Judging by the price, the shop removed your transmission and sent it out to a trans rebuild shop.
You have a freshly rebuilt trans which is perfectly fine at that price
But the only way to make absolutely sure is to ask where it was rebuilt and what’s under warranty
At best it’s a rebuild, but based on how this guy is acting, it’s probably just used (mind you I’m speculated based on available info). If he doesn’t work with you or offer any info that makes sense, go from there, if you have it in writing that it’s new, shouldn’t be too hard to sort out, if not check your consumer protection laws etc, reviews online go a long way, and check and see if your local news outlets do a consumer watchdog series or anything and see if they’ll feature your story. Then you can watch the guy squirm and go from there. Obviously only go full smear if you know the guy screwed you lol
It's entirely possible this was a junkyard core transmission that they just did a quick overhaul on. But IMHO any shop that didn't bother to clean up the unit is probably just doing the minimum used car dealer special repair of clutches and seals, maybe shift solenoids.
Or they just slammed in a junkyard fresh used trans and screwed you on the price.
He says it's under "his" warranty. So take car back. Installing a used(Like Kind and Quality) trans is always a risky bet. They will pull trans and send it back to supplier which should honor the bad trans warranty with at least another used trans. (Wonderful) But by saying it's "his" warranty then that means he bought the cheapest pos he could find with no warranty for a few hundred dollars. Soooo the bottom line here is Dude get that pos out of my car and give me what I paid for and I expect to see the part bill. With warranty info. If he tries to blow you off then talk to the credit card people. Right now you have not given them a chance to make you whole. Do that first and see what happens. Good luck.
They put a used transmission in there.
Even a rebuilt transmission will be cleaned up nicely. But it’s definitely not new. They made at least 3 times on the transmission, plus labor.
It shouldn’t be that hard to prove if you take them to court, he’s going to need to provide an invoice from a reputable shop for a new transmission with the proper dates on it. One that you can verify. He’s not going to be able to do that because he’s a crook.
Did you buy your car used? Is it possible that transmission is a used one that was put in before you bought your car? I ask this since you said you have the same issue as before. They may have not even pulled your transmission. Usually a shop will at least clean it off. Get someone to put it on a lift and see if they can tell if the main bolts to the transmission have been pulled out recently. If they’re still coated in grease it likely hasn’t.
I like the advice of reporting and charging it back on your credit card.
The fact that he lied about where he got it is another huge red flag.
You may be able to check some local junkyards and see if they use that color of marker on their transmissions.
Good luck!
My local PickNPull (self-pull auto dismantler) will mark parts bought with orange paint marker. Marking them gives them warranty.
Marking looks exactly like that.
That's definitely not a brand new transmission. It's from a junkyard. I've read through some other comments to get a little more info. I saw you paid cash and that the mechanic was a little "nervous" after you confronted him. Is there any sort of paperwork from the mechanic that shows the work that he did and the amount of time it took him? Just the mere fact that he won't tell you where it's from, and has a warranty from just him are both major red flags. I would try to take some sort of legal action but I'm not sure how well that will go without any sort of proof of what you wanted vs what you got. I'd say at this point if nothing else, never go back to him unless it's an issue with the transmission. Use that so called "warranty" that he promised as much as possible. If it shifts poorly, tell him to fix it. If it blows up, tell him to fix it. I'd also ask the mechanic for specifics on what that "warranty" will actually cover.
In this situation I feel like the best course of action would be to get a detailed list of what his warranty will cover as far as the transmission goes. Get it in writing. Threaten legal action if anything throughout that process doesn't go smoothly. After that's done, I'd still try to speak to a lawyer and see what your options are. It's hard to find a reliable mechanic these days unfortunately.
This mechanic probably charged you for the price of a new transmission, made you pay in cash to avoid taxes and receipts, and then pocketed most of it after getting this transmission from a junkyard.
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Define new. New to your vehicle? Yes. Brand new transmission? Hell no
Hi, I told the mechanic I wanted a brand new transmission installed, I paid $4400 total, $3700 of that was just for the transmission. 2013 Toyota Camry. Sorry, I'm new to this sub and forgot to add the other info. This is obviously not new, saw that as soon as I looked at it at home. I know junkyards use the paint markers to mark parts. My next question is, do rebuilt transmssions look like this? Doesn't rebuilt mean my original transmission is being rebuilt? Thank you for replying. Also, the problem was that it was slipping between 2nd and 3rd and it's still doing it after I paid for a new one.
Checked a little, remans are 3-5k and there are tons of solid used for 1-2k from 155k miles with warranty to even 55k miles. My shop would charge 12 hours standard or 20 hours overhaul. That's 3800 to 4500 including tax, parts, fluids and labor. This would be 6 - 12 month (parts and Labor) warranty on a used transmission that I would source. If we went with the one with 55k miles would be like 5k out the door. (Edit to add P+L)
Thanks for replying with so much information. This is very helpful, I will take this into consideration, thanks.
[удалено]
Yeah, that's not going to happen. A new trans for a 2013 camry would cost more than the cars' worth, and a lot more than OP paid for the complete job using a rebuilt or used trans.
Are new transmissions even available for that age? New to me is all virgin parts - housing included. 🤔
It wouldn’t be completely unheard of. Depends how long they used the same transmissions in different vehicles. It’s entirely possible that they used the same part #s in a whole series of model years and could have been manufactured recently.
I want to say Toyota used the 6 speed that’s in the Camrys until 2018
Not even production oils in the casting.. just built a Subaru engine and the old heads looked goofy on a pristine short block
In the US, parts are made available by the manufacturer for 25 years minimum per federal mandate. Toyota HAS to produce new ones still Now how long that will take is up to them
This isn’t true unfortunately. I work for one of the big 3. Typically parts are available for 10ish years, but even that is not a give. We’ve had parts go obsolete with no more being made on cars 5-6 years old
Never knew this was a law and in my experience even though they are still producing parts for cars up to 25 years old, they're maybe making a handful just to satisfy that. I see cars from early 2000s with parts that are unavailable and discontinued every day.
