Hey all. I run a salvage yard in SW MO. There are many good shops out there and there are many bad ones. I would be careful though assuming that the mechanic will assume liability for a used transmission. Most I deal with won't. I have even seen some, that I refuse to do business with now, who would love to see a bad trans so they can get paid twice on the job. Used transmissions can be a bargain if the SALVAGE YARD will stand behind them. You could always ask to buy a labor warranty which would cover costs of R&R if it were to be bad. Some yards do this, some don't. See my profile for my # if you have any further questions or if I can do anything to help out. Good luck!

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2005 Accord Hybrid (Wifes)
1995 Subaru Impreza L AWD (Snow car)
1984 GMC Sierra 1500 (Mine)
1983 300CD Best $ I ever spent. (Mine)
1984 190D (sold and glad I did)
1983 300D (sold and wished I hadn't)

Dang Jeremy, sure wish you ran one down here in the DFW area......

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

Haven't had any luck finding a salvage yard with a 123 tranny let alone one that will stand behind it.

Jimmy, I'm not sure what you mean by economic impact, but I'll tell you what I know. I bought the car for $1000. I've put about that into it (paint and parts). This tranny issue brings in $2400 for repairs. A used tranny installed will run me ~$1500. That $900 remainder is very tempting to finangle, but incurs a certain amount of risk. The rebuild would give me some real peace of mind, but I'm concerned about any potential defects coming from Sun Valley.

In reality I could walk away from the car right now and come out a little better than break even.

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'82 240D, 215,000 +
Classic White, Regenbogen

The cost from Sun Valley is about $1300. Add $400. to R & R and you're at $1700.

IMHO, a used transmission from a salvage yard is ridiculous for a savings of $200.

Brian,

Overlapping posts here.

I hear what you're saying. Crap shoot with a used.

I've got 217,000 on the body and engine. Overall it's mechanically sound and I hope to get at least another 100K.

A rebuild from his guy will run $2700 and he will stand behind it, but for how long? It could be very good insurance against defects to pay a little extra.

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'82 240D, 215,000 +
Classic White, Regenbogen

Okay,

SunValley quoted me $1500 shipped.

Then I have to factor in labor. That's been estimated at 8 hours @ $85.00/ hr. = $680.00

We're up to 2180.00

Contingencies, mounts, flex discs and we're up to the $2400 estimate.

BTW, I've got no desire to do this myself. I'm comfortable with some stuff, but not with this.

For him to stand behind the tranny I need to use his guy. Add $300.00 to the rebuilt.

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'82 240D, 215,000 +
Classic White, Regenbogen

$680. is on the high side. I should be done for closer to $400. No way it's an 8 hour job for a skilled mechanic. I'll bet they do it in five hours or less.

Contingencies, mounts, flex discs, etc. add to the cost of either job. Did the used transmission cost have these items in the price?

$2700. for a trans. is an absolute, complete, and total ripoff. Just forget about that right now.

If you want to get a rebuilt unit, seriously consider Sun Valley. Adam recently had a good experience with them. You can contact him for the details.

The entire job should be completed for about $1700.......give or take.

You'll just need to find someone to R & R for $400 or so. Not impossible if you seek them out.

The way my indy does it is by charging a margin over the cost of the used piece. This is sort-of like buying an extended warranty from him...it's not written that way, but he assumes the liability of working with the salvage yard to get the best possible unit from them. He warranties engines and trannies for 10k miles or 6 months, and the markup is not extravagant (like 20%).

If the indy will stand behind both the work and the trans with a guaranty, there's no reason not to save the $$$.

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1973 280 - Current Project Car
1979 240d - 100% Stock
1982 380sl - 100% Stock
1985 190e 2.3 - Heavily Modified

Well, the car's at his shop and clearly doesn't go. As soon as I start shopping around I'm looking at paying $100 - 200 per tow. If I could do it myself I would; wish I was as capable as some of y'all.

I don't want to get taken, but I also want to have this done right. This guy (Vanderveer, Norwood, MA) is a good mechanic. Long time MB guy.

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'82 240D, 215,000 +
Classic White, Regenbogen

Well, sometimes, it's just easier to go with the flow.........alternatives are more difficult with a vehicle that won't move under it's own power.

The difficulty and knowledge is in the rebuild of the trans. The R & R is the easy part. Adam did the unit himself with the vehicle on jackstands.........he's 17 years old BTW.

I know. He's got it down to something like 2 hours, an extraordinary kid (no offense Adam).

I'm afraid cars are not my talent. I'm learning, and thoroughly enjoying some of the work. The satisfaction is super having done a job myself. However, getting to that point can be like a voluntary trip to the third ring of Hades!

Maybe with your guidance and encouragement I could do it. Think it'd be safe to drive 30 miles in first gear??

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'82 240D, 215,000 +
Classic White, Regenbogen

All those contingencies are going to be added on regardless.


10K doesn't sound like much of a guarantee to me.

Brian, the way I see it the money is there. I want to be smart with this ins. payout, but reality is that if I hadn't been given an estimate by this mechanic then the check would have been cut for less (perhaps more reflective of the labor figures that you suggest).

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'82 240D, 215,000 +
Classic White, Regenbogen

Clearly, you've already established a "relationship" with this mechanic and he's assisted in obtaining the amount you now hold in your hands.

So, the question of Sun Valley becomes, effectively, moot.

You'll have to choose between his rebuilder and the used unit, with the higher costs associated with both.

The decision comes down to the age of the used transmission and how long you intend to keep the vehicle. The worst scenario is to have to rebuild the transmission twice within the next five years.

BTW, "rebuilt" transmissions vary all over the map as to what exactly is done inside them. In reality, none of them are totally rebuilt. None of them will ever go the same distance as the original factory transmission.

For what it's worth, here's my experience with Sun Valley: I was given a 1980 300 TD with 390 k miles and a failing rebuilt tranny (I don't know where the rebuilt was from.) I got a rebuilt from Sun Valley for $1050 plus $125 shipping, and my 17 year-old son and I installed it using a rented jack ($30.000). This was one year ago; it's running perfectly - several thousand miles. Steve