It appears the transmission on my 04 Pontiac Grand Prix is going.  Drive and 3rd gear don't engage.  2nd and 1st gear engage and once moving I can up shift to 3rd and then Drive at which point car appears to drive normally. But slips out of gear once I go under 20 or 25.  At which point I have to drop down to 2nd again to get moving.  Also leaking transmission fluid from the tranny pan.

So I'm looking for some transmission specialists recommendations in the central or lower Northern NJ area (I'm not far from Bridgewater area).  I found one, Wholesale Transmission, in Fords which is well reviewed on Google reviews.  Another was Tito's Transmissions in Newark.  Any others I should look at?

Also looking for some advice.  I know nothing about what a transmission should cost or the differences.  The garage (regular / general maintenance garage) that diagnosed car quoted me $3400 for a rebuilt tranny with 3 year guarantee.  More than a few people said that seemed high.  Car has 131k miles on it so not looking to put that much into it.

Some people recommended having a used transmission but into it and that the costs would be much less.  I'm assuming that means a junkyard pulled tranny with little to no guarantee.  Then there are rebuilt transmission with one, two or three year guarantees.  What is the difference in those as far as the components used and the reliability (which how well it is reassembled probably having a lot to do with it I'm guessing).

Car is nothing special.  Just a base model Grand Prix.  The transmissions are the weak point in these vehicles.  The engines, 3800 Series III, are well known as being bulletproof and very reliable with owners routinely putting 200k, 250k and few on a Grand Prix Facebook page I'm on with over 300k.

IF I put money into the car it sounds like I should look at a used or one year guarantees tranny.  What is ball park price for having one of those installed? 

I do have my eye on some lower mileage preowned cars but don't really want to have car payments.  There are a few nice looking Grand Prix with reasonable mileage(50 -85k) for sale for relatively low prices ($3500 -5500) and I may look at one of those.  Especially if it has leather, heated seats and in nice shape. My car has gotten a little dinged up over the years. 

Luckily I'm not in a rush to replace as I take bus or train to and from work and we have my wife's car.  

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

You definitely sure it is the transmission?

I had a 2002 Impala, which did do some odd stuff with shifting... very similar to what you described. Catalytic converter went.

Would get worse as the converter heated up, and then it just started doing it constantly. Was a recall on the converter, from 2000 to about 2002. Arguing with the dealer about it resulted in the intake manifold melting (main difference between the Series II and III... your’s isn’t plastic) and the EGR valve going.

first and formost, check fluid level and condition. in all honesty though, it sounds like the tranny is shitting the brick though. 3400 with 3 year warranty sounds like they may be quoting you a jasper or atk reman tranny. if that's the case, while it seems high, it's not really that bad of a price.

 if they're quoting you a rebuild of yours, then that's about 1100 too high. rebuilding your tranny shouldn't cost any more than about 2100 to 2400. i deal with motortrans down here in marlton on rt73. i've got a car i farmed over to them that i gotta check on. i'll see if he's got any recommendations up that way for ya.

Ouch.....hard decision, and I feel your pain.

But....$3400 into a 15 year old vehicle doesn't make a lot of economic sense, either....

If you’re mechanicaly inclined I’d change the trans fluid first and see if it improves. As far a shop, I’ve heard very good things about Fisher transmission in Pine Brook. Not exactly local to you, but if you’re looking at a place in Newark this is no further. 

https://www.fisherautotrans.com/

The trans sounds roached to me.

Sell it as is and use the money towards something else.  Some mechanic type will buy it, put a junkyard tranny in it and sell it off to someone else or yank the engine and junk it.

Look at it this way, you end up putting at least 2k into the vehicle and what's it worth $1200.00 once fixed?   Right now, with a shitty trans, it's worth probably $600 to someone looking for an engine or interior or to fix it.

 

Rip the last of the grandprix.

just used Gaynor Trans in Monctlair for a Ford Expedition.  Work was top notch & warranty.   give them a call.   

29 minutes ago, Zeke said:

Rip the last of the grandprix.

This one.  Plenty of other ones out there.

10 hours ago, tjs3023 said:

If you’re mechanicaly inclined I’d change the trans fluid first and see if it improves. As far a shop, I’ve heard very good things about Fisher transmission in Pine Brook. Not exactly local to you, but if you’re looking at a place in Newark this is no further. 

https://www.fisherautotrans.com/

I had  transmission work done by Fisher. They do good work!

+1 on Fisher.  Good dealings.  Recommended from my old mechanic.

Ditch the car.  It isn't worth it.

I have a new tranny in my grand cherokee that died after the intercooler failed.  Cost was...wait for it...150000

But I was covered by insurance.    There is a shop I could refer you to in East Windsor that is on top of things, but that's too far south for you.  The two other guys who could fix it up are either dead or in prison at the moment.

A hundred and fifty thousand dollars?

 

thing is with value of the car......it's what it's worth to you. not what it would be worth to resell it. is it worth it to you to spend the money to keep this car on the road. kind of a devil ya know vs the devil ya don't know.  if you spend the loot to rebuild yours, will you get at LEAST another year out of the car? you want more than that, but 1 year is min. to make it worth the expenditure. has it been nickel/diming ya? good condition? these are the things you need to consider. i've tried to talk people out of doing this kind of work(which sucks 'cause i'm talking myself outta money). either way.........it' what it's worth to you, not to the guy up the street that may be looking to buy it.