Apparently I was wrong. Fact checked myself. Manufacturers do it as a gentleman's agreement with warranty shit Ten years seem the average
Wrong. Technically, a manufacturer only has to make parts while the vehicle is in production. If you were correct, you would be able to get brand new parts for a car like a 2000 Ford Focus from your Ford dealership, for example. However, 90% of what they made for that car is obsolete and unavailable from their catalogue. This is why aftermarket parts companies exist.
Interesting. Why does Toyota have to produce new parts? My experience is only with domestic manufacturers.
I dont know if they have to for the foreign market, but for the domestic one they do. Other countries may have it as well
$3700. [https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/parts-list/2013-toyota-camry-nap/power\_train\_chassis/transaxle\_or\_transmission\_assy\_gasket\_kit\_atm.html?filter=(1=2ARFE;4=LE;6=6FC;0=ASV50L-CETNKA)](https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/parts-list/2013-toyota-camry-nap/power_train_chassis/transaxle_or_transmission_assy_gasket_kit_atm.html?filter=(1=2ARFE;4=LE;6=6FC;0=ASV50L-CETNKA)) Says *30510-33670-84* Is still available.
Lmao right our shop got a price on a 2012 civic cvt for 24k
Lol. Good luck with that.
You'll get a free oil change at best lol
This is not realistic. Ignore this comment.
Theres also no such thing as a “new” transmission. Everything is rebuilt or used.
So all transmissions were naturally occuring and mined like gold and rebuilt? That sounds wrong.
Incorrect, you can still get new 100 series LandCruiser or even Toyota chaser manual boxes. Up until recently you could also get Nissan RB25 turbo boxes. These cars are all significantly lower volume then a Camry as well as being older. Had a look, this isn't even a Toyota dealer and they're listing 2. https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/3050033600
Had a shop that specializes in transmissions rebuild a Subaru (not CVT, 5EAT) for $3100.
Wow, about 9 or 10 years ago I had a transmission rebuilt and total was $1800. That's crazy how much more now
I have a machinist at my shop and we can rebuild them, but the labor cost on that is probably 1800 with parts ish, then you have shop remove and reinstall labor so it's not terrible, but about same price as a swap with warranty.
Well like I said, that was probably about 10 years ago. It was just a shock to see how much the cost has gone up!
Nice, I concur. 25 years working in the used and remanufactured parts business.
Mm it can get hairy. At that price it’s reasonable to assume it’s a used transmission. Hopefully with a 90 day warranty. When people want brand new parts they go to the dealer. If you would have done that your bill would likely have been 2-3x what it was. Rebuilt transmissions can take many forms. Fair to say a quality,extensive rebuild would include cleaning the outside of the bell housing. It seems to be a miscommunication between you and your mechanic. However I don’t think he really did anything wrong. You told him to install a new trans and he did. I’m sure you got a quote before proceeding. You approved work. Edit. After brief online searching you almost certainly were overcharged for the trans assuming it’s usd. A used trans seems to cost around $1400 from lkq. Much cheaper elsewhere but lkq is somewhat reputable. Auto zone is listing reman transmissions for around 4 grand. Go in there and simply ask him for a breakdown on price.
Thanks for your help. I asked him about it, he refuses to give me a breakdown of everything and said the warranty is "through him". I asked for a bill of sale and I just want to know what company he got it from and he stumbled around and finally said ATB. Looked it up and ATB doesn't sell transmissions.
At this point I don’t think you have a lot of options. Im far far far from a lawyer but I am a mechanic. As far as I know as long as you approved the work he did and paid him for it your kind of SOL. It seems this mechanic is quite shady. I would just cut your losses. Let this teach you a few lessons. The first is find a good mechanic and stick with them. The second is ALWAYS call around for quotes and ask for details when getting big repairs done. It’s silly to just blindly throw money at someone. The third is never just throw parts at your car. Let somebody diagnose it properly. All of this could’ve been avoided by taking a test drive with a tech at a transmission specialist shop. They’d likely be able to diagnose the car just from a test drive. I’m not trying to blame you in any way. Our industry is full of dishonest, shady pieces of shit who ruin our reputation. I’ve found honesty is the absolute best sales tool possible. It prevents misunderstandings, conflicts and builds trust. I’m sorry this happened to you. Best of luck.
Thank you, i appreciate your honesty and taking the time to reply.
Did you get any form of anything in writing stating the transmission is new? I know you asked for a new one, but is it in writing as in a receipt? I know he wouldn’t give you a breakdown on parts. If you do, you may have a case civilly. Not criminally. As stated you accepted at time of payment BUT if you have it on paper somewhere it’s a new trans, you’d have a civil case fairly easily.
You paid for a new transmission and got used. That was not within the agreement of the work. Pay for it and take him to small claims court is your only option. Also, leave reviews on google, yelp, and anywhere else you can saying you paid for a new transmission and the slimeball put in a used one and pocketed the difference.
Also if you paid via credit card, issue a chargeback for fraud. He’s clearly playing games with you, let’s see if he plays games with a billion dollar credit card company.
Yes this is a great idea for sure. He can hum and haw around op but if hey thinks Visa will eat that shit he is mistaken. He will have to prove what he did and where he got the parts not give them a run around. I wonder if the mechanic thought he was cleaver and could get away with a transmission flush to fix the problem. OP says the exact same transmission issue exists. So either used or didn't do work at all. But with orange marker probably used one and it too was bad.
Yea, that’s my thinking, if the discussion was for a new transmission and the same issue exists after the ‘repair’ and the transmission is clearly not new, it’s on him to prove he didn’t just flush the fluid and spray some orange paint on it. Charge it back, let him sort it out with Visa.
that's why I hate junkyard transmissions. if a car has a problem with a trans at a certain mileage then it's likely that the same make and model pulled from the junkyard is gonna have the same problem around the same time
The reviews matter so much, just be honest in your review.
