Uh oh, now a transmission?

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 2:48 am

I'm sure you guys have heard me complaining about the harsh shifts I've been feeling out of first with the ol' automatic... You guys know how oversensitive I am about this stuff, so I have to say it makes me cringe to feel the transmission jolt the car as it tries to go into second. At any rate, my mental conditions aside, it is far beyond what should be considered "normal." Especially when compared to the properly functioning test vehicle in the fleet manufactured to proper standards with components that must have passed quality control - it appears to shift much smoother, to the point where you can barely feel it shift. Since it does this every time I take off from a stop, I've had plenty of opportunity to experiment with different throttle positions: Very, very light acceleration will make it shift somewhat smooth. From there up to almost a hard acceleration is where I'm having the problem. Once it winds up and goes into second, BAM! And unfortunately, that is where I do all of my acceleratin'. During hard acceleration, it actually shifts smoother. The other gears go in rough as well, but they always have. I don't think their condition has gotten any worse. So far, about all I've done is disconnect the battery cable for an entire night in case the computer got all confused and let itself relearn, but that didn't help.As a whole, this transmission has been rough since the day I drove it off the lot. Not this rough, but just a general "rough around the edges" feel. I wrote it off to the fact that IMHO nobody makes a smooth shifting automatic like GM, but maybe I've had a problem all this time and it has taken 60,000 miles to present itself. Hey, that's right after the powertrain warranty would go bye-bye had this same unit been installed in a Toyota. Hmm! Self destruct mechanism? lolSince I'm past 60,000 it is time for a fluid change anyway, so I have that scheduled. The fluid itself, btw, is kinda dark but also smells funny but I can't really tell if it has the tell-tale "burnt" smell or not. Today, I had to bump that back till next week due to various concerns, so I called and spoke with the service manager at the dealership. As we were discussing the ins and outs of the lovely transmission fluid change nightmare that is the Vibe, I told him that I was hoping the fluid change would go a little way toward helping this rough shifting out of first thing it was doing. Sadly, he did not share my optimism. What's done is done, new fluid won't help as the transmission probably has been damaged. I asked to see at this point if it would do more harm than good to change the fulid, he didn't seem to think so.. I hope that the fluid change will magically make everything all better... If I need a new transmission, I still have GM MajorGuard so I should be ok, provided they authorize the replacement. I've never had to get something this major replaced under warranty, so I'm still worrying about them not honoring the warranty for whatever reason they pull out of their (removed) and I'm out thousands of dollars that I do not have and can not get. Any suggestions? Any ideas on why it is shifting so rough?

Namron · Post by **Namron** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 3:51 am

Hey, CP I can't answer what to do personally, but I'd head down these two paths:Talk to the service manager about starting the process of getting it replaced through MajorGuard. If he sees it as bad as your describing I'm sure he could help in getting is replaced.Secondly, I would take it to a company specializing in Transmissions. They might be able to give a suggestion just by test driving. Never Know. I've had a Good experience with the Transmission Company AATCO. Not that they are all the same but, the one across from where we meet this summer at Dan Tobin treated me good. I know not close to you. Namron

ajf3ajf3 · Post by **ajf3ajf3** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:19 pm

Sorry to hear that - seems like they should take care of you though. MAKE SURE it's documented on a dealer service sheet before you hit that 60k. They told me that as long as a problem is documented before the warranty runs out, they can still do the repairs under warranty service after you pass that mileage limit.That said - suprising that you're having tranny problems. The Vibe does have it's issues, but I haven't heard of many involving the powertrain - that's basically straight from a Corolla which usually run forever...

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 9:28 am

Quote, originally posted by ajf3ajf3 Â»Sorry to hear that - seems like they should take care of you though. MAKE SURE it's documented on a dealer service sheet before you hit that 60k.I'm already at 63,000, actually. I am covered until 87,000 miles under the GM MajorGuard extended warranty.Quote Â»That said - suprising that you're having tranny problems. The Vibe does have it's issues, but I haven't heard of many involving the powertrain - that's basically straight from a Corolla which usually run forever...Yes, this is a strange car, Toyota or not, it has been major headache mechanically. Here I was waiting for the engine to blow up because it's been knocking like hell for a while, and the transmission starts acting up. Surprise! At any rate, it is very disappointing that I've had GM cars run 150,000 miles with no transmission problems and this Toyota only made it slightly over halfway to the 100,000 mark and its probably toast. Fortunately for others, but as usual, "sucks to be me," it does not seem common. There are a couple who have had manual transmission failures, but I'm the first automatic that I know of.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 9:34 am

Drive in to the dealer, park it in the spot they probably have reserved for you, and get them to check it out. Not sure what maintenance is slated for the auto tranny, but hope you did it If a fluid change fixes it, then so be it. If they replace the tranny, then that would be good. Stupid question : did you check the tranny fluid level?

