<trans> How much for that warranty?

[1sand0s]

If you are ready to buy the new trans for your truck, make sure you clarify what a "warranty" means with the company selling you the trans. Things are not what they seem sometimes.



I thought I could spend about 3600 for a perfect new trans and converter and install it myself. There sure are enough to choose from.

Now I make calls and am asked how much horsepower I have... then I find out that the "warranty" is not REALLY on the whole transmission. :--)

I spoke with two different manufacturers directly who said that unless I went with the special, unlisted billet input shaft... . (at a 900. 00 to 1200. 00 price increase mind you) they would not honor the input shaft breakage or resulting damage and the repair would be on my back.

(My truck would be lucky to have 400 HP at the crank)

When all is said and done, for an iron clad warranty, you have to pay 4500 for the parts, then have the pressures certified by a retail shop etc etc. . By the time you are done with shipping, fluid and everything, you are over 5,000. 00.



Too rich for this yankees blood!



Time to get out the die grinder... 4500, here I come!!



Anyone got deals on a south bend clutch?

 

[SEmerson]

In all fairness to the trans shops. It sounds like thay only said that thay would not honor a broken stock input shaft. At your power levels unless you reall abuse it a stock will not brake. So with thay being said you do have a full warrenty. When I got my dtt a billet input was under a $500 upgrade. I am not trying to beat you up, Pleases dont take it thay way. I am just trying to point out it is not as bad as you see it.

 

[JohnE]

I don't believe you talked to Goerend's at those quoted prices. They did the swap and it cost me over a $1,000 less for a complete rebuild including triple lock converter without a billet input shaft. Adding a billet input shaft would have still kept me under $3,000 for the entire package.



Goerend's

 

[1sand0s]

I take no offense to your words. I hope no one takes offense to mine either.



Excluding the input shaft from the warranty is kind of like having your daughter come home and tell you that she is a "little bit" pregnant.

 

[Snow man]

1sand0's. I dont see how you can expect anyone to warranty a shaft that has been proven to fail. The billet parts are the answer,with high hp trucks. If you want the input warrantied, get the right one(billet)for your Hp leveland all would be fine. Bombing our trucks is fun,and the rewards are great,but it comes at a price it isnt cheap, I recommend whoever you use,do it once,and do it right. Dont skimp now,you'll kick yourself later if you do.

 

[SEmerson]

I had a little over 4k in my dtt installed with a billet input.

 

[1sand0s]

Originally posted by Snow man

1sand0's. I dont see how you can expect anyone to warranty a shaft that has been proven to fail.

I dont.



According to both manufacturers, the shafts on thier 3500. 00 model (the only one on the websites) were:

1. not stock

2. "Hardened special shafts for high HP/TQ applications"

 

[LSMITH]

There is one thing that keeps warranties expensive for us, and that is the ease of adding more power. It is so easy to add another 100 HP and 200-350 Ft/Lbs of torque that it is just silly. An hour in the driveway and $400 later some budding diesel commando can have some serious power at hand, enough power to hack and slash right through the super dee duper transmission that was SET UP for 100hp and 250Ft/Lbs less power. Say junior diesel commando has no clue how auto trannies work, so he just keeps right on trucking and walla, we have ourselves a transmission that is cooked at 3000 miles. There have been PLENTY of trannies fried inside of 3000 miles, and it really boils down to ignorance on the part of the owners in most cases. Lots of guys do not consider transmission setup, the auto can be tuned for one power level perfectly and one only. So set it up for a gazillion HP you say? No one would want to drive it, it would just plain suck. Trannies need to be TUNED to the power level and driving style of the individual driver and truck. THAT is why when you answer the hard questions on the phone with the transmission vendor of your choosing things can and do change. Hopefully they are listening to you and can translate that into what YOU need in YOUR truck.



Is the stuff expensive? You bet. More so than it should cost? Well, they have it and we want it, therefor the price is what it costs... ... ... The market is so darn small serious competiton is not going to happen, so supply and demand rule. Add in a small CYA factor for the vendor if you want the unit warrantied and you have a LARGE number in the price column.



Not saying it is right or the prices are what I think they should be, I am just explaining what I think are several large factors in WHY it costs so much to have a decent auto transmission.

 

[rweis]

I can pay the XXX transmission builder $xxxx for a product that is proven to run,



or



I can pay the OEM $xxxx for a product that is known to fail





At least you KNOW what you are getting!





Bob Weis

 

[South Bend Clutch]

Anyone got deals on a south bend clutch?



Piers Diesel is running a special this month.



Peter

 

[TORQUE THIS]

5K dosen't sound right, send me a PM and I'll tell you who rebuilt mine and what it cost, I had the WHOLE transmission rebuilt by a really great guy! (and he is a certified installer for this company).



