The transmission is a complex piece of engineering thought, a crucial component of the powertrain, and its good condition is pivotal for any driver out there. Gear ratios in an automatic transmission reduce the engine’s rotational speed and increase the torque (“power” delivered to the wheels) in this process.

It is vital to understand that repair cost depends on a sum of many factors. We will break these down in detail but typically transmission repair is seldom cheap. It is a relief if all you need to do is a solenoid replacement or a fluid flush. Fluid change will come at a cost of $80-$240. Fluid leak repair will have you spend an average of $150-$200, and solenoid replacement procedure will be around $130-$390.

Quite basic repair jobs will start from an average of $250. If the case is serious and requires massive spendings on replacement parts, labour cost rises accordingly, so it will come to $1500 and over it, oftentimes, doubled - up to $3000. Interestingly, the highest you can expect with a manual transmission is very seldom over $1500.

When considering a massive rebuild operation, one might wonder about the costs of a replacement. The average cost of quality transmission replacement varies in the range between $1800 and $3400. A cheaper option is used/salvage transmission, which ranges from $800 to $1500. A rebuilt transmission comes from $1100 to $2700 and a remanufactured - from $1400 to $3500. If you think that this is a lot, the costs of replacing a transmission with a new unit comes in the range of $4,000-$8,000.

Remember that with a replacement there is a separate entry of expenses, which is labor to remove and replace a transmission. A qualified specialist will need 4-10 hours to complete the job, and if billed per hour it will cost from $500 to $1200.

As you could understand, rebuilds can have the cost just as high as price for a replacement, considering the extent of the damage. Certainly, upmarket vehicle’s transmissions are more costly to cover and maintain so one shall expect higher cheques.

If one wonders about differences between rebuilt transmission and remanufactured transmission, here goes a quick response. Transmission rebuilding (also called transmission overhauling, transmission refurbishing) involves thorough inspection, cleaning, parts replacements or repairs for a transmission taken off the vehicle in a transmission shop setup.

Transmission remanufacturing is about bringing it to a level of newly-made products, back to factory standards. This is done in bigger facilities than a transmission repair shop - with serious daily volumes in a factory-like area with huge personnel count.

Transmission fluid flush service means removal of the old transmission fluid off the and replacing it with new ATF. In order to do a thorough ATF flush, some special flushing tools are used.

Shift solenoid replacement is another transmission service operation that can be economic. This shift solenoid controls the amount of ATF flowing through the transmission. Replacing several transmission solenoids certainly increases the initially stated amount of $130-$390.

Replacing a worn seal often remedies the transmission fluid leak issue. Remember to spend some amount on specific professional additives used to maintain transmission seals.

Transmission repair estimate cost is determined by a multitude of factors. Let us mention a few of these: number of gears, or number of speeds, year of production, number of kilometers driven, or mileage, presence or absence of warranty. It could be that a wrong type of transmission fluid has been poured in your car.

Some other factors affecting the estimate cost of transmission repair: make, regularity of previous transmission maintenance, light duty / medium duty / heavy duty application, level of desired quality with this particular repair, and more. In case you want to learn more about your transmission, check this guide ‘What transmission does my car have?’

How to save money on transmission repair

Prevention is better than amendment. It is crucial to remember some key points on how to spot potential problems with automatic transmissions in order to keep the cost down. Transmission repairs can be really costly, therefore it’s wise to check the warning signs before a complete breakdown.

As a driver of an automatic transmission vehicle, you shall watch out for these common transmission failure symptoms:

• Delays in engagement. Once you shift to “Reverse” or “Drive” from “Park”, you may notice a delay before the gear shifts and the vehicle starts moving.
• Transmission slippage. This is a transmission problem, which manifests itself in sudden gear changes for no obvious reason when driving. A particular engine sound typically follows this gear slippage.
• A burnt smell. Overheated transmission fluid, ATF used beyond its due date, low-level ATF will give away a distinctive smell and it will not be pleasant, so missing it is barely possible. Remember to monitor your transmission fluid level on the dashboard.
• Uncommon noises. Monitor any unusual sounds coming out of your vehicle - rattling, clenching or grinding in neutral gear, for instance - thus, you will notice it’s time to have certain worn-out parts replaced early on.

If the trouble is on and you need to deal with your transmission issues, you may consider buying a remanufactured transmission and ask a local transmission repair shop to reinstall it. This will save you funds that are marked up by this repair shop for the purchase of a replacement transmission.

You may want to see what drivers have paid or been quoted lately to have their gearboxes replaced. Also, watch out for those who would want to rip you off. We give a guide to hinder working with scammers below.

For anything in the future, be sure to get the transmission fluid and filter changed as regularly as the manufacturer of your vehicle recommends.

Factors that have impact on the transmission repair price