PSA: Avoid AAA Transmission in Everett, WA

[Grit_dog]

I know there are alot of wetsiders on this forum, so take this FWIW.

I didn't use this shop, but the guy we bought an old Chevy Tahoe from recently did. Per his story and the shop guy Jeremy (I called AAA to ask what had been done to the rig as the PO was mechanically clueless).
Trans was rebuilt at owners request "for towing", trans was fine before rebuild.....anyway.
Truck started bleeding a little on the floor. Figured maybe rear seal on T case?
Got er up on ramps, took skiddy plate off and it was leaking between the trans and transfer case.
CR@P!, Right?
Here's the list of shoddy sh_t discovered.
1. T case to adapter connection is smeared around the outside with orange rtv like a 3 year olds mouth after eating a PB&J sandwich!
2. Of the 4 bolts that I could reach, 3 of them were loose, 1 really loose and tightening them appears to have stopped the leak, but....
3. There should not be fluid here anyway as I'm about 99% certain that the trans has a rear seal and the T case has a front seal, as they don't share fluid. AND the %*^$)@!ing thing just got rebuilt.
4. I don't know which unit is leaking into the adapter, fluid is fresh and nice n red, like the trans (it should be). But the T case should have GM AutotrakII fluid which is blue (at this point I'd expect the idiot just filled the t case with ATF, or didn't change and fill the T case).
5. I can't tell because the fill plug is so fcked up from someone using vice grips and/or rounding off and over tightening the magnesium plug I can't get the fill plug out, so not taking out the drain plug yet! (BTW, same dum fck or another one use vice grips on the trans pan drain bolt as well....)
6. The transmission to x member mount had one very loose nut and one missing nut holding the transmission down, so actually nothing was actively clamping the trans to the x member.

Yes, classic case of buyer beware and the pitfalls of owning someone else's lack of give a sht.....but woulda thought the trans shop could at least tighten bolts and install seals.....
AND USE A GDDMM 18MM WRENCH WHEN THERES AN 18 MM BOLT TO TURN!

Not sure if I should call the guy and see if he will warranty it, or if I'm afraid to let him touch it!! LOL

[Grit_dog]

Few days later, no drippys on the floor, so that's good.
Still not 100% sure but presuming fluid from the Trans is supposed to be present in the adapter section between the trans and T case....hopefully.
Need to order a new fill plug for the t case before attempting to mangle it even more to remove it. Hopefully can get it with an "easy out" socket for hex nuts.

Based on the level of competence that went into the trans rebuild, I'm hedging my bet that there isn't the right fluid in the t case or whether it was changed at all. Although 4wd and auto 4 wd works fine, no binding. But I'm not convinced that the "mechanic" understands the importance of the right fluid for wet clutches.

[Grit_dog]

^ Uhh, ok. Reading comprehension Fish. Did I use this shop or did I inherit their shoddy work?
And by the “right way” at the dealer, would that be the coolant left low and rad hose clamp left off the radiator that the dodge dealer performed on my wife’s car, or the 8 weeks and 3 attempts at fixing a transmission that the Chevy dealer performed on my company truck?

Not sure what it has to do with my Schwab story (haha schwab....sob....).
They didn’t fck anything up, just tried to rob me legally.
Just like any other service, there are good and there are bad providers of every service.
This place just happened to surpass bad and went straight to horrible.
If I was that sht stick at AAA, I would have denied working on it just to protect my name!

And since your in TX, this wasn’t meant for you, unless you happen to blow up your transmission while on vacation in WA, but you’d take it to the dealer anyway so still don’t apply.

[FishOnOne]

I guess you didn't learn from your Les Schwab tire store song and dance story. Take your truck to a Chevy dealer and get it fixed the right way.

End of story...

[blofgren]

LOL,that is true; still had a few cuss words under there though! :B

[Grit_dog]

blofgren wrote:
That really sucks and that sort of crp p!sses me off as well. My 2001 Yukon had a bad exhaust leak when I bought it last year. I originally thought it was the driver's side exhaust manifold because the rear bolt was broken off. Turns out the PO (who was mechanically clueless as well) had the transmission rebuilt about 25k before I bought the truck. Low and behold, the crossover pipe was put back in with NO gaskets whatsoever. Bought the gaskets and installed them, and it was quiet as a baby afterwards. And the shop that he had it done at has really good ratings! :S

On the glass is half full side, at least them nuts had been off recently so they shouldn't have been too rusted up!

[Grit_dog]

Ours has the requisite broken rear exh manifold bolt too. Musn't need that one as it's real common and (knock on wood) I've not heard them "ticking." Lots of older 5.3s and 6.0 LS motors at work and almost as many broken manifold bolts.

[blofgren]

That really sucks and that sort of crp p!sses me off as well. My 2001 Yukon had a bad exhaust leak when I bought it last year. I originally thought it was the driver's side exhaust manifold because the rear bolt was broken off. Turns out the PO (who was mechanically clueless as well) had the transmission rebuilt about 25k before I bought the truck. Low and behold, the crossover pipe was put back in with NO gaskets whatsoever. Bought the gaskets and installed them, and it was quiet as a baby afterwards. And the shop that he had it done at has really good ratings! :S

[Grit_dog]

Yeah, I was really shocked at what I saw.
Zero embellishment in the above post too. It was/is that ridiculous.

With the holidays coming, now I'm having visions of sugarplums and loose torque converter bolts dancing in my head!

Bad part is, this thing is in otherwise great shape, runs like a top, low miles and would have been better off if the PO had just had the trans serviced like a normal person would, and moved on.

I'm complaining about something that's my own dumb fault, sort of. D@mn skid plate was hiding the evidence when I crawled under it before buying.
I guess when the PO said he knew the shop owner and got the good buuddy deal, he failed to realize that deal included the owners 10 year old nephew was going to re-install it!

Correction, 8 years old. I knew enough to tighten all the bolts I loosened up by age 10! But I didn't learn to not use vice grips on sht that you shouldn't use vice grips on until the ripe old age of 12! Lol

[ScottG]

Wow, it's amazing a place like that stays alive.