Seatac Transmission standing behind their repairs Kent Washington

I will admit. I bought my truck, and a week later the transmission was shot. the previous owner agreed to take it to the shop that had recently installed the transmission. (Twice, I might add!) The shop let the truck sit in their parking lot for 7 days, before the owner called to inquire of it's status.

The previous owner had taken the truck to this shop for troubles he had, they repaired or replaced the transmission, a short time later, it started making funny noises again, he took it back, they told him the overdrive had gone bad, and debris had circulated into the transmission, necessitating a complete 2nd rebuild.

On this, the truck's 3rd visit to this shop, and after sitting for 7 days, the shop told him, that the truck was out of warranty. The shop told him, that they couldn't diagnose the problem unless they disassembled the transmission. they said they could give him a bit of a break on the labor, but would have to charge him for parts.

My concern.. Why let these guys have a 3rd chance? Is a transmission only good for 3 years? If you buy a vehicle and it is un-driveable after 3 years, do you consider this normal? I have a 1961 Chevrolet truck, with the original transmission.

I was told by 2 other transmission shops, that anyone that has been in the transmission business for any length of time, can make an educated guess, as to what is wrong with a transmission, just by hearing the symptoms, they can hook up a computer scanner to the vehicle, test drive it, pull the drain pan to inspect for debris. All of which my honest transmission mechanic did for free!

My assumption is that any shop that will treat it's prior customers with such a cold shoulder, skate out on expired, or non transferable warranties, after apparently not doing the job correctly twice. Is a shop to steer clear of.

I do know of 2 honest transmission shops in the Seattle area. 1-Maple Valley Transmission, 2-Werner transmission.

Anonymous
Renton, Washington
U.S.A.