Posted: 9/18/2013 1:41:10 PM EDT
My daughter called me last night saying there was an issue with her 2006 Escape (100K miles). A phone diagnosis led me to believe it has a transmission issue (grinding, loss of power). I had it towed to the Ford dealer and they said it has an internal transmission bearing issue and a new one is $4100 installed.  Dealership said it's not cost effective for them to rebuild, so they replace.
I called a local transmission shop where she lives and they explained a their shop versus a dealership (which I knew but listened intently anyways)  . Tech said it would depend on what they find inside but that he thought they could do the job for half the dealership's quote, if not less. He then went on to explain the process they use to diagnose the issue and what they do once they get inside the transmission.
Back in my day (1975), we always fixed our cars. Has society passed me by and the dealer is really quoting today's cost of business or is the transmission shop the better way to go? |
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Ya the world has passed by people that fix their own cars.
I would look up on the internet and find out where this bearing is located in the transmission and find out what others say about that problem. Maybe you can get a good one from a junk yard or something. At the very least I am sure you can find out what other escape owners paid to fix theirs, maybe someone has a easier fix for it. Good luck. |
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Ya the world has passed by people that fix their own cars. I would look up on the internet and find out where this bearing is located in the transmission and find out what others say about that problem. Maybe you can get a good one from a junk yard or something. At the very least I am sure you can find out what other escape owners paid to fix theirs, maybe someone has a easier fix for it. Good luck. The interweb is telling me that year Escape has a problematic transmission and the average cost to fix is $1700-2100. When you think of $4100, the "half of that" part of the discussion with the shop was all of a sudden acceptable. I would have a shop do the work, I'm too old to be pulling a transmission and messing with it, and besides, she lives a couple of hours away! |
| $4100 is high...dealer would rather replace it and that is most likely their 'list' dealer price for a new one...saves them labor hours to replace instead of rebuilding. Make sure the shop warranties their work as well. My wife's VW says the auto tranny fluid is 'lifetime'...which is hogwash, no lubricating oil is 'lifetime'...so I change her tranny fluid every ~40k. ~$1,500 is what a rebuild/repair runs for an auto tranny at a reputable shop in my experience. I've only rebuilt manuals and never an auto so I can't help with the technical stuff on an auto...I wouldn't want to rebuild/repair an auto either, they are heavy. Best of luck! |
| Told the dealer I'm getting a second opinion. All of a sudden they said they could rebuild it, they just need a few hours, at $98hr, to do a tear down and diagnose. I asked about their original diagnoses and they said it was a quick drive and computer codes. I thanked them and said we're having it towed to a transmission specialist for diagnosis and to please ensure the ticket had the tranny computer codes reflected. Lady at dealership said that would be $98; I said fine and please have the car ready for towing. The saga will be updated as events unfold. |
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I just called a salvage yard for something else and asked about the transmission. The guy said they cost about a grand depending on your daughters actual model and the mileage on the salvaged transmission.. He said they show about seven different transmissions for the 06 Escape and would need the VIN#. Off course you may be buying one that's ready to fail but it's another option if things don't work out at the 2nd repair shop.
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I just called a salvage yard for something else and asked about the transmission. The guy said they cost about a grand depending on your daughters actual model and the mileage on the salvaged transmission.. He said they show about seven different transmissions for the 06 Escape and would need the VIN#. Off course you may be buying one that's ready to fail but it's another option if things don't work out at the 2nd repair shop. Thanks for checking and I appreciate the suggestion. I would be willing to bet there's some small part issue as the 2005 and 2006 Escapes seem to have tranny issues, some as soon as 40,000 miles. When I was at the dealership and mentioned "lunging" (courtesy of some web research) the counter lady just smiled, so they know the issues with these transmissions. I'll wait and see what the transmission shop finds and report the findings in this thread. |
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I'm with you. I try to fix things myself whenever possible. My most recent problem was when my family and I were in Tennesee on vacation last month. After driving up and down the Appalachians one fine weekend i had a lovely burning smell coming from my left wheel. I had the brakes done just before I left. Being I'm in a state I've never been before I don't which "local" shop is any good. I took it to the local Ford where it turned out the wheel bearing was toast. $540 later........ |
| The dealership kept the car all day waiting for the service manager to get back in the shop. Once he did, they called me and offered to drop the price from $4100 to $3800. I said no and reiterated I wanted a second opinion. After I paid the $98 diagnosis fee, the counter lady asked what the transmission shop quoted and I told her, $2000 and they think that's worst case. She said they would honor the $3800 if I wanted to work done. I said thanks and they'd be coming for the car in the morning. More to come. |
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The dealership kept the car all day waiting for the service manager to get back in the shop. Once he did, they called me and offered to drop the price from $4100 to $3800. I said no and reiterated I wanted a second opinion. After I paid the $98 diagnosis fee, the counter lady asked what the transmission shop quoted and I told her, $2000 and they think that's worst case. She said they would honor the $3800 if I wanted to work done. I said thanks and they'd be coming for the car in the morning. More to come. Obviously dealerships will be out to get you. I have a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder that developed the dreaded radiator/transmission issue. Nissan stated they know about the problem but will not warranty it and they wanted $5000.00 to fix it. Spoke with the mechanic my father uses, stated it's a $1600 fix. It pays to shop around and find a good transmission guy. ETA: I grew up in the "fix it yourself" crowd as well. The only problem is now everything on cars now are computer operated. My transmission is basically a huge computer with a clutch and seals. Not so easy to fix anymore. I priced a rebuild kit, cheapest I could find was just at $500.00 minus the computer to run the damn thing. |
| I just heard from the transmission shop. They agree there is an internal bearing issue and offered to fix that problem, but also suggested, since the tranny has 100K miles, to rebuild the transmission so we don't encounter another issue. The cost to rebuild is $2100, which is pretty good considering the ford dealer wanted $4100 initially then discounted to $3800. The dealer also wanted $235 to replace worn sway bar links, the transmission shop is doing it for $30. That book the dealers use must really be generous with the time it takes to perform these jobs. |