Chrysler Repair: 1998 T&C transmission, transmission repair shop, clutch pack

Question
My wife noticed the transmission in our 89k Mile 1998 T&C lxi slip the other day. I got in to drive it and noticed a small puddle of Transmission fluid. I drove the vehicle less then 1 mile to a transmission repair shop (Lee Myles), informed them of the leak and the slip my wife noticed, the mechanic took the vehicle for a road test (without first determining how much fluid the car had ir didn't have, a negligent oversight in my book but I'm nobody) Upon return I witnessed the car drop at least 8oz of transmission fluid. He hooked it up to the reader and then put it on a lift. about 20 minutes later he stated the clutch pack was burnt. I have no problem with this initial diagnosis, as slippage would indeed indicate this and driving with low fluid level might cause this... So we set it up to have the transmissions soft parts replaced...

Any way 2 days later they are telling me they are still getting an "overheat code" on the transmission, after the "repair". Is there any documented cases of the computer giving overheat codes without the transmission actually being overheated?

Do you think it's likely that the clutches were burnt? Do you have any ideas about the average mileage the 1998 T&C gets prior to needing a transmission rebuild?

I tried to save time and money by taking it to the closest transmission place to have the leak diagnosed... hoping that fixing the leak and adding fluid would have me happily on my way. Rather then risk further damage to the transmission, by taking it elsewhere I decided to accept this shops diagnosis and have it repaired immediately. What kind of advice can you offer to me and other users for when we think we have a transmission problem in the future?


Answer
Hi John,
I am sorry to learn of your frustration in this repair saga.
The electronic transaxles are sophisticated and need to be handled by knowledgeable mechanics. I would tend to stay away from any frachise shop (like AAMCO) and stick with either an independent shop with a good reputation or a Chrysler dealer. The cost of R & R is going to be in the $1500 range from what I hear. I would not accept any prognosis that says we fixed the clutches but it still overheats. If they did a proper readout before they started, opened it up and knew what they were doing then what ever was done should have fixed and cleared the codes. It is their responsibility to do whatever is now necessary as the result of not doing it right the first time. Small claims court may be your recourse. It is possible that they didn't properly clear the trans controller memory so they are looking at a 'prior to repair' code. But in any case, I would want to have a Chrysler dealer do a code readout as soon as you resolve this matter with Lee Myles. And be sure to get warranty in writing for later claim that might develop.
It is hard to know just what was going on before and during the work up for the original diagnosis. So that is probably a lost cause. But do insist on getting it repaired right at a cost of no more than the estimated original cost, because there should be no way they can come back at you after they did the job and say "oops we didn't get it all done", after paying them to do a total R & R.
Roland