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 9:49 am

LOL! Why yes, I do have my own reserved parking space. The fluid level is right where it needs to be when hot. As for the maintenance, technically I don't know if I should do anything:Quote Â»Change automatic transaxle fluid every 60,000 miles (100 000 km) if the vehicle is mainly driven under one or more of these conditions:– In heavy city traffic where the outside temperature regularly reaches 90F (32C) or higher.– In hilly or mountainous terrain.– When doing frequent trailer towing.– Uses such as found in taxi, police or delivery service.If you do not use your vehicle under any of these conditions, check the fluid.See “Recommended Fluids and Lubricants” in the Index for the properfluid to use.BUT, there may be enough of the above that applies (except for the last two points) that I feel probably warrants a fluid change at 60k. I just hope they won't ***** at me because I'm going to be somewhere near 4k over the 60,000 mark by the time the car gets in there for the fluid change and for them to look at the transmission.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 9:52 am

They shouldn't...you do more highway driving than anything and the only time you're in hilly or mountainous terrain is when you're visiting me in TN.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 9:52 am

Hills are all relative. We have hilly terrain here too!

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 9:56 am

Probably not the hills they're talking about though...LOL

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 9:58 am

And yeah, I just noticed it says about the city traffic and regularly reaching above 90F, it was last summer, but sure as hell isn't that out there right now. And according to the label that is in Engrish on the dipstick, it says "under normal driving condition no need replace atf!" or some crap...

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 5:55 pm

I'm beginning to wonder if this thing can make it to Saturday? whiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnneeeeeeeee *CLUNK!* Hell, I hope I can make it to Saturday. This is fricken driving me up the wall... It's messin' with my emotions too, that little *bleep!* I'll start it up when cold and the shifts are considerably smoother. "Yay, it must have fixed itself!" I think. But when it gets back to normal operating temperature, whiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnneeeeeeeee *CLUNK!* Breaks my heart man, messin' with me like that.You guys with your always trouble free Vibes are lucky. *sobbing*

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 3:21 am

It's actually a loud clunking sound? These trannys will shift hard sometimes, especially in cold temperatures. Having that tranny flushed will help a lot and I think you should have had it done even earlier than the 60,000 miles. These are very reliable engines and trannys...... if there is a major problem then you just have a fluke one. Good luck, man! Keep us informed!

Flip-Side · Post by **Flip-Side** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 3:20 pm

That is not a problem that will be fixed with a fluid change. Make sure you get it checked out soon bro. Sounds like your trans has parts that are toast.I have been lucky. Only had the regular 36,000 warranty, but I've had minor issues. Good luck with this.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 1:04 am

mmm, toasted toyota tranny, tastes like chicken! I'll find out Saturday what the deal is...Once this saga is over, this car is GONE! Regardless of the outcome. I can't deal with it anymore. Yeah, sure, Toyota makes one car out of a trillion that self destructs, but when you're stuck with that car, you just want to slam your head into the wall. It has to go for my mental well-being. *still sobbing*

kostby · Post by **kostby** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 2:19 am

... RIP PanicVibe...Then you'll be Colonel-Panic-Free!

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 2:49 am

Quote, originally posted by kostby Â»... RIP PanicVibe...Then you'll be Colonel-Panic-Free! lol! I can still find much else to panic about, don't worry. I just hope I don't have to stress over a car for at least a little while. Hate to see it go, the car has done so much for me, but I then again I don't think I can continue like this... It's a lose-lose situation. I'll always be thankful for it though.

Flip-Side · Post by **Flip-Side** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 5:03 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Once this saga is over, this car is GONE! Regardless of the outcome.I don't blame you. If I can't trust my car....who can I trust? My wife?! Hahaha...hee hee...ahhhh. Anyways, give us a heads up when you figure out what your new vehicle will be. My wife drives the vibe, but I gave it to her. I drive a sweet Dodge Shadow ES. Forrest Green, rust holes, sagging headliner, and v6 engine. I actually really love my dodge, so my wife can have the vibe for now until I break down in the ghetto.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 7:06 am

