[UPDATE] YACT: Any good mechanic shop in seattle?

[luvya]

Originally posted by: azazyel

I just gave them a call. They said they don't deal too much with transmission, but he can take a look at it. I guess I will give them a visit tomorrow then. Anyone else want to make a recommendation?

was north seattle too far? I would seriously call them, real nice people and they probably would recommend someone closer to you if you ask.

No, it's not. But I am somewhat discouraged by the "potentially" high price that you imply.

 

[azazyel]

Originally posted by: luvya

Originally posted by: azazyel

I just gave them a call. They said they don't deal too much with transmission, but he can take a look at it. I guess I will give them a visit tomorrow then. Anyone else want to make a recommendation?

was north seattle too far? I would seriously call them, real nice people and they probably would recommend someone closer to you if you ask.

No, it's not. But I am somewhat discouraged by the "potentially" high price that you imply.

They are a real shop so they charge more for labor than a Texaco or a Franchise. They are very good and they are actually very quick. When ever I have had car problems I would drop of my car in the AM before they open, take the bus downtown and by the time I am off work the car is usually done.

 

[luvya]

Originally posted by: azazyel

Originally posted by: luvya

Originally posted by: azazyel

I just gave them a call. They said they don't deal too much with transmission, but he can take a look at it. I guess I will give them a visit tomorrow then. Anyone else want to make a recommendation?

was north seattle too far? I would seriously call them, real nice people and they probably would recommend someone closer to you if you ask.

No, it's not. But I am somewhat discouraged by the "potentially" high price that you imply.

They are a real shop so they charge more for labor than a Texaco or a Franchise. They are very good and they are actually very quick. When ever I have had car problems I would drop of my car in the AM before they open, take the bus downtown and by the time I am off work the car is usually done.

Ok, I guess there are quite a few good shop in the area then. I will call them up see what they have to offer.

 

[luvya]

azazyel, ygpm.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Eli
You can generally tell the quality of a shop by its appearance and the employees. Is it neat and clean? Are they curteous?

Actually, I try to avoid the shops that are overly beloved patriot and span. Those places generally over-maintain cars and charge way too much. Perhaps it takes a mechanic to spot a mechanic, but the shops that are absolutely pristine are rarely the homes of true mechanics.

Now, of course, a shop that is a disaster area should be avoided too, but I've generally found that a good mechanic's shop has a certain inherent greasiness to it. It's tough to describe, I just know it when I see it.

As for the transmission flush, it's standard operating procedure to flush the transmission when the fluid is replaced. Just follow your regular maintenance schedule for that.

ZV

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: mAdD INDIAN
Amsoil syn tranny oil is magic. Seriously.

We put that in our 5-spd 240SX and it totally changed the shifting nature in the cold. It was much easier to get into 2nd & 3rd while the car was cold, and general shifting was much smoother. The griding went away too.

But then the throw-out bearing made itself heard.

ATF != Gear oil.

ZV

 

[ITJunkie]

Originally posted by: luvya
Any experience with this transmission shop? Is their pricing fair? It's a bit far from me..so I need to make sure before I go.

Dean's Transmission
2120 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 448-2510

They are located right by the Cinerama Theater downtown. It's been awhile since I was there but they were fair and did good work for me.

 

[IndieSnob]

Originally posted by: ITJunkie

Originally posted by: luvya
Any experience with this transmission shop? Is their pricing fair? It's a bit far from me..so I need to make sure before I go.

Dean's Transmission
2120 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 448-2510

They are located right by the Cinerama Theater downtown. It's been awhile since I was there but they were fair and did good work for me.

Ah, actually great recommendation, I had forgotten about them. I used to live down on 4th & Cedar, and had all my friends go down there for transmission needs. Fair prices and great service.

 

[luvya]

Wow...the Dean's Transmission shop tells me to go there right now! I think I am obliged to go right now

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: mAdD INDIAN
Amsoil syn tranny oil is magic. Seriously.

We put that in our 5-spd 240SX and it totally changed the shifting nature in the cold. It was much easier to get into 2nd & 3rd while the car was cold, and general shifting was much smoother. The griding went away too.

But then the throw-out bearing made itself heard.

ATF != Gear oil.

ZV

true..ins't it true that in some vehicles you can use power steering fluid as ATF? or vice versa?

 

[luvya]

Bump for the estimate!

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: mAdD INDIAN

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: mAdD INDIAN
Amsoil syn tranny oil is magic. Seriously.

We put that in our 5-spd 240SX and it totally changed the shifting nature in the cold. It was much easier to get into 2nd & 3rd while the car was cold, and general shifting was much smoother. The griding went away too.

But then the throw-out bearing made itself heard.

ATF != Gear oil.

ZV

true..ins't it true that in some vehicles you can use power steering fluid as ATF? or vice versa?

