The answer to the question "How much does it cost to repair a car transmission?" is usually pretty high! But there are some times when asking "Is it worth fixing a transmission?" that the answer is yes! Here are a few of the cheaper instances when it’s worth repairing your car’s transmission.
- Solenoid replacement
The solenoid is an electro-hydraulic valve that opens and closes at a certain time and allows your automatic transmission to shift properly. Without a properly functional solenoid, your car will have difficulty (or delays in shifting). You will especially notice trouble while your car is decelerating and trying to downshift on its own. A solenoid replacement will cost you anywhere between $150 for parts and labor all the way up to $400, and possibly more depending on the make and model.
- Transmission fluid replacement
There are a few signs that your car has low transmission fluid. Erratic shifts, strange grinding noises, sudden spikes in RPMs while shifting, and sudden up or downshifts are a few symptoms of having low transmission fluid. Unfortunately, they’re also some signs of more serious transmission issues. If you are lucky and it’s only the transmission fluid (and we do mean lucky, as it’s the cheapest car transmission repair cost you’ll find), you’re looking to pay between $80 and $250 to have your transmission fluid flushed and the filter replaced.
The more expensive transmission repairs
Those are the cheap options to repair your transmission because the average transmission repair cost is much higher. Still, it might be worth it for you to pay to repair the car before you decide to sell it. The biggest factor you’ll have to consider when deciding to repair your transmission or replace your car is how much the repair will cost and how much the car is worth. If your car is still worth a lot and you have some money for the cost of repairs, it might be worth it to repair the transmission.
- Replace your clutch
If your whole transmission doesn’t need to be replaced, one of the more common issues is requiring the clutch to be replaced. Clutches are meant to last around 75,000 miles and even up to 100,000 on some newer models, but they will eventually need to be replaced. Depending on what needs to be replaced (the mechanic might need to replace the pressure plate, clutch disk, or throw-out bearing), the average price for a clutch replacement is between $1200 and $1400.
Honestly, replacing your clutch is really the only transmission repair worth doing, and it’s really only worth it if it’s a newer car that’s still worth quite a bit of money and you have the money to replace it. The answer to the question "How much does transmission repair cost?" beyond a clutch replacement is: very expensive! Once you have issues like grinding gears or a transmission that fails to go into gear, repairing it will rival the cost to replace your transmission. At that point, it’s worth replacing the entire transmission, but beware, that will cost you a lot.
