Hi Scotty. I have a 2015 Honda Odyssey with 135,000 miles. The automatic transmission judders in second gear. You can see the tachometer jumping up and down but only in second. Sometimes there is a hard shift between second and third. I assume this means I need a transmission rebuild or replacement. I have been given a quote over the phone for $3,800 for a rebuild. I trust the mechanic but he sends it to another shop for rebuilding. How do I go about finding a good transmission repair service so I am not going through this in another 30K miles?
For that kind of money I would get an off-the-shelf re-manufactured and dyno tested transmission with warranty from a large reputable supplier.
Since the transmission is already showing signs of problems and you have replacing it in mind you really have nothing to lose by doing a fluid and filter change, using genuine Honda transmission fluid, to see if it helps. You could do 3 or 4 drain and fill procedures (driving a while between times) to gradually introduce new fluid, keeping the old stuff just in case it takes a turn for the worse.
Also another vote along with @mmj if it comes down to replacement. Get a good factory-rebuilt transmission with a warranty. A small shop may be able to overhaul an old 3-speed Torqueflite but is unlikely to rebuild a modern, complex transmission properly.