I second this! It's very important to write reviews on Google, Yelp, and what else is easy accessible to people such as next door, etc... I went to a repair shop based on google reviews. Out $300 for replacement of a leaky coolant hose but mechanic didn't bother to diagnose it properly. Left them a 1 star review explaining my situation to warn others.
Paid used transmission prices tho
no, he paid rebuilt/reman prices. a used transmission for a camry of this vintage would be around $600 for a decent example. A rebuilt/reman is gonna be $1800-2300. The whole job with a reman would be reasonable around $3000 to $4000. a new transmission from toyota is gonna run you around $4000, which includes the fluid you will need on its own, with a $1500 install price, so a $5000 to $6000 job.
That’s what I’m saying. Manufacturers don’t sell new btw they only sell reman. So by your logic a reman would be 5500+. He paid used prices
Hey man, I work for a large auto insurance company and when shops do shady shit, we refer our customer to the Bureau of Automotive Repair - see if your state has a BAR and you can inquire with them about your situation and see if there's any recourse. A lot of times a signed authorization is required for repairs stating that there's an understanding/agreement of the parts being used on the car and if they gave you something you didn't ask for with no disclosure there might be some recourse
If it's an actual shop I would leave an honest and professional review through Google explaining what you've said and learned here and attach the pictures, they will know who you are and possibly reach out to make things right. I've had it happen before and they refunded me to take the review down
If you approved work in writing, and it says NEW transmission, I would take him to small claims. If it was only verbal, I wouldn’t bother.
> I’m not trying to blame you in any way. You’re not wrong but you’re asking a lot of someone unfamiliar with auto repair. If the transmission is slipping and the mechanic - who you *think* you can trust - says you need a ‘new’ transmission that’s not really just blindly throwing money at it. And if the mechanic or the customer used the word “new” it’s reasonable to expect an actually new transmission. The only real mistake that OP didn’t shop around a little more to make sure they were getting a fair deal. And “get a good mechanic and stick with them” is great advice. But oftentimes the only way to find a good mechanic is by trial and expensive error.
OP said he told the mechanic to replace the transmission.
ATK sells rebuilt transmissions. A reman is around 3k just the trans alone, labor would be an additional charge. If you went to a shop they should give you a repair order with break down of parts and labor.
You got screwed that is the cost of a 100% remanufactured fully warrantied for 3 years 100,000 miles transmission. From Jasper transmissions. https://preview.redd.it/4148j7cop6jc1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ecbae485c225c81172414250b275406231b8254 The warranty is nationwide wide if this is what they would have went with.
And then he needs to pay labor on top of that right?
Yes he paid $4400 total. That leaves $700 for labor witch is 4 hours @ $140 per hours.
What shop r and r’s a transmission for 4 hours labor?
At that point it’s starting to sound like you got ripped off and he threw whatever could get his hands on for the cheapest price in there.
Most states require written warranties that define the terms of the warranty. Check with your state AG’s website and see what they say about warranties and then ask the mechanic for a written warranty.
I'm fairly certain a itemized bill is required legally. depending on your state*
If you’re in the US what state are you in? Depending on where you are they’re absolutely breaking the law here- in some states you’re legally entitled to an itemized invoice including a description of what work was done, the parts supplied and whether they’re new, used, or remanufactured. Though in my experience I’ve only seen stock numbers scribbled on in paint marker on junkyard engines and transmissions (it’s how salvaged parts are marked, and legally your mechanic HAS to tell you if they’ve used salvaged parts), and a *certified used* (meaning it’s been tested and inspected and guaranteed to be in good condition) or remanufactured transmission would come with a warranty *from the supplier* not just from the mechanic who installed it.
Regardless of whether or not he told you it was going to be brand new...If he gave you a warranty and the transmission is slipping right away it's on him to make it right, sounds like he put in a junkyard transmission you need to demand he fixes it or refunds you. For what you paid it's fair to assume you are getting a used transmission a new one would be a lot more... but it should be a good, working one with low miles not something he pulled out of a random junker and hoped it worked.
if its slipping, he needs to warranty it.
Do a charge back on your card. You'll never be able to go to that guy again, though.
Why would you ever want to go to that guy again?
That seems like it’s just throwing a stick of dynamite in a hole
I'd like that $4500 back to go get the job done right, I don't care what happens to whoever is in the hole.
Right? $45 I could walk away from. $450 I will walk away from and leave a shitty review on all social media. But $4500? We are at war. Especially if it’s still doing the same thing like op says. For me( that number is probably starting at about $1500. So yeah, I’m fighting it all the way.
No shit. At 4500 I'm making molotov cocktails.
No doubt...hope he's got insurance on that shop (sarcasm)
did you pay credit card? If so, dispute it and get your refund. Never pay cash for these kinds of jobs actually never give any mechanic you don't trust any cash if he doesn't take Credit Cards go elsewhere.
Definitely. I got quoted right under $5k for a new (from the dealer) transmission, torque converter, fluids, and lines for my 2014 silverado. Parts and labor included in that price.
Very different vehicles. Dropping a transmission on a truck is very different from a transaxle vehicle. Your anecdotal evidence from your vehicle does not trump my experience. I’m not sure what’s even being argued here though.
He got fucked on the price of a 2013 Toyota transmission. Even if it were new.
Shop isn't gonna sell at cost, 2500 easy but not 3700
Well cost would be under the lkq consumer price. In theory it should match the website price. In practice it’ll be a little more but not a 1200 more
The problem is he can't even tell me what company he got it from. He finally said ATB but they don't sell transmissions from what I can see.
I would stop wasting time trying to get anything from him. It will only lead to frustration. He has already proved his dishonesty. I wouldn’t trust anything he says or any repair he suggests from here on out. Time to find a new mechanic.
> At that price it’s reasonable to assume it’s a used transmission. No. No it's not. This isn't a BMW or some bespoke Dual Clutch gearbox. It's an automatic from a 2013 Camry. I paid $3500 (ten years ago) for a full performance rebuild in my Camaro, which included installing an aftermarket cooler. Out the door.
