Transmission service
and repairs done right
Fluid services, valve bodies, mechatronics and full rebuilds for autos, DSGs and CVTs, diagnosed first, quoted up front, warranted in writing.
'Sealed for life' means sealed until it fails
Manufacturers call transmission fluid 'lifetime'. Lifetime of the warranty period, more like. In our experience a fluid service every 60,000 km is the difference between a $395 maintenance item and a $4,000 rebuild.
When a box does need real work, we diagnose it properly first: adaptations, valve body behaviour, fluid condition. About half the 'dead transmissions' sent to us get fixed with a valve body or a software update, not a rebuild.
Transmission pricing
Fluid services are flat-priced. Repair work is quoted in writing after diagnosis, never an open cheque.
Rebuild pricing depends heavily on the unit: ZF, Aisin, Jatco and DSG all differ. The written quote after diagnosis is the number that counts.
Shift feel gone weird?
Flare, shudder, or a delay into drive, transmissions speak in symptoms. The $165 check tells you what yours is saying, and it comes off the repair.
No open cheques: the written quote lands before the spanners do.
How a transmission job runs
Symptom interview
Flare on the 2-3 shift? Shudder at 60 km/h? When it started and what changed tells Dave where to look first.
Scan and fluid inspection
Adaptation values, stored codes, fluid colour and smell. Burnt fluid tells its own story.
Written options quote
Service, valve body or rebuild, with the honest odds of each fixing it. You pick.
Work done on the bench
Clean bench, measured clearances, correct fluid spec. Transmission work punishes shortcuts.
Road test + adaptation reset
Shift quality verified on a real drive, adaptations relearned, then we hand it back with the warranty in writing.
Transmission work: who gives you what for the dollar
| What matters | Dealership | Cheap quick-lube | Auto Detailing Lab |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis before rebuild quote | |||
| Options presented (service vs repair vs rebuild) | |||
| Fluid service price | $480-$620 | $250 (wrong-spec risk) | $395 |
| Written warranty on rebuilds | |||
| Loan car available |
Transmissions through the shop
Dave speaks fluent transmission
Fifteen years on driveline means Dave's heard every symptom description there is: 'it goes clunk', 'it feels like it slips', 'it only does it when it's cold'. He translates all of them into a diagnosis.
He'd rather sell you a fluid service than a rebuild. The shop makes less money but keeps a customer. That trade-off wins every time here.
- Correct-spec fluid every time, the wrong stuff kills gearboxes.
- Fluid and pan photos sent through before you approve extra work.
- Loan car available while the box is on the bench.
Transmission questions
Shift problems are easier described than typed, the contact page has every way to reach Dave.
Free five minutes
Coast into the yard before 4 pm and Dave will take it around the block for nothing, ten minutes tells him plenty about a gearbox.
Often booked together
Flaring, shuddering, slow to engage?
Catch it at the symptom stage and it might be a fluid service. Leave it and it becomes a rebuild. Describe it and we'll book the check. Tell us what it's doing via the contact page and we'll give you the likely fix and the honest cost.