My tranny is shot and I need a new one. The gears F'd up. Tranny shop said it would be around $700 to fix it with the new gears. Should I go that route or try and source out a used beta tranny online. They go for somewhere between $400-600 I think, but it'll be used. If the shop fixes it, it'll have new parts.

 

Replace /closethread

 

If that's the whole job, drive-in broke/drive-out fixed with a warranty, $700 sounds like a GREAT price. If that's bring them the part and they work on it, it had better include new clutches etc. as well as repairing whatever is broken, and a warranty. It is pushing 2x the price of an unknown-history junkyard part.

 

I guess if you get it repaired you could get a shift kit and some other tweeks , a bigger oil cooler and you might be able give it some more power mods.

 

Unless you can find a tranny with barely any miles, go that route. Otherwise, have the shop do it with brand new parts + warranty.

 

The oil cooler is a should-do modification for ALL RDs with automatic transmissions! The stock cooler (IN the radiator!) leaves the fluid 10-15 degrees too hot and the fluid BURNS within 10-15k miles. A small oil cooler in front of the condenser is easy enough to fit and would probably go a long way to keeping your ATF temperatures within a healthy range.

 

Rebuilding the transmission is a tedious process. However if you can build it right you can make a damn nice one for the money. As for paying someone else to do it, been that route and never again.



Buying a trans can be super cheap though. For my investment, I don't see the point in throwing away a trans you can rebuild better and stronger for the price of a good low mile used model. Beta trans come a lot cheaper than $400, for that price you had better get you pick of the litter. Buy a new one then rebuild the old one to take on current and/or future mods. My