Is it better to rebuild a Transmission or replace it?

Luscious Garage | Blog | Gen 1 Prius Transmission Failure, P3009, P3120
Luscious Garage | Blog | Gen 1 Prius Transmission Repair, P3009, P3120, P3125

I wish you well.

 

The cheapest way is to buy a used transaxle from a salvage yard. Forget about trying to have the existing transaxle repaired.

The "best" way would be to buy a new transaxle from Toyota but that would cost more than the car is worth.

The way to check the transaxle oil is to open the fill plug and make sure the transaxle ATF is at the bottom of the fill hole. The transaxle oil should be replaced at 60K mile intervals or sooner.

The transaxle oil change consists of a simple drain and refill. There is no concern about any substantial amount of old fluid remaining within.

 

While driving from LA to Iowa city, my prius 2005 broke down right before driving up the rocky mountains. Luckily it broke down at a gas station, but it was still a very traumatic experience as my sister and I was stranded in Colorado and had to pay up to $2,000 fees in hotel, car rental, flight and for my car to be transported to Iowa city. We both had to rush for employment reasons.

It only has $87,000 miles on it and I've used the dealership for all my maintenance services for 9 years without fail, on time each time. No negligence on my part.

The dealership diagnosed the problem and reported that the R axle got bounded and had damaged the sleeve of the transmission, a repair costing ($2,000-3,000 for a USED transmission). When speaking to other friends, they said that is a rare problem and that I could have had a defected car that could have costed my sister and my life. I do not even know how to axle could have been damaged.

However, when I attempted to make calls to Toyota Corporation (2x/day), they were ignoring me. Karma the representative for my case, said she would get back to me in 2 business days (thurs) after the diagnosis was complete, however I did not hear back until Monday. I was never able to reach her or a supervisor until monday. Because of the delay, I've spent extra $30-40/day (total $200) on my car rental (this I communicated to Toyota). When she finally did call (once I became angry), I found out she did not even call the dealership for the actual diagnosis. I spoke to the supervisor Steve who also unapologetic and re-reiterated the fact they could only give me a discount of $1,000 if I buy a new toyota.

You can imagine my shock that after telling them I spent $2,000 to salvage my car, they offer an incentive for me to buy a new one, an option that I'm sure is profitable for them.

Later I did some research that stated that my transmission COULD be a part of the hybrid synergy system, which has a warranty for 2005 prius under 100,000 miles. I'm not 100% sure.

Because toyota corporation have been avoiding my calls, I am considering complaining to BBB. I'm wondering if I should just sell my car since it will might have future problems. While I was driving, the hybrid battery also seemed to be dying.

 

The Federal emissions warranty is 8 years/100000 miles, so it would be over for a 2005

 

Thank you, is it normal for an axle to damage the transmission, and require a brand new one? Based on these images the toyota dealership reported that I need a new transmission. They reported that the external area where the axle goes into the transmission is scored and needs to be smooth in order to work properly. Here are the pictures I have taken.

Can this be fixed, do I really need a brand new transmission?!

 

Is this car parked in a garage? Wherever it's parked, look if there's red fluid stains on the ground. It may be that you had an axle seal leak for a while and the dealership didn't bring it to your attention. Damage occurs when the fluid runs low. It has nothing to do with your hybrid system.

 

I don't know if it leaked. My uncle told me that he never heard of an axle damaging the transmission especially since I was going at low speed. The dealership said it was a rare occurance and that my axle did not go straight into my transmission which caused the scoring. Another hybrid mechanic said he has never heard of an axle damaging the transmission either. And if it did, it should be fixable and not requiring a full replacement.

 

Anything is possible despite what your uncle says. You should take to a hybrid shop for a second opinion. Perhaps some kind of tranny repair is possible. Dealerships don't repair trannies, they just swap parts.

 

Actually when my car broke down, there was leakage in my parking spot. However, I am not 100% sure that is mine.

 

I don't know of any hybrid shops in iowa city. I'm new to the city unfortunately and know nothing about cars/know anybody here who can look. Hence the photos.

 

You can do a search on prius axle seal leaks. You probably find lots of info. At your mileage, that would be the only thing that makes sense

SM-N900P ?

 

If I get a second opinion, I need to tow my car to the new mechanic. that is tough because I work full time and commute 45 min to/from work...anyway to get a 2nd opinion that wouldn't require my car to be towed?

 

While not near Iowa this repair place has excellent advice

Luscious Garage | Blog | Gen 2 Prius (2004-2009) Transmission Failure, P0AA6, P0A92, P0A7A

 

Here's Luscious Garage talking about it.

Luscious Garage | Blog | Prius Axle Seal Leak

 

But would it have damaged the transmission? should i even try to salvage my car or just sell it? its 87,000 miles.

 

yes low fluid will 100% damage the transmission.

 

I did some googling for you. This guy is near Iowa:
Brian's Repair

You can always give him a call. Maybe he knows someone closer to you?

 

thanks!

What is also peculiar is that the previous 5-6 months my mileage has only been 35mpg which is extremely low for my prius. And I was driving 3 miles in the horrible LA stop and go traffic, so odd even more so. Then when i was driving to utah from California, the battery showed up as only 1 bar (out of the 10) on the navigation screen and the my mileage jumped to 49mpg but lost a lot of power....

Read more: http://priuschat.com/threads/transaxle-failure.58920/page-10#ixzz32VRQ7ctq
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I've spoken to many mechanics, all saying something different about whether a damage to the axle would cause damage to the transmission.

Some mechanics look at my photos and say outright that I do not need to replace the transmission and just need a new seal. A transmission specialist said it's rare that I would need to replace both, something is fishy. I should just put in the axle and see if it fits in the transmission. Drive it around a bit, if it works, it works. He said there is no way to actually see transmission damage from the outside.

Other mechanic said that in the photo he can tell the outer case output shaft bushing, spline, and differential are damaged. Instead of purchasing a new output shaft, a new transmission is faster and less costly since the only way to replace the output shaft is to take out the transmission. Then he said there could be possible inner damage as well and may need to be rebuilt. Replacing with a new transmission is the best way to go.

Still not 100% what caused this.

Meanwhile it's almost time for my 90,000 mile service. What does that entail? I've always used the dealership for them, but I hear it's cheaper to find an independent mechanic. any tips?

I also was suggested an alignment for my car. does this effect the axle/transmission torque?