Slipping between gears
The engine revs climb but the car does not accelerate with them. Often low or burnt fluid; sometimes worn clutch packs inside.
Serving Clifton, Franklin, Hawthorne & Newton, NJ, plus Lodi opening soon
Professional, dependable service with a lifetime warranty on most repairs, at four open New Jersey shops, with Lodi opening soon. Book your appointment with KRP Automotive today.
Second opinions welcome
Transmission work is the job people most want a second opinion on, and fairly so. It is the one repair where the gap between the cheapest answer and the most expensive one is enormous, and where a shop that guesses costs you thousands.
So we do not guess. A transmission complaint starts with the codes, the fluid and a road test with live data, because a shudder, a slip and a hard shift can each be fluid, a solenoid or internal wear, and those are three different repairs at three very different prices.
We are a full transmission shop: fluid services, solenoid and valve body work, cooler lines and seals, rebuilds and replacements. Automatics, manuals, CVTs and four-wheel drive, on foreign and domestic vehicles alike.
What you are feeling
The engine revs climb but the car does not accelerate with them. Often low or burnt fluid; sometimes worn clutch packs inside.
A pause before the car engages, or a shift you feel through the seat. Can be fluid, a solenoid or a valve body, and those are three very different repairs.
Usually the torque converter clutch rather than the transmission itself, and often fixed with the correct fluid rather than a rebuild.
Points at the pump or bearings. Worth catching early, because this one gets more expensive the longer it runs.
Overheated fluid, which is the warning that comes before real damage. Stop towing, book it, and do not keep driving it hard.
The transmission has protected itself and locked into one gear. There will be a code, and the code is the starting point.
Three possible answers
The cheapest answer, and often the right one
One failed part, not the whole unit
When the internals are gone
Fluid is the cheap insurance
We look at the fluid on every service. Color and smell tell us more about a transmission's future than mileage does.
The common range, and it shortens with towing, hills and stop-and-go traffic. Some manufacturers call their fluid lifetime fill; in practice that means the life of the warranty.
Modern automatics are specific about fluid, and the wrong one causes exactly the shudder people are trying to fix. We use what the manufacturer calls for.
A transmission warning is a code before it is a repair. We read it, drive it with live data, and only then talk about what it needs.
What people believe about transmissions
Often saidChanging the fluid on a high-mileage transmission will make it fail.
In practiceWhat fails a tired transmission is the wear that was already there. Fresh fluid of the correct specification does not cause damage. If a transmission gives up shortly after a service, it was close to the edge before the car came in, and the fluid condition is usually the evidence of that.
Often saidLifetime fluid means it never needs changing.
In practiceIt means the manufacturer does not list an interval. We look at fluid on every service, and dark or burnt fluid in a sealed-for-life transmission is one of the most common things we find.
Often saidAny transmission fluid will do if it is red.
In practiceModern automatics are specific about friction characteristics, and the wrong fluid produces exactly the shudder and hesitation people are trying to cure. Color tells you nothing about specification.
Often saidA slipping transmission always needs a rebuild.
In practiceSometimes, but not always. Low fluid, burnt fluid and a failed solenoid all produce slipping, and those are far smaller repairs. The fluid and the live data tell us which one before anybody quotes a rebuild.
Often saidA shudder means the transmission is finished.
In practiceA shudder at steady cruise is most often the torque converter clutch, and on a lot of vehicles the correct fluid cures it outright.
What moves the price
A solenoid, a valve body, a cooler line or the internals. These are four very different repairs and the diagnosis decides which one you are paying for.
Some transmissions come out in a few hours and some require the subframe to drop. Labor time varies more here than almost anywhere else on a car.
A rebuilt unit and a remanufactured one carry different prices and different warranties. We give you both numbers side by side.
All-wheel-drive vehicles take longer to get into, and that time lands on the invoice.
A fluid service on a transmission that is only beginning to complain is a fraction of the cost of the repair it prevents.
A transmission that has towed, or lived in stop-and-go traffic, has usually run hotter, and heat is what ages the friction material.
Making one last
What drivers say
I needed a simple brake service, but I did not expect these guys work in the 21st century environment. They communicated with me via detailed text messages, and kept me involved in all decision-making.
Came here for brake pads and rotors. Got a good price, and they did a good job. They did a road test also.
Great service, they got me in same day for full brakes front and back. Definitely recommend.
Transmission shop near me
Transmission shop near me, transmission repair near me and transmission fluid change all describe work we do at all four open shops. Bring us a quote from somewhere else if you have one.
Transmission symptoms are easy to confuse. A shudder can be the torque converter or the driveline, and a vibration at speed is more often tire balance than anything inside the transmission.
Answers to some of the questions KRP Automotive customers ask most. Still not sure? Give us a call, we’re happy to help.
It ranges enormously, which is exactly why we diagnose before quoting. A fluid service is a small job, a solenoid or valve body repair sits in the middle, and a rebuild or replacement is the top of the range. The codes, the fluid and a road test tell us which one you are in.
Commonly every 30,000 to 60,000 miles, and sooner with towing, hills or heavy stop-and-go traffic. Some manufacturers describe their fluid as a lifetime fill; in practice that tends to mean the life of the warranty rather than the life of the transmission.
Not always. Slipping can be low or burnt fluid, and that is a far cheaper conversation than worn clutch packs. We check the fluid and read the live data before anyone uses the word rebuild.
Most often the torque converter clutch rather than the transmission itself, and on many vehicles the correct fluid cures it. It is worth checking before assuming the worst.
Yes, and we are happy to. Bring the quote with you. Transmission work is the repair where the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive answer is widest, so a second look is reasonable.
The transmission has detected a fault and locked itself into one gear to protect the internals. There will be a stored code behind it, and reading that code is the first step rather than the last.
Yes. Clutches, hydraulics, linkages and transmission work, alongside automatics.
A transmission flush is not the answer to every symptom, and our transmission specialist will tell you when the fluid is a red herring. We test pressures and road test before recommending anything irreversible.
Most repairs at KRP Automotive are guaranteed for as long as you own your vehicle. If you pay for a repair at our shop, you shouldn’t have to pay for it again, that’s our promise at all four open New Jersey locations.
New and used transmissions are not covered by our warranty. A replacement unit is covered by its supplier instead, and we tell you which cover applies before you commit. Read the full terms.