Not sure I would use PSF as ATF, but many power steering units call for ATF.

Do 240SX's use ATF in their manuals?

 

[Kipper]

Timing belt around $500 sounds reasonable. It is fairly time consuming, and parts for it aren't cheap, either. Seriously though, if you're worried about prices, CALL AROUND...

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: luvya
Bump for the estimate!

3200$ for a rebuilt transmission seems a tad on the high side. I would think that you could find a brand new one for that price. :Q

500$ is about right for a timing belt replacement.

Aren't cars a PITA? heh.

 

[Carbonadium4]

goto v6performance.net/forums and learn about the horrors of people rebuildling their tranny for 6th gen accords. They're known for extensive failures. v6performance.net has contracted performance transmission for sale.. you can find all the details there.. if ur tranny is dying, u are screwed. Flush will not help. a bearing probably bursted in there.. there is no warranty for 98-99, only 00-02 has 7 yr extended 100k warranty. Before spending money on another transmission you should go read up since most people had gone through 2-3 transmissions

Info here

Originally posted by: luvya
Allright, so I am relatively new in this city. I went to Honda dealer for oil change, they charge me $30..I thought that was kind of expensive. I can get it done in Los Angeles for $20...so, you know where I come from.

Now that I don't know any shop in Seattle, can any of you local people give me a recommendation? Preferably near Downtown Seattle, and the price MUST be reasonable!

Btw, just another somewhat technical question. What can a transmission flush do? Does it smooth out the abruptiness in shifting? Cause that's how I feel on my car right now...also, it's shifting kinda slow...like it doesn't want to go to the next gear. Anyway, hope you guys get the idea.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: I have a 98 Honda Accord V6 (auto tranny)

UPDATE:

Well, just came back from one of the shop, they said my transmission needs to be rebuilt and it will cost me around $3200!!! Ouch! I've heard transmission work cost around this price range, but this is only a rebuilt...do you guys think the price is fair? Also, since I never replace the timing belt, I ask them how much it would cost to replace it...they quote me around $500..is this in the price range that you guys are familiar with?

Thanks for any inputs!

 

[RagingBITCH]

A rebuilt Accord tranny shouldn't cost $3200. Like Eli said, brand new, but not rebuilt. Dear god. Especially with as crappy as those 6th gen trannys were.

 

[luvya]

I was thinking more along the line of $1800 for rebuilt and $300 for timing belt....maybe I am underestimating the cost....it seems

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Carbonadium4
goto v6performance.net/forums and learn about the horrors of people rebuildling their tranny for 6th gen accords. They're known for extensive failures. v6performance.net has contracted performance transmission for sale.. you can find all the details there.. if ur tranny is dying, u are screwed. Flush will not help. a bearing probably bursted in there.. there is no warranty for 98-99, only 00-02 has 7 yr extended 100k warranty. Before spending money on another transmission you should go read up since most people had gone through 2-3 transmissions

Info here

Thanks for the informative post. This is exactly what he needs.

Don't buy another 6th gen accord tranny. It will just fail again from the sounds of it.

It's hard to imagine that they haven't updated the design though.

 

[Carbonadium4]

Actually a few forum member has said that the 2004 replacement tranny has different internals, they replaced a lot of things but your mile will vary as service manager are not out for you... unless you get a honest one..

 

[luvya]

Ok, just got back from reading several honda forums. It seems to me the tranny on 6th generation Accord is a prevalent problem. I read a few people got "goodwill" repair (meaning they are not covered under warranty, but receive the low cost repair anyway) from Honda. Mmm...interesting.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: luvya
Ok, just got back from reading several honda forums. It seems to me the tranny on 6th generation Accord is a prevalent problem. I read a few people got "goodwill" repair (meaning they are not covered under warranty, but receive the low cost repair anyway) from Honda. Mmm...interesting.

I'd definitely contact Honda Corporate about this issue before doing any repairs.

 

[RagingBITCH]

You might check into that. Check around on v6p.net to see what dealers are usually warranty/service friendly.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: luvya
I was thinking more along the line of $1800 for rebuilt and $300 for timing belt....maybe I am underestimating the cost....it seems

Timing belts are expensive. $300 would be a bargain, especially for a V6. $300 would be a bargain for a 4 cylinder too!

 

[Carbonadium4]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: luvya
I was thinking more along the line of $1800 for rebuilt and $300 for timing belt....maybe I am underestimating the cost....it seems

Timing belts are expensive. $300 would be a bargain, especially for a V6. $300 would be a bargain for a 4 cylinder too!

I got a whole packaged off my 99 v6.. alternator was shot also

New Water Pump
New Accessory Belt
New Timing Belt
Refurb Alternator
Engine bay cleaning

400 + 185 for an alternator..

Really depends on which honda dealer you goto...

 

[luvya]

400 + 185 is just the parts right? labor not included I assume?