Hyundai Repair: 1997 Hyundai Transmission, hyundai transmissions, hyundai elantra

Question
I have a 1997 Hyundai Elantra with 134K original miles.  I replaced trainsmission at 93K.  The engine blew at 130K, and I replaced this with a 20K salvaged one. At this point I have also recently replaced water pump, altenator, rotors, and various other items. I am debating whether to put $1500 into another tranny rebuild, but with a lot of the other work done, I'm thinking that it would at least last another 40K.  What is general life expectancy of rebuilt Hyundai transmissions?  Your thoughts?

Answer
It's difficult for me to say whether it's worth the expense since I don't know the relative condition of your vehicle.  If the vehicle is in otherwise good condition, it's probably spending $1500 on repair.  If not, then the decision is much more difficult.  You'll need to assess your own financial situation, the condition of this vehicle, and it's value (both to you and for sale in the event you should have an accident and require an insurance settlement).

I find it disturbing that the replacement transmission only lasted 40,000 miles.  Factory remanufactured transmissions tend to be of good quality, and you may well be able to have one installed for around $1500 to $2000.  I wouldn't be surprised to see one of these transmissions to last on the order of 100,000 miles, but the downside is that the warranty period is only 1 year/12,000 miles.  On the other hand, I've been less impressed with Jasper (www.jasperengines.com) products, but their remanufactured transmissions come with a 3 year/100,000 mile warranty.  Depending on your driving habits, this may give you more insurance.  Shop around national companies, you may find a transmission with a price and warranty suitable for your situation.  

I do not recommend having a shop rebuild the transmission that's currently in your car.  While this is presumably the same work that a rebuilder would be doing, transmission rebuilding is now specialty work.  Most mechanics are not experienced enough nor quailified to do this sort of work properly.  Shops doing this work tend to use the minimum amount of materials necessary to make the transmission work, whereas a national rebuilder will typically replace parts that are known for failure with parts redesigned in an effort to eliminate failures.  In addition, depending on the shop you use, the warranty may not be of a satisfactory duration or able to be used nationally.