Services · Transmission

Diagnosis first. Then an honest answer about what it needs.

A transmission problem is the one where people most need a straight answer, because the range of outcomes runs from a cheap sensor to a rebuild that costs more than the truck is worth. I'll tell you which one you're looking at.

What I can do on site is real but it has limits, and I'd rather you read them here than hear them after I've driven out. I don't rebuild transmissions, and I can't flush them. Fluid service is a drain and fill.

Text (512) 980-4368 Call for emergencies

Texting is best — I'm usually mid-job and can't pick up. Stranded or an emergency? Call.

No fix, no fee diagnostics
Quoted price is the final price
12 mo / 12,000 mi parts & labor
I come to you

What it's doing, and what it usually is

The most common cause first. It's a guide, not a diagnosis. That's what the visit is for.

Revs climb but the truck doesn't pull: Slipping. Low fluid if you're lucky, worn clutches if you're not. A fluid check is where I start.
Hard, late, or jerky shifts: Fluid condition, a solenoid, a sensor, or the computer's shift learning. Not always mechanical.
Shudder at light throttle around 40 mph: Torque converter lock-up, and often old fluid. A drain and fill sometimes settles it.
Won't go into gear: A shift cable or linkage, or on a manual, the clutch hydraulics. Cheaper than it feels.
Clutch pedal soft or on the floor: The clutch master or slave cylinder. Both are driveway jobs.
Grinding into gear on a manual: The clutch isn't fully releasing, or the synchros are worn. One I can fix. The other is a rebuild.
Limp mode, warning light, stuck in one gear: A sensor, a solenoid, or a fluid temperature problem. Needs a scan before anyone opens anything.
Red or brown fluid under the truck: Pan gasket, cooler lines, or an output seal. Fix the leak before the low fluid does damage.

What I do in your driveway

Diagnosis with live scan data, fluid level and condition, and a road test. Then a straight answer.
Fluid and filter drain-and-fill, and the pan gasket while it's off.
External sensors and speed sensors, shift solenoids where they're accessible, and the wiring to them.
Shift cables and linkage. Transmission cooler lines and leaks.
Clutch master and slave cylinders, and clutch hydraulic bleeding.
Some clutch replacements, depending on the vehicle. Ask and I'll tell you if yours is one I'll take on in a driveway.

How the money works

$150: Flat, to diagnose it. It's separate from the repair. If I can't find what's wrong, you don't pay it.
Quote: Before anything comes apart. The price I give you is the price you pay. If I find something else, I stop and ask you first.
12 / 12k: Months and miles, parts and labor. If the repair doesn't hold, I come back and fix it free.

Travel is free within 30 miles of Bastrop. Further out, there's a flat travel fee. The full warranty terms spell out what's covered.

Questions I get asked

What's the difference between a flush and a drain and fill?

A flush uses a machine to push all the old fluid out and new in. A drain and fill lets out what the pan holds, which is a third to half of it, and replaces that. I only do the second. On a well-kept transmission it's the gentler option anyway. On a neglected one, it's done twice a few hundred miles apart.

Will a fluid change fix slipping?

If it's slipping because the fluid is low or burnt, sometimes. If the clutches are already worn, no, and I won't sell you a fluid change as a fix. The diagnostic tells us which before anyone pays for fluid.

Is it worth fixing?

That depends on what it needs and what the truck is worth, and that's exactly the conversation the diagnostic is for. If the honest answer is that a rebuild costs more than the vehicle, you'll hear it from me.

Manual or automatic?

Both. Manuals are more often a hydraulic or linkage problem I can fix on site. Automatics are more often a fluid, sensor, or solenoid problem, and I can handle those too.

You diagnosed it as a rebuild. Now what?

You've paid $150 to know for certain what it needs, and you can take that to a transmission shop without paying for a second diagnosis. I'll tell you what I found and what to ask them.

Often goes with this

All services

Let's look at the transmission

Flat $150 to diagnose it, and you get a price before anything gets taken apart. Mon–Fri 9am – 6pm.

Text (512) 980-4368 Book a diagnostic

Stranded or an emergency? Call (512) 980-4368 — for anything else, a text gets to me faster.