Aamco Transmission Service Problems

[Kinnish]

Well the transmission in my explorer finally went. The reverse went out of it in a parking garage one day. I drove 100 miles back to my hometown and took it to the Ford dealership who told me it was the transmission that needed to be replaced and would cost about $2200 to fix. We figured out this was a bit steap and took it to Aamco. They replied that they could fix it for $1600 and a couple of other leaks and replace the brakes for a total of $2058. We agreed and found out after about 4 days when they put it back together today that they can't get it to shift gears. He told me originally that they had hooked it up to one of there machines that would electronically run the machine and it would not work with satisfaction so they pinpointed that it was mechanical with the transmission. The manager told me his guys spent all day checking continuity from the PCM and it was all within spec. According to him all lines from the PCM to the transmission are fine, so he believes the PCM went out. This is after he told me I needed a new battery because my Optima, which I purchased 3months ago, would not hold a charge and they had tested it with no luck. I have an electronic shift kit hooked up to the PCM which I told him about and he said he was going to have his mechanic check that out, but it seems to me that it should not have much bearing on the new transmission with no load. I also have modified the AUTO 4x4 with a switch on the TorqueOnDemand wire but I don't think that ties in with the transmission. I told this guy that I'm not sure why the PCM would shift the transmission right when I brought it in but now it doesn't shift at all with his rebuilt tranny. My suspicion is that they fried something when they were working on it. The PCM still starts up the car so it would seem to me that it is still functional.....Any ideas? This is driving me nuts?

 

[davidmmm69]

Double A beep beep MCO... I hate them commercials.. does it work at all for yuou.. and what are they doing to rectify the situation for you..

 

[Kinnish]

No....according to them it wont shift gears at all. I'm waiting hear back from them but it seems to me like they just want to replace the PCM. To me it is like telling someone you will put in a new motherboard in their computer and then telling them their processor is dead. I'm not sure what to do, it doesn't seem as though since it was shifting gears, except for reverse, that is much of my problem.

 

[Glacier991]

Have they checked it for line pressure and EPC pressure at the taps ? No movement in ANY gear sounds like a pressure issue to me first of all.

I won't flame AAMCO, but I will say that the number of cases of problems that I keep hearing about would make ME steer AWAY from them.

 

[dsailer]

Hind sight being 20/20 it appears the $2,200 at the dealer might have been the better deal. Here in Florida AAmco has a horrible reputation. Ie: Transmission trouble and selling you a brake job.

 

[fliedlice]

d which amoco did you take it to.....I noticed your in Orlando...if AAmco gives you to much crap take it to the aal transmission world off of Lee Rd. they did the tranny in my 97 mounty and it still runs wonderfully...a second opinion never hurts

 

[Ranger Al]

Aamco is the worst place to take anything to fix! I wouldn't even trust my lawn mower with them! I had a friend who used to work for them and was told that they arre willing to say anything to make money! In your case, you go in for tranny problem and came out with brake job? Brake and Tranny is not even tied in together, something is fishy there.

I would take "fliedlice" advice. Take it to a tranmission shop that have a good record.

I would just paid them for the brake job and have them tow your truck to another shop that would fix it right the first time. Seemed to me over $2K is a pretty expensive for a tranny rebuild. Have you consider getting another good used one from a bone yard???

good luck

Al

 

[RickOTR]

Dude, you could of got a rebuilt tranny off Ebay from phoenix hard parts or Roadmaster for around $800, and had someone install it for another $300. Both have excellent reputations.

 

[dogfriend]

I agree with Glacier that they should check line pressure.

I would ask for more evidence that points to the PCM as the problem: Did they scan for codes? What codes did they find? Did they try to cycle the solenoids using a scan tool? (This is possible with some scan tools, you can check individual solenoids by cycling with the scan tool)

The PCM is one of the most reliable parts on the truck - and one of the most expensive too - if they insist on replacement, I would tell them ok but they pay for it if it does not solve your issue.

 

[86caprirs]

They don't have the right tools......Ford does and they have the knowledge....not just a bunch of hacks that can't cut it in the real world that think they can do something.If it was a pcm problem...then you would have alot more problems than a tranny issue.
This is what i hate the most...not to come down on you Kinnish,but i am a Ford tech and alot of people say the dealers rip people off.....but i hear alot of stories how people went to a brake shop that offered $25.00 per axle brake job and came out spending $600.00 for new brake pads,rotors,seals,bearings,grease,brake lines,hoses and brake fluid....And they just needed pads replaced and rotors machined....I have to say, the dealer is a little more pricy....but alot beter and sometimes cheaper in the long run....

Sorry about the rant....just had to get it off my cheast

 

[86caprirs]

We have AAMCO's here in canada...and they are the $hittiest place to get a tranny fixed. It's like taking your vehical to MACCO and expecting a good paint job.Macco is bad here too...you can do a better paint job in a sand storm with Treamclad.

 

[Glacier991]

I know I am echoing 86caprirs, but this bears saying... (and yes, I know I've said it before and i will say it again.) FORD trained technicians are the best out there. I've worked with them and I know the training and support they get. If you wanna get upset about cost, blame the dealership, their technicians are top notch (service writers now... maybe another story... we could do an entire thread on service writers).

On auto transmissions, the skill sets varies tremendously from dealership to dealership. To the best of my knowledge they will not rebuild them anymore, but put in remanufactured units. I'd go FORD factory reman LONG before I'd pay for an AAMCO rebuild. In fact if you are looking at rebuilding, check out your dealer's price on a factory reman. It may well be worth it. 3 yr 36,000 mile warranty too.