Aamco wants $1,050 to fix the soft parts. Is this a rippoff?

patdesign · Post by **patdesign** » October 27th, 2005, 7:21 am

My auto. transmission fluid is pouring out of my 1992 Mazda MX-3, 4 cylder. I've got it at Aamco now and they want $1,050 to rebuild it, soft parts only. The guy there told me that they couldn't tell what hard parts might need to be replaced until they open it up. I'm wondering if I'm getting ripped off or putting myself in a bad spot not knowing what the total cost is going to be. This is the third transmission I've had in this car. The car is in great interior and exterior shape. Almost new in fact. I've just had another engine put in 2 years ago. Is it even worth saving? Where can I find honest trans. people to work on it? What should it cost? Any help would be greatly appreicated.

Aston Wards · Post by **Aston Wards** » October 28th, 2005, 6:38 am

$1050?

where's this fluid coming from? the casing or the axles?
seriously you should consider swapping to a manual
is the car shifting okay at the mo? if so, maybe you could fix the leak 'n flick it on to an unsuspecting buyer (yes, i know it's a terrible thing to do!)

patdesign · Post by **patdesign** » October 28th, 2005, 6:51 am

I think the fluid is coming out from the casing. The Aamco folks seem to think its either a seal or a gasket. They won't know about the internal hard part damage until they open it up. They offered to put in a cooling fan which most of the people on this website seem to advise. If the total to fix it comes at over $2,000 I'm going to just junk the car. It's in fantastic shape. Most people think its a new car. Maybe I can sell it for parts on this website.

Yes, it shifting fine. I wouldn't know it had a problem if it wasn't for the fluid pouring out of the bottom.

I can't drive a manual. I did it a couple of times but I almost backed over someone!

Aston Wards · Post by **Aston Wards** » October 28th, 2005, 5:16 pm

lol! fair enough then...
i'd reckon your best bet would be to change the gasket and filter yourself, if the 4cyl is anything like the V6 then it's pretty easy..., except you have to unbolt a few things to get ALL the tranny bolts off..., oh, it can get kinda messy too!
the online manual will help you out heaps
i'm not sure how much the filter kit will cost..., maybe $100US?
just be VERY careful when bolting it up again, they uh, break very easily!

perhaps that is why your trans is leaking??
also DON'T overfill your tranny
i don't see the point in spending $1000 on a tranny that is working fine, is this the same place that fixed it previously?

patdesign · Post by **patdesign** » October 29th, 2005, 8:20 am

No. I had it fixed somewhere else. They put in a used transmission. It lasted about a year. I really don't have the technical skill to do the work myself. Wish I did. The trans. does seem to be working fine except for the fluid gushing out the bottom. Maybe that means that there is no internal hard part damage?? Hadn't thought about that! The Aamaco guy said he would put in the cooler also. Haven't heard back from him. It's it's over $2,000 total to fix I won't get it fixed. Thank you for all your help Aston, you've really helped me learn more about the tranny!