- Report: #278157
Complaint Review: Cottman Transmissions - Cedar Park Texas
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Cottman Transmissions
(1915B On South Bell). Cedar Park, 78613 Texas, U.S.A.
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Cottman Transmissions Poor workmanship Cedar Park Texas
*UPDATE Employee: The truth about Mr. Lowell Grey's transmission. 5 1/2 years later it's still working perfectly.
*UPDATE Employee: The truth about Mr. Lowell Grey's transmission. 5 1/2 years later it's still working perfectly.
*UPDATE Employee: The truth about Mr. Lowell Grey's transmission. 5 1/2 years later it's still working perfectly.
*UPDATE Employee: The truth about Mr. Lowell Grey's transmission. 5 1/2 years later it's still working perfectly.
I tried to contact a representative of Cottman through their web site. When I sent the e-mail they said I would be contacted within a few workdays. Since no one has bothered to contact me I decided to send a letter to:
Mr. Todd Leff, C.E.O.
Cottman Transmissions Systems, LLC
201 Gibraltar
Horsham, PA 19044
I took my 1990 Chevy. Full size conversion van to Cottman transmission in Cedar Park TX (1915B on South Bell). At the time I had a slight wine coming from the transmission. Since we were going on an extended vacation through Minnesota Boston New York I decided ,since I had so much mileage on the van (226,591), to have the transmission overhauled. Other than the slight wine the transmission seemed to be functioning fine.
Cottman gave me the sales pitch saying that without taking the transmission apart he could not give me an estimate. Because unlike others, Cottman checks all parts to see if they are within factory specifications and only those that do meet those specifications are replaced. The savings are then passed on to the customer.
When the estimate came in I was told the transmission needed to be completely remanufactured. He said it would be remanufactured to service grade II specifications. Not knowing what all that meant I asked and was told it is simply meant getting it within factory specifications.
After the transmission was rebuilt I took it out with the Cottman rep. I notice a very slight noise that sounded like when you turn the steering wheel all the way to one direction. You get this hydraulic noise. The sound was very faint and if you did not listen for it you probably would never notice it. I was told this is normal and some transmissions are noisier than others.
Recently when coming back from a trip the noise became progressively more noticeable. Then the transmission would lag in shifting out of first gear. And then the final trouble. The transmission no longer goes into overdrive. And the noise is a lot worst.
So here I am 42,991 miles later with a blown transmission. I put 226,591 miles on the original transmission and at that time it seemed to be functioning fine. My 1 year warranty and 12,000 miles is up. What is so sad is that Cottman said that if anything failed it would probably fail within the warranty period.
I should have known that you get what you pay for. Instead of spending $2,350.00 plus installation for a factory rebuilt I spent $1778.00 with Cottman. What is even worse, I never asked until recently when I was checking around again about the warranty. For the $2,350.00 I get a 100,000 mile warranty.
When I first went to Cottman I was under the impression of a large company. I was not aware that it was a franchise company and that each shop was independently owned and operated. Thus no matter what the advertisement says about the quality of workmanship it is only as good as the local owner. In my case the workmanship has a lot to be desired.
I sent a copy to the Cedar Park Cottman Transmission Center as well. I never received a response from Todd Leff.
I received a response from Chris Purcell the new Center Manager. He seemed very responsive to my complaint and wanted me to bring my van in. We talked about several points of concern I had one of them being the distance to Cedar Park. He said he would make arrangements for the Round Rock center to check out my van.
I drove my van to the Round Rock center to meet with the Regional Sales Manager. I told him after driving the distance the transmission seemed to be working more smoothly, but it still shifted abruptly.
He turned the van over to a technician and came back with the results saying there was nothing wrong with the transmission and that it was shifting too soon instead of too late like I was complaining about. He recommended that I replace the kick down cable($85 plus installation). He also said that since the transmission is a truck transmission I could not expect it to shift smoothly like a car. I declined to have him do the work since I am able to do a lot of work myself on automobiles. I said I was very upset with the people who told me they would have to replace my transmission when I had them check my van out. They were the ones who prompted my letter to you.
