Gearbox replacement advice

[ozspearo]

Hi all,

Last week I was unfortunate enough to receive some external damage to my gearbox. Internally it's still fine, just has some broken parts on the body.

I've been quoted the following;

$3500 for a 'new' gearbox (I need to confirm they're supplying a new one, not a recon one). This was the exchange price, ie. they keep my old one.

$500 for labor.

$450 for a new clutch (no clutch problems, but the car has 56k miles and they suggested I do it while the gearbox is out).

There will be an extra hour of labor for the clutch.

In summary, I'm looking at approx $4500 for a new gearbox and clutch.

What I'm after from forum members is;

Has anyone had any experiences in the above they'd like to share, as well as any advice? Also, as my bank balance isn't overly healthy at the moment, I'm considering finding a used gearbox instead as I'll probably only keep the car for another 12 months. Any thoughts on this option, and tips on the best place to source a used gearbox in CA?

Thanks in advance for any help, comments, etc.

-Scott

[Tool Pants]

Is this a manual or tiptronic. What is the nature of the damage. Where does the quote come from, dealership or independent.

Was Ridgecrest formally known as Crumville.

[ozspearo]

Originally Posted by Tool Pants

Is this a manual or tiptronic. What is the nature of the damage. Where does the quote come from, dealership or independent.

Was Ridgecrest formally known as Crumville.

It was. It's now known as ****************sville.

Sorry about the lack of info. It's a manual. The damage is to the lower left hand corner. There is a 'brace' that attaches the gearbox to a 'shock absorber' (?) which was hit by the L/H driveshaft when it separated from the gearbox (long story which I'll go into when I have more time). This caused this section of the gearbox body to shear off. There is also damage to one of the six screw holes where the drive shaft bolts onto the gearbox.

This may be repairable, but it's not something I really want to take a chance on.

Quote is from an independant in LA, recommended from the thread on local repair shops. I'm waiting for a dealership service dept at Thousand Oaks to get back to me with their quote.

-Scott

[insite]

remove the tranny and have it welded. this is not that big a deal if it's ok mechanically. alternatively, Vertex auto sells rebuilt transmissions. you can also buy a unit out of a wreck. this is what i did recently. do your rear main seal while you're in there.