I don't have the space to do it nor the know how. I have considered doing it myself but its not something that I feel comfortable doing. And the price range given is what I was quoted depending on what could be wrong with it.

 

I'm not sure I understand. The "what could be wrong with it" is pretty much irrelevant if they're simply replacing the transmission, or if they're rebuilding it and reinstalling it. Putting in a rebuild kit takes a set amount of time, and so does removing and replacing the tranny. The only variable would be whether the tranny needed hard parts, but most don't. You're looking at about 10 to 12 hours of labor, plus the cost of the rebuild kit, if they're rebuilding it. Even at $100 per hour, that's only around $1200 to $1400. If they're swapping it out with one from a salvage yard, then it should be no more than about $800 plus the cost of the transmission.

I'm not saying this is what you will pay, I'm saying it's what you should pay, using realistic costs and honest time and cost estimates. Even on the low end of your estimate from that shop, you're getting raped for at least a few hundred. My point here is that there aren't any actual honest mechanics anywhere. You can only hope to find one that doesn't rape you too hard all at once.

Where do you live??

 

Cali so our costs are higher than alot of places. I know that the bulk of anything I pay is going to be labor.

 

The shop I am looking at has the BBB accreditation, ATRA cert and Prime Buyers cert.

 

Yep, California is a bad place to be when you need a vehicle worked on. I was speaking to a guy in the Sacramento area who needed a clutch in a '91 Isuzu trooper. The vehicle itself is worth maybe $1500, and they wanted $1800 to put in a clutch. The parts were about $200, the rest in labor. Now I've done this job myself, and it's a 5 to 6 hour job, max, if you have any experience in mechanic work at all, and even at the most absurd labor rates, should've cost well under $1000. He finally did it himself and was amazed at how simple it really was.

Only really good advice I can give is to make sure they itemize your bill when you have the work done, and go over it with the service manager before you write the check and make him explain every single thing to you. While you're doing this, ask him how many hours of labor Alldata says the job requires, and if it's different from what you're billed for, make him explain to you why there is a difference. Also make sure you know exactly what labor rates you're paying (probably near $100 per hour).

One last thing: Accreditation and certifications don't mean a great deal, other than that they actually know how to do the work. They'll still lie, steal, and overcharge you. I saw a dealer in Joplin Missouri pull the brand new injectors from a vehicle with a vacuum leak, replace them with worn out junk they had on a shelf somewhere that had been pulled from something previously, and tell their customer they needed new injectors @ $160 each. This dealer had all the papers you mentioned, and then some, but they were still crooks.

Good luck, I hope things turn out OK for you.

 

I'm sure it will. And if I had the tools, space, know and comfort level I'd do it myself. I spoke with the owner of the place and i get a good vibe.

 

Look into buying a rebuilt OEM unit from Mopar and ask the shop owner how much they want for the R&R...
Turn yours in and get the core charge taken off your final bill and drive away with a warranty....http://www.mopartransmission.com/

 

Can you guys offer any insight as to what would cause all the filings and **** in the pan???

 

Clutch particles, most likely. Could be a little bearing or bushing mixed in, but usually, when an auto tranny stops working and there is metal in the pan, it's from the clutch pack. Most likely, there is nothing seriously wrong with your tranny and it won't need any hard parts...they rarely do. So, a $200 (actually $176 where I priced it) rebuild kit, and the couple of hours it takes to put it in will basically make your transmission like a new one. You usually need to really abuse a transmission to tear up something that doesn't come in the kit, like the planetaries.

I wish I were closer, I'd help you with it for a good steak and a couple of beers.

 

Now that sounds like a deal!.......LOL


Thing is there are many rebuild kits out there, and cheap to really good clutches and what not. I paid $3000 for my last rebuild, but it was a direct swap out and was built like a brick **** house and a new over sized torque convertor, custom valve body, custom shift kit. Didn't matter what I did with the truck, it was warrantied for 3 years. If one problem arise the truck is immediately put into the air and fixed. Fully synthetics and the whole nine yards. But I know they last and last with this person, but you get what you pay for.

There no need to over pay for something you are not getting, but unwise to not pay enough and settle for something that can't handle what it is intended for.