What Should I do?

"ZaqAtaq" (ZaqAtaq)
12/16/2014 at 10:07 • Filed to: None

I posted a couple weeks ago about what SUV should I get to replace my wife's 2005 Honda Pilot which had radiator/transmission issues. (Picture above is not mine but is exactly what happened then the transmission cooler failed on mine) At the time we wanted to get rid of it because we just didn't trust it anymore, and, now we have reason to not trust it; it seems the torque converter has gone to shit. Shudders during shifts and in those times where it could downshift to get up a hill but its not completely necessary, it makes a weird loud humming/rattling noise.

With this occurring, I can't in good conscious sell the car to a private party at a good price. If I take the car as a trade in they'll laugh at me and give me next to nothing (as they should, the damn thing is broke).

Or I can fix it. Take it to the dealer for a new transmission and torque converter and its going to be $4,000 at least. I can buy a rebuilt unit with converter and external cooler from ebay for $1500 and then shipping, and core... it will likely be $2,000 all in and then the hours it will take to replace it. I am no stranger to big jobs; I am restoring a 66 Dodge Coronet and in the years I owned my Dodge Stealth went through 2 clutches, 2 transmissions, and an engine swap, so I feel confident that I could swap it myself but the hours, THE HOURS, seem so daunting.

This is where you come in... What should I do? Invest in the rebuilt and drive the wheels off the current Pilot? It has 110,000 miles on it and otherwise runs quite well. Or do I cut bait now and take all I can get for trade in?

DISCUSSION (15)

Ash78, voting early and often > ZaqAtaq
12/16/2014 at 10:15

I say shop around for a tranny and stick with it. That car is young and the secondary market will still offer you a good price with 150k+ on it, especially with a new tranny (I recently joined the Odyssey fray and tranny replacements are almost expected from this generation). You'll get your money's worth out of it.

Drive the wheels off of it!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > ZaqAtaq
12/16/2014 at 10:16

A lot of dealers don't test drive or inspect trade ins, so that may be your best bet. My store gets FUBAR'd trades all the time and they just end up going to auction.

Or you could try doing a few fluid changes first to try to flush any crap out that may still be in there, or try a flush machine (NOT a back-flush machine).

Wait to pursue replacement until those two options fail.

E92M3 > ZaqAtaq
12/16/2014 at 10:23

Have you flushed the tranny since the cooler failure?

Money Hustard > ZaqAtaq
12/16/2014 at 10:25

I traded my wife's Honda Accord in for a Subaru outback right as its transmission was going. I did it late on Valentine's day. All they did was go start it to check the miles. I got full kbb value in excellent condition. This cars was tagged out and had seen 8 bad winters.

ZaqAtaq > E92M3
12/16/2014 at 10:29

The cooler failure was less than 300 miles ago and they flushed it until everything came out clear red (4 times) when it happened. I replaced the 3rd and 4th gear pressure switches since but it did not help.

ZaqAtaq > Ash78, voting early and often
12/16/2014 at 10:30

My wife likes the car overall, but the idea of putting $4,000 (1700 for the cooler, at least 2 for transmission) is souring her opinion. She always had the 'drive the wheels off it' attitude but I fear after this she wont and then she'll still want to get rid of it.

ZaqAtaq > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
12/16/2014 at 10:31

Seriously? They don't do a trade in inspection or anything? Well, I was feeling guilty for just passing it down the road but maybe I'll give it a try. If they don't inspect it then it's on their hands and my guilt is lessened.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > ZaqAtaq
12/16/2014 at 10:35

They do not and you are exactly correct. Nor do most of them care if there are issues. Their cost to fix is pretty cheap, and if that's too much they'll auction it to someone else who can fix it (probably).

Funktheduck > ZaqAtaq
12/16/2014 at 10:40

They didn't inspect my corolla when I traded it in. It was in pretty good condition for the mileage. They just looked at the mileage and did a quick walk around. The sales guy said because the mileage is so high they would just send it to auction. Just under 250k.

Ash78, voting early and often > ZaqAtaq
12/16/2014 at 10:44

My wife has an 01 Passat (110k) where the tranny started acting up, which is a big part of why we just bought the Odyssey. Now the tranny is acting fine, but after 3 pro opinions that say it needs a $4k replacement and a private party value of maybe $5k if running great, I feel your pain.

So now I'm the one driving the wheels off of it ;)

ZaqAtaq > Ash78, voting early and often
12/16/2014 at 10:58

After 5 years of driving a Pontiac Vibe, I bought a Focus ST last year. That is another reason I don't want to trade hers in; two car payments. We can afford two but we were really enjoying having only mine.

Meatcoma > ZaqAtaq
12/16/2014 at 11:14

Did they flush the cooler and lines as well? I'm going to assume so.

Meatcoma > ZaqAtaq
12/16/2014 at 11:15

Usually if they have over 150k they just make sure they run and auction them off.

ZaqAtaq > Meatcoma
12/16/2014 at 11:17

Yes. The cooler was replaced (as it is integrated in the radiator) and the lines were all replaced.

Meatcoma > ZaqAtaq
12/16/2014 at 11:28

Just asking as I've had a transmission 'flushed' and all they did was pull the gdamn pan and replace the fluid. I got my money back from that since it was not a flush, it was a fluid change. Then went to the dealer and got a pressurized flush.