Quote, originally posted by Flip-Side Â»I don't blame you. If I can't trust my car....who can I trust? My wife?! Hahaha...hee hee...ahhhh. Uh oh, hope she doesn't read that. lol!Anyways, give us a heads up when you figure out what your new vehicle will be. My wife drives the vibe, but I gave it to her. I drive a sweet Dodge Shadow ES. Forrest Green, rust holes, sagging headliner, and v6 engine. I actually really love my dodge, so my wife can have the vibe for now until I break down in the ghetto. [/QUOTE]That sounds like a sweet ride! Will do... Now, after crunching numbers and thinking about the future, I have realized I can't afford the car I was wanting, so I have to stay pretty cheap... $15-$16K tops since I would like to have around the same payment if at all possible... I'll get another thread going here soon about it.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 12:04 am

Oh cool, I have sound effects now! This morning, and I also noticed it yesterday but didn't bother to spend a lot of time trying to listen to the issue... If you put the car in gear within the first 30 seconds or so that it is running, it makes this cool errrewwwww sound. I don't know how to describe it, really. Sounds like some sort of hydraulic mechanism that is being overworked. It was 17 degrees outside this morning, so that fluid was probably getting solid. lol! It will do that funky noise any time you take it out of park or neutral, whether that be from park to reverse, neutral to reverse, or neutral to drive... The 2000+ RPM cold idle seems to really make it hard on the transmission as it aggrivates that particular problem. Once the engine temp warms up just a bit and the idle slows down, the noise goes away.

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 7:31 am

I've noticed that this engines are very very sensitive to cold weather. My 1992 Toyota Paseo would even handle it a little better. The last few days it has been 0 degrees and I got a new battery and it still struggles....... I don't even try driving it without letting it warm up for 10 minutes. Overdrive in my Paseo wouldn't work unless the engine was warmed up fully.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 8:24 am

Yeah, mine really hates the cold... It starts knocking BAD, then this. Tonight, I chose to let it warm up because every time I tried to shift it out of park, it sounded like I was trying to murder an animal of some description, all howling and stuff. Once it warmed up, it was fine, I just didn't think it would be a good idea by hearing that sound that I drive the thing right off the bat.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:16 am

I had my PDA with me this morning... What you are about to hear is not me doing the unimaginable with a goat or various other animal. Although sometimes I think that is widely accepted behavior in the region. That's what I hear when I put the thing in gear and the transmission is cold... At least I think it's the tranny. Something isn't right, as you can hear multiple times as I shifted it out of park... Yeah, that cold 2,000+ RPM idle is REALLY helping this particular problem along.

Attached files tranny_noise.mp3 (39.8 KB)

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:17 am

Jesus. Sounds like you're strangling a baby goat. You sick *******!

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:22 am

lol! That ain't no goat, I swear! Unless that goat is called "wrecked tranny," i guess. I've NEVER heard anything like this... What the?

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:26 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â» Something isn't right, as you can hear multiple times as I shifted it out of park... Yeah, that cold 2,000+ RPM idle is REALLY helping this particular problem along. I saw that movie. That audio clip is from when the catepillar form of Mothra was deflecting the attacks of Rodan

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:47 am

HA HA, you shall try to cover up the fact that a Toyota transmission has become defective with thoughts of goat slaughter and ripping the audio clip from some movie in which I know nothing of... So I present further proof. Heh, recognize that grating BEEEEEP at the beginning? That has VIBE written all over it. Or maybe Matrix. Or maybe Corolla. (removed)!

Attached files extended.mp3 (73.6 KB)

millster · Post by **millster** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:50 am

Is it, in fact, only when you put it in gear?That sounds very similar to what my GT used to sound like when the starter would stick (an annoyance that my Sebring has now learned as well).

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:53 am

Yeah, just when going into gear. Starting up is fine, nothing abonrmal there. It does that noise thing immediately after shifting out of park or neutral and lasts until the selected gear is fully engaged... It goes away after the engine warms up to normal operating temperature.

millster · Post by **millster** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:58 am

Well, that throws that theory then. Just thought I'd throw it out there since I got a nasty sounding reminder of it this morning.That really does sound hydraulic related more than a bearing or anything. Bearings would, I would think, be worse when they get hot. That MIGHT mean it's something easy-ish to replace.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 9:23 pm