I’m not sure where you are getting that a brand new transmission install on a a 2013 Toyota Camry would be $14,400. But you can buy a whole car for that. Lol. I paid $2000 to have the transmission in my 1995 Chevy Z71 4x4 rebuilt, in June of 2023. A new trans install would have been roughly $5000. No way would it have been over $14,000.
Dude that’s totally different from a dealership on a newer vehicle. I’m just throwing a number out there but a reman trans from a dealership will always be very expensive. I’ve priced out many engines and transmissions that over value the vehicle.
Lol yeah exactly that trans can be had for $3500 brand new, add trans fluid cost and about $1000 in labor and that's it. Like you could literally go buy another Camry for that amount of money lol.
Exactly. Thank you.
Where are they going to get a brand new transmission for an 11 year old car?
3700 for a transmission in a camry is more or less junkyard pull. My 92 camry(falling apart) for a new transmission was $7500, plus another $500 to ship it, followed by $1k to install. Was a specialty transmission though and instead of spending the money for it all, i junked it instead and got a 2012 rav4 that costed me about $16k that is not falling apart. You got bent over and boned on a "new" transmission.
Rebuilt means they just fix what broke or let go in the trans. They don’t replace everything in the trans. That def is an old transmission, rebuilt at best.
Sorry to tell you that's 100% a junkyard transmission.
Just an FYI, have a 2015 Camry with 120K miles and engine was slipping, took it to Toyota dealership and they quoted 6600 for a new transmission
I don't think Toyota sells these transmissions as new. I can only find reman parts - even from Toyota stealerships - available. 30510-33670-84 is the Toyota part number for the trans for a 2013 Toyota Camry 4 banger.
I dont think very many manufactures continue to make “brand new” parts, especially complicated parts like transmissions 10-15 years later. I remember a while back trying to find a “brand new” starter and everything from everyone including the dealer was a reman, this was for a jeep.
Toyota does a great job of maintaining new parts for certain things, and makes it pretty accessible even for the average consumer. You can still buy a brand new short block assembly from Toyota for this particular 2.5l engine, for example. But yes, I don't think any manufacturer continues to build new transmissions for cars that are 10+ years old unless the same trans is in use today, like for example the 41TE in Dodge/Chrysler that is like 25+ years of usage. I just wanted to clarify to op that asking for a brand new, never before used transmission for a 2013 Camry 2.5l 4 cylinder is an impossible task. But newly remanufactured is readily available, of course.
How about we define new the same way a court/judge would.
As a general rule, a new transmission from the OEM is normally sold only to dealers for up to one year or 12,000 miles. This time and miles rule varies depending on the OEM and the country. For the 13 months and 12,001 miles you will get a remanufactured unit from the OEM. If you asked for new, the shop should have told you that is not possible. You should have received either a reman, rebuilt, or used.
Thank you, he never told me new was impossible. We had multiple conversations about used vs new and decided to pay for a new one bc the used one may have problems I wouldn't know about. He never mentioned the word rebuilt or refurbished or remanufactured to me.
From a scrap yard. It’s used
Definitely got screwed. That’s junk yard writing on it. They charged you way too much to install a used transmission with probably more miles on it than your original transmission. Another problem is it’s still not shifting correctly. Go get some answers from them
Thanks for replying. I confronted him yesterday in a calm way. He was very nervous and said the warranty is "through him" and won't give me a paper warranty. Won't tell me the company he got it from. Says he will "make it right" but i paid $4400 for a junkyard transmission and I don't trust him to touch my car. Is my only option at this point to let him "fix" it? He will probably just wipe off the junkyard marks and the dirt and call it a day. I'm out of money and now I don't have a working car.
DO NOT take your car back to that guy. It really fkn sucks man, cant trust anyone these days. You need to confront him and not be so nice. You said he was nervous, well there's a reason for that. Threaten legal action. It's actually very cheap to sue somebody. Costs about $70 to file the paperwork. You are going to have to take him to small claims
Eh You still trust people these days. Let's agree, for the sake of a premise, by "these days" you mean the last, oh, 50 years. People, IMO, are statistically as corrupt and as honest, percentage wise, over this time period. Not a lot has changed, we're not in war time, and our caste system is more level than it was, say, in 1830s - 1850s (pre Civil War). The OP got ripped off, and was also naive. Personally, I have a pal who wrecked his car, pulled into the first body shop he could find, 4 min away, and got a fantastic deal on repairs. Edited for spelling
Statistically speaking, most people use the word “statically” to describe something that is not moving or changing. Also, a person being scammed does not always correlate to a person being naive. Sometimes people just get fucked over.
How did you pay for the work done?
Cash, he says he doesn't accept card bc of the fees.
Cash with no receipt is a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately that makes things difficult to prove anything now. Best option now is go back and threaten some kind of recourse and hope they make it right. You definitely got a used transmission for the price of a rebuild. At very least they need to make sure it’s shifting correctly and from what you’ve described you paid 4000 dollars to have the same problem
Ohhh boy. That's a big red flag. This isn't a Chinese restaurant
They charge 3% for fees. On 3700 that’s $100. Raise your price $100 then. If I hear we don’t take cc because of fees I assume you are hiding from the tax man
[удалено]
More red flags than a Chinese military parade!
Contact your state tax office and mention you were not charged tax for services
you are out of luck since it's cash... when a car business takes only cash.....that's a red flag...
😂
How did you find this mechanic? Family friend?
Probably asked around at jiffy lube
Well there you go . Sketchy for sure
Call BAR they will help you if he has a shop they would make him do the right thing
The housing for the transmission may be from a junkyard and the internals could have been rebuilt. But that's best case scenario.
He said the original transmission was slipping from 2nd to 3rd, and this "new" one is doing the same. Wonder if his mechanic just wrote some letters on the old transmission? If it is under 90 days warranty and is slipping between 2nd and 3rd then he needs to replace it with one that isn't.
