Hi Scotty. My 2008 Sienna has 146k miles on it. Has P0793 & P0776 codes. P0793 showed up first, then started throwing P0776 after a few more weeks. Had it diagnosed by a reputable shop in town - they say the tranny is on its way out b/c the pan had small metal chunks in it. I watched your video in which you said steer clear of getting it rebuilt, but rather buy remanufactured from factory. What about finding a used tranny from a salvage yard? I've found a few with under 90k on them, and the salvage company offers warranties of up to 2 years parts and labor for a few hundred dollar extra. Is it worth the risk to save $3k-$4k? Thanks!
read the fine print very carefully.
What happens if the transmission fails. Will they just provide you with another junky, naked transmission that you have to put in yourself. Who pays the tow bill? who pays the labour? Do you want to be without your car for three weeks? Is all the hassle worth it?
Very good questions I'll want to find out answers to - thanks 🙂
Not in my opinion. Very few places really know how to rebuild automatic transmissions correctly. I would bite the bullet and get a new transmission to avoid all the hassles.
Thanks for the answer Mod-man. My question is in regards to getting a transmission from a salvage yard (with relatively low miles), though, not having ours rebuilt or buying a rebuilt tranny. What's your opinion on that?
You're welcome. I still wouldn't do it. The reason is it is a crap shoot. You never know what that transmission has been through. It is possible it has already been rebuilt and already has issues. Too many variables for such an important piece of the car. And I'm big on salvaging what you can with parts. Glass, doors, body panels....but the engine and transmission are too risky for me.