How much should I pay to rebuilt a tranny on a 850?

Discussion in 'Volvo 850' started by Pier1, Sep 26, 2004.

  1. Pier1

    Pier1 Guest

    Hello everyone,

    My car is a non-turbo '96 850 with only 52000 miles and I need to rebuilt
    the transmission. It is a long story but I'm 95% sure I need a new
    transmission.

    Can anyone suggest a reasonable price to pay? I got phones estimates
    anywhere from $ 1750 to $ 4000. The $ 4000 is from a dealer. The $ 1750
    price comes from a small tranny shop which the owner has been doing this
    job for more than 20 years, but the shop does not look too professional.
    On the outside I also see mainly older cars parked to be serviced. He
    would give 12 months/12K miles warranty, which is also waht the dealer
    would give me for a $ 4,000 job.

    I checked with another shop which looks more professional and I see newer
    and expensive foreign cars parked outside.
    The cost from them is $ 3,000 and they would give me 24 months/24K miles
    warranty.

    I would appreciate very much any suggestion. I need to fix the car very
    soon. Clearly I would go with the small shop but I wonder how complicated
    is to rebuild a Volvo tranny.
    Is it something that any tranny shop can do it?

    Thank you,

    Pier
     
    Pier1, Sep 26, 2004
    #1
  2. Pier1

    G Klein Guest

    try www.erievovo.com


    --
    "*-344-*Never Forgotten"
    Is for the New York City Firemen who lost their lives on September 11,2001.
    The official count is 343, but there was also a volunteer who lost his life
    aiding in the initial rescue efforts. And I will never forget them as long
    as I live,
    nor should any American.
    "Mow Green"
     
    G Klein, Sep 27, 2004
    #2
  3. Pier1

    James Sweet Guest

    Do you work for that place or something? IIRC they're in NY or something,
    not useful unless the guy happens to live by them.
     
    James Sweet, Sep 27, 2004
    #3
  4. Pier1

    James Sweet Guest


    Most automatics are pretty similar on the inside. I would go to the small
    shop personally, it's less than half the cost, as long as they don't screw
    things up getting the transmission in and out it should be fine. Could be
    the reason their shop looks less professional is that they focus on getting
    the job done at an affordable cost rather than dumping a lot of money into
    having a fancy looking shop. Wouldn't hurt to ask for referrals though.
     
    James Sweet, Sep 27, 2004
    #4
  5. Here's what to do - spend $1700-$2000 and convert it to manual.
    Automatics are hideously expensive to replace and offer nothing
    other than convienence, while a manual offers at least half a
    dozen advantages.

    - Less expensive to repair 3-4 clutch jobs = 1 auto rebuild.
    - Can start the car with a dead battery
    - Less weight
    - Better mileage
    - Control the car instead of it controlling you.
    - Can start the car in 2nd gear
    - Months or weeks of warning of a failing clutch as opposed
    to a few miles on an automatic.

    There are others, but for a car that old, if you want to
    keep it, convert it - or get an identical car with stick.
     
    Joseph Oberlander, Sep 27, 2004
    #5
  6. O.K., so I've got a looming "solenoid B malfunction." Today it goes to the
    local tranny shop my mechanic recommended. Maybe it's just the wiring, but
    suppose they tell me I need a $1750-$4000 rebuild/replace. I never wanted
    an automatic anyway (but the price was right). So what does it take to make
    it into a manual? Could my local shop do it or do I need a Volvo
    specialist? Will they be able to find the parts?

    Thanks
     
    Robert Lutwak, Sep 28, 2004
    #6
  7. But an auto rebuild is a rare thing - this one is needed at abnormally
    low mileage; most will comfortably last the life of the car. Manuals
    will need at least one clutch change, guaranteed - possible several.
    True. But jump leads are cheap, and it's good to make friends with
    your neighbours.
    Is this much of an issue in a Volvo? Maybe a sports car it would be.
    The difference is small.
    Modern auto boxes are much better at this.
    For starting on ice, you mean? The torque converter helps here, and
    some auto boxes have a setting for this. Otherwise it's a sure way to
    need a new clutch even sooner.
    I've had a clutch give very little warning of it's demise. I've also
    driven an auto box for many hundreds of miles, even though it was
    terminally damaged. Manual gearboxes go wrong, too.
    Changing from auto to manual will also require changing the flywheel,
    the pedal unit, fitting a clutch and an actuating mechanism, and
    probably changing the gear lever surround. Depending upon the car, it
    may even need new driveshafts and other stuff, too. Far, far easier
    (and probably cheaper) to simply replace it with a guaranteed
    secondhand or rebuilt box. A good workshop could do it in a couple of
    hours, and it is extremely unlikely to ever need any attention again.
    Each to his own, of course, but I remain unconvinced that the few real
    advantages of a manual outweigh the convenience and fuss-free driving
    pleasure of an auto.

    --

    Stewart Hargrave


    For email, replace 'SpamOnlyToHere' with my name
     
    Stewart Hargrave, Sep 28, 2004
    #7
  8. I got 270K out of two clutches(original and a replacement) - and the
    car still ran well when I sold it. At $150 plus parts(my local
    mechanic), it's no big deal.

    Being able to select which gear to be in, especially downhill,
    is a nice option.

    Sure, but most of the time you have lost of warning with the manual.
    In any case, you can start it in second or you can even shift the
    thing without a clutch if you get the revs and speed correct.
    I've never been unable to get a car with a dead clutch to make
    it to the garage for repairs. A dead automatic - I've had to two
    one 500 ft down the road - it stopped 1.5 blocks from the transmission
    shop and that was that.
     
    Joseph Oberlander, Sep 29, 2004
    #8
  9. I'd personally sell it and find a nearly identical car with stick.
     
    Joseph Oberlander, Sep 29, 2004
    #9
  10. Loads of folks have said this. It does not help the guy, he has an
    automatic, if he is in the USA or Canada he had no choice but the stick,
    retrofitting a 5 speed is not something many folks want to do, and hearing
    how wonderful your 5 speeds are helps him nil.

    I have been in Europe and been in traffic--mainly in France a tiny bit in GB
    and Spain. The traffic I saw, admittedly a tiny bit of the entire universe,
    but still a lot was not as bad as here--the Paris ring road was very busy,
    but almost always 'fluide' even during rush hours, the autoroute was
    occasionally busy and stop and go but that was rare and just for short
    distances.

    London was a disaster--why anyone would want to drive in the centre is a
    mystery that only inspector Morse could figure out! The outer parts of
    London are not too bad, like the area around the RAF Battle of Britain
    museum. The Motorways were not too bad either crowded but moving.

    In Spain small city centers were very busy, but the rest of the country was
    fine.

    Lets contrast that limited snapshot with the USA--from California to
    Colorado to Chicago to the North East and Mid Atlantic, the Pacific
    Northwest, and oh yeah, parts of many other states like Texas and Florida
    getting out of your local area to a small feeder road is often a traffic
    filled nightmare taking perhaps 4 or 5 cycles to get through key traffic
    light controlled intersections. After a while of this crawl one reaches the
    highway when be it an interstate (autoroute type road) or a traffic light
    controlled road one can often expect 5 to 10 miles of stop and go traffic

    Imagine shifting to first and restarting after a full stop several hundred
    times a commute! Yes I have a 5 speed in my Acura/Honda Integra, but the
    850 has a slush and my wife would have it no other way. I would also like
    to point out that in the USA many kids are never taught how to drive a stick
    because their family does not own one!
     
    Steve n Holly, Sep 29, 2004
    #10
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