1 hour ago, W2MC said:

A hundred and fifty thousand dollars?

 

Seems a little high. Ha ha!

That is way too expensive. There is a remaned on ebay for 1900... you should try R&J transmissions in waldwick NJ. they will just replace whats broken or worn rather than redoing the whole transmission.

Since you're near BW, why not try Bridgewater Motorworks?  

A used transmission isn’t that much money on these cars. If you go to the App Store on your phone and download the “Car-Part.com “ app it will give you a list of local junk yards that show they have them and how much. Then you just have to buy fluid and find a shop that will install it for you. I wouldn’t get a reman it’s gonna cost you more than the car is worth when everything is all said and done. 

32 minutes ago, Stacks73 said:

A used transmission isn’t that much money on these cars. If you go to the App Store on your phone and download the “Car-Part.com “ app it will give you a list of local junk yards that show they have them and how much. Then you just have to buy fluid and find a shop that will install it for you. I wouldn’t get a reman it’s gonna cost you more than the car is worth when everything is all said and done. 

one thing I can tell you as a shop owner. I personally would never install a customer supplied used unit. no way no how. why? because it doesn't matter what you say. when it fails, and you've gotta pay me that 7 or 10 hours labor to do it again, you're gonna be pissed off at me. notg yourself for buying a used tranny. me. many shops won't do this. 

Most shop owners are going to call the junkyard and get a used one at the wholesale price and charge you more for it anyway. Besides a lot of them come with a 30-90 day warranty. Some even cover labor if they don’t work, you just have to provide a invoice from the mechanic. 

7 hours ago, Stacks73 said:

Most shop owners are going to call the junkyard and get a used one at the wholesale price and charge you more for it anyway. Besides a lot of them come with a 30-90 day warranty. Some even cover labor if they don’t work, you just have to provide a invoice from the mechanic. 

that is if they're willing to put a used unit in. with them doing that though, they then give the same warranty that the yards give. which is normally 90 days.

 i've been there/done that. that is why i made the statement above. it's just not worth the hassle. then the person that mentioned the tranny on fleabay? ffffuuuuuggggggeeeeeetttttttaboutit! no way in hell would i install a fleabay sourced used or supposedly rebuilt unit.

 

 i've been in this business way too long to do stupid shit like that.

Can we shoot the car? It’s toast dude

6 hours ago, Zeke said:

Can we shoot the car? It’s toast dude

Just the tranny is toast (for now).

I purchased an 04 GTP Comp G Edition with 78,600 miles for $3400 on Saturday.  Drove to Bristol, CT to purchase it..  Prob around $3800 with tax, title and license.  Interior is like new.  Exterior is in very good condition.  Carfax was very good.   Considering I was quoted $3400 for just a transmission this seemed like a (some what) logical decision.

Had a transmission specialist (Wholesale Transmission in Fords) get back back to me.  $1700 plus tax for rebuilt tranny with 2 year/ 24k guarantee.  Depending on outcome when our taxes are completed we may have it rebuilt.  My 16 year old will be driving soon and she can use the base  model to get too / from school and I can use as winter car ( I take mass transit for work so don't need for work). GTP will be seasonal car.  Base model can be the beater / winter car.

I'll contact some of the other transmission specialist recommended to get quotes from them as well.

So that’s a maybe?

7 hours ago, Zeke said:

So that’s a maybe?

Maybe a maybe.

I guess you like Grand Prixs?

Looks like you found a nice one!

 

Good luck with both

14 hours ago, gleninjersey said:

Just the tranny is toast (for now).

I purchased an 04 GTP Comp G Edition with 78,600 miles for $3400 on Saturday.  Drove to Bristol, CT to purchase it..  Prob around $3800 with tax, title and license.  Interior is like new.  Exterior is in very good condition.  Carfax was very good.   Considering I was quoted $3400 for just a transmission this seemed like a (some what) logical decision.

Had a transmission specialist (Wholesale Transmission in Fords) get back back to me.  $1700 plus tax for rebuilt tranny with 2 year/ 24k guarantee.  Depending on outcome when our taxes are completed we may have it rebuilt.  My 16 year old will be driving soon and she can use the base  model to get too / from school and I can use as winter car ( I take mass transit for work so don't need for work). GTP will be seasonal car.  Base model can be the beater / winter car.

I'll contact some of the other transmission specialist recommended to get quotes from them as well.

long as they're rebuilding it, that's a fantastic price. it's a lotta work. if i remember correctly, you've gotta drop the entire engine cradle outta the car to get the tranny out.

10 hours ago, W2MC said:

I guess you like Grand Prixs?

Looks like you found a nice one!

 

Good luck with both

Thanks.  This will be my 3rd Grand Prix.  First one was a 94 (I think). It wasn't that great. I've loved my 04 base model Grand Prix (GT1 trim level).  Bought it in 07.  Has been very good to me.

The 3800 Series III engines are great engines.  Very reliable, decent mpg, plenty of power for everyday driving, pretty easy to work on, easy to source parts.  They are the Ruger of the car world.  Reliable and built like a tank.

The GTP is a nice step up from the base model.  But if I can fix the base model for less than $2k and have my oldest drive it through high school,maybe even college, then it would be worth putting the money into it.

MY youngest is 13 years old.  Guess I'll have to find one for her and store it for a little while.