How Transmission Replacements Impact Used Car Prices and Owner Maintenance
In most cases, transmissions can be repaired. However, if the planetary gears or the valve body are bad, repairing a transmission can be expensive. Replacing the clutches or even the gear packs is not as expensive as replacing the hard parts of a transmission. While a new transmission can increase the value of your vehicle, so can a repaired transmission. You have several choices to make if the transmission is bad. Your choice depends on several factors.
Factors When Deciding to Replace a Transmission
Some of the factors you should consider when you have to replace a transmission include:
- The cost of the replacement.
- Whether you can or want to purchase or lease a brand new vehicle.
- Whether you have to go with a used vehicle and the cost and age of the used vehicle.
If the transmission costs more than 60 percent of the price of the used vehicle, you might consider the used vehicle if it doesn’t have a million miles on it. The major consideration is that you know what you have – if your vehicle is in good condition, except for the transmission, it might be more prudent to keep your vehicle and repair the transmission.
If you choose to replace or repair the transmission, Little Wolf Automotive in Waupaca WI can help.
Replacing or Repairing the Transmission
When you need to choose between replacing or repairing a transmission, it comes down to price. Sometimes, repairing the transmission can be more expensive than replacing it. If you just need clutches, a front pump or seals, it’s usually less expensive to repair it.
However, if you need a valve body or hard parts – planetary gears – it may only be a few hundred more to replace the transmission, and in that case, it’s better to replace it.
The exception is if you have an older vehicle and you want to keep it all original. If you want a numbers-matching car, you’ll have to repair the transmission.
How to Keep Your Vehicle’s Transmission in Good Repair
A vehicle’s transmission should last as long as the vehicle – if you take care of it. If you race, do burnouts, peal out when you take off from a stop, or otherwise beat on your vehicle, the transmission and every tire on your car will need to be replaced sooner rather than later.
Signs of a Bad Transmission
Several signs mean you need transmission service, including:
- Banging and clunking.
- Slipping: The vehicle takes a few seconds to start moving when you press the accelerator.
- The transmission won’t go in one or more gears.
- The vehicle won’t reverse but will move forward.
- The vehicle won’t move at all.
If the transmission slips, you might need clutches instead of a whole transmission. However, banging and clunking is usually a bad sign unless the noise is coming from CV axles or driveshafts. In this case, just replace the CV axles or driveshaft. Even if a driveshaft damages the tail of the transmission, it’s usually less expensive to replace the tail and the driveshaft.
If the vehicle won’t move in reverse but will drive forward, you might be low on fluid. It takes more pressure to reverse than it does to drive.
Transmission Maintenance
To keep your transmission in good working order, you must keep it maintained – and not beat on it. Your vehicle’s manufacturer should have time intervals for transmission services, which include flushing the transmission fluid, replacing the filter in the transmission pan, and replacing the gasket on the pan. If not, you should make an appointment with Little Wolf Automotive in Waupaca WI, for transmission maintenance every 50,000 to 60,000 miles.
Contact Little Wolf Automotive in Waupaca WI, for Transmission Maintenance, Repair or Replacement
Whether you need transmission service, transmission maintenance or need to replace a transmission, contact Little Wolf Automotive in Waupaca at (715) 258-0200 for an appointment. We are conveniently located at 323 S. Western Ave., Waupaca WI 54981.
