Rebuilding a transmission doesn’t happen overnight. First you have to remove the transmission, diagnose the problem that made it need a rebuild in the first place, then you have to perform the transmission rebuild, reinstall it in the vehicle, then road test and perform any last minute adjustments. Depending on where you take it, having your transmission rebuilt can take anywhere from 3-5 days. Of course this timeframe can vary based on how busy the transmission repair shop is and how readily available the necessary transmission parts are.
What Transmission Do I Have?
Things that affect how long a transmission rebuild will take
A busy shop – We’ve always heard that a busy mechanic shop is usually a good one. And in many cases this can be true. If the mechanics are good, lots of people will want to bring their vehicles there, and that can make it difficult to get a fast turnaround time.
Of course the opposite could be true too. The mechanics aren’t very good at their job, which means they take a long time to do anything. Either way, if you take the vehicle to the shop to get the transmission rebuilt, don’t expect to get it back the next day.
Parts availability – If you drive a popular type of vehicle, then the odds are the most common transmission parts will be available from most part suppliers. Things like the master transmission rebuild kit, solenoids and gaskets will likely be just a phone call away. If a hard part needs to be replaced like a gear or pump, those should be easily sourced from the nearest salvage yard. However if you drive something a bit more unusual, your mechanic may experience delays in getting the parts they need to do the transmission rebuild.
Installing and removing the transmission – On some vehicles, removing the transmission is a straightforward job that might only take an hour or two. However more complicated vehicles might take as much as 4-6 hours just to remove the old transmission. Then they have to reinstall the newly rebuilt transmission.
Rebuilding the transmission – An experienced transmission rebuilder can usually dismantle, diagnose and rebuild a transmission in around 3-4 hours. However a busy shop might require them to jump back and forth between several different jobs, which cannot only be distracting but time-consuming too. Also, some automatic transmissions are more complicated than others. And that of course, can take more time.
Test drive and adjustments – Once the rebuilt transmission is reinstalled, the vehicle has to be test driven to make sure that the transmission works properly. If for some reason the transmission doesn’t perform properly, it may have to be removed and disassembled. This of course, will take even more time.
Bottom line – Getting a transmission rebuilt takes time. Obviously you don’t want to be without your vehicle for too long. However, you don’t want a mechanic to rush and not do the job properly either.
Why a remanufactured transmission might be a good option
While you can’t buy a brand-new transmission, a remanufactured transmission is a terrific alternative. These are completely reengineered and put together on a factory assembly line. They often contain a lots of upgrades over their stock form, which means many of the design flaws that result in premature failure of components can be eliminated. This can give a reman transmission a much longer service life than it originally had.
Remanufactured transmission companies like Street Smart Transmission put each of their reman transmissions through a rigorous build process that ensures a quality product every time. It starts with nearly 100 trained technicians that specialize in different aspects of the build process.
This remanufacturing process starts with the inspection team that test all of the critical components from the donor transmission to ensure that they meet the original equipment (OE) tolerances and specifications. The case, pumps, gears, shafts, valve body and torque converter are checked for hairline cracks, metal tensile strength, warping and other parameters. If any component fails to meet the required specifications, it’s discarded and replaced.
All the parts are then cleaned and sent to the appropriate stations on the assembly line for reassembly. Throughout the process, quality control managers inspect the build to ensure that it meets the desired specification. Any necessary modifications or upgrades that are needed to correct factory design flaws are also performed or added. The valve body is rebuilt and tested on a special dyno machine to ensure that it performs according to the specifications. All of the solenoids are also tested prior to installation.
Once the build is complete and passes its final quality control inspection, the newly remanufactured transmission is sent to the dyno room, where it’s tested on a special dyno machine using a proprietary software program called C.A.R.S. (Computer Aided Real-world Simulation). This cycles the transmission through a number of real-world driving situations, to ensure that it performs according to the factory specs. It also helps to break in all of the friction components, that way it’s completely tuned and ready to go once it’s installed.
What Transmission Do I Have?
Warranty – One of the benefits of buying a remanufactured transmission vs. a rebuilt transmission is the warranty. Street Smart Transmission for example, covers all of their reman transmissions with a 3 Year/Unlimited Mileage Nationwide Warranty (there is a mileage restriction for commercial vehicles). This covers parts and labor for transmission repairs performed by any licensed repair shop in the country. It’s also completely transferable if you ever decide to sell the vehicle. Compared to a mechanics warranty on a transmission rebuild, a remanufactured transmission warranty offers superior financial protection.
