CrazyInvader

iTrader: (1)

I have an '06 SS/SC, which I bought just over a year ago from a used car dealer. Got it for $11K and it only had 48,000km then. It now has 59,000km. Last night as I was driving to work for a night shift, I started hearing light ch-ch-ch noises on left turns which quickly progressed to light grinding noises by the time I got to work. After work this morning I drove it to the nearest stealership to get it looked at.

The stealership just called me. The mechanic couldn't see anything wrong, but it sounded funny to him as he was shifting. He pulled the tranny drain plug and found large chunks of metal sitting in there. (Not just tiny metal shavings)

They're saying I need a brand new tranny, which they have to order from the US. The parts plus about 15 hours of shop time will cost me $5300. That's about 1/2 what the car is worth, and money I don't have. I love my car and have taken great care of it since I've owned it, including 2 oil changes. Until now, I've never had any real problems with it. I just spent well over $1000 getting a CF hood and trunk for it and planned on owning it for at least 5 more years.

I'm not mechanically knowledgeable and can't do any big repairs myself. Other than a Magnaflow exhaust (or at least the chrome exhaust tip is Magnaflow), I think the engine is stock. I've never raced it or driven like an idiot. Of course, I can't say for sure what any previous owners did.

All this background info is to ask for opinions as to what I should do next. Do I:
1. Get a ZZP transmission shipped to Canada (if possible) and get a transmission shop to install it here. I wanted to lightly modify it at some point anyway...
2. Find a used transmission and get a transmission shop to install it.
3. Buy a new transmission from CED or somewhere else.

I can't see myself getting rid of the car yet. $5300 (or whatever it takes) won't get me a better car than what I would have when I get it fixed. Man, I wish it was still under warranty. The mileage is, but the age of the car isn't.

Any knowledgeable advise would be greatly appreciated. I think I'm gonna throw up now.

emiller

First things first. Exactly what's wrong with the trans. Is it totally trashed or can it be rebuilt?

Dealer is usually a more expensive repair choice. I'd see if an independent shop can do the work. I'd also see if I could get a used trans from a junk yard if i needed a new one. Calgary is a decent size city so both the shop and junk yard should be easy to find.

emiller

Might as well get a new clutch that will be suitable for your future upgrades too. Avoid taking things apart 2 times.

Gelladuga69

iTrader: (4)

^
Don't forget a new roll pin while it's out as well.
Clutch pipe, TOB, new fluid, and it will be all set.

CrazyInvader

iTrader: (1)

From what they said on the phone, there's too much damage for a rebuild.

Any recommendations for an LSJ?

CrazyInvader

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the tips. I guess I'm gonna need a list of everything I should replace/upgrade.

emiller

I dont have an lsj so I'm not sure about the clutch options.

What are you power goals? Keep it stock, mild upgrades, tvs, turbo swap? That would narrow your choices down a lot.

Sox-Fan

iTrader: (7)

Wait a minute. How do they know it's too much damage to rebuild if all they did was drain the oil out of it and look at the shavings? Did they take it out of the car and disassemble it? From your post that's a"no." and yet they are telling you that it isn't rebuildable? Drive it or tow it out of there. Now.

Mr.Tozzi

iTrader: (3)

$5300 for a transmission replacement?! Sounds like they are going to drink quite a few beers on your expense.
You might be able to get a local shop to install a good tranny and a better than stock clutch for a lot less money.

Mr.Tozzi

iTrader: (3)

He said he drove it to the dealer so it should not be that horrible.

WSFrazier

Just find a used trans on these forums for ~500 and find a local shop that can do FWD transmission installs. I would guess around 300-400 for a trans install/swap by a basic shop.

emiller

You would be surprised what people manage to drive to a dealer lol. It did move so its somewhat functional I guess.

CrazyInvader

iTrader: (1)

Well, the service dept. is closed for tonight and Sunday, so the earliest something will happen is Monday morning. I still gotta talk to a bank about extending my line of credit or an emergency loan anyway. I only authorized the dealership to do a diagnosis, so that should be about $130 for an hour of shop time.

I didn't speak to a mechanic on the phone, just one of their "service advisors". I can only guess that the mechanic saw pieces of metal big enough to conclude that there's a lot of damage. (How that damage occurred? I honestly have no idea.)

I agree with everyone who said run, don't walk, away from the dealership. Thanks for the feedback.

CrazyInvader

iTrader: (1)

Now that I know it has transmission issues, I realize I probably should have towed it. It didn't sound good at all on left turns, but seemed ok shifting and going straight.

soundjunky

iTrader: (4)

just saw this...

here's the CED Link for you should you decide to buy brand new - and get it installed somewhere else;

Cobalt G5 2005-2007 5 speed w/ LSD 55563239

$2,205 less shipping.