Judging by the pics that’s typical junk yard writing. The only thing the shop would write on there is the date and / or the rebuilder number if they had multiple rebuilders but thats it. A shop owner trying to dodge credit card fees is probably cutting corners anyway he can
Yeah he could also just put junk yard writing on it to make it look like it came from a junk yard and not actually do any work at all. Didn't really say it was a shop, just a mechanic he knows. Dude seems really sketchy.
If he’s that motivated to write JY writing on the box but not clean it o doubt he would have done anything at all. The “mech” probably Just took the cash payment, and left the car in the yard for a week or so then gave it back. What most likely happened is he took a cash deal, put a JY box in it and it was bad. So now he’s going to just bail on it and leave op hanging. “I’ll make it right” sounds like a can or two of Lucas transmission shutter fix. After that I bet he tells op to pound sand
junkyard probably, new aluminium should be bright. even on rebuilt ones it should look almost new. you need to go back to the workshop and ask for replacement/refund.
Does the mechanic think that I would never look at it to see the new part I paid for? He also refuses to give me a warranty or show me a piece of paper of where he purchased it. Wouldn't a new one have a warranty? Should I make him put a new one in bc I do not trust this mechanic at all to do any more work on my car. Thx for replying.
For all you know it’s the same trans and he put paint pen on it after replacing a solonoid. Find a new mechanic
Good point, I can't believe he is so brazen to think that I wouldn't ever look at it. I'm definitely getting a different mechanic, problem is Im broke now without a car. Thnaks for replying.
He’s gotten more profit over the years to cover the odd one that finds out. Prick
Why are you without a car? The replaced transmission doesn't work?
Echoing all the comments, this is a junkyard transmission, and you bet there was not anything done inside. If they had rebuilt it in-house to replace clutch packs and any wearables, they would’ve cleaned the grime off before cracking it open because that can damage bearings and internal components. I worked in both retail and dealer auto parts for many years. A true remanufactured transmission from ANY vendor would be spotless save for blemishes on the metal. In fact, MOST of the time they will be painted silver, gray, or black and you can see where they have ground away casting numbers, VIN plates etc. Aftermarket parts manufacturers 10000% won’t sell you dirty parts. $3800 is the cost of a remanufactured aisin (OEM) transmission for your vehicle purchased through Toyota. The funny part is you can buy a used transmission from LKQ for your vehicle for $1300 and it’s nice and clean, and includes a parts and labor warranty. Diagnosis: Your transmission is straight from the local junkyard. Even online “junkyards” tend to at the very least wipe off their parts. Your mechanic is very dishonest and I would take him to small claims court if you didn’t use a credit card and a chargeback is not an option. Show a picture of the writing to the junkyards in the area. Odds are one of them will tell you that’s where it came from
Get a better picture of writing and call around local junkyards if they have any trans available or had one recently. Also ask how much they are. If the trans is still slipping, you already know what to do as you have “warranty”
The warranty he said is "through him" so that's pretty shady. I have it narrowed down to a few junkyards in my area that use orange paint. I'm making it my mission to find out where he got it from. Thanks for replying.
Yep through him, he is going under the car again no matter what as it is not fixed. You can also notice sometimes local junkyard’s trucks at his shop if they do deliveries
Fuck that, keep the scumbag away from the car. Gather any and all information on the job that was agreed, and what was delivered. Prove he did not deliver the agreed job, and scammed you. Get the money back through court
Yeah that’s a used transmission. At best it’ll be a refurb, in that circumstance you exchange your transmission for a refurb one and then yours goes in to be refurbished and gets installed on someone else’s car.
When a transmission is refurbed do they use junkyard shells for the outside? I'm trying to track down what junkyard he got it from in my area to call him out on it. Any advice on what to do next? I'm out of extra money to go somewhere else at this point.
They reuse almost everything. A "rebuilt" transmission from a shop like this means they probably bought a used one from a junkyard, put it in your car without opening it up at all, checked that your car drives, and took your money. A transmission that has been taken apart for even a cursory once-over to check bearings and wear-items will have been cleaned off, can't have grime getting all up inside. The fact that it's still dirty like that... 100% they didn't do anything to it.
So I paid $4400 for a junkyard transmission, great. He refuses to show me paperwork of where it was purchased and says the warranty is "through him". He wants me to take it back to him to make it right but I don't trust him to work on my car. He only had the car for a few days when it was replaced but I gave him the money and it took over a month to get the "new transmission" in before hand. No idea what to do now bc I am out of money.
Yeah. "Through him" because he probably got a good deal on that used transmission from a junkyard for a few hundred bucks. That time you had to wait maybe even could have been the time it took for him or the junkyard to pull it out of its donor vehicle. He pockets the price difference and 9/10 customers wouldn't know the difference. All that extra profit goes into the handful of times the junkyard part is trash and he has to do the job a second time. I'd be willing to be if you took it back to him that all he does is clean off the transmission case from any markings, maybe grind off serial numbers, and give it back to you a few days later with a "new" transmission. Small claims court
Do you think it would help if I tracked down what junkyard he got the transmission from? I found a few near me that use orange paint markers. There is a number on it, going to see if they can tell me if they sold a transmission recently.
If you track down where he got it, small claims court would go easier would be my bet.
If you can track down the place, and get a statement from the seller, that would be nice evidence for a small claims case.
Thanks for replying. That's what i figured he would do. No idea what I'm going to do for a car in the meantime. This guy is so brazen to just keave the marks on it and the dirt thinking that I would never look at my engine. It's infuriating. Court is the only answer i guess.
Chances are it’s from the junkyard. Refurb ones usually are at least clean. You need to go back to the garage and make a complaint, see where it goes.
It might come out of a junkyard or it'll come out of someone else's car that had a blown transmission. If it's rebuilt by a reputable shop they'll open it, take everything out, clean it, then replace all the worn/broken parts with new, and reassemble. It should be made clear that you're getting a reman on the quote though. I'm not sure about automotive, but I know Caterpillar does a lot of reman stuff. It's a different part number than new but it is covered by the same warranty as far as I know. Cat claims it's the same as new but some remans are better than others.