I went home and when through the check out procedure for the kick down cable. I followed the instructions for checking the cable for operation and then followed the instructions for adjusting the cable. I road tested my van with no improvements.
After letting the van sit for a couple of days I road tested it again and found the van shifted from first gear at about 30-35 miles per hour. The shifting was again very abrupt. After driving for a while the shifting smoothed out somewhat and shifting was closer to 20 mph.
I called Chris and he said he would really like me to bring the van to him. So I drove the van to him and by the time I got there the van was shifting somewhat normally. Chris had a technician check the van out and he came back saying there was nothing wrong with the transmission. He said if I wanted them to do any more work it would require them to tear down the transmission. He would be willing to give me a break on the normal tear down cost but refused to give any hint of what he would do about the cost of repairs.
I told him I was very concerned about having Cottman work on my van. The Round Rock regional sales manager gave me wrong information as well as trying to tell a customer who has been driving a van for 250,000 miles that he did not know how the van normally shifted. Why should I trust and pay Cottman perhaps as much as the original cost to repair my van again??
This last experience with Cottman has made me realize that the Cottman technicians are only capable of tearing down a transmission and contrary to what they say, shoot gunning (replace most all major moving parts) the transmission. I believe they have a basic parts list that they replace and if there are other parts that they can see are truly defective they replace them at additional costs. If this is not true then why did they say the kick-down cable was my problem? The kick-down cable is used for kicking into passing gear and when the engine starts to lug down when going up a hill and you are pressing on the accelerator.
Lowell
Georgetown, Texas
U.S.A.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Chris
Cedar Park,Texas,
U.S.A.
The truth about Mr. Lowell Grey's transmission. 5 1/2 years later it's still working perfectly.
#2UPDATE Employee
Fri, November 30, 2007
At Cottman transmission we pride ourselves on providing our customers the best workmanship possible. And in servicing Mr. Lowell's Chevrolet van we are extremely confident that we have done that. Mr. Lowell's initially brought his vehicle in to our Cedar Park, TX store on March 5, 2002. His complaint was that there was noise from the transmission and that it would delay before engaging reverse. We rebuilt Mr.Grey's transmission at his request and he purchased our Service Grade II rebuild. That particular service came with a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty. Five and a half years after the repair, Mr. Lowells recently sent a letter to the president of Cottman Transmission, Mr. Todd Leff. Mr. Leff then forwarded the letter to me at our Cedar Park store. In his letter Mr. Lowell's complained about the quality of the transmission work and lack of customer service he received when we repaired his vehicle. He also stated in the letter to Mr. Leff that he had a blown transmission. This was news to us considering that we hadn't heard from Mr. Grey since March of 2002. Regardless of that fact our response was to contact Mr. Grey as soon as possible. We were unable to reach him at the phone numbers we had in our database, so I wrote him a letter. In my letter I explained that we do take pride in good workmanship and customer service, apologizing for any inconvenience. I told him that if he would contact us would be glad to help him with his blown transmission. After receiving my letter Mr. Lowell's contacted me to see what we could do about his transmission problems. Since the initial repair Mr. Grey had moved and was actually closer to one of our other locations. It would be more convenient for him to take his vehicle there for a transmission check. I contacted the Center Manager at that store and arranged for them to look at Mr. Grey's vehicle. We even offered to have the vehicle towed in at no charge so no further damage would occur. He stated that towing would not be necessary and he would drive it to our repair center. I thought it odd that he would drive the vehicle in considering that he had told us that the transmission we had repaired was blown. Mr. Lowell took his vehicle to our Round Rock center where he met with our Regional Manager Daniel Nieto. Dan had our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection performed on