AAMCO RTP Transmission

After reading very positive reviews about this Aamco we used it as a second opinion on our transmission problems They confirmed that we needed to rebuild our transmission at a cost of $ The car was returned in weeks and we were told it would be better than new My daughter drove it home from school a total of miles and it worked fine On the way back it broke down on I-going mph Luckily she managed to get to the side of the road without a serious accident The car was towed to a local Aamco dealer who identified a serious problem that would require a further rebuild It is important for people to know that the guarantee you receive is with the local Aamco dealer, the Durham location in this case, not with Aamco nationally The Durham Aamco elected to tow it back to their store for diagnosis and repair They identified an electrical problem and we picked up the car again days later All of this was at great expense and inconvenience to us since we lived miles from Durham and we had to make a couple of unexpected trips to and from Durham and arrange an alternate vehicle for my daughter We were assured the car was fixed but we again encountered problems after driving the car miles It was now the weekend when the shop is closed and we needed again to go home which was another mile drive and we still had no workable car for my daughter I made the decision at that time to trade the car in, we got little for it since it was running so poorly, and get her a workable vehicle Obviously I left the Aamco shop off the hook by doing this, however due to work commitments, the expenses associated with working through this continuing problem and the fact that we would never be comfortable letting our daughter drive this car again we felt that was the best decision The person I dealt with at Aamco Durham was very pleasant during all of my contacts, but their position in the end was that it ran well when they tested it They may be a fine shop for minor transmission repairs but I could not recommend anyone using them based on our experience

Unnecessary work done to get estimate, stole my battery and gave me an old oneOn around May 28, 2015, I took my 2005 Acura MDX for estimate for transmission rebuild after it was diagnosed as bad. 1st estimate given from [redacted] after inspection was $2000-2800. I told them car was old & didn't want to pay that much. [redacted] said there were ways they could lower the cost closer to the lower end of the range, but first I needed to pay $350 so they could take apart the transmission and get a more detailed look. Store made no mention that once done,car would be inoperable. Decided to pay the money based on [redacted]'s assurances that they could find some savings once they were able to get a closer look at things. They came back with a 2nd estimate of about $2750. There were no savings there. I said I didn't want to pay this and to put the car back together so I could take it somewhere else. They said it couldn't be done and I could pay to get it towed somewhere else, which I paid for. I talked with another mechanic who said Acuras have very common trans problems & any transmission shop should know this and know what it will cost to fix/rebuild. There was no need to get more detailed look and pay for the privilege. Aamco also lost/stole my battery and tried to pass off another older battery as mine. I told them when I came to pick up the battery I had a sears die hard and they said that they didn't have any of those around. I called and told them I have the receipt for the die hard and wanted compensation as well as a refund for my $350. [redacted] told me the owner would call me but I never heard back from them.Desired SettlementI would like a refund of my $350 + half the cost of my battery (approx cost $140 installed)- they gave me a battery with a date stamped on it showing 2011 and mine was purchased in March 2013. Business Response /[redacted]/Response from Customer Service Manager:[redacted] was given a definite price range up front of between $2000 and $2800 to rebuild his transmission. In order to prevent any surprises and determine the exact price to rebuild it, his transmission needed to be removed, disassembled, and inspected to determine the amount of damage inside. [redacted]' vehicle has 180,000 miles on it and at no time was he told that the rebuild price would be at the lower end of the assured price range. I simply told him that we would do what we could to keep his rebuild price as low as possible. The labor to Remove, Disassemble, and Inspect (RDI) [redacted]' transmission was $350. The $350 to perform the RDI is paid as a deposit on any vehicle that is 10 years or older and [redacted] chose to pay the $350 and have the RDI performed. The exact price to rebuild [redacted]" transmission as determined by the RDI was $2,673.90, which was within the price range that [redacted] was given up front. At the time [redacted] completely changed his mind and wanted us to reassemble his transmission and reinstall it back into his