acklac7 Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 Called aamco about rebuilding my tranny. They said that they would work on my tranny and said it would run me about $1500-low $2000 depending on what went wrong. Anyone ever had/heard of problems with aamco? They offer a 12m/12,000 warranty on there work and are a member of the bbb..Anyone got a reason not to go there? A.J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 I've heard horror stories about them. I'm sure they're not all bad though. Did you call the BBB about that particular Aamco location? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR8NSTAR Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 I haven't heard anything bad about them and I think for about $400 they also offer a lifetime warranty on the tranny for as long as you own the vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnum Rockwilder Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 Each Aamco is different. They don't have standardized training... they just hire people in. I prefer a reputable "mom-n-pop" place over Aamco or others because they're usually cheaper, and it's not too hard to find someone local who knows what they're doing. Talk to a few drag racers and see who they use. Anyone who can built a close-tolerance drag tranny can build a street tranny properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitrous1 Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 Aamco rebuilt the transmission in my STS last year. The dealership I bought the car from sends all of their tranny work to this particular store, so I felt pretty safe in taking my car there. I've put about 10,000 miles on the rebuild over 14 months and so far I haven't had any problems. You can buy an extended warranty on the rebuild from them for about $500 that will extend the coverage out to 3 years/36,000 miles. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gc_caddy Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 Each AAMCO is an independent francisee. Be very careful! Use word-of-mouth recommendations. I brought my other vehicle into one for a tranny rebuild. During the rebuild, they asked me whether I wanted to also buy the "extended warranty". I figured something was fishy, and asked why do I have to make a decision now? Why can't I wait until after they've completed the rebuild for me to decide? They said OK... blah blah blah. After they've completed the rebuild, I declined the extended warranty and got the standard 1 yr warranty. After handing over the keys, they said that if anything goes wrong, to bring it back to them because they know what they did best, etc. ANOTHER red flag! Well you guessed it, after two months, the tranny blew out again and left me stranded. I had it towed to a different AAMCO. They inspected it and said that the previous people put in the wrong torque converter (a lower duty one). They honoured the AAMCO standard warranty and I've haven't had a problem since (3+ years). The new AAMCO also hinted that the previous AAMCO that I went to wasn't that honest and they'd seen it before. Just be careful which one you go to. They aren't all the same and are not all are honest or compentent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldoman95 Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 Each AAMCO is an independent francisee. Be very careful! Use word-of-mouth recommendations. I brought my other vehicle into one for a tranny rebuild. During the rebuild, they asked me whether I wanted to also buy the "extended warranty". I figured something was fishy, and asked why do I have to make a decision now? Why can't I wait until after they've completed the rebuild for me to decide? They said OK... blah blah blah. After they've completed the rebuild, I declined the extended warranty and got the standard 1 yr warranty. After handing over the keys, they said that if anything goes wrong, to bring it back to them because they know what they did best, etc. ANOTHER red flag! Well you guessed it, after two months, the tranny blew out again and left me stranded. I had it towed to a different AAMCO. They inspected it and said that the previous people put in the wrong torque converter (a lower duty one). They honoured the AAMCO standard warranty and I've haven't had a problem since (3+ years). The new AAMCO also hinted that the previous AAMCO that I went to wasn't that honest and they'd seen it before. Just be careful which one you go to. They aren't all the same and are not all are honest or compentent. thanks for the post, i just had mine rebuilt at a local shop called supreame transmission, very good local shop!, but for those looking to get this done, its good to hear from others with experiance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAUL T Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 If you are close to Parkersburg W.V., I recommend Wesson Garage. It is a mom & pop tranny shop who has one guy who specializes in cadillacs. They did my shift solenoids for $70.00 labor 2 years ago and no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyG Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 Hey Paul T! Didn't know you were from around here. I wonder if Whartons in Parkersburg sends their tranny work there? Marietta Never underestimate the amount of a persons greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted November 2, 2004 Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 Personally I would never use AAMCO, I had a really bad experience with them years ago, be careful, I had an experience like gc_caddy...... THEN they VOIDED the warranty by telling me that I put BRAKE FLUID in the tranny! Which I did not! Be Careful! Go to your local Cadillac dealer and ask them who they use, and even then be careful, but if you use the shop that Cadillac recommends TELL THEM, that you were recommended by Cadillac and maybe they will take better care of you as their reputation with the dealer is at stake. Someone suggested word of mouth, thats a good idea also.. ask around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JONSCAT Posted November 2, 2004 Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 hey Buddy i neede the shift selonoids replaced in my 96 eldorado back in august,and i would NOT use Aamco, i had the car towed to 3 different places before i got an honest answer from anyone.aamco was not the one ,tried to convince me that i had 4 selonoids in the transmission that was bad, i know from this site that there are only two.I called the owner of the aamco,he owns two here in Atlanta and all i got was treated badly.When i told him not to do anything to my car until he heard from me again,and then i showed up with a tow truck to have it towed for the third time he decided he could fix it for alot less than he qouted me before.I had the car towed to a local shop named speedy transmission and had it repaired for $350.00.It has run great since then.i would check around before trusting aamco to work on it...John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted November 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 I've heard about the whole solenoid mis-diagnosis scenario...And I think that is a common ploy that a number of shops use in order to rake in more money. I hope to avoid mis-diagnoses before I take it in. I explained to aamco what had happened, the codes it was throwing, the fact that I had already completed the solenoid job successfully and it was no longer throwing the solenoid codes. I also explained to him that I had gone into the pcm snapshot and successfully diagnosed a problem with the 4th gear. I use the pcm to my advantage...I can diagnose all sorts of problems via the dashboard and a service manual...This is one of the features that I believe makes a Cadillac a Cadillac. Any way I think he realized that I sort of new what I was talking about, and was not going to be fooled into purchasing something that I didn’t need. I am going to call the BBB and see if I can get info on individual franchises, as well as local mom and pop shops...Thanks for the help. I'll update this post with my choice and/experience. A.J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrylange Posted November 2, 2004 Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 I have had four experiences with AAMCO over the past many years, and none of them have been good. Two of them have been the typical "you got here just in time, your transmission is shot... look at the residue in the pan" deal. In both of these instances, I told them to just change the fluid (which was the reason I brought the car in). Both of these cars ran for many years without problems. In one other case, they destroyed the air bag suspension in my car by leaving it suspended on the hoist over the weekend without rear axle support, and then claimed it was like that when it came in. On the fourth case, they claimed that no used transmission was available from the wrecking yard they used (the least profitable alternative for them.) After giving them the go ahead for a rebuild, I checked with the same yard and they had 5 used ones available for the same vehicle. Definitely, buyer beware with these guys. I have had great experiences with the mom and pop operations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAUL T Posted November 2, 2004 Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 Johnny G, I do not think Whartons sends them there. I do like Whartons though they quoted me $1200 for a case half gasket repair including rear main seal. I take my caddies there for recall work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyjj Posted November 2, 2004 Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 I had a problem with the one in our area (Kansas City) had to go back 4times but had to contact there head office before the local one would work on it again. They never did get it right. Ended up taking it to another transmission shop that did it right the first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted November 2, 2004 Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 All of these problems with AAMCO makes me wonder how they stay in business. You know transmissions are complex devices and have an bad stigma attached to them when they go bad, why some company doesn't try to take that fear away is beyond me. The AAMCO radio commercials try to do that, but they don't live up to the hype. Sounds like there is room for competition that does it right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted November 2, 2004 Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 THEN they VOIDED the warranty by telling me that I put BRAKE FLUID in the tranny! Did you tell them you put brake fluid ONLY in the windshield washer reservoir and NEVER in tranny? The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted November 2, 2004 Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 THEN they VOIDED the warranty by telling me that I put BRAKE FLUID in the tranny! Did you tell them you put brake fluid ONLY in the windshield washer reservoir and NEVER in tranny? As you might be able to tell from some of my writing I can get my DANDER up (I like to say that I am passionate! ), BUT I almost lost my mind with the brake fluid BS. It was my girlfriends car, I maintained it, and there was NO WAY that it was possible for Brake Fluid to be in the tranny. I told them I was a First Class mechanic in the mechanical maintenance department at Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock in Chester, Pa and that I had rebuilt 3 Turbo Hydramatic 350's and swapped a dozen others.....they voided the warranty anyway! The anger is coming back..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted November 2, 2004 Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 The anger is coming back..... You never know where you will encounter an idiot... You can get one even in a tranny shop I met one in RadioShack today. Well...that's from another opera The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted November 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 Do most mom and pop operations warranty their work? I guess that is what I’m most concerned about A.J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northstar Posted November 3, 2004 Report Share Posted November 3, 2004 Some do, I once got a year or 12k warranty from a M&P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted November 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2004 Also...What happens If the shop tears it down and says the torque converter is failing....But Im not throwing any codes for it...which im not. I an under the impression that the pcm will tell me if the torque converter is in a failing state via a check engine light...Is this true? also can a tranny shops equipment detect something that the pcm cant? Thanks. A.J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted November 3, 2004 Report Share Posted November 3, 2004 I believe if you are going to rebuild your tranny, you should replace the convertor, the reason is because you can not empty out the fluid from the convertor and its possible that you will circulate clutch material not to mention crappy burned fluid. Many shops wont guarantee the job if the convertor isnt replaced.. I would replace it without even a second thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seabass Posted November 3, 2004 Report Share Posted November 3, 2004 I had to rebuild my tranny a couple of years ago , so I took it to Gibraltar, they charged my warranty company @ $4500.00, I paid $500.00 out of my pocket. That is a crazy price, probably a ripoff. Seabass 93 STS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seabass Posted November 3, 2004 Report Share Posted November 3, 2004 I had to rebuild my tranny a couple of years ago , so I took it to Gibraltar, they charged my warranty company @ $4500.00, I paid $500.00 out of my pocket. That is a crazy price, probably a ripoff. Seabass 93 STS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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