So, I start it up this morning at 15 degrees F and was greeted with all kinds of dysfunction... That god awful noise was still there when shifting into gear, (and like those informercials say) BUT WAIT, THAT'S NOT ALL! THERE'S MORE! Now, I have a whine that is directly proportional to engine speed. Popped the hood and it is DEFINITELY coming from down low on the driver's side of the engine, gee, that'w where that super reliable transmission sits. In park, the more you increase the revs, the louder it gets. I have some recordings of it that I will post tonight. I proceed to drive this piece of crap to work... Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine! *shift* whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine *shift* whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine* and so forth. Through every gear it was whining. The engine speed proportional whine never went away for the entire 45 minutes I drove the car, and it actually got WORSE. By the time I got to work, it was making so much noise I'm now thinking that there is a good chance I may not make it home tonight. The odd part? The shifts are smoother. (removed)?Shut the thing off and restarted it and the whine was gone. Tried that about half a dozen times and the whine never came back. Once again, (removed)?I'll have to see what it does coming home... What the hell could be causing all those noises???? I hate this piece of crap... hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it... It's such a great feeling to have a car that scares ya *expletive deleted*-less to drive anywhere and isn't close to being paid for. I'm determined to get rid of that feeling, I simply can not deal with this crap anymore.

micbarric · Post by **micbarric** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 11:26 pm

ColonelPanic, I think your Vibe needs an exorcist!

Flip-Side · Post by **Flip-Side** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 11:31 pm

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»I'm determined to get rid of that feeling, I simply can not deal with this crap anymore.I'll give you $50 for it. I need new tires and a front windshield. Wait...is your car contagious? Never mind then. My wife beats the poor vibe to death as it is. It's a miracle the thing still has 4 wheels and 2 bumpers.Bro, take it to the dealer! Go to a new one that won't jerk you around...play them the clips and get that poor animal fixed. I know it sucks right now but repair the thing with the warranty you paid cash money for, and trade it in shortly after. Or better yet, have them take their piece of junk back as is. I hate to see bad cars happen to good people.

Charlievibe · Post by **Charlievibe** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 2:45 am

Quote, originally posted by Petrucci914 Â»Sounds like you're strangling a baby goat. You sick *******!I was listening to his clips and some of the guys from down the hall came in and asked me if I was strangling a baby goat. I have to tell you, I still have tears running down my face from laughing so hard.CP, sorry that your car is behaving so badly. Hope you can get it fixed.

binary · Post by **binary** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 2:46 am

Quote, originally posted by micbarric Â»ColonelPanic, I think your Vibe needs an exorcist! I recomended that a while back.Have you changed the fluid yet? The last auto I owned I could have sworn a shift kit was installed it acted so aggressive and sounded wierd. After a fluid change it was like riding in a new car.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 2:50 am

Getting the fluid changed tomorrow... We shall see what happens.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 8:23 am

Ok guys, check this out... This is just funny, so I had to share. Enjoy the piercing sounds!This was taken right as I started it up today. For a timeline::00 engine started...:15 shifted from P to R:27 back into P:32 shifted from P to R:40 back into P:45 back into RHear the whine that started right as soon as the engine was started? It seemed to have become much quieter when it was in reverse and the brake was held down.

Attached files coldstart.mp3 (154.9 KB)

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 8:32 am

This was me sitting there winding the engine up a little bit... Uh, ok, it's supposed to sound like that? The tranny is shifting weird now, it is smoother but the car just feels like something is making it drag... Lugging the engine down, if you will. It just feels strange. Something is putting a hell of a load on the engine it seems... I dunno.We'll find out tomorrow! Watch all of this be NORMAL!

Attached files noise_at_revs.mp3 (96.5 KB)

mcgusto82 · Post by **mcgusto82** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 2:52 am

no, it's not supposed to sound like that. that sounds horrible.

Flip-Side · Post by **Flip-Side** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:33 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»This was me sitting there winding the engine up a little bit... Uh, ok, it's supposed to sound like that? Dude, your car reminds me of my dentist. That really sounds bad, so I can see your point. They have got to fix the thing with it sounding like that.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 1:43 am

Oh yeah, they're fixing it... I never made it to the dealer (driving the car) because the transmission died on the way there and I had to haul it in. It would only go into drive after a very long delay (if it would go at all) and then when it did get in gear it no longer shifted out of first.I do not have any details I can give as of yet as of the cause/status/etc...

binary · Post by **binary** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 5:17 am

That sucks CP...It's a shame that the root cause of this tranny failure is most likely the rough idle or knocking your engine had. An engine running poorly can send vibrations through the drivetrain causing all sorts of stuff to break down the road.I hope you get it back soon - and you beat the snot out of your rental.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 9:33 am