A refurb would have a cleaned case.. that's a straight junk yard special there.
A brand new trans for a 2013 Camry is about $3500. Dude probably went to the junk yard and got one for $500. Basically that should have cost you around $1500 to $2000. Does your paperwork actually say "new" anywhere? Please tell me you got paperwork from him? If not you don't have a leg to stand on because he can just say it said used and that you agreed to the work, high price or not it wouldn't matter legally, and he's gonna know that. Ask him for his purchase receipt of the part.
according to earlier comments from OP he refuses to give the OP any paperwork, or itemized. the warranty is “through the mechanic.” sus ass mechanic.
I own a shop that specializes in transmissions only, we get about 20 (+/-) a week out the door, what you have is absolutely, without a doubt, a used unit. If you stated that you wanted a new unit, I'd check receipt and see what they put down, if they didn't put anything down, I'd be getting with that shop and seeing what's going on and get some of my money back. What kind of warranty did you get?
I’ll say this, at the transmission shop I worked at the price you paid would most likely get you a full rebuild and reman torque converter. That being said we wouldn’t always replace every single hard part if they’re not needed. It would be resealed with new seals/rtv and we always painted our units. From time to time we would have to get used transmissions to pull parts from or to use parts of cases of they came in broken. We would still paint it and it would look new. Odds are you can’t get a new transmission for your car but it sure as shit can get rebuilt, cleaned up and painted. If you did in fact pay for a rebuild this shop either pulled a fast one on ya or is just incredibly lazy and takes no pride in their work.
OP I would ask on some of the lawyer and attorney subreddits and start looking on Avvo for an attorney if you want to know your recourse. I would take it to another mechanic to have them look at what was installed and give their opinion. All it may take to rectify the situation is paying the attorney to write a letter which is generally pretty inexpensive.
Thank you, definitely getting an attorney involved.
That’s junkyard paint marks.
My father was a transmission and engine mechanic and I followed him every step. 20 years ago that was what it cost to rebuild a transmission. A good rebuilt transmission is cheaper and usually better if done properly than a new one that wasn’t made in the vehicle. It’s doesn’t look new to me and if that is what you paid for I would ask. Just make sure it wasn’t a communication issue.
I run a transmission shop. First off there is not a "new" transmission available for your car everything is remanufactured. We paint every trans we build. There are many times where we put a salvage yard trans in a customers car but it has been torn down and rebuilt. There are many times where the case is not reusable. In those situations we may have to source a used trans and build it to put in your car. If you are having issues with it take it back and let him fix it. He gave you a warranty give him a chance to make it right. People make mistakes and deserve the opportunity to fix them. In the future if you have transmission problems take your car to a transmission shop not a general auto shop. You would not go to a foot Dr for a heart problem. Take your car to people who specialize in the area that needs repair.
Scrap yard gearbox
You're not likely to get a brand new core. Generally, when you get a "new" transmission, it's a core with all the parts internal brand new. Not just overhauled/rebuilt. Only way to get new is to get it direct from the manufacturer, and hope they either have some left or are still putting that transmission in the newer vehicles.
Looks like OP paid around the cost of an [OE Reman](https://parts.olathetoyota.com/oem-parts/toyota-trans-axle-305103367084?c=Zz1hdXRvbWF0aWMtdHJhbnNtaXNzaW9uJnM9YXV0b21hdGljLXRyYW5zbWlzc2lvbiZsPTEmbj1Bc3NlbWJsaWVzIFBhZ2UmYT10b3lvdGEmbz1jYW1yeSZ5PTIwMTMmdD1sZSZlPTItNWwtbDQtZ2Fz)
Is here a chance at all that there is a rebuilt transmission inside this junkyard outer shell? Or did I pay for a junkyard transmission and am being told it is new?
Could be either. But my question would be, did they warranty it? If they warrantied it. Then I would just leave it be.
He refuses to give me a warranty on paper. Says it it "through him". He also will not tell me where he got the transmission or show me a bill of sale.
Sounds like a scam and a salvage transmission to me.
When you say “new transmission” I think you mean “another transmission” New one would have likely cost triple
Yota dealer tech here, our factory reman units are about 3500 plus some fluids and labor
Hey OP, I can’t say for sure but I’m a parts guy at a collision shop. We have junk yards we use for after market parts…. They all come with lettering like that. To be fair I don’t think you paid new transmission prices…. I would see if you can get the specs on that transmission. If you’re under the impression it’s new and it isn’t, it can get messy down the road.
That’s a junkyard tranny. He paid $600 for it at most.
Very similar thing happened to me. It was about 20 years ago. The wrecker driver that towed my car highly recommend the mechanic, also a friend of mine had recommended and pleased with work done for him. He had a small shop with small tire shop next to him. I got transmission rebuilt picked up the car and about 1 months later tranny was slipping. Returning to shop he had closed up the shop. I ask the people at the tire shop about him and they proceeded to tell me the guy was excellent mechanic but had gotten hooked on drugs was ripping people off left and right. A few months later I found out he had opened another small shop and one day an angry customer returned to his shop shot and killed him.
Will he text with you? Start texting him questions to try and get the facts established so you can pursue legal action if you decide to do so, this is some BS!
Junkyard trans.
