AAMCO Transmission, Daytona Beach, FL - told transmission needed to be re-built - misdiagnosed problem - there was actually a problem with the clutch assembly

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RE: AAMCO Transmission, Daytona Beach, FL - told transmission needed to be re-built - misdiagnosed problem - there was actually a problem with the clutch assembly

I own a 1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse. This car has only 36,000 miles on it which is very low for a car of this age. I take very good care of it, but was surprised to find the transmission acting up slightly. The car was still very drivable, since I used it to go to work everyday.

I decided I would try and prevent any large and expensive problems from forming, by bringing it to AAMCO, since they are transmission specialists. I had them keep the car over the weekend to diagnose the slight noise I was hearing from the transmission. They called me Monday morning, and to my surprise, told me the transmission needed to be rebuilt, at a cost of $1500-$1900.

At that moment I did not trust them at all, and I decided to take my car to another shop. I was as polite as possible and graciously declined their offer to start work on the car. When I picked the car up, it was almost undrivable. It would not stay in gear, and was making very loud noises. From the time I left the car with them, to when I picked it up, something very bad had happened to the transmission.

I could say they intentionally caused harm to my car, to create a larger repair, but since I can’t prove anything, I don't know that I can really point the finger. I have not contacted the company, for any reason, because there is no proof, and really nothing that can come of it now. Only my word against theirs, so I am going to just drop it and learn from my mistake. At the very least I can try and warn others.

I brought the eclipse to another local mechanic I trusted instead. I didn't bring it there originally since they are just all around mechanics, and not specifically transmission people. It ended up that there was a problem with the clutch assembly, and they replaced it at a cost of $1300 ($600 less than AAMCO) and with a warranty three times longer than the one AAMCO was offering.