I was in and out in about 7 hours.

 

[jrandol]

Excluding the input shaft from the warranty is kind of like having your daughter come home and tell you that she is a "little bit" pregnant. [/B][/QUOTE]



I have to side with Snow Man on this one here. It wouldnt be the transmission builders fault if your stock Input shaft went south after doing say a TC. Those things are know to fail with alot of abuse and a decent amount of added power. If it was to shatter and even toast the splines on your TC I think it is fair that be your responsibility, not the transmission builders. Thats just my $. 02 for what its worth.

 

[Stefan Kondolay]

I have been reading this and i have to say something , all transmission warranties are not created equally.



Customers choosing to go with locked to locked application type transmissions yes definitely should have the billet input. Vendors advocating this type of product line know this application warrants the shafts and so they recommend them.



However, remember not all trans manufacturer customers rely on locked to locked shifting for their daily drivers and certainly not for only 400hp in a non exhaust brake application type truck. This s allows the more versatile warranty policy.



I honestly do not know if that is your case, all vendor criteria is different .



DTT was the first to introduce the billet input shaft and hub to the diesel industry for these Dodges. However they were for our exhaust brake application trucks. We knew they ran the risk of breaking the OEM shaft with the locked to locked shifting.



The 350-400hp level trucks are our average customers and unless they choose to run lock up devices or have exhaust brakes they have a choice to omit the shaft without having their warranty voided. Bill is brutally honest with his guys in his advice and they in return shoot pretty straight with him. That, and for what he gives them the shaft for anyway most of them choose to have it in as insurance. Now the lunatic extreme hp customers Bill seems to get so many of are another story, they never stop.







Anyway you slice it, the truck and these mods are definitely an investment worth checking out throughly before jumping into it. As the mod levels increase the specialty components in the transmissions becomes more relevant.

Hope you get it figured out.

 

[Bob Wagner]

good to se ya back on the boards stef

 

[1sand0s]

Stefan,

I think you put it best. "... these mods are definitely an investment worth checking out throughly before jumping into it. "



That was precisely my aim. To the guy who goes to an aftermarket vendor who tells him "yeah, it is warrantied fully". Then he lays down his cash and gets the install. A year later the vendor is out of business (happens ALL the time) and he is left dealing with the manufacturer.

Then the poor guy (or gal ) finds out that the input shaft is not under warranty due to not going for the OPTIONAL billet piece.



Okay folks, stop the nasty IM's. I did not trash your trans refitter. You don't see one name in my posts and that was on purpose.



No, I dont think a company should warranty your input shaft after doing a torque converter. Of course not. I am talking about complete units, crank to transfer.



Touting a warranty for X amount of time on a complete transmission means just that. The COMPLETE transmission.



I would have never typed a word here if there were a little asterisk next to the warranty referring to a footnote that read: "when purchased with optional billet input shaft".

But there certainly are no little asterisks. In my book, that is just wrong.



The wise will read this and make the call before they part with money. Hopefully, the nasty IM's will cease since this is the last time I will ever post anything about an auto on TDR.



My floor is getting cut.



I wonder if the clutch I want excludes the center of the disc in the warranty... . hmmmm ROFLMAO... ... 10-4 good buddies, over and out... ... .

 

[jrandol]

I see what your trying to get at now 1s. Slap me silly and call me ignorant.



Your right, if not properly read and asked about some of the "warranties" could be misconstrued as borderline misprinted and therefore misinterpretted.



Your right again, posting about the Auto transmission is really rolling the dice on the TDR. (Flame proof, asbestos/cancer creating suit has been on the whole time since my 1st post here. ) You gotta be prepared. I have to say you did a good job of not naming names of manufacturers or vendors of the auto trannys for our truck.



Best of luck to you with the install of that Hand Shaker!

 

[MCummings]

Might want to take note that when you sell your truck, not all warrenties are transferable.





Merrick Cummings Jr

 

[Stefan Kondolay]

Merrick, even though your transmission warranty was not transferable from your vendor,the billet input shaft you just bought from us is.



At DTT if you buy a full rebuild transmission or have the work done at our shop, the new owner has coverage. We warranty the truck not the driver.



Obviously the new owner would have to contact us and let us know if he is planning on modifying the engine further as our products are customized based on the original profile sheet. That way we can ensure the new owner has the right parts for the right application.



If a guy bought the parts from us or our dealer base they still have their initial warranty coverage for the new owner of the truck.

 

[Stefan Kondolay]

1sand0s



Sorry it went bad for you with your auto experience.



Good luck with your stick.

 

[Idaho CTD]

Originally posted by Stefan Kondolay

Now the lunatic extreme hp customers Bill seems to get so many of are another story, they never stop.

I resent that remark! No one has ever called me a lunatic .



Nathan