My friend’s Ford occasionally begins to rev the engine at about 55 mph. It only does it on periodically and while at a constant speed of 55-60. She doesn’t have a regular mechanic and is afraid someone will just tell her the transmission is gone and she needs a costly replacement. The car has 84,000 miles and she’d like to run it for a while. Is there a way of getting the car checked without getting ripped off?
If it’s a manual tranny then the clutch is almost certainly shot. That’s the classic symptom.
If it’s an automatic she should at least read the owner’s manual and check the tranny fluid level. Then she should get it checked out. If they tell her the tranny is shot she can always decide not to fix it and just keep driving the car.
Ask around for an independent reputable tranny repair shop, NOT a chain. Check with co-workers, friends, family, etc for a referral.
At the very least, get 3 different quotes.