I had a frequent hard shifting issue with a 1999 Chevy Venture minivan with the 3.4. If you pulled over and shut the engine off and re-started, it always went away for a while. If you let it go long enough, it threw a code about the line pressure. Once I had a code for the MAF sensor, so I replaced it. Even though it had nothing to do with the transmission, the frequency of the hard shifting went down a lot after that. I never was able to track down the source of the problem. My dealer just wanted to replace the transmission, but I saw no point since it wasn't slipping. I drove it for a few more years before I traded it in. I wish I could be more helpful, but I thought I'd share what little I knew of hard shifting, front wheel drive GM overdrive automatic trannies.

 

I give you props for sure.
I don't think i'd be as kind and forgiving, i would have took it back ASAP, but that's just me.

 

Unfortunately, I bought it As Is, and there's no grace period for buyer's remorse in Tennessee. I think the most I could do is take him to small claims court, and file a complaint with Consumer Affairs (I will file the complaint as soon as all this is finished, and I've gotten as much out of him as I can before I **** him off so bad he won't even do as he's promised.)

 

You are right that it was bought "as-is", but doesn't this border on fraud? Wouldn't you say he mislead you about what had been done to the car?

Anyways, good luck on getting it back in shape!

 

I'd get another opinion or two from local transmission shops. Reading the code is a start, but doesn't necessarily tell the whole story. Starting with just a fluid/filter change is probably a good idea. It's much cheaper than other options and a little time will tell you if it was effective.

Overall, if it's otherwise in good condition, it still could be a great vehicle in the long run. The pain, and possibly cost, of trying to return it / fight in court is probably more than the pain / cost of doing the needed repairs. Get as much work as possible out of the dirtbag that sold it to you and the warranty.

 

Actually, you're totally correct on Fraud. I would absolutely call this Deceptive Business Practices. My Mom mentioned that he had no way of knowing the transmission or traction control was bad, and the transmission I can agree with - but he ABSOLUTELY knew that the traction system was in need of repair (I told him about the lights after the test drive), and even gave me a warranty that he said would cover it, and it doesn't. The warranty IS better than the bare minimum policy the warranty company offers, but it doesn't cover everything the original Manufacturer's Warranty covers, and that was available, too.

I've decided to go ahead and have the Dealer do the hub and the transmission repair. The hub will have a lifetime warranty on it, and I know this is a VERY common problem (of course, that won't stop the OTHER side from going bad.) I've asked them to check into replacing the harnesses, too, to see if they could have caused the problem, and if so, replace both sides so it DOESN'T happen to the other side, she's gonna have the tech check it for me. Just the hub with parts and labor is $586.

The transmission problem is a very common one, as well, and I don't want to have to foot the whole bill for it down the road if I don't get it fixed now. I have a bit of money available to me right now from the injury settlement from the accident, and if I wait, I'll have spent it on a down payment for a car for my boyfriend. This repair will have a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty on it, as well. If I'd gone with a used tranny, it would have cost $900 for parts alone, add labor on top of that, and would have only had a 6 month warranty. Replacing it with a GM certified rebuilt, the parts alone were $1900, add labor to that, and I don't have THAT much.

So it looks like I'm gonna be out of pocket here at least $1300. Add in the tires I put on her, and the parts I've bought for the emissions, and I'll still have paid about $1000 less than Blue Book. I can live with that, as long as nothing else goes wrong. And at least I will have some warranty on two issues that are quite common with these vehicles.

 

Not sure if anyone still cares, but I got the Monte Carlo back from the dealer today. The damage to MY pocket was $1460. However, she drives SO much better, I'm calling "worth it."

Still waiting on the rest of the CA Emissions parts, hopefully the installation will cost me nothing on that (dealer that sold me the car is supposed to do it.) If that's it, and nothing else goes wrong on me, I'll be satisfied that I now have a good car.

I'm still going to file a complaint with Consumer Affairs on the missing parts and the warranty not covering the hub, though.

 

Bummer that you had so much out-of-pocket expense to get her road-worthy. But glad to hear she's back on the road and running well.

Keep us updated on how the remaining fixes go. Inquiring minds want to know...

 

Well, I currently have the manifold, the check valve, and two clamps in hand. There's another order from GMPartsGiant that have been shipped today, this one has the pipe that runs from the manifold TO the check valve, some gaskets, some hoses, some bolts, and the engine cover. After this order arrives, I'm waiting on 3 more pieces from GMPartsHouse. What's taking so long is 4 parts are discontinued, so I've been having to find people that can track tnem down. Both these places are dealerships that also have online stores. My own dealer couldn't get them.

However, I did get my HIDs installed today. I had projector/halo/HIDs on my Eclipse, so I've been totally spoiled for even Silverstar Ultimates. Think I'll take those back (got them the night I bought her) and get 9005s for the highbeam/DRLs. I used the DDM Tuning slim ballast kit with optional wiring harness, and they are great. May have to do a bit of fiddling with the headlight adjustments, but I'll get to that. My boyfriend helped, but really all he did was hook up the harness to the battery for me. I was a radar tech in the Army, so I have a healthy respect for current, and not knowing much about how to safely handle the battery without getting shocked, I let him mess with that. The only problem we had was I seem to have a side mount battery, so we had to get adapters for the top terminals. After we got that right, installation was a breeze!