vehicle. [redacted] told me he was going to have a used transmission installed at another repair shop and I told him that since his transmission was already removed then it would be less expensive to simply install another transmission and [redacted] agreed.Several days later [redacted] sent a tow truck over to pick up his vehicle and take it to another shop. A few days later [redacted] called back and said the other shop needed some external parts from his old transmission along with his battery. At that time [redacted] began complaining that the battery he had was a [redacted] Diehard but we did not have a [redacted] Diehard battery at the shop. The interstate battery that we gave him was the battery that we apparently removed from his vehicle. At no time was [redacted] ever given any dishonest information or mislead in any way. His transmission rebuild price was within the price range he was given up front. Response from Owner:I do sympathize with Mr. [redacted], and understand the hope that repairs will be lower than they sometimes are. It is true that this transmission does have common problems, however after my transmission rebuilder opened this transmission it was apparent from the rust and water damage that it was not rebuildable. However since the customer was given a quote range, we were prepared to rebuild a transmission to install in Mr. [redacted] vehicle within in the price range that he was given. There was very little in his transmission that was reusable to our standards. The work that Mr [redacted] paid for was done and he didn't want to go any further to repair his vehicle with us. As for the battery situation that is sorta strange. To give him the benefit of the doubt, I am prepare to give him $50.00, which is about a third of the price of his battery. Consumer Response /[redacted] did push very hard to get me to do the RDI. I was reluctant, but as mentioned he said that they could find savings once they took the trans apart. I have learned that Acura/Honda trans problems are very common and Aamco surely knows this. They didn't have to do any RDI to know the cost was never going to get down close to $2000 and once the RDI was done, it is much more difficult to go somewhere else to get the trans repaired/replaced. The car was drivable when brought in and had [redacted] mentioned that once they do the RDI they don't ever put it back together (his words after the fact), I would not have had Aamco do that work. One other factor in me doing the RDI was that I had asked for a seperate estimate to replace the ENGINE mounts since I was told elsewhere mine were bad and it would be easy to replace once the trans was out. [redacted] told me that they would only charge to replace the parts if I did the work there. Once the RDI was done, he then told me that it would be a $95 labor charge. When told of his previous statement to only charge for parts, he said that he was talking about TRANS mounts. This was a lie - why would he give me an estimate for a totally different set of mounts when I specifically asked for an estimate for ENGINE mounts? At this point I didn't trust Aamco anymore and didn't want to deal with them. I had to pay to get towed to another shop. When the car was picked up [redacted] said all parts were in the back of the car. The 2nd shop said that some parts were missing from the old trans and that there was no battery in the car. I called Aamco and they said that they would get the parts and to come by for the battery. I asked if there were any more parts they had and was told no. Another untruth - it turns out they had the whole trans and I asked for it back to make sure there was nothing else the 2nd shop needed. I got there to pick up the old trans and they showed me some battery that I had never seen before. I immediately told them that I had a [redacted] Die Hard and they said that since that was the only battery they had, it must have been mine. I called them the next day and said that I had the receipt from the 100-month Die Hard which was about 2 years old. The battery they gave me is already having cold cranking issues and will likely need to be replaced very soon. As stated previously, I think the RDI work was unnecessary, as there was no way the estimate was going to be materially different than the originally given estimate and Aamco knew that. Therefore I would like the $350 back. In additional, the Interstate battery they gave me will need to be replaced very soon and they should give me at least $75 towards that.Final Business Response /[redacted]/I believe the issues of Mr. [redacted] have been addressed, and I see no need in further elaboration. As Mr. [redacted] has mentioned himself, he was given a price range in advance and the price quoted was within that range. I wish, myself that the price could have been less, but I have to deal with reality. I will be glad to continue this conversation in private, but not endlessly. In spite of the frustration I will still be true to the quote given, if Mr. [redacted] would like for us to repair his vehicle.

