$3700 for a tranny rebuild?

Question 1
$3700 for a tranny rebuild?...  My 2003 T&C LXi totally stopped moving. No limp mode, just gone.

Reputable local tranny shop has taken it out, and it quoting me about $3700 bucks to rebuild it.

It includes $775 for the overhaul kit and $464 for the torque converter. I feel like those 2 prices are way out of range. Or am I missing something?

I'm willing to pay a little more for quality work / products but... yikes!

Answers
1)   too much take to a diffrent place see if there is multystate transmission shop in your town they rebuild trans for 1200 or as long as 900 - alex

2)   I would check with the dealer & get the price 4 a new trans. then u have a good starting point. Does their "o'haul kit" include front pump>valve body>discs>spring assembly & gears? Sounds very excessive 2 me, - Travis41

3)   I'd turnaround and run bec that shops sounds like their trying to rebuild two transmissions for that price,Be sure to shop around bec the average costs are 800 to 1800 and over 2,000bucks but not 3,700.



Hope that helps and best of luck.By the way be sure they give you a list of parts their changing in their quotes and be sure to check what warranty coverage their offering you too. - helpful bob

4)   This is what I do for a living and sure as I can be no overhaul package is $775. Mopar overhaul kits that include all you need except the torque converter are $195. Now that is from the dealership! The Torque converter should run anywhere between $190 to $300 from the dealer. That estimate is so high as to be just plain ridiculous. It should be no more than $2000 even if you have damage to planetary gears and other hard parts. Hell you could buy a chrysler re man transaxle and have it installed for under $2000. Take your vehicle elsewhere. - Mike J

5)   I agree. That's way too much. 2000.00 is closer to the norm. - done wrenching

6)   If you only knew the truth. if you went to a tranny shop like AMCO or clutch doctors, they are not going to rebuild it. There are plenty of rebuild companies that will sell them a rebuild for a fraction of the price.

I worked for a rebuild shop. I seen these places all the time. before I worked here, I had a quote of 2,700 for a Nissan tranny. A few years later I started working at the shop. I saw my tranny there for 375. These places do not sell to the public, only legetimate commercial places. So you figure out what it costs for a driver to drop off and pick up a core and rebuild, a tech to drop and install and what ever little expense involved. I figure about 500, so they would have pockketed 2200. Now that is profit.

so get a rebuild one on sale somewhere and have it installed by any backyard mechanic. - Frank


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Question 2
Chrysler is offering a $2.99 guaranteed to sell it's vehicles?...  If you buy a Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep, you will be given a special card that will guarantee $2.99 per gallon for the next three years (up to a 12,000 miles per year). Would you be willing to one purchase one of their products if you knew the price per gallon you pay to fuel your vehicle would never exceed $2.99? Do you believe that they will be able to sustain this program for the next three years without bankrupting the company?

Answers
1)   This is not the first time they have done this. They had the same basic offer about 2 years ago when gas prices were climbing over $4 per gallon. At the time, I thought about the possibility of making a purchase but, for me, the numbers just didn't add up. (gas price savings vs. monthly payment) The biggest problem with doing this right now is that you can buy gas for that price or maybe even lower anyway, so it is really not worth even taking it into consideration at this point in time.

As far as sustainability, I think the profit they make on the car will more that make up for the possible extra money they will be spending. - Jim

2)   My family has owned Chrysler products going back to 1960...I bought my last 2 in 1994.

This is an appeal to American consumers who cannot do arithmetic. It is as insulting to my intelligence as Chevrolet selling cars based on false notions of American patriotism.

OK. I’m getting along in years and am not as quick with math as I used to be. So, please check my work.

Let’s takes 2 hypothetical purchases:
You buy a Toyota Prius for about $23,000; Consumer Reports (CR) says it gets 44mpg (I get 54 on long road trips on mine); CR rates its reliability as a 5 out of 5. I buy a Chrysler Town & Country for a $23,000-$35,000; CR says it gets 17mpg and doesn’t rate its reliability, although used models rate poorly along several factors like brakes, suspension, body hardware, etc. You drive your Prius for 3 years at 12,000 mi/yr = 36,000 mi. I do the same with my Chrysler.
At 44mpg, you need to buy 818.2 gals of 87 octane gasoline. Let’s assume the average price for gas over the next 3 years is $4.99. That is going to cost you: $4,083. At 17mpg, I need to buy 2,117.6 gals of 87 octane gasoline. I get a guaranteed $2.99/gal price from Chrysler. This means my net cost will be $6,332. (My gross cost before rebates would be over $10,000.) So, let’s see where we come out...
You save $2,249 on gasoline over my subsidized Chrysler prices for the first 3 years; and, that assumes a conservative $4.99/gal average price for the period. I will be in big trouble come year 4 You get a highly reliable car which will last you many years to come (my 2.5 yr old Prius hasn’t needed a single thing, except for oil and filter changes). I get a car much more likely to require repairs on brakes, suspension, climate control, etc. A $1,000 bill for a car repair is not an unusual one. Two of these would double my penalty for buying the Chrysler. You drive a sensible vehicle which buys you time until a clever company comes out with a truly attractive vehicle running on alternative fuel. I further increase our dependency on imported oil. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't think this program will last the 3 years. If the company doesn't go under, it will have been acquired by someone else. - duffey

