ALT-1 Average Cost to Replace a Transmission
Automobiles are made up of thousands of components. Over the course of a vehicle’s useful life, some of these parts will need to be replaced as they wear out. Other parts will carry the potential to last indefinitely. Thanks to salvage yards, some will even be given new life in a different car. Depending on just how complex and/or essential an item is to keeping that car or truck on the road, replacement prices will of course vary greatly.Without question, there are two major items in a vehicle’s makeup that will top the list in repair or replacement costs. There are hundreds of different makes and models of motor vehicles out there in a likewise large range of prices, but whether you drive a $10,000 Kia or a $250,000 Ferrari, the engine and transmission will remain the most costly items to repair or, in the most unfortunate circumstances, replace.In the simplest of terms, transmissions are not only responsible for making a vehicle move in a forward or backward direction, but they also control the engine’s workload. As a driver accelerates with the gas pedal, gears within the transmission regulate how fast or slow the engine turns over as the valves and pistons open and close. If there were only one gear as opposed to multiple gears to keep those RPMs down, a car’s engine would become overloaded and blow up! Thus, the transmission serves as a key element to a car’s functionality.Now that the importance of the transmission has been covered, albeit in layman’s terms, it should come as no surprise that a total replacement of this component will be quite an expensive job.One factor to take into consideration is who will be doing the job. If a transmission is replaced by service technicians at a major dealership, the cost will likely be higher than taking the vehicle to an independent transmission shop. This is primarily due to labor rates. Customers can realize as much as a $20-$25 per-hour savings with independent mechanics as opposed to those at the big-name dealerships. On the other hand, a reputable dealership’s service department will ensure that the replacement transmission is an exact duplicate of the factory original while an “indy“ may opt to cut corners with inferior aftermarket parts.There are two basic types of transmissions: automatic and manual. Manual transmissions require the driver to press an additional floor pedal to engage the clutch. As this occurs, he or she must also shift gears with a stick in the center console. In cars equipped with automatic transmissions, there is no clutch pedal to deal with, and while the option to shift gears by hand is available, the transmission is designed to shift gears itself. Automatic transmissions are more complex and therefore more expensive to replace. Manual transmissions typically last longer, but at some point in time, the clutch usually has to be replaced. Thus, once a manual transmission does wear out, you’ve likely already replaced the clutch, so in the end, the cost differential to replace a manual transmission over an automatic is minimal if even applicable.According to awebsitecreated by theHome Buying Institute,the averagecostto repair a clutch on an a manual transmission is about $1800. In comparison, an entire automatic transmission replacement will cost about $3000. The article further quotes Edmund’s, an organization that specializes in automotive pricing information, as saying that the savings of a manual transmission over an automatic is clear. However, what they don’t mention is that other parts in the manual transmission will eventually fail even after a clutch replacement, as indicated in the previous paragraph.It should also be noted that when replacing either type of transmission, this generally refers torebuildingthem as opposed to ordering brand new, factory-built examples. In the case of the latter, the aforementioned prices could easily double those of simply rebuilding.Finally, it is prudent to keep in mind that these numbers represent average costs. As such, a complete transmission rebuild could cost less than the figures quoted above or considerably more. It all depends on what you drive. For instance, rebuilding a transmission for a Chevy Cavalier will cost significantly less than the equivalent job for an Audi A8. Moreover, as car prices continue to rise, so will replacement costs. In order to avoid such an expensive repair in the first place, it is essential to adhere to a proper and timely maintenance schedule.As for driving your car like a Le Mans competitor or pulling a 3000-pound travel trailer with a Volkswagen Beetle? Resisting those habits will help, too.