YOU can save a TON on shipping if you decide to ship it to the border (At the Border Storage) and take it across yourself - but I don't doubt that Tom @ CED would know the most hassel-free way of drop shipping it in Calgary...

or there's Car-part.com (but those are all used).

CrazyInvader

iTrader: (1)

Thanks again for the tips and links soundjunky! What are everyone's thoughts regarding buying a new vs. used transmission? I saw a used one for $650 (not including shipping) on car-part.com.

The savings would be great, but if a used tranny falls apart in a year, I'll regret not buying new.

soundjunky

iTrader: (4)

I'm only happy to help!

New vs Used... it's totally a risk man...

if you contact the wrecker from car-part.com, they should be able to cite the car's mileage, or any other pertinent info... then you're left making an educated guess as to if it's worth it.

rivaladore

iTrader: (7)

Sounds like an axle or wheel bearing issue. They probably saw a little bit of synchro dust on the magnetized transmission drain plug(which is normal) and want to take your wallet to the cleaners. Anytime a service clerk says something tell them you want to see it in person. And don't just let them hand you a piece of metal. I would want them to remove the plug and show me the fluid. Crooks

CrazyInvader

iTrader: (1)

Very valid point. I'm not convinced it's the transmission either. I mean it could be, but the fact that I drove the car 10km (6 miles) from my work to the stealership with plenty of shifting makes me question them.

Looks like I'll be going in for a look myself on Monday before I order anything.

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

find a transmission shop, take the car to them. tell them what happened, dont mention anything about being to the dealer, let them road test and diagnose it. they will determine if its transmission or something else.

keep in mind most dealers dont rebuilt transmission anymore, they more often than not will just order a new one and toss it in. from my 8 years in the transmission industry, pretty much anything is rebuildable, it just comes to the point when its not economical to and replacement is the better option. it takes a lot of damage to get to this point, however with many fwd manual transaxles, and the cobalt ss is no exception, parts availability is a big issue. parts often need to be bought from the dealer, or a core is needed to harvest parts from.

its real hard to say what it might be without road testing it and listening to the car on a hoist to pinpoint the noise. what you are describing can be anything from a wheel bearing, axle, to the transmission.

Powell Race Parts

iTrader: (3)

we rebuild trans for 600 plus parts, do many of them. Hard to scrap a trans unless the diff has come through the case, then its about 2k installed for a good rebuilt
lsj diff failure
lnf cluster shaft failure

Flatgod

iTrader: (1)

I bought my LSD trans off of Saskatchewan's SGI sight used (49k) for $475 and installed at a cost of $0.

CrazyInvader

iTrader: (1)

Ok, so assuming that the metal pieces that came out of the transmssion drain plug are more than just shavings (which the dealer told me they are), my best bet would be to tow the car to a transmission place and have them decide if they can do a rebuild or if they need to replace it? While I'm at it, I should replace the clutch too (with maybe a GMPP)? Also get a new clutch pipe, roll pin, throw out bearing and new tranny fluid.

Does this sound like the right thing to do? Any parts I'm missing? My future plans for the car are mild upgrades, mayyyybeee a tvs at most. Any more opinions?

soundjunky

iTrader: (4)

Hmmm, I can't believe I missed this.

I have time and again gotten sucked into someoen elses "worst case" assesment, purely becasue I took it at face value...

but then reading this;

So having taken a moment to contemplate this I need to ask;
Have you observed and gear change issues?

The outlined maintenance for our cars has a stupid long interval for the transmission fluid - so that observed "metal chunks" could have been there before you bought the car...

Noises from turning are 90% of the time CV-shaft, or hub related.

That being said, if you get a second opinion, and they also conclude that your transmission is cooked, your next step all depends on how long you can afford to have it "down";
I wouldn't consider letting any shop, except for Powell try to rebuild it - I have heard from sources which I trust, that rebuilding an F35 is unlike any other GM-FWD transmission, and requires ALOT of force to take gears off the main shaft (as just one example)...
You have to consider that a shop where the technician is not familiar with rebuilding an F35, they are either going to quote you book time on an overhaul, or they are going ot try to charge you for straight time on in... in which case, it will probably more often than not, be simply cheaper to find a suitable replacement transmission...

CrazyInvader

iTrader: (1)

See, that's what I don't know. The symptoms I heard lead me to believe it's a CV-shaft or hub problem too. When I drove it from work to the dealer, I didn't hear anything abnormal when I shifted.

But, the dealer's mechanic said he saw a lot more metal than is normal when he pulled the tranny drain plug. I agree it's entirely possible that the metal was there when I bought the car. Who the hell knows what went on with the car before I got it?!

Argh! I guess I'm going to have to find someone who can diagnose this properly.