Transmission problems can be frustrating; they are usually not something you can ignore and keep driving. When you require a transmission repair, you need it as quickly as possible so you can get your transportation back and get your life back to normal, but there are many factors that can affect how long a transmission build will take.
Your Place in Line
As nice as it would be to jump to the head of the line, often there are other customers whose vehicles were brought in before yours. The transmission repair shop is obligated to work on a first-come, first-served basis, unless they offer an expedited service fee. This is something neither you nor the shop can control, but you should expect the shop to be able to give you an estimate on where you are in line and how long it should take to get to your vehicle.
Type of Rebuild
The type of repair being done to your transmission can greatly impact the amount of time it takes before your vehicle is drivable again. If your transmission repair is only a partial rebuild, it may only take an hour or two, while a rebuild from the ground up is obviously going to be more labor intensive. Talk to your transmission tech about how long the labor itself will take on your vehicle in order to get a better idea of what time estimate you might be looking at.
Parts
Another important aspect to keep in mind when considering the time it will take to rebuild a transmission are the parts. Some parts are so common that the transmission shop may have them on hand, while others may need to be purchased from a local auto parts dealer. Others may need to come from farther afield, either ordered online or through a certain transmission parts dealer your shop works with. The parts that can really hold up progress are the ones that are rare or discontinued. If your transmission is older, or there were not very many produced, your shop may have a hard time finding the parts, and even the tools, they may need. The parts may be on backorder, or may be halfway around the world, so time for shipping has to be factored in. This can add days or in some cases a week or more to the time it will take for your transmission rebuild.
Communication
This factor may seem trivial, but if you are unable to communicate easily with your transmission repair shop, that can greatly extend the time it takes for them to rebuild your transmission. If they run into a problem and cannot reach you to get your opinion or permission on how to proceed, that can add much more time to your repair than you might think. If they call and leave a message, and you call them back an hour or two later, they cannot just sit there for that hour or two waiting for your reply; instead, they are likely to start working on another customer’s transmission, which means now you are behind that customer in line, and have added more time to the wait for your repair. Make sure your Charlotte, NC transmission repair shop has a working number for you, preferably a number that you can answer even if you happen to be at work or away from home.