2011 Yukon..Transmission shot... worth replacing?

tcrmi · Dec 31, 2019

Matt81 said:
you hit the nail on the head. That is exactly the debate going on in my head. After the feed back received I think it makes sense to shop for for a second opinion and find a shop to repair it. Received a lot of great feed back and advice on this forum!

I just replaced the transmission in a 2003Tahoe with about the same miles on it. A remanufactured transmission from GM with 100K warranty cis $3587 installed. Worth every penny. I had the old transmission rebuilt 3 years ago for $1500. Waste of money!

mikeyss · Dec 31, 2019

tjoyce81 said:
Wow. After reading all the replies - it amazes me that a 'noise' in the tranny warrants replacing the entire unit. First off, is it a 4l60e / 4l65e or a 6l80e?
Second, a "noise" could be anything.

I would take it to a local mechanic and have them tell you what transmission you have, and what they think the 'noise' could be....

Answer those questions and check back. You will get better advice then...Happy New Year...

Thinking about what you say about noise.... A transmission has a lot going on inside it, and is fairly quiet... Except for 1st gear in some transmissions. Imagine how many people were alarmed at the 4L80 when it was new, but found it is completely normal. The 6L80 is pretty noisy in 1st gear too, especially if you have your windows down. It could be bearings in the rear end or t-case making noise too

Horseprw · Jan 1, 2020

91RS said:
Lol. Tell me where I can get a new transmission for $1000.

You and I can't, but the dealer cost on a rebuild would be around that.Maybe 1500.

swathdiver · Jan 1, 2020

Matt81 said:
Called first transmission shop. They have good reviews. Spoke to the guy. Very nice. He couldn’t give me a price cause he wants to confirm the transmission due to it being a 2011. I drop it off Friday. Hopefully he reasonable !

Huh? There's only 1 transmission in 2011 in any of the 1/2-ton GMT900s.

Nice doesn't mean honest or fair, caveat emptor!

We see this all the time here. Fellas without tools are at the mercy of these places, they all tell them the thing is shot and needs to be completely rebuilt or exchanged and with the thing up in the air and rental fees accruing along with angry stares from the wife, they feel they have no other choice. And at that point, they really don't. On the flip side, you replace the bad TECHM or pump or converter and next year something else goes...

Matt81 · Jan 1, 2020

swathdiver said:
Huh? There's only 1 transmission in 2011 in any of the 1/2-ton GMT900s.

Nice doesn't mean honest or fair, caveat emptor!

We see this all the time here. Fellas without tools are at the mercy of these places, they all tell them the thing is shot and needs to be completely rebuilt or exchanged and with the thing up in the air and rental fees accruing along with angry stares from the wife, they feel they have no other choice. And at that point, they really don't. On the flip side, you replace the bad TECHM or pump or converter and next year something else goes...

I understand that nice doesn’t mean fair. The shop is looking at the transmission free of charge. When I asked for a rough estimate for worst case scenario he said that 2011 was the year they switched from 4 speed to 6 speed transmissions? He said that impacts the price significantly depending on which one my car has.
Like I said prior. I’m no expert, that’s why I joined this forum. It’s not like I’m committed to this specific shop to perform the repairs

Rich Basa · Jan 1, 2020

Matt81 said:
So here’s my story... purchased a 2011 Yukon 3 years ago. I have a balance of $8,000 left on the loan. Recently the transmission started making some noise and had it checked out at the local dealership. They told me it’s shot and given the age and mileage of the car it’s not worth replacing. The estimate was 5300 to replace tranny.

my car now has 170,000 miles and I never had an issue until now. Even though it’s got 170,000 miles, the car still rides like a champ...(until my tranny situation)

so I’ve been shopping for cars lately. I checked out a new base Yukon that isn’t nearly as loaded as mine and I’m looking at 900 dollar a month payments and to be honest, I’m not looking to spend that much money on a car per month that I’m not going to own.

So I’ve been shopping for cars and to be honest, there is nothing out there that excites me like my Yukon.

so my question is, so you think it’s worth replacing the transmission on a car with 170,000 miles that I still owe 8 grand on? If I can get at least 3 more years out of this car after replacing tranny I think I will be fine. But then in the back of my mind I find myself wondering if I’m crazy for considering spending so much money on a car that has 170,000 miles.

I’m no car expert but just wondering what the thoughts of the community are on my situation. Especially the thoughts of some mechanics. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,

matt

I have an 2004 Yukon Denali the transmission just went out at 135,000mi. The transmission was slipping shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear for about 4 yrs. I am in a little different situation because I paid off my car 8 years ago. I found a shop in New Jersey who offered to rebuild a 4l65E transmission for $2200 with a 1 year warranty or FACTORY REBUILT one for $2600 with a 3 yr warranty. I went with the Factory Rebuilt for $2600 and the longer 3yr warranty. I had to put a deposit for the transmission of $1750 as I watch the shop owner order if from ETE Remanufactured Transmissions https://etereman.com/. So the remaining cost of labor was $850 was to install. They have a nationwide warranty so if I break down 3000mi from my home in California they will ship the tranny to a local shop and repair it. I mostly telling you this for price reference. AAMCO which is a national change wanted $4200 for a remanufactured tranny for a rebuilt with a 1 year warranty. I felt price wise I got a really good deal as I live 10mi from New York City in New Jersey with one of the highest cost of living counties in the entire country. Oh by way, the car runs like new. Knok on wood of course. I know my car is a little older than yours ,but $5300 is way too much in my opinion. Shop around and use my numbers as reference. Even use the link I provided and give them a call on how much a tranny would for your model year. Good luck on whatever you choose to do.

91RS · Jan 1, 2020

2009 was the year the 4L60 was replaced with the 6L80 in the 5.3L trucks.

swathdiver · Jan 1, 2020

Matt81 said:
I understand that nice doesn’t mean fair. The shop is looking at the transmission free of charge. When I asked for a rough estimate for worst case scenario he said that 2011 was the year they switched from 4 speed to 6 speed transmissions? He said that impacts the price significantly depending on which one my car has.
Like I said prior. I’m no expert, that’s why I joined this forum. It’s not like I’m committed to this specific shop to perform the repairs

There was a mid-year change over in 2009 for the pick up trucks when they switched from the 4L65 to the 6L80. 2009 was the first year for the SUVs equipped with the 5.3 to be paired up with the 6L80. It's possible to buy a 2009 pickup with either transmission but all the SUVs with the 5.3 had the 6-speed in 2009.

We're glad you're here Matt. While you are learning in this post, I'm sure you'll have plenty to contribute in others. Happy New Year and keep us posted.

Keep in mind, that you can get a GM Reman with a warranty, can't recall where they got them but several guys on here recently went this route and the price was not at all unreasonable.

Matt81 · Jan 1, 2020

Heres a pic of my Yukon...just collecting snow at the moment.

raidernationmike · Jan 1, 2020

My 2009 Denali AwD tranny died at 160k. i found a reputable shop and I went with a complete rebuild. $6k. Big decision for me too but I plan to keep this baby for another 5 years so I went ahead with it and have to say that it feels like a champ. At that point also replaced all the shocks so crossing fingers that it gets to 250k unscathed

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2011 Yukon..Transmission shot... worth replacing?

tcrmi

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