broken "transmission pin" ... is my mechanic ripping me off and what can I do about it?

Question

I brought my 01 Elantra to the shop with a bad transmission (wouldn't go into any gear). The guy first said he might get to it later that day but he “didn’t know if he could get the right parts because it was a Friday afternoon”. He quoted me $600. I called at the end of the day and he said it wouldn't be until Monday or later. He was shorthanded on Monday so he didn't get to look at it. He said it was just a broken pin and that the transmission itself was fine. He had to take it apart and put a new pin in. I call Tuesday, and he said it will now cost over $1,000 (all in labor, even though he said before “it’s hard to get parts on a Friday”) and that it'd be ready Wednesday. The car was taken in from the yard Tuesday around 10:30 am, and I called at 2 p.m. He was quoting me $1,000 in labor even though I know it sat in the lot for a while. This is a small transmission-specific shop.

I need the car ASAP so I have to pay, but am I getting screwed and if so what can I do? Contact the BBB?

it's a standard, by the way

Ok, some info on what the problem was... all of a sudden I could slide the shifter to any position without pushing in the clutch or anything. It was just kind of floating around. I could even apply gas when it was in the "middle" position, which is supposed to be nuetral. It was like it was one big gear no matter where I put it, including the middle and where reverse should have been. It wasn't going "into" gear, I could push it all the way to one end and make a circle (the tow truck guy even said "looks like something is just disconnected" ... although he admitted he was just a tow truck driver).

And the mechanic has had the car from Friday morning to Wednesday, has already taken the transmission apart, put in the pin, and will put it back together first thing tomorrow morning before I can really stop him, so that part is out of my control.

Answer 1

There are no servicable parts in Hyundai transmissions,Hyundai do not supply shops with parts.Also it would help if you indicated auto/standard

Answer 2

Sounds like they're kinda takin' you. If he hasn't done the work yet, go pick it up (get a tow truck and tow it away if necessary) and take it to a trans store that has a good reputation. In other words, get a second opinion. For $1,000, you should get an entirely rebuilt "new" transmission, the whole thing, not just a "pin", whatever that is supposed to mean.

Answer 3

Contact a local news reporter and see if hey can help mediate the problem..most shops don't want any bad PR, especially if they're rip-off artists. Ask the trans shop specifically what is the technical name for the "pin" being replaced and how many hours of labor are involved...1000.00 divided by 50.00/hour is 20 hours...a lot of time to pull trans and disassemble. sounds like you're better off taking it somewhere more reputable.....
Good luck, Paul

Answer 4

Transmission pin? I'd ask him to give you the broken part, or show you the brokenm part inside the tranny just to be sure, but 1000 for labor would probally be fair, most mechanics make upwards of 25 per hour, plus the cost of parts.

Answer 5

sounds like he just doesnt know whats wrong.why dont he just say he dont know,and have it over with.you say it wont go into gear?does it come out of park?it could be the linkage or the dog leg inside the tranny.ok,try this.take the linkage off the tranny and work it from the tranny and see if it goes into gear,and if it does,then its probably in the column or a shifter cable.

Answer 6

Call some other shops. if you no what the problem is then this start asking what it will run. if you get the same price i guess your not getting raped for it. if you start hearing lower prices pull it out of there. BBB dont think can help in this matter

Answer 7

call bbb you just got screwed same thong happend to mine i fixed it myself in two hours and im not a tranny mechanic