Transmission Technology repair Hilo

[macuu222]

Has anyone got their transmission repaired at this place? We are contemplating taking our Ford Escape in for repair and  wanted to get some feedback as to cost and quality of service. I believe it's the only transmission repair in Hilo so it's not like I have much of a choice. Thank You in advance.

[ChunksterK]

Our usual mechanic was afraid we needed a new transmission for our Mazda "beater" car with over 150,000 miles on it. We took it to Transmission Technology at his recommendation, and they fixed it for $150. We got another 80,000 miles out of it before it died of something else. They were friendly, honest people.

[leilanidude]

Plenty of older Escape's in salvage yards. Have your regular mechanic swap your broken one for a used one. Maybe $300 for the used trans and $500 to swap.

[sistersue]

Plenty of older Escape's in salvage yards. Have your regular mechanic swap your broken one for a used one. Maybe $300 for the used trans and $500 to swap.

About 15 years ago my mechanic couldn't figure out what was wrong with the transmission in my old Mercury.  A transmission "expert" in Orchidland said I need a new transmission.  I heard a commercial for Transmission Technology on the radio so took the car there.  They took the whole car apart and put in a new sensor.  It was $650 and that old car that I loved was like new for many years afterward.  If it's the same owner as then, then I highly recommend him!!

[Obie]

It sounds like the 2-4 band is stretched or coming apart. A transmission shop is going to want to do a complete rebuild because of the mileage on your vehicle.
I really doubt you can get it rebuilt for less than what the vehicle is worth.
You could take it to Orielly's and have them scan it for codes. I see a sign on their door that they do scanning for free now.
They sell rebuilt transmissions for about $2000.00 plus shipping. Price depends on whether it's a 4cyl or V6 and FWD or 4WD.
Ryan's towing in Keaau has a bunch of Escapes but they all have about 200,000 miles.

[Chas]

I took my vehicle there because it wasn't shifting properly. It turned out to be a cable that was seized up. Since they had to take it apart anyway I did let them do the "service". It was about $900 total.

It was expensive but I don't feel like I was ripped off. They explained everything and gave me options. I would say take it to them and see what they say. Might be something simple. I definitely DON'T think they would try to sell you something you don't need or try to bullsh*t you.

[terracore]

Nice to hear such good reviews of the place. I've heard the commercials on the radio for years and often wondered about them.

One in the mid 90's time I was on Victoria island in British Columbia and my manual transmission went out. There was one place that did transmission work and their diagnosis was it needed to be rebuilt. The quoted estimate was $900 CAD and my car was worth about $900 USD. I didn't have a lot of options and I considered abandoning my car there but that left me with the question of how I would get back to Oregon and then I'd still need to buy a different car, so I agreed to the repair. Unfortunately there was delay after delay in getting the job done (needed to get parts shipped in, received wrong part, had to re-order parts, mechanic called in sick, etc etc) so in addition to the the $900 I was adding hotel nights and living expenses to the cost of the repair, and I was missing work at my job at home (employer didn't offer paid vacation or sick days) so coming home to a shrinking pay check. The thing that sucked the most is that I had just spent about $500 having a new clutch put in a few weeks prior, so I was really throwing good money after bad. When they finally got it repaired the end bill was almost $1300 CAD including the VAT. With hotel and living expenses for the additional stay, I'm guessing it cost me at least $1800 USD to repair a $900 car and my next paycheck was going to be about half. This was during a period of my life where there was always too much month at the end of the money.

Canada has (or had) a program where US citizens can file for a Canadian tax refund for VAT. It was always a nice way to get a little money back from a vacation or work trip (I don't remember what it was, something like 8% for national plus provincial. So I was looking at maybe $100 back from the car repair) and when I was filing for my tax refund among the SHORT list of exclusions: automotive repairs. KHAAAAAN!

[Chas]

It's funny you say that about hearing the commercials on the radio. I actually was NOT going to go there because I always had the mindset that, if you need to advertise, you can't be any good, because if you were good, you would have enough word of mouth advertising to have plenty of business.

It was only after two people I know told me to go there. One of them was my regular mechanic.

[Rob Tucker]

My brother had a relatively new Ford pickup with 100,000 miles and the trans went out while out of town. It was a very expensive repair.

With my Ford van nearing the same mileage I decided to get the trans examined and checked out. Took it to Transmission Technology in Hilo. They did a check out on it for me.Took most of a day. Gave it back to me saying the trans looked and functioned good. No charge.... mahalo!

[captkuiu]

Had the rear end differential burn up in my 94 Toyota. Got a junk one from Ken's Towing and had Trans Tech do the swap. In spite of having to weld new mounts to make it fit (not an exact replacement) they got the job done right, while I waited,  and saved me a lot of dough. Highly recommend.