Lack of clarity for repair needed, cost of repair & details concerning the state of the car being left in pieces after inspection if services declinedI originally took my vehicle in to AAMCO in March to have it checked out for transmission issues. I was told there was an issue with the engine mount and to have it fixed it would be around $740. I came back at the end of May (had vehicle towed in) to have my vehicle looked at (2000 93 SAAB) and left the vehicle there and the gentleman stated they would call me. I called numerous times and a week later I believe [redacted] (Manager) called to inform me they would have to open up the car to take a look and determine what is wrong with the vehicle. He stated to do this there would be a $450 charge and this could go towards the price of the repair. I stated I would have to call back after talking it over with my parents. After I spoke with my parents they told me to call back and ask about an estimate knowing I had limited funds and when I called back I spoke with a gentleman that I believe his name was [redacted] or [redacted] and he stated that yes to open that car it would be $450 but again iterated that the amount would be offset on the final repair and when I asked about an estimate amount he stated a ball park of around $1200-$1400 but he could not guarantee but it should not be too much higher. I stated that I have limited monies and would only seek the repair if it is within that range and/or not too much higher than that. I give them the go ahead and when they called back a week or so later the estimate I was given was now at a starting price of $2600. They gave me a choice of lifetime, 3 year and 1 year packages with the lowest being $2600. I stated to them ([redacted]) that I could purchase another car for that amount being that the car is a 2000 SAAB and that it would be unwise for me to spend that kind of money on the vehicle seeing that I could find the exact same vehicle for $600 less than the price he has given me for the repair. I was also confused as to how the price had jumped from the $1200-$1400 range (I was expecting it to be a bit higher but not double the price). Then when I stated I did not want the repair because I could not afford it he stated that the vehicle is all apart and the only thing it was good for now is scrap unless I wanted it repaired. I am point out that [redacted] nor anyone in their shop informed me that the $450 fee did not include putting the vehicle back together. So in addition to me being misquoted pricing that was almost double the price originally estimated, I never received anything in writing, I was never given the information concerning taking the vehicle apart does not cover putting it back together. I am a college student and this is my first time dealing with this on my own. I am learning the hard way that not getting details and an estimate in writing is not wise as well as not following up with details and specific questions concerning what is included in their pricing as well as details on the maximum amounts before work or diagnostic are initiated is very unwise and is costing me money that as a student working part time does not have. I am going to have to get someone to come and pick up my car in pieces and go from there with the repair. I am not pleased with the lack of details and huge costly pieces of information left out as well as being quoted (I know it was a ballpark estimate but doubling the amount is ridiculous) one price and then after the assessment was completed me being put between a rock and a hard place in terms of the huge increase from what I was told and then also being informed that the vehicle was in pieces and that was not part of the $450 and at this point all I could do was scrap the car or repair (which puts pressure on me to pay whatever they are asking due to the fact of being able to find someone to transport the vehicle in pieces which now I know, requires more equipment and services than most basic towing companies offer. I feel like I was put in a place to have to either choose to pay a ridiculous amount of money or to scrap my car, which was not something I wished.Desired SettlementI would like a dramatic reduction in the $450 amount To $150 for their service to take the vehicle apart as I now have to pay a substantially higher fee to have the vehicle towed with the parts having to be hoisted and towed as well. I do not want them to repair my vehicle and I am regretting my mistake and naiveté in the matter I admit I mentioned having the vehicle junked after he mentioned the 2 unpleasant options because I panicked and did not know what else to do. I feel details were left out. I was not given written estimates not given clear, truthful estimates and if I had been I would have never agreed to opening up the vehicle if the bottom price for repair was $2600. I do not have that kind of money and I was very clear about this fact from the beginning. In addition my vehicle is older and is not even worth that much money so a repair that costly is not a wise option at all.Business Response /[redacted]/My name is [redacted], however I am the [redacted] or [redacted] that the customer refers to in his complaint. After performing a free external examination on the customer's 2001 Saab we determined that the transmission would need to be removed, rebuilt, and replaced. Since it is rare that we repair this particular transmission