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1995 Buick Riviera Supercharged
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DamselInDistress
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Jan 10, 2014, 6:19 AM
Post #1 of 6
(4052 views)
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1995 Buick Riviera Supercharged
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Good Morning,
So coming off of the "repairs from hell" with my 95 Buick, I had the transmission rebuilt 2 months ago and last night it didn't go into gear when I put it in drive. :(
I then put it back into park then drive again...it acted as if it was in neutral. I put it in reverse and it drove, then from reverse back into drive and it went into gear.
The transmission is under warranty, but here is my fear. This guy (shop owner) gave me two prices, one for a rebuilt tranny and one from a junk yard with over 100,000 on it.
As tempting as it was to save almost 500 for the junk yard tranny, I know enough to realize that most of the transmission cost is in labor, I don't want to pay that again anytime soon.
What I fear is that this guy wanted to profit more and just put in the junk yard tranny to do so. If you have been through anything like I have these past months, you would doubt mechanics credibility too, promise.
I do finally have a shop I feel I can TRUST to work on my car now, so I think I want to start there IF there is a way they can see if this work was actually rebuilt.
Is there anyway they can confirm this transmission was in fact rebuilt???
If it was the junk yard tranny I don't want my car going near that shop, and I want to take him to court for my money back so I can have it done right!
Thanks (again)
Pam
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jan 10, 2014, 7:02 AM
Post #2 of 6
(4045 views)
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Re: 1995 Buick Riviera Supercharged
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Oh Pam other than this how are you doing? If you think someone just tossed in a used trans and not do the overhaul you could tell. I would think you would still see very clean parts and maybe some sealer that it was touched but have known of jokers (arseholes) who would just clean things up and use even spray paint to make it look like it was redone.
IDK - That whole thing stinks if so. Can you just ask another shop to plain look at it to say what their thoughts are?
I hope not a scam job. It's working now right?
Check fluid level as it might be low and still needs that tended to.
Is it nasty cold where you are? I'm talking the below 10F or worse? That sometimes can make one quite late and needs to be warmed up but not for one just redone or good they will still engage,
T
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DamselInDistress
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Jan 10, 2014, 7:18 AM
Post #3 of 6
(4037 views)
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Re: 1995 Buick Riviera Supercharged
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Oh Pam other than this how are you doing? If you think someone just tossed in a used trans and not do the overhaul you could tell. I would think you would still see very clean parts and maybe some sealer that it was touched but have known of jokers (arseholes) who would just clean things up and use even spray paint to make it look like it was redone.
IDK - That whole thing stinks if so. Can you just ask another shop to plain look at it to say what their thoughts are?
I hope not a scam job. It's working now right?
Check fluid level as it might be low and still needs that tended to.
Is it nasty cold where you are? I'm talking the below 10F or worse? That sometimes can make one quite late and needs to be warmed up but not for one just redone or good they will still engage,
T
Hi Tom....long time no talk to right. Lol Hope your Holidays were good!
How have I been otherwise?? Hmmm, can't lie...I feel like since the day I arrived to Kansas city 2 months ago I have literally been doing "the doggie paddle" to keep my head from goin under water entirely. This one is just sending me over the edge ya know, Arizona and my old job, family, friends...lookin pretty damn good right about now.
We did hit below freezing for sure, ironically that's not when this happened. It was above twenty yesterday when that happened. We were in single digits and below freezing for several days prior.
Not sure how it's running today, haven't gone out to check yet....but I will need to since I work in a couple hours. (will go out and start it to warm up and check it now though, and I will check the fluid)
I do have a mechanic that I actually trust now, so you believe they will be able to tell what kind of work was done on this transmission if they put it on a lift?
Every part of me believes it was a scam job, God the thought just sends shivers. If this was done right (at all) I just can't see it acting that badly. I mean it was not acknowledging that I was in drive at all, and it did that twice before going into gear from reverse.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jan 10, 2014, 7:57 AM
Post #4 of 6
(4029 views)
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Re: 1995 Buick Riviera Supercharged
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I'm inland of Boston which gets much colder than Boston itself. It's the outdoor parked vehicles in the wind that are not used every day that can take a hit from the cold.
Give stuff a break at some point of cold. Kansas City would have been plenty cold like a ton of the US.
OK: Not a trans specialist but was part of the whole training game now loooong ago. The basic mechanical functions really haven't changed. Trans fluid is an oil thinner than engine oil so flows but has limits. If it was marginally low on fluid the cold alone would shrink it beyond a level it should deal with. If too low it can ruin a good one! Yikes - hope not again on that but why should it be low if just redone if not filled properly to begin with then it's leaking someplace.
That you need to know with those symptoms. Not sure if this has a plain dipstick or not to check it and some will say on a dipstick to check when warmed up or show hot and cold levels. It gets checked while level of course. Used or not fluid should look like nice pinkish/red with a drop on white paper and not have a burnt smell.
Thanks for asking about the holidays on my part. My family about all finished moving mostly ME, NH but includes CT, VA, FL and CA. Too far to drive easily for me.
Have friends in AZ, Tucson, Phoenix and one in Las Vegas. I've been to all those places in Summer long ago and it was dang hot for me.
I just am not sure if you have a real problem or not yet. Just get the level checked to rule it out and look for drops where you park most.
Glad you found a place or mechanic you like better now. We get a bad rap and yes could pull games over your head but doing so is plain theft. No more % than other trades but perhaps easier to get away with. I couldn't live with myself if I EVER pulled a trick on anyone!
A place that does that would usually be out of biz in short order. There is so much real work that nobody that is any good at this biz should need for work and be so desperate to pull games. Go get 'em if so!
It could also be a failure really done or not. Early to tell.
Be well, Tom
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DamselInDistress
User
Jan 10, 2014, 8:21 AM
Post #5 of 6
(4022 views)
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Re: 1995 Buick Riviera Supercharged
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Sounds like you're in super cold country my friend. YIKES! It has been cold here too for sure, had to replace plugs and wires last week, but doing much better now. (well except this, lol)
This is when I finally found a good mechanic who charged me 85 to put them in for me. This is after two shops quoted me 3 to 4 hours labor. Lord I have had the worst luck finding a mechanic who doesn't assume I am a total idiot. 6 plugs, 6 wires, three out of the six are hard to access....NOT to the point of several hundred bucks though.
Anyway, my driveway is a bit sloped so when I initially checked the fluid it did appear low, but it was clean.
I went to the parts store and got fluid, of course I wanted to do it on level ground, so I re-checked before adding and the engine was now good and warm. (and was running)
It did not appear as low, but enough to add about 1/3 of the quart. I would love to think this little "off balance" of fluid would cause yesterday's problem... but lately nothing in my world has been close to being "that easy."
Trying to be optimistic, but damn, this is a tough one.
I think my best bet is probably to get it to the new shop I found and ask them to put her on the racks and see if they can tell if the transmission was rebuilt or not. Now more than ever I need to know what I am dealing with regarding the guy who did the job.
If he completely lied and my mechanic can confirm that, I am sure I can easily get him for it in court and have it repaired correctly somewhere else.
If he did do the job as he was supposed to then I guess he will have to get in there and figure out what went wrong with it.
Dunno, just really disapointed this is even an issue after spending all the money to repair. :(
Thanks for all your help. (again)
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jan 10, 2014, 8:32 AM
Post #6 of 6
(4021 views)
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Re: 1995 Buick Riviera Supercharged
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One more for now is just know too full isn't good either! Hard to lower if so for any reason without a suction gun with a tube.
Good luck, Tom
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