Work order line TRN
Transmission service and overhauls, manual and automatic
Shifting weird, slipping or leaking? Ultimate Automotive works on manual and automatic transmissions, all makes and models, and it checks what is really wrong before anything is taken apart.
Chapter 01
What a failing transmission tells you
A transmission rarely fails without a warning. It starts shifting weird, it slips, it hesitates between gears, or it leaves a stain where the car was parked. Those signs matter, because a small problem caught early is a very different bill from a unit that has run itself to pieces.
As a vehicle gets older, some wear in the transmission is normal. Transmission service belongs on the regular maintenance list for that reason: it helps you spot trouble early, before a minor problem grows into a major repair. The shop works on manual and automatic transmissions alike, all makes and models.
Not every shifting complaint is a transmission complaint, though, and that is where money gets wasted on the wrong repair. The honest first step is to find out which system is actually at fault.
An automatic transmission lowered onto a red transmission jack under a lifted pickup truck
Bays that fit the big ones
Plenty of shops can handle a sedan. Fewer have the floor for a motorhome or a bus. The Oakwood Drive building is 8,000 square feet with three large bays that can take RVs and buses, so a heavy vehicle does not have to be sent somewhere else just because of its size.
When the transmission has to come out, the work follows the overhaul steps the shop publishes: remove and disassemble, inspect every internal part, replace seals and gaskets, rings and valves, and bearings, machine what needs machining, lubricate the moving parts and test the components. It is a long list, and each line on it is there for a reason.
A large parts inventory is kept on site, and anything the shop does not stock can usually be sourced quickly. That keeps a vehicle on the lift moving instead of waiting on a box.
Chapter 03
Diagnosis before the wrench
The most expensive transmission repair is the one you did not need. Ultimate Automotive starts with a full inspection and tells you what it found in simple terms. If the transmission is the problem, you will hear that. If it is not, you will hear that too.
Erick Lutchman, an ASE certified technician with more than 17 years on the job, Ryan Roth, at the shop since 2008, and Kris Palmer, with more than 15 years of experience, do the hands-on work. Nick Kindred at the service desk keeps you informed, and Mark Jimmerson runs the shop day to day.
If the vehicle will not make it to Oakwood Drive on its own, towing and roadside assistance are available through Ultimate Towing. Call (515) 270-2096 and describe what the transmission is doing, and the shop will tell you what to do next.
“It idles smoother, runs better, and it also shifts better!” Dylan Barnes, Google review.
The truck that was shifting weird
Dylan Barnes brought in his F150 because it “randomly started shifting weird.” Everything about the complaint pointed at the gearbox. The shop did a full inspection anyway.
“They found that the transmission was fine but my timing chain and cam phasers needed to be replaced.”
The real culprits were the timing chain and cam phasers, and replacing them is what made the truck shift better. A transmission overhaul would have been a large bill for a part that was not broken. That is the reason every job on this repair order begins with the inspection line and not the wrench.
Dylan Barnes, Google review.
Related work at the Oakwood Drive bays
- Engines
Overhauls done the long way: pulled, torn down, inspected, resealed with new rings, valves and bearings, then tested. Replacement when that makes more sense.
- Computer diagnostics
That check engine light, read properly: ignition timing, sensors, crank and cam position, transmission and ABS faults. Vehicle programming available.
- Towing and roadside
Damage-free towing by wheel lift or flatbed, light and medium duty, local or long distance. Jump-starts, lockouts, tire changes and winch recovery.
Browse the full list on the services page, or contact the service desk to book your vehicle in.