my customer service manager had to check with our transmission rebuilders and our part suppliers in order to give the customer a price range on repairing the transmission before calling the customer with the information he needs to make a decision. On this particular automobile the charge is $450.00 to remove, take a part and inspected and replace the transmission. This charge is applied to the price of the repairs, and is only collected if the customer decides not to have us repair the car. It was after our business hours and I was staying with one of my technicians who wanted to work late to finish a job when I receiver the customer's call. He told me that he had decided to have us remove the transmission to determine the actual cost of repairs. He then ask me to confirm what my customer service manager had told him, that the $450.00 would go toward the transmission repair and that the transmission repair cost would be from $2200.00 to $2800.00. Since I was not privy to the research and his conversation with my customer service manager, I said to him that sound about right. That evening I assisted my tech in removing the transmission from the Saab. After the rebuilder examined the transmission a cost of repair was given to the customer. My customer service manager informed the customer that we could repair the transmission and offer him a one year 12,000 mile warranty for $2678.22, a three year 36,000 mile warranty for $3109.96, or a lifetime warranty for $3532.72. That was the last of May and it is now the last of August. Most shops would have already added storage fees, but we are in the business of fixing customer's cars not taking advantage of them. We will reassemble and replace the unrepaired transmission in the car if the customer likes. That is part of the $450.00 charge. And of course we would like to repair his transmission for the price that was quoted.It is true that the customer did bring his car to us in March thinking he had transmission issues. We determined then that the engine and transmission mounts where his problem. He left without replacing the mounts and this could have attributed to failure of his transmission. The worth of an automobile is subjective, but the price of repairs can be measured. I cannot imagine any transmission shop offering to rebuild a 2001 Saab transmission for $1200.00. Consumer Response /[redacted]/I appreciate [redacted]' response. However, I still maintain since there was not a written estimate given at any point and time,( which is what my parents have instructed me that they are accustomed to receiving) the fact that he does not know what occurred in the conversations with myself and the technician (being I had a conversation with the technician that was not privy to the conversation nor the details) AND that there was confusing estimates given and the fact of the matter of one price being given then another, much higher grouping of prices are being offered after the transmission was removed leaves me with little trust. The other fact that is troublesome to me is the $450 transmission removal fee, that was NEVER, EVER presented as the price for disable AND the reassembly if I decided not to let them repair the vehicle. [redacted] specifically stated since I declined their services that it would be difficult to get the car since it is all taken apart and what was I going to do? junk it?. He conveniently left out that they would assemble it back or that this was even an option in the first place. Leaving important information out as stated & in addition to not giving a written estimate nor being clear on their pricing structure is highly problematic for me. Since I have received very unclear directions from them in terms of their policies and procedures I clearly would like for them to not reassemble the transmission but to release my car after I have paid a reduced amount and for me to find another alternative of my choosing and not being bullied into using their services. I do not have the confidence in them to resolve this in a fair manner and would like to cut my losses at this point before something else happens to my vehicle. It is inconsequential to me their opinion of the worth of my vehicle. I would respectfully ask that they come to terms with me on a reduced rate, I suggest $150, for the transmission inspection and to release the vehicle back into my custody. I have someone willing to collect the vehicle as is and deliver it to where I choose. Thank you againFinal Business Response /[redacted]/Mr [redacted]'s written estimate has been here since the transmission was checked out. The only correspondence we have had is over the phone since Mr. [redacted] left his vehicle. Until now there has been no request for a written estimate. I am at this moment sending Mr. [redacted] a written estimate and will be informing my transmission builder to reassemble the transmission and we will have the car back together ready for Mr. [redacted] to pick up after he pays the charges he has already agreed to. Or just to resolve this matter, I am prepared to let Mr. [redacted] have his car without the transmission being replace for $250.00. This is not a precedent we wish to make. We pride ourselves on treating our customers fairly and going out of our way to make things clear. I have not specifically, or in any other matter, made the statements the customer has accused me of making in this complaint.

