I have a 2008 jeep liberty with 102k that needs a new transmission. Would you recommend a used/rebuilt or new? How much should I expect to pay? Thank you
Depends on the condition of the car and how long you want to keep it. Stay away from ALL national chains for transmission work. Get references from people who have lived in your area for a long time.
I have just had them rebuilt by a good shop. A brand new one will be more expensive but have a longer warranty. I would not go to all that work for a used one since that’s what you’ve got now.
Almost nobody installs a “brand new” transmission. Only a warranty case on a relatively new car would entail a new one supplied by the manufacturer.
What is now referred to a “new” is a properly rebuilt one with a full warranty.
A really new one costs much more than a 2008 Liberty is worth!
I’d recommend a remanufactured, not to be confused with a rebuilt.
A remanufactured item is completely torn down and brought back into new item specifications. A rebuilt item generally has the major wear components replaced and is repaired and retested. There’s a difference in the level of detail in the work.
Thanks for the info. Where is the place you used?
What condition is the vehicle in?
Is is rusty?
If it’s really rusty, and you think you’ll only get it through inspection a few more years, then that should be a consideration for how much you want to spend
If you’re going for a remanned trans, I’d look for an independent shop, as the other guys have said
What engine do you have?
A reman transmission for your Jeep runs about $1200 - $1500. It would be roughly $1000 to install it. Figure $2500 plus or minus for the job as a decent estimate with a 3 year warranty.
It is an expensive job for a complicated part. Make sure the rest of the vehicle is worth the price. Use that as your guide.
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+1
If this vehicle hasn’t been maintained at least as well as the vehicle manufacturer specified, any significant investment in maintenance could be counter-productive at this point.
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As mentioned, also make sure you like the car and want to keep it for a while. These major repairs are always a turning point in the car ownership, if the car was 2 year old with 40K miles on it, it would be a no brainer.
Whatever you do,make sure you use a decent shop with some local history and a warranty.
I had my Ford truck’s C4 automatic rebuilt and am very pleased w/the results. The shop took it apart, replaced all the worn parts, and put it back together. Been going strong for 20+ years now, nary a single issue. The key to a successful rebuild is choosing a good and competent transmission shop. It’s a very technical process that requires a great deal of diligence and att’n to detail and cleanliness. Ask the shop you have routine work done who they use for transmission work on their own cars. There’s usually one inde tranny shop in town that all the mechanics use, and that’s the one you want to use too.
When I did this process, I got recommendations & quotes from 3 different shops, and then interviewed each shop. Based on what I saw at the shop, how organized and clean it was, I decided on the shop w/the highest bid. And it was quite a bit more costly than the other two. And that was a good decision.
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