Transmission and drivetrain
Transmission and Drivetrain Repairs in Brisbane
Most cars that come in with a transmission complaint do not need a new transmission. Slipping, delayed engagement and a warning light can all come from a solenoid, a speed sensor, a wiring fault or fluid that has been in there far too long. We diagnose automatic and manual transmissions, gearboxes, clutches and the rest of the drivetrain at our Moorooka workshop, and you get told which of those you are actually dealing with before anything comes apart.
What we handle
Transmission and drivetrain services
Transmission repairs
Automatic and manual. Diagnosis first, then solenoid, sensor, valve body, fluid and internal work depending on what the fault turns out to be.
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Transmission replacement
When a unit is genuinely past repairing, we fit reconditioned, second-hand or new units and explain what warranty comes with each.
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Gearbox repairs
Manual gearbox rebuilds, synchro and bearing replacement, selector and linkage faults.
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Clutch repairs
Clutch kits, flywheels, thrust bearings and the hydraulics that operate them.
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Drivetrain diagnostics
Noise, vibration and clunking traced back to CV joints, tailshafts, diffs, bearings and mounts.
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Our approach
Why we diagnose before we quote
A transmission is one of the few areas where a wrong guess costs real money. Pull one out of a car that had a $300 electrical fault and you have wasted several thousand dollars of somebody's money and a week of their time.
So the first job is always the same. We scan for stored codes across the transmission and engine modules, look at live data while the car is driving, check fluid level and condition properly rather than glancing at a dipstick, and road test it with a technician who can feel what the car is doing at the moment the fault appears.
Automatic
How automatics fail
An automatic tells you it is unhappy through shift quality. Shifts arrive late, arrive hard, flare between gears, or the engine revs climb without the car accelerating to match. Many of those symptoms are hydraulic or electronic rather than mechanical wear.
A slipping automatic destroys its own clutch packs and contaminates the fluid with the material it is shedding. Worth acting on early.
Manual
How manuals fail
A manual tells you through noise and feel. Grinding into one particular gear, a lever that will not stay in fifth, a whine that rises and falls with road speed, or a clutch pedal that has crept up near the top of its travel.
Those are usually mechanical and usually gradual, which is why people put up with them for months. A worn clutch that keeps slipping will eventually take the flywheel with it.
Drivetrain noise
Noise is a drivetrain job until proven otherwise
Plenty of people arrive convinced the gearbox is on the way out when the actual fault is a wheel bearing, a worn CV joint, an out of balance tailshaft or a diff with a whine in it. All of those sit in the same part of the car and all of them sound roughly like trouble from the driver's seat.
The way to separate them is a road test with someone in the car who knows what to listen for. Whether a noise changes with road speed, engine speed, throttle load or steering angle tells you more in five minutes than an hour on a hoist will.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Is a slipping transmission always a rebuild?
No, and assuming it is costs people a lot of money. Low or degraded fluid, a failing solenoid and a faulty speed sensor all produce slipping, and all are far cheaper to fix.
How much does transmission work cost?
It depends entirely on what has failed. A sensor and a rebuild are separated by thousands of dollars, so we diagnose first and quote after.
Can I keep driving a car that is slipping?
We would not. Slipping generates heat and shedded friction material, and both make the eventual repair bigger and more expensive.
Do you work on automatics and manuals?
Both, along with CVTs and dual clutch transmissions.
How long does diagnosis take?
Usually one to two hours including a road test. Intermittent faults sometimes need the car overnight so we can test it cold and hot.
Should I change my transmission fluid?
On most automatics yes, at the interval in your logbook. A very high mileage box that has never had a change is a judgement call.
My car makes a noise but shifts fine. Is that the gearbox?
Often not. Wheel bearings, CV joints, tailshafts and diffs all live nearby and all sound similar from inside the car.
Will you show me what failed?
Yes. Ask and we will put the old parts in front of you and explain what went wrong.
Book a transmission diagnosis
Find out what it actually is before you pay for a rebuild.
Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, Saturday 8am to 3pm. After-hours key drop available. All major cards and cash.