Hello , I got a 1997 Chrysler town and country van from a family member last year back in February . After putting new brakes , tires and a tune up I started driving it around for almost 3weeks and then one day as I was driving it started this jerking motion I then took it to a repair shop where later the guy told me it needed a new transmission . Witch they put a rebuilt one and I pay over 2500 with labor and all . then a moth after getting it back from the repair shop it started to jerk then the engine light will turn on it wouldn’t go past 45mph without the rpm going high so I keep taking it back and its been under warranty I have took it back at least 6 times and I just has to take it back again because of the same thing well he just told me today he has to order a new transmission . My question is can I make them pay me back because I have to get a car rental because I cant be without a car I have a disable daughter who has 2 - 3 doctor appt. a month and there all in different cities
You can ask, but this is an old car and old cars have a lot of problems. Fortunately it sounds like they are standing behind the transmission and fixing it. But frequently warranties state they will fix the problem but not give you a loaner (cars, TV’s, pc’s etc)
Maybe if they have an old loaner out back they could let you use, otherwise it’s on you. I picked the wrong trans shop once and it took me 7 weeks to get my car back. Then I had to pay another shop $400 to put in a new wire harness that I got charged for by the first shop. Then even though I had a two year warranty, it went out in a year and had to pay another shop $2000 to fix it again. So if they are standing behind their work, that’s the best you can hope for.
I seriously doubt it, but if you have a written warrantee read the fine print. You might get lucky.
I think Bing’s suggestion is your best chance. perhaps they have a loaner they can loan you.
I don’t see that happening, but no harm can come from asking I’d guess. You might get lucky.
May I ask how you came about using this particular transmission shop? Who recommended it to you?
First, I doubt that these are new transmissions. They are either used or rebuilt transmissions. A new transmission would last a lot longer and cost a lot more. Find out if they are used or rebuilt. A used transmission is pulled from a similar car and put into yours without tinkering with the parts. A rebuilt transmission is torn down and new parts are used to build it back up.
You can ask about the loaner. They probably won’t reimburse you for your past rentals, but might have a car you can use on those days you need to take your daughter to the doctor. Make sure they know why you need the car on those specific days. That might get them to spring for it. If not, maybe they. Could give you a ride or you could get a ride from a Good Samaritan neighbor.
Please allow me to relate my experiences, from sometime back in the '90s:
A very close friend of mine was experiencing problems with his late '80s Corolla.
I took it to my trusted indy mechanic who confirmed my suspicions that the never maintained 90k transmission was about to crap-out.
He suggested a fairly-new trans shop in the next town, so I took the Corolla to that shop.
To make a long story a bit less lengthy, when that trans shop had not been able to return the Corolla in repaired condition after ~10 days, I visited the shop and “negotiated” the payment for my friend’s car rental fees for the past several days.
Okay…I intimidated them into agreeing to pay for his car rental after day three of their repair efforts, but intimidation of recalcitrant merchants/vendors is one of my specialties. And, the bottom line is that this shop did not have any credible excuse for their repeated failure to return a repaired vehicle on schedule.
If you are relatively-skilled at dealing with shops that are recalcitrant–as I am–you just may be able to recover the car rental fees.
@VDCdriver … it sounds like you made him an offer he couldn’t refuse … 
Let’s just say that, even though I am a very nice guy, I am also a very good actor and can make myself…scary…when the occasion demands it. Visualize Chris Christie on one of his rants and you will get an idea of how I approached the schmuck who ran that trans shop. Obviously, it worked!
My regular mechanic stated that he was embarrassed at what had happened at the trans shop to which he referred me, and assured me that he would no longer recommend that trans shop. Incidentally, what I failed to mention in the previous post was that this indy trans shop was out of business within about 1 year, so I guess that I wasn’t the only displeased customer.