A friend whose Dodge Caibler with a CVT transmission just died.
He took it to a shop that wanted a little over $4K to rebuild the tranny.
It Seems very high but this is a CVT and I am just checking in to see what a typical cost would be to have this CVT rebuilt.
Anyone with direct knowledge or experience who can share it is appreciated. What is a fair price?
It is his only vehicle and he does not have a lot of money. He just wants to get a fair deal.
Thanks.
You are setting yourself up to damage a friendship . You can suggest they get other estimates but if someone on a forum gives you a bogus price and they can’t get it done for that then you are at fault. You can repeat the advice that is given here that chain places like AMOCO and others are to be avoided.
Sounds like a fair price to me. Last CVT I quoted out was on a Nissan and it was $5500.
Just out of curiosity . . .
How many miles on that Nissan with the CVT . . . ?
It was months ago but I want to say it was in the 160K range. High enough I didn’t think it particularly unusual.
that’s 4 times more than my wife’s CVT lasted in 2013 Sentra
at 160K it is not as shameful as at 40K
Thanks
Admittedly, I WAS curious if the transmission had failed at low mileage
My son bought a new 2007 Caliber with the CVT some years ago and the owners manual specified 30k miles fluid changes. Lack of fluid changes could be the reason for the failure; assuming that’s the case.
The price doesn’t sound out of line to me and I agree with Volvo_V70 that you may be getting into a friendship quagmire if you start referring your friend to someone who might give a “better price”. It’s best to stay out of it.
Thanks for everyone’s replys and thoughts.
My knee jerk reaction is that comparing a domestic to a foreign transmission rebuild is a bit of apples to oranges. Even between domestic brands it may not be a fair comparison. The fact that your quote was over by more than$1,400 tells me that. Unless it was like 4 years ago or longer.
As these things get more popular and as time goes on I would think the pricing would drop. More mechanics and shops should be getting more experience and be more comfortable working on them. Spare parts get cheaper as aftermarket mfgs get in on it.
Does anyone have recent experience with with a Chrysler/ Dodge CVT rebuild? If so what was your cost…or if you are a tech and have recent experience working on them what is a fair rebuilt cost?
Also, this may be a naive question but why are people saying to avoid Chains like AAMCO?
Thanks!
Most chain service stores will do you more harm than good. I think that speaks for itself. Stick with a locally owned independent shop.
nbpt100 , (I am going to try this one more time ) You really should not be advising your friend with internet info. It never has good results. Location of repair shop can also effect price.
You have been here for several years, surely you have seen threads about the problems with the chain transmission shops.
A Mopar remanufactured transaxle is between $2700 and $3500 depending on the application. The labor is about 6 hours for a front wheel drive Caliber.
The cost to rebuilt a specific unit would depend on the damage found in that transmission, could cost more, could cost less.
I imagine a majority of customers are happy enough with chain transmission and oil change places. Increase your odds with an indie, depends on the indie.
Chains work on quotas (particularly AAMCO), so it’s in their best interest to just pop out an old tranny and put a new one in instead of actually doing diagnostics to figure out what the problem actually is. The quality of the mechanics is also typically drastically lower than that of an independent shopt
Thanks to all who replied.
I found this site on the Jatco Designed CVT used in the Caliber…also used in the Jeep Patriot and Compass.
It was designed in partnership with Nissan, Mitsubishi and Chrysler. So the Nissan example may be closer comparable repair than I first thought.
I don’t care for chain stores, restaurants and now repair shops and favor Independents who are committed to the community.
The repair cost is about the most the car is worth with 100K miles. Time to move on.
cvt trans? thats the main reason i am leery to keep my leased '15 civic. i do not trust any cvt trans. there is no history of honda cvt trans success on newer hondas.
Let us know if you have a problem. My '10 Insight CVT has been flawless for 76k.