Poll

Melted transmission. What to do with the car?

This poll has expired. Voting is no longer possible.
13 votes were received.

Repair the transmission	9		69%
Junk or sell AS-IS, get another car	1		8%
MAVIC knows a guy who can do it for three-fitty or another suggestion.	3		23%

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2008 Toyota Sienna
130,000 Miles
BlueBook $8,000

Probably a complete transmission replacement. I don't fully understand what when wrong first or what I could have done differently, but the end result is probably a bricked transmission.

New transmission $2500? PLUS INSTALL
Used dice roll $1200 plus install.
Rebuilt somewhere in between.

I have the funds to buy a replacement used vehicle, though of course it's not an optimal market time to do so.

What says the hive mind?

Dump and fill with 3309 (or whatever called for) and add asome TransTune fluid.

Do you love the car? Fix it. Do you not love the car? Sell it for junk and move on.

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If you junk it, find and buy the replacement before you do.

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pRICE cUBE
Do you love the car? Fix it. Do you not love the car? Sell it for junk and move on.

Agreed.

Sounds like a question for a toyota forum.

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Keep it and fix. You could probably find a decent junkyard tranny for low $.

Both new and used auto prices are sky high right now with hardly any inventory at the dealers.

NOT a buyers market, IMO.

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How bad is it?

If you can still drive it, it's certainly worth it to try my suggestion above.

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mrbigstuff
How bad is it?

If you can still drive it, it's certainly worth it to try my suggestion above.

It is undriveable. It lost all its fluid in the process of collapsing. My mechanic friend refilled it but could not get the transmission to budge. This friend is not set up to take the repairs any further himself.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2021 03:42PM by Acer.

Unless the rebuilt/used trans comes with a 12 month warranty, I would go with new.

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Acer

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mrbigstuff
How bad is it?

If you can still drive it, it's certainly worth it to try my suggestion above.

It is undriveable. It lost all its fluid in the process of collapsing. My mechanic friend refilled it but could not get the transmission to budge. This friend is not set up to take the repairs any further himself.

Did you hit something to puncture the case?

Odd to lose fluid. At any rate, a fill up with proper fluid is a cheap gamble.

Are there other issues with the car? If so, may not be worth keeping.

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mrbigstuff
Dump and fill with 3309 (or whatever called for) and add asome TransTune fluid.

Do that and trade for a new vehicle, you will still pay a few thousand.

If its in otherwise good shape, fix it. A replacement van will be AT least $10,000 for anything one year newer! A new van is upwards of $30,000, IF you can get one.

[www.cars.com][]=toyota&maximum_distance=30&mileage_max=&models[]=toyota-sienna&page_size=20&sort=list_price&stock_type=used&year_max=&year_min=2007&zip=78228

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About 20 years ago, I was speaking with a Transmission Tech. He told me that if people simply had a transmission service done every other year, their transmission would last forever. Said “service” was basically change the fluid and filter (if there was a filter; otherwise clean the filter screen). Cost < $100 (or about $50/year). MOST vehicle Service Guides mention NOTHING re the automatic transmission. No wonder people ignore / neglect their vehicle’s ATM.

Many modern vehicles, even going back 2 decades+, don't even have a service interval for the transmission. They are filled for life. The life of the part, NOT the life of the vehicle.

My partner's 2003 Mountaineer is that way. Not even a dipstick/fill tube.

My old Buicks now have drain plugs installed in their transmissions, and rear differentials, One Buick has an external 2 qt chevy truck filter in line of the cooler line, and the big car, the same, as well as a deep pan from a motor home. They never get more than almost hot, never close to burning the fluid no matter how much I beat on them.

In any vehicle, if you can, and it isn't already synthetic fluid, change it over. It takes higher temps without burning/oxidizing, and lubricates better. Lasts longer too.

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How nice is the rest of the vehicle? Clean interior, rust free, no body damage? I'd be inclined to fix it if everything else on the car is in great shape and you could expect another 100k out of it. If not, I'd sell.

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C(-)ris
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On second thought (or may be fourth), do you trust this mechanic? Again, very odd for a trans to just up and lose all of its fluid. And even if it does, all that happens is that the car will not move, you don't burn anything out like an engine losing oil.

There is a guy here who has a trans shop. Maybe he'll chime in? Is it Pat?

The mechanic in question is just a very capable friend. He offered to take a look, in case it was something straightforward he could fix. He sees he is now out in of his depth and is just giving me the worst case scenario. The next step is to tow it to a professional shop for a proper diagnosis.

Can you even get a new part these days? there is a shortage of everything. You may have seen a $2500 price tag for a new tranny, but who knows if you can actually get one.

Your options may be very limited, no matter which direction you go. Sorry for the bad news.

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Acer
The mechanic in question is just a very capable friend. He offered to take a look, in case it was something straightforward he could fix. He sees he is now out in of his depth and is just giving me the worst case scenario. The next step is to tow it to a professional shop for a proper diagnosis.

I'd go with the next step, then. Find out exactly what the problem is, then work from there. I also second consulting Toyota-specific forums to see how common the problem is, etc.

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If my math is correct, you're only putting on 10,000 miles per year, which is on the low side of average.