Mr. Lowell's vehicle. The Trans Check consists of checking the condition and level of the fluid, road testing the vehicle, and performing a thorough visual inspection of the transmission. Upon completion of our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection Dan could not find anything wrong with the transmission that Mr. Lowell had claimed was blown. The transmission fluid in the van was clean and perfect. The transmission worked flawlessly through its shift patterns, and all the external components were operating perfectly. Dan then informed Mr. Lowell of the results of our Trans Check 21 plus inspection. Mr. Lowell responded by saying that he knew the transmission wasn't blown as he had claimed; he just didn't like the way it shifted. Considering we could not find anything wrong with the transmission and Mr. Lowell's real complaint was that he didn't like the way the van shifted Dan consulted our technicians. They advised Dan that Mr. Lowell could either adjust or replace the throttle valve cable in the van. (Mr. Lowell's vehicle is not equipped with a kick down cable as he stated) The throttle valve cable actually works in conjunction with the acceleration of the vehicle. Replacing a worn TV cable or adjusting it can affect the throttle pressure, thus affecting the way the transmissions shifts. Setting the cable to allow the transmission to shift earlier will make the shift seem softer. Setting it to where the transmission shifts later will make the shift seem firmer. In an effort to try and resolve his complaint Dan explained that to Mr. Lowell. Mr. Lowell then declined having us perform the recommended repairs. A few days later I followed up with Mr. Lowell after speaking with Dan. Mr. Lowell said that he was still not happy with the way the vehicle shifted. I then offered to inspect his van at our Cedar Park location in an effort to try and remedy Mr. Lowell's complaint. He brought his vehicle to us and we also performed our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection. Again, after completing our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection we could not find anything wrong with the vehicle. I even went as far as to personally take a test ride with Mr. Lowell trying to duplicate his complaint. After driving several miles we could not duplicate any problems. The transmission worked as expected and shifted with absolutely no problem. So, even after two very thorough inspections by ASE certified transmission technicians at separate locations, Mr. Lowell still did not seem satisfied. I informed Mr. Lowell that our only other alternative at that point was to pull the transmission out of the vehicle, break it down, and inspect it for any signs of wear or damage. I explained to Mr. Lowell that we normally charge $499.00 for that service but we would be glad to charge him a reduced rate of $299.00. I even took that offer one step further explaining to him that we would return the transmission in its original condition at no cost to him if no internal problems were found. Mr. Lowell then asked what I thought it would cost to repair his transmission. I told that there was no way to give an estimate on transmission that we could not find a problem with. Mr. Lowell told me he would consider our recommendations and be in contact soon. We have not heard back from Mr. Lowell on the status of his vehicle to date. It is unfortunate that Mr. Lowell cannot recognize the value of the service our shop performed on his vehicle. We cannot understand Mr. Lowell's complaint of lack of workmanship and customer service. His transmission has been diagnosed to have no transmission problems by two separate ASE certified transmission technicians. Upon inspection by those techs it never displayed any of the problems he has complained about. There are no problems with the transmission in his vehicle. In addition to providing Mr. Lowell a quality transmission rebuild we also provided prompt and courteous customer service. We made every effort to try and resolve his concerns. To state in his letter to Mr. Leff and on this website that his transmission is blown is a complete fabrication of the truth. As I said before we have not heard back from Mr. Lowell and as far as we know his transmission is still working as perfectly as the day it originally left our shop. Considering my experiences with Mr. Lowell I would imagine if his transmission really was blown we would have heard about it from him by now. Chris Purcell Center Manager Cottman Transmission Cedar Park, TX
Chris
Cedar Park,Texas,
U.S.A.
The truth about Mr. Lowell Grey's transmission. 5 1/2 years later it's still working perfectly.
