Replacing Torque Converter and transmission

Long story short- I've been feeling a shaking/stuttering coming from my 2008 mazda CX-9 GT (AWD) at 30-50mph in 4th or 5th gear (only when keeping constant speed- accelerating it goes away). So I took it to the dealer (and I'm out of warranty and at nearly 110K miles), and they're telling me that the Torque converter needs to be replaced, so therefore the whole transmission needs replacing. At a cost of $3500+

AAmco says that they'll look at it for free and replace it for $2000-2500 but cant verify it without looking at it.

Does this sound right? has anyone had to replace their Transmission yet?

Thanks!

I haven't done any tranny work on a cx-9 but a torque converter is just a part of the transmission so i can't see replacing the whole transmission if it otherwise operating normally. Jim Ellis Parts shows the torque converter to be $1600. The transmission has to be drained and removed from the engine to facilitate replacement, so maybe 3-4 hours labor tops. The Aamco dealer seems to be in the ballpark.

Keep us posted.

Go with aamco over stealer. Aamco uses Alldata for labor quotes (hours).
3 - 4 hours sounds inadequate, I think more along the lines of 7 or 8 is in line. Not sure about the 9, but on a lot of vehicles you have to remove the engine cradle/subframe, support the engine from above/below, and then remove the tranny. All that in 3 or 4 hours is wishful thinking.

I have seen a couple folks on here who had torque converters replaced under the 60k warranty, but had a problem all along, and never just "creeped up."
If I were you, I'd look at buying a good trans from a salvage yard, and purchase an extended warranty from said yard on the trans. They will freight it to the shop of your choice.
You can try calling LKQ Corp at 800-385-2727, then go ext. 5344 and ask for Matt. He is one of their more intelligent reps who knows quite a lot. He will give you pricing, location, warranty info, mileage, condition, etc.
You can also try car-part.com and search for transmissions for the CX-9.

Buying a used trans has some serious benefits: mainly when you buy a used trans, it is just a matter of drain, drop, replace, refill and off you go. Places like Aamco have the ability to overhaul a transmission and replace internal parts (which dealers refuse to do) but replacing internal parts usually involves labor to dis-assemble the entire transmission, replace all the seals and gaskets and put the whole thing back together.

If my trans every went out or any part of it, I would try my hardest to find a low mileage assembly, buy an extended warranty from the yard it comes from, and have a reputable transmission shop install it. That is your best bet.

When it comes to out of pocket work, you may want to leave any dealer out of the picture.

fraochdha said:

Long story short- I've been feeling a shaking/stuttering coming from my 2008 mazda CX-9 GT (AWD) at 30-50mph in 4th or 5th gear (only when keeping constant speed- accelerating it goes away). So I took it to the dealer (and I'm out of warranty and at nearly 110K miles), and they're telling me that the Torque converter needs to be replaced, so therefore the whole transmission needs replacing. At a cost of $3500+

AAmco says that they'll look at it for free and replace it for $2000-2500 but cant verify it without looking at it.

Does this sound right? has anyone had to replace their Transmission yet?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

It is becoming common that transmission and torque converter is one piece.
If you plan to keep your CX9 for much longer, getting a brand new unit makes sense.
If not, helbigtw's advise is great.

Yeah, dealerships don't employ "mechanics", they employ "technicians". A mechanic fixes cars, a technician replaces parts. It's becoming the norm in dealerships.

my estimate of 2-3 hours labor was in regard to the amount of time it would actually take given they have lifts, jacks and a full set of tools, both pneumatic and hand. shop manual takes the actual labor time, doubles it and adds an hour for good measure. The only guy in the service department that actually moves quicker than peanut butter is the express lube guy, he has to.

I had a situation in my job where I was dealing with a Honda dealer regarding a customer's Honda Civic Trans with only 10k miles. The car was hit in the wheel area, and something hit and broke the shifter rod (the rod that connects the automatic trans shift selector in the center console). This rod was about a 1/4 inch diameter steel rod/tube that goes through the transmission, from one end to the other. The rod was broken on the end. The Honda dealer refused to replace the rod and told the customer she had to replace the entire transmission. Even after I showed them a schematic with the part# from Honda, they still refused. Had the customer take it to Aamco who dropped the trans, took the whole thing apart, replaced the rod, put it back together, for about 1/4 the cost of a new trans.

