You have several options when it comes to transmission repair. There are neighborhood repair shops and the larger shops affiliated with the big department stores. There are transmission specialty shops and the dealerships that sells your type of car. Then there are places you may have not thought of.
You can go to any local transmission shop and have your transmission repaired. If the shop is well known and has a reputable reputation of being fair, honest and of doing the work correctly, this could be a viable choice. Most places guarantee the work for the life of the car or for the remainder of the time you own it. This works especially well if you plan to stay a resident in this area. If you are a traveler or planning to move a long distance, you might want to go to a nation-wide transmission company. Centers such as AAMCO are in most every state and in or around most metropolitan areas. Their guarantees are transferable from location to location.
There are neighborhood repair shops and the larger automotive centers at the shopping mall being part of a big department store chain. Keep in mind there are good and bad mechanics in every type of venue.
You can go to the dealership service center where you purchased your vehicle for transmission repair. If you are still under the new car warranty, then this should be your only option. To get your transmission fixed would cost you nothing out of pocket if it is still under the manufacturer's warranty. If you are no longer living in the area where you purchased your car, you can still go to a dealership for this type of car. If you are under warranty, this is transferable from dealership to dealership.
A little known resource is the nation's schools that teach the trade of automotive repairs. Many trade schools are at the high school education level. The students work under instructors who are master tradesmen. The majority of these schools take in cars from the public to repair automotive problems. This is typically at no charge for labor and charge only for the parts. This can be an inexpensive way to have your transmission fixed. There are also college level trade schools in many areas of the country that offer a similar service. Before taking your out-of-warranty car to get an expensive transmission job done, it might be to your benefit to do an online search to see if one of these schools are near you. Ask for the automotive department of the school and inquire if this service is offered. This can inconvenience you for a few days, however, because the students only work on the cars during the school day. Depending on the amount of money you will be saving, it just might be worth the wait.