#3UPDATE Employee
Fri, November 30, 2007
At Cottman transmission we pride ourselves on providing our customers the best workmanship possible. And in servicing Mr. Lowell's Chevrolet van we are extremely confident that we have done that. Mr. Lowell's initially brought his vehicle in to our Cedar Park, TX store on March 5, 2002. His complaint was that there was noise from the transmission and that it would delay before engaging reverse. We rebuilt Mr.Grey's transmission at his request and he purchased our Service Grade II rebuild. That particular service came with a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty. Five and a half years after the repair, Mr. Lowells recently sent a letter to the president of Cottman Transmission, Mr. Todd Leff. Mr. Leff then forwarded the letter to me at our Cedar Park store. In his letter Mr. Lowell's complained about the quality of the transmission work and lack of customer service he received when we repaired his vehicle. He also stated in the letter to Mr. Leff that he had a blown transmission. This was news to us considering that we hadn't heard from Mr. Grey since March of 2002. Regardless of that fact our response was to contact Mr. Grey as soon as possible. We were unable to reach him at the phone numbers we had in our database, so I wrote him a letter. In my letter I explained that we do take pride in good workmanship and customer service, apologizing for any inconvenience. I told him that if he would contact us would be glad to help him with his blown transmission. After receiving my letter Mr. Lowell's contacted me to see what we could do about his transmission problems. Since the initial repair Mr. Grey had moved and was actually closer to one of our other locations. It would be more convenient for him to take his vehicle there for a transmission check. I contacted the Center Manager at that store and arranged for them to look at Mr. Grey's vehicle. We even offered to have the vehicle towed in at no charge so no further damage would occur. He stated that towing would not be necessary and he would drive it to our repair center. I thought it odd that he would drive the vehicle in considering that he had told us that the transmission we had repaired was blown. Mr. Lowell took his vehicle to our Round Rock center where he met with our Regional Manager Daniel Nieto. Dan had our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection performed on Mr. Lowell's vehicle. The Trans Check consists of checking the condition and level of the fluid, road testing the vehicle, and performing a thorough visual inspection of the transmission. Upon completion of our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection Dan could not find anything wrong with the transmission that Mr. Lowell had claimed was blown. The transmission fluid in the van was clean and perfect. The transmission worked flawlessly through its shift patterns, and all the external components were operating perfectly. Dan then informed Mr. Lowell of the results of our Trans Check 21 plus inspection. Mr. Lowell responded by saying that he knew the transmission wasn't blown as he had claimed; he just didn't like the way it shifted. Considering we could not find anything wrong with the transmission and Mr. Lowell's real complaint was that he didn't like the way the van shifted Dan consulted our technicians. They advised Dan that Mr. Lowell could either adjust or replace the throttle valve cable in the van. (Mr. Lowell's vehicle is not equipped with a kick down cable as he stated) The throttle valve cable actually works in conjunction with the acceleration of the vehicle. Replacing a worn TV cable or adjusting it can affect the throttle pressure, thus affecting the way the transmissions shifts. Setting the cable to allow the transmission to shift earlier will make the shift seem softer. Setting it to where the transmission shifts later will make the shift seem firmer. In an effort to try and resolve his complaint Dan explained that to Mr. Lowell. Mr. Lowell then declined having us perform the recommended repairs. A few days later I followed up with Mr. Lowell after speaking with Dan. Mr. Lowell said that he was still not happy with the way the vehicle shifted. I then offered to inspect his van at our Cedar Park location in an effort to try and remedy Mr. Lowell's complaint. He brought his vehicle to us and we also performed our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection. Again, after completing our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection we could not find anything wrong with the vehicle. I even went as far as to personally take a test ride with Mr. Lowell trying to duplicate his complaint. After driving several miles we could not duplicate any problems. The transmission worked as expected and shifted with absolutely no problem. So, even after two very thorough inspections by ASE certified transmission technicians at separate locations, Mr. Lowell still did not seem satisfied. I informed Mr. Lowell that our only other alternative at that point was to pull the transmission out of the vehicle, break it down, and inspect it for any signs of wear or damage. I explained to Mr. Lowell that we normally charge $499.00 for that service but we would be glad to charge him a reduced rate of $299.00. I even took that offer one step further explaining to him that we would return the transmission in its original condition at no cost to him if no internal problems were found. Mr. Lowell then asked what I thought it would cost to repair his transmission. I told that there was no way to give an estimate on transmission that we could not find a problem with. Mr. Lowell told me he would consider our recommendations and be in contact soon. We have not heard back from Mr. Lowell on the status of his vehicle to date. It is unfortunate that Mr. Lowell cannot recognize the value of the service our shop performed on his vehicle. We cannot understand Mr. Lowell's complaint of lack of workmanship and customer service. His transmission has been diagnosed to have no transmission problems by two separate ASE certified transmission technicians. Upon inspection by those techs it never displayed any of the problems he has complained about. There are no problems with the transmission in his vehicle. In addition to providing Mr. Lowell a quality transmission rebuild we also provided prompt and courteous customer service. We made every effort to try and resolve his concerns. To state in his letter to Mr. Leff and on this website that his transmission is blown is a complete fabrication of the truth. As I said before we have not heard back from Mr. Lowell and as far as we know his transmission is still working as perfectly as the day it originally left our shop. Considering my experiences with Mr. Lowell I would imagine if his transmission really was blown we would have heard about it from him by now. Chris Purcell Center Manager Cottman Transmission Cedar Park, TX
Chris
Cedar Park,Texas,
U.S.A.