After reading very positive reviews about this Aamco we used it as a second opinion on our transmission problems. They confirmed that we needed to rebuild our transmission at a cost of $3600. The car was returned in 2 weeks and we were told it would be better than new. My daughter drove it home from school a total of 400 miles and it worked fine. On the way back it broke down on I-85 going 70 mph. Luckily she managed to get to the side of the road without a serious accident. The car was towed to a local Aamco dealer who identified a serious problem that would require a further rebuild. It is important for people to know that the guarantee you receive is with the local Aamco dealer, the Durham location in this case, not with Aamco nationally. The Durham Aamco elected to tow it back to their store for diagnosis and repair. They identified an electrical problem and we picked up the car again 10 days later. All of this was at great expense and inconvenience to us since we lived 400 miles from Durham and we had to make a couple of unexpected trips to and from Durham and arrange an alternate vehicle for my daughter. We were assured the car was fixed but we again encountered problems after driving the car 100 miles. It was now the weekend when the shop is closed and we needed again to go home which was another 400 mile drive and we still had no workable car for my daughter. I made the decision at that time to trade the car in, we got little for it since it was running so poorly, and get her a workable vehicle. Obviously I left the Aamco shop off the hook by doing this, however due to work commitments, the expenses associated with working through this continuing problem and the fact that we would never be comfortable letting our daughter drive this car again we felt that was the best decision. The person I dealt with at Aamco Durham was very pleasant during all of my contacts, but their position in the end was that it ran well when they tested it. They may be a fine shop for minor transmission repairs but I could not recommend anyone using them based on our experience.","neg-1

After reading very positive reviews about this Aamco we used it as a second opinion on our transmission problems. They confirmed that we needed to rebuild our transmission at a cost of $3600. The car was returned in 2 weeks and we were told it would be better than new. My daughter drove it home from school a total of 400 miles and it worked fine. On the way back it broke down on I-85 going 70 mph. Luckily she managed to get to the side of the road without a serious accident. The car was towed to a local Aamco dealer who identified a serious problem that would require a further rebuild. It is important for people to know that the guarantee you receive is with the local Aamco dealer, the Durham location in this case, not with Aamco nationally. The Durham Aamco elected to tow it back to their store for diagnosis and repair. They identified an electrical problem and we picked up the car again 10 days later. All of this was at great expense and inconvenience to us since we lived 400 miles from Durham and we had to make a couple of unexpected trips to and from Durham and arrange an alternate vehicle for my daughter. We were assured the car was fixed but we again encountered problems after driving the car 100 miles. It was now the weekend when the shop is closed and we needed again to go home which was another 400 mile drive and we still had no workable car for my daughter. I made the decision at that time to trade the car in, we got little for it since it was running so poorly, and get her a workable vehicle. Obviously I left the Aamco shop off the hook by doing this, however due to work commitments, the expenses associated with working through this continuing problem and the fact that we would never be comfortable letting our daughter drive this car again we felt that was the best decision. The person I dealt with at Aamco Durham was very pleasant during all of my contacts, but their position in the end was that it ran well when they tested it. They may be a fine shop for minor transmission repairs but I could not recommend anyone using them based on our experience.

I was giving wrong information about why my car isn't operating properly. Then I was charged $358.60 for that service that didn't solve the problem.On XX-XX-XXXX I took my car to [redacted] transmissions located at [redacted] Hwy ** Durham NC. I asked for my transmission to get checked out because my car would not operate properly. Well Mr. [redacted] informed me that after my transmission was removed and broken down that I needed a item called a Torque Converter from my 2009 nissian altima. After I was informed I arrange for my car to be towed away and paid my bill for $358.60. Only to find out that what I was told was wrong and I don't need that torque converter item that I purchased from the auto dealer for $750.00. On top of that my transmission was basically torn apart with belts removed and back casing removed for no reason. That is going to cost me more money to get it repaired from the damage done by this company. I have all my paperwork from the transactions that shows I was charged for a service that was anything but a scam.Desired SettlementI'm seeking the $358.60 I was charged at C.W Transmissions and also the $765.00 I was charged at the auto parts company for the torque converter I purchased on the information giving to me by Mr. [redacted]. All together to total amount is $1,123.00.Business Response /[redacted]/The Customer was charged for what we call an internal inspection fee. Which is the cost of removing, taking a part inspecting and, if the customer wishes to, reinstall the transmission. This money goes toward the repair or replacing of the transmission if the customer decides for us to repair the transmission. We cannot give this service free, although we do provide the initial test drive, initial diagnostics and external inspection free to determine if the transmission needs to be removed to repair the problem. This particular transmission was a CVT transmission, which at the moment we cannot obtain parts to repair. We offered to replace the transmissions with an exchange unit and give a one year 12,000 mile warranty for $2524.75, a three year 36,000 mile warranty for $2810.94, or a lifetime warranty for $3,297.14. The customer decided not to have us replace the transmission. I don't know where the customer got the idea that just a torque converter will fix the transmission. Metal from a bad torque converter would have been distributed through out the transmission and the transmission itself would have to be repair or replace.We will still replace the customer's transmission for the price quoted and take the inspection fee, which the customer paid, off the price.