box of gears

July 13, 2010 5:23 PM

I have a 2004 Volvo XC 90 - crossover - Recently the gearbox slipped and a warning light appeared informing that the gear box needed urgent servicing...

I took the car to our regular mechanic - who we only use because the previous owners of the car used them and they are close by. All in all they seem ok. The mechanic told me that the gearbox needs replacing, and it's going to cost $7500, which frankly is a bit of a shock, but regardless, I asked him to do the work and he has.

He tells me its a new box, but is only offering one year warranty - would this be right? Would it not be three years? And is $7500 (AUD) about what you would pay for a new gearbox - fitted?

I have no reason to doubt him, and in all our dealings he's always been pretty goo, however this is a lot of money.

posted by the noob to Travel & Transportation (3 answers total)

A transmission is quite an expensive piece of equipment. I've installed transmissions that cost about $6000 USD out of the crate. Add another six to ten hours of labor, depending on the car, and it's easy to hit $7000 on a luxury car like a Volvo. Even the transmission fluid is specific and expensive, not to mention any special tools that might be required for this job. If you had a Honda CRV and someone told you the transmission would be $7000, I'd tell you to be wary. But, as expensive as it is, that's pretty standard for late model luxury car transmissions.
Just make sure to drive it like you stole it so anything that might break does so during your year warranty.
posted by Jon-o at 6:18 PM on July 13, 2010

He tells me its a new box, but is only offering one year warranty - would this be right? Would it not be three years?

Maybe if you had the work done at a Volvo dealership(?)


Just make sure to drive it like you stole it so anything that might break does so during your year warranty.

And then the transmission breaks in the 13th month...
posted by StarmanDXE at 8:21 AM on July 14, 2010

We have had similar issues with our 2002. Is the trans still/consistently slipping? If the problem is intermittent, I have found that fluid levels are critical. Check it both hot and cold. Make sure that you use the correct synthetic fluid. If the problem is not consistent, check the fluid, have the codes cleared (an auto parts store should do this for free) and soldier on. Good luck.
posted by Mr.Me at 11:48 AM on July 14, 2010