The truth about Mr. Lowell Grey's transmission. 5 1/2 years later it's still working perfectly.
#4UPDATE Employee
Fri, November 30, 2007
At Cottman transmission we pride ourselves on providing our customers the best workmanship possible. And in servicing Mr. Lowell's Chevrolet van we are extremely confident that we have done that. Mr. Lowell's initially brought his vehicle in to our Cedar Park, TX store on March 5, 2002. His complaint was that there was noise from the transmission and that it would delay before engaging reverse. We rebuilt Mr.Grey's transmission at his request and he purchased our Service Grade II rebuild. That particular service came with a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty. Five and a half years after the repair, Mr. Lowells recently sent a letter to the president of Cottman Transmission, Mr. Todd Leff. Mr. Leff then forwarded the letter to me at our Cedar Park store. In his letter Mr. Lowell's complained about the quality of the transmission work and lack of customer service he received when we repaired his vehicle. He also stated in the letter to Mr. Leff that he had a blown transmission. This was news to us considering that we hadn't heard from Mr. Grey since March of 2002. Regardless of that fact our response was to contact Mr. Grey as soon as possible. We were unable to reach him at the phone numbers we had in our database, so I wrote him a letter. In my letter I explained that we do take pride in good workmanship and customer service, apologizing for any inconvenience. I told him that if he would contact us would be glad to help him with his blown transmission. After receiving my letter Mr. Lowell's contacted me to see what we could do about his transmission problems. Since the initial repair Mr. Grey had moved and was actually closer to one of our other locations. It would be more convenient for him to take his vehicle there for a transmission check. I contacted the Center Manager at that store and arranged for them to look at Mr. Grey's vehicle. We even offered to have the vehicle towed in at no charge so no further damage would occur. He stated that towing would not be necessary and he would drive it to our repair center. I thought it odd that he would drive the vehicle in considering that he had told us that the transmission we had repaired was blown. Mr. Lowell took his vehicle to our Round Rock center where he met with our Regional Manager Daniel Nieto. Dan had our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection performed on Mr. Lowell's vehicle. The Trans Check consists of checking the condition and level of the fluid, road testing the vehicle, and performing a thorough visual inspection of the transmission. Upon completion of our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection Dan could not find anything wrong with the transmission that Mr. Lowell had claimed was blown. The transmission fluid in the van was clean and perfect. The transmission worked flawlessly through its shift patterns, and all the external components were operating perfectly. Dan then informed Mr. Lowell of the results of our Trans Check 21 plus inspection. Mr. Lowell responded by saying that he knew the transmission wasn't blown as he had claimed; he just didn't like the way it shifted. Considering we could not find anything wrong with the transmission and Mr. Lowell's real complaint was that he didn't like the way the van shifted Dan consulted our technicians. They advised Dan that Mr. Lowell could either adjust or replace the throttle valve cable in the van. (Mr. Lowell's vehicle is not equipped with a kick down cable as he stated) The throttle valve cable actually works in conjunction with the acceleration of the vehicle. Replacing a worn TV cable or adjusting it can affect the throttle pressure, thus affecting the way the transmissions shifts. Setting the cable to allow the transmission to shift earlier will make the shift seem softer. Setting it to where the transmission shifts later will make the shift seem firmer. In an effort to try and resolve his complaint Dan explained that to Mr. Lowell. Mr. Lowell then declined having us perform the recommended repairs. A few days later I followed up with Mr. Lowell after speaking with Dan. Mr. Lowell said that he was still not happy with the way the vehicle shifted. I then offered to inspect his van at our Cedar Park location in an effort to try and remedy Mr. Lowell's complaint. He brought his vehicle to us and we also performed our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection. Again, after completing our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection we could not find anything wrong with the vehicle. I even went as far as