3)   The first thing I noticed is that the Let’s Refuel America program must be selected in lieu of other incentives. Determining if the deal is worth it to you means that you’ll have to compare the value of the program to the other deals you have to give up to get it. Second, a yearly allotment of 12,000 miles limits the amount that you can truly save. Converting miles to gallons allowed will use the EPA combined fuel estimate for the vehicle in question. Third, the program charges the gas to your credit card after the transaction is made. If you would normally pay for gas with cash or don’t pay off your credit card in full each month, the interest on the gas purchases (even at $2.99 a gallon) can quickly make the price more expensive for you. Lastly, though I don’t expect gas prices to come down over the next three years, if prices fall, the value of the program decreases. If they had made the price equal to 25% below the average price in the US, or something along those lines, that would have offered protection against potentially lower prices in the future.

Looking at a typical Chrysler, the Sebring, gives you an idea of the potential savings. With its 21 city/30 highway mpg, 12,000 miles per year will require about 471 gallons of gas. Assuming that gas averages $4.50 over the next three years (Which is the same as $3.50 this year, $4.50 next year, and $5.50 the year after that), the program will save you $2,133.63 over the next three years. It’s not uncommon for other dealer incentives to be more than that. Saving more on the price of the car up front is much better than saving less through low priced gas. If you take out a loan on the car, the up-front sa - confugio

4)   So, they could make money if that is all people are worried about. Now, if they sell below sticker, and give that, then they need to hire smarter business people. - Rowena

5)   Car dealers are masters of rigging the numbers to make it look like you are getting something when you aren't (like "Cash Back" or "Invoice Pricing"). The only thing you can be absolutely sure of is that Chrysler has run this thing through marketing and financial programs on a computer as big as your house and they wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't going to increase profits. Nobody gives away something for nothing and you can double that in spades for automobile manufacturers and dealers. Whatever they are giving you here they have buried in the deal somewhere else. This is a marketing gimmick to play on the suckers who are looking for a freebie to help with high gas prices. Don't be one of 'em. - drakkar


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Question 3
What kind of gas does a 1998 Chrysler Cirrus require?...  I bought this car, but it did not come with an owner's manual. Anyone out there with this car know what it says in the manual to use? Regular or Premium?

Answers
1)   regular 87 - Skag Baron™

2)   regular unleaded - richard r

3)   regular unleaded will be fine for your cirrus. - hindmost

4)   they dont require any kind but most all cars run better on higher octane fuel - Twister


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Question 4
Do they make a convertible Chrysler 300?...  Do they make a convertible Chrysler 300?

Answers
1)   the used to back in the 50's and 60's, but all the new ones are 4-door sedans only. - Skag Baron™

2)   No, but if you have enough money there our companies that can make any car into a convertible - Mark

3)   Yes from 1956 - 1966, and no for the newer ones.
I think Chrysler made a mistake not accepting a partnership with ASC in 2005 for building a low production 4 door convertible 300. It would have been a hit in my opinion. - Delamothe


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Question 5
my a/c compressor wont come on unless i use a jumper wire its a concord lxi can you help?...  

Answers
1)   you could be low on freon, or you may have a bad fuse or switch. - badbill1941

2)   If the compressor will run by using a jumper wire , then the low pressure switch senses the low pressure thus not letting the compressor kick in.. Look for an oil stain on the "H" valve or on the condenser. This will indicate a freon leak. If not there then sniff inside the car near the front passenger floor. If it smells like ammonia it is the evaporate leaking. - Donny

3)   Take it to a shop, you cannot fix it at home. They will tell you all kinds of crap here, but it will wind up working poorly or breaking something else. A/C is not DIY The freon levels with R-134a need to be exact and mositure is critical and oil in the system is critical. You can't get that done at home.

ASE Cert Auto Tech since 1978 - sci


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