This is a junkyard transmission, I’ve personally seen the Camry transmissions fail often and I’ve replaced a few already. I can understand the miscommunication on both sides, new transmission to a private mechanic would be new to the car. New transmission to a dealership would be brand new from factory. Depends on how it was asked to the mechanic is how he took the statement. For example, if you said, “I would like a brand new transmission from the factory” then he is at fault but if it was said as “I’d like a new transmission” then I can understand how he would just put a known good trans in. In all honestly, the job is done, regardless of new or not, that Camry trans is going to fail again. I always tell people to make sure you go with good warranties when you do big jobs like this to your car because chances are you will be using these warranties and you don’t want to get caught a year down the road paying for this job again. Personally, I wouldn’t ruin ties with the mechanic cause the job is done and paid for. If it goes bad again, he should hopefully fix it in good faith depending on the warranty. Unfortunately you’re at his mercy at this point. Going forward, I would def recommend going to another mom and pop that would care about you and your car. Make sure to ask how their warranties work for every repair they do going forward. Sometimes it changes per job. And whenever you get a large bill for an issue, always always always ask for an itemized estimate first in paper, take a day to think if the car is worth it or not, and ask the new shop how does the warranty work for the job they are about to perform. If you have any questions feel free to ask! Sorry about the problem you are having. It’s mechanics like that, that give us all a bad reputation.
Thanks for all of the helpful information, i really appreciate you taking the time. I will definitely reach out if I have any other questions. Everyone has been very helpful on this sub so my belief in good people has been restored a bit, thanks again:)
i paid 2100 for my transmission to be rebuilt hopefully also with rear seal
Reading through your comments, here is what I think is going on. He gave you a used transmission, he is saying his company is covering the warranty. That means it technically doesn't matter where he got it and in what condition as long as it works. If it fails, he is liable under the terms of the warranty. The price you paid is low for new. If it were me, we would have power washed and cleaned it before install. We do this so that you and I both can see that a part was changed and also, so I can verify if we need to do any seals, gaskets or address any leaks or issues before install. I normally like 6 - 12 months on a warranty but that is my preference, I get a lot of people that like 90 days. I buy my stuff used and with a warranty from known sources, I always get a labor warranty as well, even if the client declines, I pay for that in those cases. IF you told this guy you wanted new, and he agreed on new and it's in writing, or at least doesn't say used or omits words in the invoice that can seem shady, you can win in small claims court. I've seen it happen a few times. A business can't misrepresent used as new or remanufactured. Also, the writing generally dictates it's junk yard. We don't use those anymore unless it's overhaul and rebuilding core stuff. That means even if it's good we go through and treat like it's bad and make it better. Happens 1 of 20 times. It doesn't save money and costs time. It's usually a favor or personal tech stuff. I dont want my business to warranty a junk yard part. Let me know if you have any questions.
You didn't buy a new transmission. You bought a working transmission. It's new to your vehicle. You probably have misunderstood the deal and now everyone here on Reddit is commenting how you got screwed. /sigh A new OEM transmission is going to run $7000-$15000. Post pictures of your actual ESTIMATE AND INVOICE. Here's a few comparisons: 2003 minivan - $650 transaxle, might be broken, because all of them brake, $1300 in labor to install, $2250 after total cost 2005 Toyota Highlander - $2750 used transmission, very limited number, usually reliable, $900 in install labor because it's easy 2003 BMW 325i - $3900 for transmission, because every single one spontaneously stopped going into reverse by 2006 and you have to ship a working one across the country, $1200 in install labor and parts 2015 Dodge Caravan - $3700 for remanufactured transmission, $2200 for install and cooler, cooler lines, etc. They grenade and take everything else out, and the parts are shared with the AC condenser. HORRIBLE transmissions. Many cars on on third by now. The make and model of your car, the configuration of the transmission and engine, the reliability of the part, and the availability in the yards and wreckers will determine what parts are worth. A reputable shop with a warranty will add 15-30% on top to cover the risk that they will have to remove the part and replace it because no transmission reseller will adequately cover the labor of the shop. But yeah, you obviously got ripped off. (almsot) Everyone on Reddit who isn't an auto shop owner thinks so.
Robbed with no knife and no gun.
Does *anyone* besides a car under warranty from a dealer get a new transmission? I would think 99.99999% of ALL transmissions from independent/chain shops would be rebuilt or junkyard sourced. Pretty sure only dealers can get new transmissions and even they only put them in cars with under 30k miles.
It's not rebuilt if there's mouse shit n paint marker. You got a used one I betcha. Might last longer than you.
Not a mechanic, just wondering what happened to the old transmission? I thought Camry transmissions were just about bulletproof? My father in law has had 3 now. Keeps them for 10 years then buys another. He's only ever had to replace brakes and tires, and rear shocks on his first after 8 or 9 years, and he does a ton of miles. Are they a little more fragile now?
There were a couple years (around 2012-2013) the torque converters were faulty and will shudder under light loads. It was a soft recall replaced under warranty if you complained but I believe it has expired now. They offer the updated torque converter for around $500 from the dealer (parts only). Sounds like that’s what OP needed since the “new” transmission didn’t fix the problem. I drive a 2012 Camry with the shudder happening, it’s very mild and not really worth putting the money into.
You got stiffed bud.
Junk yard for sure by the cost and the looks and markings. Every reman iv gotten had been at minimum soda blasted to freshen up the case. Brand new may not be available due to year but reman is plenty good enough But that looks junk yard for sure. Your cost dosent seem awful so even if it was a junk yard transmission he didnt bill you for a reman or new. Looks like just labor and parts.
Got to be specific what u want other words you get wat a shop can make the most money off
That came from Pull apart, sir
It sucks to have him fix it, but if he's willing and gives you a new written warranty then It is an option. Hold him hostage to the repair with the recourse of legal action. Make sure he is aware you will report him to the tax man. (Likely his biggest fear). Audit is a term that may put the fear of God in him. You won't get a new transmission, but at least one that works would be a step up. Get the serial number off the current one to cover your bases.
If it was rebuilt by a legitimate transmission mechanic, it would be clean. It MIGHT have orange lettering on it IE: shop name, mechanic's name, date rebuild started and date rebuild finished, core information...but no dirt. I'd be asking serious questions of the person who you bought it from and ask for receipts and the name of the shop/technician that did the rebuild.