to personally take a test ride with Mr. Lowell trying to duplicate his complaint. After driving several miles we could not duplicate any problems. The transmission worked as expected and shifted with absolutely no problem. So, even after two very thorough inspections by ASE certified transmission technicians at separate locations, Mr. Lowell still did not seem satisfied. I informed Mr. Lowell that our only other alternative at that point was to pull the transmission out of the vehicle, break it down, and inspect it for any signs of wear or damage. I explained to Mr. Lowell that we normally charge $499.00 for that service but we would be glad to charge him a reduced rate of $299.00. I even took that offer one step further explaining to him that we would return the transmission in its original condition at no cost to him if no internal problems were found. Mr. Lowell then asked what I thought it would cost to repair his transmission. I told that there was no way to give an estimate on transmission that we could not find a problem with. Mr. Lowell told me he would consider our recommendations and be in contact soon. We have not heard back from Mr. Lowell on the status of his vehicle to date. It is unfortunate that Mr. Lowell cannot recognize the value of the service our shop performed on his vehicle. We cannot understand Mr. Lowell's complaint of lack of workmanship and customer service. His transmission has been diagnosed to have no transmission problems by two separate ASE certified transmission technicians. Upon inspection by those techs it never displayed any of the problems he has complained about. There are no problems with the transmission in his vehicle. In addition to providing Mr. Lowell a quality transmission rebuild we also provided prompt and courteous customer service. We made every effort to try and resolve his concerns. To state in his letter to Mr. Leff and on this website that his transmission is blown is a complete fabrication of the truth. As I said before we have not heard back from Mr. Lowell and as far as we know his transmission is still working as perfectly as the day it originally left our shop. Considering my experiences with Mr. Lowell I would imagine if his transmission really was blown we would have heard about it from him by now. Chris Purcell Center Manager Cottman Transmission Cedar Park, TX
Chris
Cedar Park,Texas,
U.S.A.
The truth about Mr. Lowell Grey's transmission. 5 1/2 years later it's still working perfectly.
#5UPDATE Employee
Fri, November 30, 2007
At Cottman transmission we pride ourselves on providing our customers the best workmanship possible. And in servicing Mr. Lowell's Chevrolet van we are extremely confident that we have done that. Mr. Lowell's initially brought his vehicle in to our Cedar Park, TX store on March 5, 2002. His complaint was that there was noise from the transmission and that it would delay before engaging reverse. We rebuilt Mr.Grey's transmission at his request and he purchased our Service Grade II rebuild. That particular service came with a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty. Five and a half years after the repair, Mr. Lowells recently sent a letter to the president of Cottman Transmission, Mr. Todd Leff. Mr. Leff then forwarded the letter to me at our Cedar Park store. In his letter Mr. Lowell's complained about the quality of the transmission work and lack of customer service he received when we repaired his vehicle. He also stated in the letter to Mr. Leff that he had a blown transmission. This was news to us considering that we hadn't heard from Mr. Grey since March of 2002. Regardless of that fact our response was to contact Mr. Grey as soon as possible. We were unable to reach him at the phone numbers we had in our database, so I wrote him a letter. In my letter I explained that we do take pride in good workmanship and customer service, apologizing for any inconvenience. I told him that if he would contact us would be glad to help him with his blown transmission. After receiving my letter Mr. Lowell's contacted me to see what we could do about his transmission problems. Since the initial repair Mr. Grey had moved and was actually closer to one of our other locations. It would be more convenient for him to take his vehicle there for a transmission check. I contacted the Center Manager at that store and arranged for them to look at Mr. Grey's vehicle. We even offered to have the vehicle towed in at no charge so no further damage would occur. He stated that towing would not be necessary and he would drive it to our repair center. I thought it odd that he would drive the vehicle in considering that he had told us that the transmission we had repaired was