Opinion needed - Possible auto transmission replacement, Mazda 3s, 2006

[leo.rs8]

Hey guys,

I'm facing a dilemma whether to replace auto transmission or not. My Mazda 3s, 2006 has 117K miles on it. The AT light went on a few days back and I took it to the dealership to check. They said that the error codes indicate internal problems with the 2nd and 4th gears (symptoms: when switching to those gears, the engine revs up to 5-6K RPM without any power, then the switch to the next gear happens). They are saying that I need to replace the transmission. I can put a new transmission (~3K USD for parts + labor) or a used one (~2.1K USD for parts + labor). I'm looking for an opinion regarding:

(1) Which would you choose (new/used) and why?
(2) Does it make sense to get a second opinion here?
(3) Does it make sense to do it in a dealership or take it to a third-party shop? (concerns that I have here - it's hard to find a qualified mechanic to do the job and I don't want to end up paying more later. I guess that equally applies to dealerships as well as third-party shops - any insight here would be appreciated)

Thanks for your help!

[silverstarmazda]

1) new as in from factory with 0km or new as in a refurbished one? how much km are on the used trans
2) yes, its okay to ask
3) depends if they will warranty the work. some third party places offer a warranty on theyre work. there are also dedicated transmission shops that could try and fix it without replacing the whole thing.

[Lactose]

NOt sure if this is 100% on topic but would it be possible and/or cheaper to put in a Manual Tranny instead? Not sure how the engine and all that stuff works in cars.

[leo.rs8]

Thanks for your reply!

(1) It's new (0km) vs used (78,000km)
(3) The warranty for the new one is 18000km. The used one would get 3 months.
As far as dedicated shops are concerned - do you have any idea how much that would cost compared to replacing the whole thing? (just a rough estimate is sufficient here)

Thanks!

[silverstarmazda]

all depends on where the donor transmission is coming from. i think it was possible but i think the computer might need to be worked on too as the car was originally designed to have an auto with it.

[silverstarmazda]

not sure how much otehr shops may charge. this is why you need to hunt for the best price. replacing a transmission isnt a very big job. you should go ask jimmy from street performance to see what kind of price he can give u.

[leo.rs8]

@Lactose: Thanks for the idea, yet I don't think it would be feasible/cheaper to do it based on my research. Plus, other drivers don't want to deal with a manual :).

[leo.rs8]

The dealership quoted the labor costing ~800 USD (the whole day work). It does sound like an overkill for a replacement. Any idea how much time is realistically needed for the job?
Also, a brand new transmission quote was 2,400 USD. Is it too much or not?
Thanks.

[Jackal]

not sure how much otehr shops may charge. this is why you need to hunt for the best price. replacing a transmission isnt a very big job. you should go ask jimmy from street performance to see what kind of price he can give u.

I think OP is in the States judging by the US dollar quotes and miles. Jimmy at SP would be quite a drive.

[silverstarmazda]

it shouldnt take more than 5 -6 hours to complete the job. chance are theyll put off the job until work flow has slowed down a bit. thats wat happened in the dealership i use to work for. a car sat in one of the bays engineless for about a week before someone finally took the job wen things got slow. a transmission swap is not urgent on the spot like an oil change... still important but the dealer will make you wait. 2,400 usd for a brand spanking new transmission is pretty good, but you realize your putting it into a car thats probably worth about $5000 by now.

[leo.rs8]

@silverstarmazda: Yeap, that's exactly what I'm pondering right now ... $5000 worth vs $3000 for a new transmission.

[leo.rs8]

it shouldnt take more than 5 -6 hours to complete the job. chance are theyll put off the job until work flow has slowed down a bit. thats wat happened in the dealership i use to work for. a car sat in one of the bays engineless for about a week before someone finally took the job wen things got slow. a transmission swap is not urgent on the spot like an oil change... still important but the dealer will make you wait. 2,400 usd for a brand spanking new transmission is pretty good, but you realize your putting it into a car thats probably worth about $5000 by now.
Yeap, that's exactly what I'm thinking about right now .... $5000-worth car vs $3,000 to replace the transmission with the new one ...

[silverstarmazda]

how much do you drive and whats your driving style?

[leo.rs8]

Occasionally (2-3 times a week) to work: ~40km round trip. All other trips (weekend, vacation, etc.) range from 400km to 5,000km, but they are not that often.
Driving style - I'd say 50/50 passive/aggresive :).

[silverstarmazda]

i guess you might as well spend the extra $900 for a brand spanking new one. last thing you need is having the car break down again during a vacation. plus it should hold up against aggressive driving better. you never know how the used transmission has been treated, maintained, and correct fluids used. for your new transmission, just use the proper fluids and maintain. you probably wont hit 18,000km in a year and the warranty doesnt have a date. i would just put a new one in... im always wary about used mechanical parts like engines and transmissions... other solid things that dont move much is fine as long as its not beaten. spend the $900 now so you dont have to spend another couple thousand later

[leo.rs8]

Thanks, silverstarmazda! I've been leaning towards the same conclusion ... it's always good to get another opinion though :).

[leo.rs8]

And I agree about used parts, especially transmission - I don't know how it was treated before ... it may hold up for a long time, but may break down in a week. It's that unknown part that I don't like.

[zmz3]

curious how you are able to get a 'new' transmission? is this 4spd? 5spd? Where are you getting it from? Mazda dealership or factory??

Last time I checked, only rebuilt or used ones are available for the Mazda3.

[silverstarmazda]

curious how you are able to get a 'new' transmission? is this 4spd? 5spd? Where are you getting it from? Mazda dealership or factory??

Last time I checked, only rebuilt or used ones are available for the Mazda3.

probably a rebuilt from factory. new internals and all that so theres "0"km on the mechanisms

[zmz3]

probably a rebuilt from factory. new internals and all that so theres "0"km on the mechanisms

I see. So more like refurbished.

Thanks

[silverstarmazda]

second hand vs pre owned. new vs refurbished. just ways to make things sound more appealing

[n00bMeiSter]

First and foremost, where in the heck are you located? You keep putting up prices in USD, but you talk mileage in Km's. Are you in Canada or the US?

If the repairs are worth almost the same as the cars current value, it may not be worth while to repair it. Take it to a transmission place and get it inspected there, it may just be that you need those two gears replaced.
*Research* before you go and spend thousands of dollars on something that might not have had to be replaced.

Get several second opinions before doing anything. Because if you're about to drop $3k on your car that is only worth $5k, you might as well just sell the car.

[silverstarmazda]

second post #3. he seems dedicated in getting a swap

[n00bMeiSter]

second post #3. he seems dedicated in getting a swap

Hence why I'm telling him to stop and do some research. Couldn't have gotten that many second opinions in the 1 hour this post was up.

If half the people here went by what the dealership told them without questioning it or getting second opinions, thousands of dollars would have been spent on nothing.

Go to a transmission specialist or two and have it diagnosed (ie Mr Transmission). And then to a couple independent mechanics.

[TheMAN]

mazda does NOT sell new auto trans, except if it's a very new car... what you will buy as "new" from mazda will be reman, and will carry a 3 year warranty
the reman 5 speed auto will have updated parts in it to prevent a 3-4 shift shock issue... having it rebuilt with those same updated parts should also prevent this issue also