4DSCDriver

I need to take my car to the shop to have some work done, but I'm really not sure where to take it. I normally turn my own wrenches so having work done by a shop makes me a little nervous. Because of the work I need done, I'm a little confused about where I should take the car.

Basically, my clutch worked perfectly, no signs of slippage or anything. Then one day, it just stopped working. Now, I'm not able to get my car in gear at all. It just won't go. The hydraulic system is completely new so I'm pretty sure it's something internal on the transmission.

Would you guys take your car to a transmission shop where they have specialized tranny knowledge but only general knowlege about the Maxima? They may also not know "alot" about any common issues with the Maxima transmission.

Or, would you take it to the dealership where they may charge a little more, but would know more specifics of the car and possibly have a database of common issues to pull from?


Just for curiosity, what have some of you paid for clutch a related jobs at a tranny shop or dealership?

Thanks in advance guys.

tbonesteak

definitely a REPUTABLE tranny shop.

Torgus

iTrader: (10)

i'd do it yourself.

but yeah take it to the person who has the most experience aka a tranny shop.

4DSCDriver

Trust me, I would much rather do the work myself, but I simply don't have the time. That is pretty much the only reason I'm even considering taking it to a shop.

Froggmann

iTrader: (6)

I would take mine to a tranny shop. Ask around I'm sure there will be plenty of people with recomendations.

jonmandude

iTrader: (1)

Tranny shop. Trust me with the quality of Maxima transmissions, they have more than "common knowledge".

Or ask your dealership which tranny shop they use. They probably farm out those jobs.

4DSCDriver

Thanks for the input guys. There is actually a very reputable transmission shop less than two miles up the road so I decided to go ahead and take the care there. besides, if I would have taken it to the dealership, they would ahve charged me that flat $90 fee.
I should hear something back late this afternoon or tomorrow morning. The shop guys seem to think it's hydraulic, but I guess we'll see.

4DRSpeed

iTrader: (22)

I highly doubt the dealership farms those jobs out. They are more than capable of doing any of the work on any of the cars.

808MAX-SPEC

iTrader: (7)

I'd rather pay the dealership since they would most likely fix it right the first time. I do know some "hole-in-the-wall" shops that are really good but they're always busy.

4DSCDriver

Yeah, but the dealerships are so freakin expensive. After being at the shop for a few days, they finally figured out that my hydraulics are fine and that it is something with the clutch itself. So, now I have to get a new clutch.

The tranny shop gave me an estimate of $725 for an upgraded, performance clutch. The dealership on the other hand, gave me an estimate of $980 for a standard OEM replacement clutch.

Nealoc187

iTrader: (23)

Wait I thought you just said you suspected the problem was with the transmission, not the clutch? If you think it's a problem in the transmission, a new clutch isn't going to help you.

You need to describe the problem in more detail. What exactly is the trans doing or not doing - saying "it just won't go" doesn't tell anyone anything useful. What won't go? The gear shifter won't move at all? It can slide side to side in neutral but won't go in to any gear? The car won't move? The clutch won't engage? The clutch won't disengage? The car stalls when you let out the clutch and it won't roll at all? The car just seems to be stuck in neutral?

How about some detail? All I do every day is take apart broken transmissions and put together new transmissions, but your description of the problem is so vague that no one could ever hope to make any kind of diagnosis.

The first thing you need to do, besides describing the problem in a little more detail, is drain the fluid out of the transmission, remove the reverse light switch plug, and shine a flashlight in there and see if the shift rail fingers are all lined up as they should be or not.

4DSCDriver

Sheesh, calm down there chief. I wasn't asking for a diagnosis...I was asking which shop to take the car too.

I've already been through the diagnosis stage on a previous thread:
http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...ms-random.html

My apologies, I probably gave a poor description of the problems, but when I said internal to the transmission, I just meant that it wasn't the hydraulics. The mechanic at the shop told me I need a clutch...so, it's getting a new clutch.