Quote, originally posted by binary Â»That sucks CP...Eh, sort of. Quote Â»It's a shame that the root cause of this tranny failure is most likely the rough idle or knocking your engine had. An engine running poorly can send vibrations through the drivetrain causing all sorts of stuff to break down the road.Think that could have been a contributor? I never thought about that. But now that I think about it, when I would stop at a light and the interior plastics would start to buzz, I can see the connection. I didn't think it was that bad to cause something like what happened though... But any extra vibration is not welcome, just look at the 2zz's with those fancy schmancy aftermarket crank pulleys w/o the harmonic balancer. Quote Â»I hope you get it back soon - and you beat the snot out of your rental. Big negative on both of those. It has been determined that it will be far more cost effective for them to replace the tranny outright. The debate of replace vs. rebuild was going on initially, but it apparently became a moot point because just about everything in the transmission has been destroyed. Somehow the pump blew itself to smithereens - either on its own or because it got a hold of some shrapnel from some other problem. So, it "spread the joy" and let chunks of metal get sucked into just about everything in there. From what they said, there wasn't much, if anything, that could have possibly been salvagable inside the tranny. Something went kaput and they can't kaput it back together. Now, I have to wait for a replacement to come in. Only one minor problem - they can't locate one. None of the parts warehouses have any in stock. They're trying their best to get their hands on one ASAP, but I know it may be difficult. So I have not even an estimate when I will be able to see my car again and neither do they. deja vu, ragingfish's body panel! But I'm not worried about it at the least. I have this loaner, and yes, I am actually taking VERY good care of it. I'm strange like that, I baby loaners and rentals like you wouldn't believe. Hey, somebody has to. And I guess this way, I am ensuring a nice break-in for the brand new Torrent I'm cruising around in. I'm just beyond pleased to have something comfy, reliable like this to drive! It's not really an inconvenience for me. Warranty is covering the transmission, and apparently as is the rental for as long as the Vibe is without the necessary parts received and repairs performed. I guess I'll get it back whenever I get it back. I'm not in a hurry. And the dealer has been absotively great throughout all of this. So they can take all the time they need.

jimincalif · Post by **jimincalif** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 2:35 pm

glad to hear the warranty is taking care of it. As well it should. That's the way to do it, total catastrophic failure so you get a new one, not a half-baked repair.Keep saving up for that Sonata in the meantime!

zionzr2 · Post by **zionzr2** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 9:57 pm

it appears theres light at the end of the tunnel of CP's Vibe afterall.I probably would just take it out back and shoot it!! You know Jesse James (monster grarge style) wheres the clip of that video when you need it!

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 10:17 pm

Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 Â»it appears theres light at the end of the tunnel of CP's Vibe afterall.Maybe... I just hope that's not a train. At least if it is a train, I hope it is the train that has my transmission in it somewhere...

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 2:44 am

Whoever says that extended warranties aren't worth it, particularly on one of these Toyota things, have a gander at this:$3,583.35 88970225 MU4 transmission$712.55 88970226 T/CV (I assume that's torque converter)$129.30 for 10 quarts of fluid, 88900925$4,425 in parts, GM list of course. Not counting labor as I do not know how much they charge and the amount of hours that went into this thing. That's only $2-3K shy of what this thing is worth on trade in! So yes, I have the car back. They found a tranny from somewhere and got it installed... It shifts better than it did when it was new, actually... That leads me to believe that a crap transmission was installed in this thing at the factory and it was probably destroying itself from the get-go. The GMPP has paid for itself. $1900 for the coverage has been a heck of a deal considering this and everything else that has failed on the car.

binary · Post by **binary** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 1:24 pm

Yeah, man - you got your money back on that deal. And chuck in the cost of the rental and you are on the sweet side of that deal.Glad it's better than new, CP - w00t!

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 5:56 am

I popped the hood today and good god, I think something had exploded in there. There's transmission fluid everywhere! It looks pretty sweet... But I'm disappointed that there isn't a significant amount of fluid hanging around that will drip on a red hot component and burn the car up. heheheMost of the fluid has collected down in the plastic splash shield...And some in the back, mainly on the brake lines mounted to the firewall...I don't know why ths is here but I didn't do it. They gave me a courtesy wash job - the car looks great outside. That's the first time it has been washed in several months. But why they had to put that yellow paint crap on the wiper arm, I'll never know. It appears to be the stuff you can use to write stuff on the windshield, i.e. '03 VIBE! LOTS OF NEW PARTS! REALLY "SPECIAL"!!!! heh!I've got some more cleanin' to do, I reckon... I would have settled for not getting the wash job on the outside and get the engine bay cleaned up. But I ain't complaining really, if I had to do all that work myself, the car would have damage that wouldn't wash off.

binary · Post by **binary** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 5:59 am

I'm not sure how they would remove the transmission - but I would think it would drop down. Unless they pulled the whole motor/transaxle assembly out the top.Then again - the mechanic may have forgot to tighten a hose or two - and blew a bunch of trans fluid around your engine bay. And hydraulic fluid is great for your paint...

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 5:59 am

They probably put too much fluid in it. Idiots.