Also before doing any repairs, You would like to know the Clutch Volume Index (CVI) and does the transmission clutch test, either pass or fail in Reverse, 1st,2nd and 3rd gears. and then ckeck for leaks. They can also check line pressure on your transmission, I would do these and then drop the pan and check for debris in the pan as Dan400 had writen.

 

Thanks master tech. I'll ask if any of this was done and if not, ask that they do before moving forward. Out of curiosity, why does the "loss of prime" code worry you the most? What does loss of prime mean?

 

Ok, I talked to the shop. Nothing was checked besides reading the codes. He insisted that the time/labor it would take to track down and repair the causes (if reparable) would end up costing more than a rebuild. In fact he guaranteed that he could do a rebuild for cheaper.

So I'm still undecided. Thinking of going to another shop w/good online reviews for a second opinion. I don't know anyone personnally who's had tranny work done or whose opinion I'd trust.

Thanks for all the info so far.

 

Again, smarter and more experienced folks than I in the forums here may have a better answer, but the response you got "smells". My right eyebrow probably would have arched a good half-inch upon hearing that.

Also, I get the sense that master tech would not have agreed with the response you got, given his last post suggests doing several tests before even dropping the pan.

Since you're a musician, you must have a *lot* of friends, right? (I'm married to a musician, so I know.) Gotta think there's someone in your circle who is car-mechanically inclined who knows the good and the bad mechanics / shops in your area. I won't repeat my earlier post from Friday night, but would advise you to re-read if necessary. One possible, last option (based solely on my satisfactory experience in the Detroit area) would be to find the Christian radio stations in your area that carry advertising, and find out if a transmission shop advertises on it, and has done so for a long time. (You can call the stations' sales office to find this out.) Then find online reviews on them, and also check the BBB.

Good luck!

 

As Dan and Master Tech suggested get the info from the repair shop. If they hooked up the scanner they can tell you almost all of what was listed if not all of it w/o anything more than starting the engine and reading the scanner.