blown. Mr. Lowell took his vehicle to our Round Rock center where he met with our Regional Manager Daniel Nieto. Dan had our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection performed on Mr. Lowell's vehicle. The Trans Check consists of checking the condition and level of the fluid, road testing the vehicle, and performing a thorough visual inspection of the transmission. Upon completion of our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection Dan could not find anything wrong with the transmission that Mr. Lowell had claimed was blown. The transmission fluid in the van was clean and perfect. The transmission worked flawlessly through its shift patterns, and all the external components were operating perfectly. Dan then informed Mr. Lowell of the results of our Trans Check 21 plus inspection. Mr. Lowell responded by saying that he knew the transmission wasn't blown as he had claimed; he just didn't like the way it shifted. Considering we could not find anything wrong with the transmission and Mr. Lowell's real complaint was that he didn't like the way the van shifted Dan consulted our technicians. They advised Dan that Mr. Lowell could either adjust or replace the throttle valve cable in the van. (Mr. Lowell's vehicle is not equipped with a kick down cable as he stated) The throttle valve cable actually works in conjunction with the acceleration of the vehicle. Replacing a worn TV cable or adjusting it can affect the throttle pressure, thus affecting the way the transmissions shifts. Setting the cable to allow the transmission to shift earlier will make the shift seem softer. Setting it to where the transmission shifts later will make the shift seem firmer. In an effort to try and resolve his complaint Dan explained that to Mr. Lowell. Mr. Lowell then declined having us perform the recommended repairs. A few days later I followed up with Mr. Lowell after speaking with Dan. Mr. Lowell said that he was still not happy with the way the vehicle shifted. I then offered to inspect his van at our Cedar Park location in an effort to try and remedy Mr. Lowell's complaint. He brought his vehicle to us and we also performed our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection. Again, after completing our Trans Check 21 Plus inspection we could not find anything wrong with the vehicle. I even went as far as to personally take a test ride with Mr. Lowell trying to duplicate his complaint. After driving several miles we could not duplicate any problems. The transmission worked as expected and shifted with absolutely no problem. So, even after two very thorough inspections by ASE certified transmission technicians at separate locations, Mr. Lowell still did not seem satisfied. I informed Mr. Lowell that our only other alternative at that point was to pull the transmission out of the vehicle, break it down, and inspect it for any signs of wear or damage. I explained to Mr. Lowell that we normally charge $499.00 for that service but we would be glad to charge him a reduced rate of $299.00. I even took that offer one step further explaining to him that we would return the transmission in its original condition at no cost to him if no internal problems were found. Mr. Lowell then asked what I thought it would cost to repair his transmission. I told that there was no way to give an estimate on transmission that we could not find a problem with. Mr. Lowell told me he would consider our recommendations and be in contact soon. We have not heard back from Mr. Lowell on the status of his vehicle to date. It is unfortunate that Mr. Lowell cannot recognize the value of the service our shop performed on his vehicle. We cannot understand Mr. Lowell's complaint of lack of workmanship and customer service. His transmission has been diagnosed to have no transmission problems by two separate ASE certified transmission technicians. Upon inspection by those techs it never displayed any of the problems he has complained about. There are no problems with the transmission in his vehicle. In addition to providing Mr. Lowell a quality transmission rebuild we also provided prompt and courteous customer service. We made every effort to try and resolve his concerns. To state in his letter to Mr. Leff and on this website that his transmission is blown is a complete fabrication of the truth. As I said before we have not heard back from Mr. Lowell and as far as we know his transmission is still working as perfectly as the day it originally left our shop. Considering my experiences with Mr. Lowell I would imagine if his transmission really was blown we would have heard about it from him by now. Chris Purcell Center Manager Cottman Transmission Cedar Park, TX
