GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

how long do these trannys usually last without any service. i,m considering buying a 05 with about 110000 miles and no service history. thanks for any advice. Jim.

I think that is like asking how long people live. A friend had a Corolla transmission go out at about 70,000 miles. My son is driving a 1998 Plymouth Voyager with 200,000 miles with the original transmission. Both are probably exceptions to the norm.Hopefully a car with 110,000 miles is priced taking into account the risk of a major failure. Personally I would prefer spending a little more on a lower mileage car. As my cousin who was in the used car business told me, the problem is that today cars with 100,000+ miles still look pretty good cosmetically and that fools a lot of people.

Quote, originally posted by jamesmetairie »how long do these trannys usually last without any service. i,m considering buying a 05 with about 110000 miles and no service history. thanks for any advice. Jim.It's a guessing game. The condition of the tranny depends on how the car was treated and driven. If it has been serviced and then abused, it will have problems.

If it had the standard maintenance done, which says to have the transmission drained and filled then it should be fine.

This is where money talks... Do you think the deals good enough???

Is there no service history or it is actually the fact that it has never been serviced.The fact that it has never been serviced does not directly cause a serious failure of a hard part. However, one of the possible problems oif a lack of service is that the magnet collecting the friction material may become saturated. So all the friction material that then could not be caught will end up in other places like the valve body causing shiftiing problems etc. You can do some basic things to alleviate your concerns -Drain the contents of the dipstick onto some paper towel and see what the fluid looks like. Any discoloration? particles? You could also drain a small quanitty with a hand pump and send it for oil analysis.

thank you blue-can. that makes good sense.

Quote, originally posted by blue_can »Is there no service history or it is actually the fact that it has never been serviced.The fact that it has never been serviced does not directly cause a serious failure of a hard part. However, one of the possible problems oif a lack of service is that the magnet collecting the friction material may become saturated. So all the friction material that then could not be caught will end up in other places like the valve body causing shiftiing problems etc. You can do some basic things to alleviate your concerns -Drain the contents of the dipstick onto some paper towel and see what the fluid looks like. Any discoloration? particles? You could also drain a small quanitty with a hand pump and send it for oil analysis. Just curious - where do you send auto fluids for analysis? What does that cost? How long does it take?

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »Just curious - where do you send auto fluids for analysis? What does that cost? How long does it take?This is the place I have used in the past -http://polarislabs1.com/The will send you a collection kit - you send the sample back and they post the results in your online account. I believe they had a free analysis offer (for first time users) but the regular price is around $30 or thereabouts as I recall. It takes a few days to get the results as I recall (you will an an email alert) but this was a few years ago now so I don't recall exactly.

hi, I would suggest a prepurchase inspection, I would emphasise tranny concern and have the tranny pan dropped and check on sediment in the pan gally, magnet, You can make your decision on what you see, You can even use this information to your benifit on setting a fair price. You should buy a national based aftermarket warranty that is available from a reliable company who has the rating that is acceptable to the insurance underwriters, like Wynn's product warranty. I have over 20 years as a buyer of used cars at auto auctions having run a auto sales business, I can tell you that most cars purchased by professional buyers are not even privvy to this kind of inspection or to the history of service so you are so far ahead of the game if you can inspect all of this beforehand. I can usally tell by the smell of the fluid, appearance on a white papertowel but this is not fool proof.