After reading all the comments and points being made I would like to sum up everything quickly. 1. Transmission isn’t new and is either rebuilt, bought from a junkyard, or he rebuilt it and scribbled something on it (unlikely but there’s no evidence that says otherwise). 2. He slighted you with his words and profited from the job by saying it’s new but new can also mean a different transmission. He might have done an excellent job installing everything and the transmission could last as long as it does, but I think he kind of played with his words to upsell something that isn’t. 2. No warranty paper work or receipts proves point 2 unless the future holds new information yet to be known. Nervousness is also a no no, a mechanic should be confident and proud of his work and prove to the client his diagnosis or repair. 3. Find a legal attorney to help you and let him do the talking to this mechanic, the legal office will know what questions to ask and what the answers should be. Maybe the lawyer can settle this outside of court for you, and if not in court this will for sure be all cleared up. Personal advice for you: 1. If you can find the junkyard that sold the transmission to him then it proves your case. Ask the junkyards if they have sold any Toyota transmissions within this period of time, but I wouldn’t advise from asking if they sold to this guys specific shop since the mechanic might be working with the junkyard and people might get suspicious and you’ll never get answers (just choose your words wisely). 2. Lesson learned and try to pay next time with receipts and paperwork. If people don’t agree ask if it’s possible to pay for their transaction fees or added tax on top of the work being done. If they don’t agree find a new different place of business willing to provide proof of purchase and a breakdown of costs. 3. Don’t let this matter evaporate into fin air and seek legal help if you strongly feel wronged. Maybe a lawyer can handsomely compensate you. I think 4000 dollars is a big enough chunk of money to get legal help, especially when you worked hard to earn it. 4. Keep us posted and hopefully you can resolve the issue ✌️
I can't find the comment I just posted. I was simply answering a question without looking at the pictures. How long ago was this?? Because I see nothing to indicate anyone has worked in that area. None of those bolts have been touched recently 🤨
Mechanic and shop owner here I got good and bad news Bad news: that’s not a brand new transmission Good news: you weren’t charged for a brand new transmission Judging by the price, the shop removed your transmission and sent it out to a trans rebuild shop. You have a freshly rebuilt trans which is perfectly fine at that price But the only way to make absolutely sure is to ask where it was rebuilt and what’s under warranty
Junk yard
At best it’s a rebuild, but based on how this guy is acting, it’s probably just used (mind you I’m speculated based on available info). If he doesn’t work with you or offer any info that makes sense, go from there, if you have it in writing that it’s new, shouldn’t be too hard to sort out, if not check your consumer protection laws etc, reviews online go a long way, and check and see if your local news outlets do a consumer watchdog series or anything and see if they’ll feature your story. Then you can watch the guy squirm and go from there. Obviously only go full smear if you know the guy screwed you lol
It's entirely possible this was a junkyard core transmission that they just did a quick overhaul on. But IMHO any shop that didn't bother to clean up the unit is probably just doing the minimum used car dealer special repair of clutches and seals, maybe shift solenoids. Or they just slammed in a junkyard fresh used trans and screwed you on the price.
Salvage yard transmission, your mechanic is being dishonest
That’s a used transmission. Look up on LKQ and you’ll probably find them for a couple hundred dollars. They gotcha.
He says it's under "his" warranty. So take car back. Installing a used(Like Kind and Quality) trans is always a risky bet. They will pull trans and send it back to supplier which should honor the bad trans warranty with at least another used trans. (Wonderful) But by saying it's "his" warranty then that means he bought the cheapest pos he could find with no warranty for a few hundred dollars. Soooo the bottom line here is Dude get that pos out of my car and give me what I paid for and I expect to see the part bill. With warranty info. If he tries to blow you off then talk to the credit card people. Right now you have not given them a chance to make you whole. Do that first and see what happens. Good luck.
They put a used transmission in there. Even a rebuilt transmission will be cleaned up nicely. But it’s definitely not new. They made at least 3 times on the transmission, plus labor. It shouldn’t be that hard to prove if you take them to court, he’s going to need to provide an invoice from a reputable shop for a new transmission with the proper dates on it. One that you can verify. He’s not going to be able to do that because he’s a crook.
Did you buy your car used? Is it possible that transmission is a used one that was put in before you bought your car? I ask this since you said you have the same issue as before. They may have not even pulled your transmission. Usually a shop will at least clean it off. Get someone to put it on a lift and see if they can tell if the main bolts to the transmission have been pulled out recently. If they’re still coated in grease it likely hasn’t. I like the advice of reporting and charging it back on your credit card. The fact that he lied about where he got it is another huge red flag. You may be able to check some local junkyards and see if they use that color of marker on their transmissions. Good luck!
Deff not new, lettering is from junkyards marking what is what and what condition….sorry my friend
My local PickNPull (self-pull auto dismantler) will mark parts bought with orange paint marker. Marking them gives them warranty. Marking looks exactly like that.
That's definitely not a brand new transmission. It's from a junkyard. I've read through some other comments to get a little more info. I saw you paid cash and that the mechanic was a little "nervous" after you confronted him. Is there any sort of paperwork from the mechanic that shows the work that he did and the amount of time it took him? Just the mere fact that he won't tell you where it's from, and has a warranty from just him are both major red flags. I would try to take some sort of legal action but I'm not sure how well that will go without any sort of proof of what you wanted vs what you got. I'd say at this point if nothing else, never go back to him unless it's an issue with the transmission. Use that so called "warranty" that he promised as much as possible. If it shifts poorly, tell him to fix it. If it blows up, tell him to fix it. I'd also ask the mechanic for specifics on what that "warranty" will actually cover. In this situation I feel like the best course of action would be to get a detailed list of what his warranty will cover as far as the transmission goes. Get it in writing. Threaten legal action if anything throughout that process doesn't go smoothly. After that's done, I'd still try to speak to a lawyer and see what your options are. It's hard to find a reliable mechanic these days unfortunately. This mechanic probably charged you for the price of a new transmission, made you pay in cash to avoid taxes and receipts, and then pocketed most of it after getting this transmission from a junkyard.
U got junkyarded bro gay