Just retarded.

i don't trust those chain repair shops. i'd find another independent shop for their opinion.

Actually, Aamco is pretty good. They are independents that pay for franchise rights to use the name for recognition and to get buying power from suppliers. Brand Source does the same thing for mom and pop appliance shops.

my ex bro in law runs an Aamco shop. His shop does top notch work.

As with any indie shop, ask around for references, get on Yelp or angies list or BBB and check them out. A good rep gets around and a bad rep gets around faster.

Thanks for the valuable information. I also started seeIng the same issue about a year ago righ after going into service, while it was still under warranty. The Service Technician who has taken care of my 09 GT from the start told me he'd try something and basically reset the transmission software to the previous original version. It worked. Then, 3 months ago the service report showed a software flash and the problem came back again. In front of everyone he said he didn't do such thing in the past. Then came to me outside and while looking at other stuff, told me he couldn't do that and sorry. The official recommendation was also to change the whole transmission for roughly 6 grand total.

We're also getting the "loose gas cap" light on most of the time, which triggers the "Check Engine" one, mentioned over in that thread. They keep saying they looked at it, but all they do is reflash the codes. The repair to the memory seats (done under recall for risk of fire) also means the memories don't work now.

We were really happy for 3 years and were planning to have this as the second car and buy a new one for my wife. But if these not-cheap pieces of crap are going to fall apart after 3 yrs/62000 miles, screw Mazda. I thought Aisin was a benchmark name. A friend who looked at crossovers at the same time and went with an Acadia just laughs.

Thanks again to the posters.

It sounds like there are a few CX-9's out there that are basically lemons. My guess is that you run into this with any brand/model.

Not to revive an old thread but i am starting to notice this same thing. Taking it to the dealer tomorrow to have an oil change and have it looked at. If it's the tranny my extended warranty should take care of it!!!! Thank god i bought that thing!!!!!

I just bought a used 2008 Mazda cx-9 awd gt. I have since noticed the shuddering in 4th 5th and 6th gears. It is only under a load going up a hill around 1500 rpms. I have replaced the spark plugs, put a new k n air filter and also added the Mr tranny shudder fix additive to the transmission. The next thing I plan to do is replace the transmission fluid, filter, and clean out the pan. The issue is really bothering me, and I probably won't stop messing with it until I can get it to completely go away. If anyone has any other tips, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

Motoman1340 said:

I just bought a used 2008 Mazda cx-9 awd gt. I have since noticed the shuddering in 4th 5th and 6th gears. It is only under a load going up a hill around 1500 rpms. I have replaced the spark plugs, put a new k n air filter and also added the Mr tranny shudder fix additive to the transmission. The next thing I plan to do is replace the transmission fluid, filter, and clean out the pan. The issue is really bothering me, and I probably won't stop messing with it until I can get it to completely go away. If anyone has any other tips, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

Click to expand...

See my experience at https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/sho...g-transmission-at-almost-55K-miles&highlight=

This is the Ford DNA that our CX-9 is blessed with. The other thing to keep an eye out for is the water pump that resides inside the engine block. Once that thing goes, the engine needs to be taken out to access the water pump. Im waiting for more inventory of the 2019s to come out and replace our 2010.

The transmission fluid can be analyzed. That will provide information on what might be wearing inside the unit.
https://www.blackstone-labs.com/engine-types.php#Transmission

Do any transmission shops actually rebuild transmissions, especially of lower volume makes like Mazda? Or do they buy reman units from big remanufacturers? In any case, get the longest possible warranty. Even dealers put in remans.

Aisin is a top transmission maker. Much depends on which transmission model the car maker specifies as well as factors such as how well the car maker cools the transmission fluid.

An automatic transmission is a hydraulic device. Every hydraulic device needs good fluid--normally warm fluid and clean fluid that meets spec. I'm a believer of adding a filter to the fluid hose going to the cooler. SPX Filtran and Magnifine are two good brands, and both are offered with various labels...Raybestos, WIX, etc. For cooling, the usual cooler is usually adequate. For towing or use in very hot climates an additional air-cooled cooler in front of the radiator is wise. Hayden is one good brand.