American Transmission Company

First of all, I would like to state that American was the only service provider that would even attempt to install this in the time frame I needed that work done in.  I will commend them for that only...

Here's the rest: When I was called, I went and picked up the vehicle.  He showed me what he had done for $200.:

1) He did not integrate the new cooler in series with the existing factory one.  In essence, this was the only cooler now.

2) There was no phone call to receive my permission to deviate from the original plan.

3) No inline filter was installed.  No phone call.

4) :Later that day I found transmission fluid on my garage floor.

5) Subsequent inspection found the cooler installed at an angle in the right lower corner of the AC Condenser.  Installation in this position prevented the need to remove the front fascia of the vehicle, which is required to do the job properly.

6) Further inspection showed the 2 hose clamps used to affix the tubing to the fitting were rubbing directly on the AC Condenser cores, in essence an accident waiting to happen.  It was at this point that I realized I could not trust American Transmission to do the work correctly.  First impressions can sometimes be very powerful.  I really felt they just performed a job to install the new cooler, as I did request, within a specific time frame, which I did request, but fully ignored any and all technical details and good practices just to make $200 quickly.

7) I went to a local Ford Service Department the next morning asking them to fix the leak and reinstall the new cooler correctly.  They refused to touch American's work but would stop the leak by wrapping a piece of rubber tubing around the area in question and holding it in place with tie-wraps..  The cost of this "service": $209.  Total for service to date: $409!

8) The goal of adding the new cooler to the system was to realize a reduction of transmission fluid temperature.  This leads to longer transmission life and, as I pull an ultralite travel trailer, it's a necessity.

9) That Friday we did take the trailer out for a weekend camping excursion in Southern Indiana.  My worst fears were realized when I started seeing temperatures of 215 to 220 degrees for sustained periods, with a high of 228 degrees.  This is bad as transmission fluid starts to break down at these temperatures, leading to increased wear.

10) I called a friend in Michigan, who is an automotive expert.  We drove to his house, where we again experienced elevated temperatures in the 215 to 220 range.

11) We removed the front fascia and removed the new cooler.  It was then realized that American Transmission had tried to mate .5" transmission lines on a .375" barbed fittings and use 2 hose clamps on each fitting and tighten as much as possible to seal the leak!  This is in no way an appropriate fix for any technical professional to even attempt.  Right off the bat he should have made the call to me, described the issue at hand and aborted the installation.  He did not...

12) We then went out and acquired the correct .5" to .375" barbed fittings, some additional .5" transmission hose to ensure smooth bends in the routing then proceeded to remount the cooler in an appropriate physical location and inline with the existing factory cooler.

13) We now see temperatures no higher than 195 degrees under load pulling the trailer up the worst hills!  This is what we desired from the beginning.

14) Unfortunately, the Ford Service Department saw what had been done to the vehicle, for which I have purchased their best extended warranty plan.  American Transmission's technical neglect and poor work could end up affecting this warranty of my vehicle.  I am sad this has happened but a good friend in Michigan came to the rescue...

15) I will also state I went to the dealer service department with the first request to install an additional cooler but was turned down.  This led me to seek other alternatives...

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Frank at American Transmission replaced transmission in our 04 Mazda 6 in Nov 2012. Old trans was totally out. Work was done on time and $400-600 under other bids. 

In January, 2013 trans failed. Towed it in and Frank replaced converter under warranty. Problem caused by bad converter.

In May, 2014, AT warning light came on and trans acted strange. Took car back because I was happy with their work before, 50,000 miles and 16 months latter. Frank called and said a control module had gone bad, he had replace it and there would be no charge. 

Incredible customer service .Our warranty was long out, but Frank and American Transmission stood by their work and customer.

I highly recommend American Transmission and Frank. First class service and prices

Thank you Frank

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Great

They did an excellent job. We did have a problem; there was a part failure about two months after we got the transmission. They immediately fixed it. It has worked fine ever since. I would recommend them. They are honest, and they do good work. If their work doesn’t hold up, they back it up. With regard to price, transmissions are just expensive. With regard to quality, they had that part that failed. They came, got it and fixed it.

they diagnosed a replacement, cost 2 grand, they did it in two days as advertised. five or so months later, transmission seems fine.

I knew that I needed transmission work done and was leery of where to take my car.  I looked on Angies List and due to the excellent reviews decided on this shop. This shop did an excellent job in rebuilding my transmission.  They checked my transmission and gave me a price and I decided to have them do the work.  They did a total rebuild on my transmission in a timely manner.  I actually had the work done in Nov. 2011 and was very pleased with the job.  They run a very professional and honest business.  They just did a follow up adjustment (covered under warranty)  that was needed which shows that they stand behind their work.  In todays world it is nice to find an automotive shop that you can trust and is reliable.  If you need any transmission work done Frank and Dave have the knowledge and skills needed to help you and at a fair price.  My car was a 1994 Mitsubishi Expo and it now runs great!  Thanks to Frank and Dave! 

They actually rebuild the transmission you already have. Their price was a lot better than another place I checked out, it was very professionally done and I was real pleased with the work they did. I also had another repair performed at the same time.

An honest transmission shop with an A+ rating from the BBB and an A+++ rating from me. I won't hesitate to take my car, my mom's car, my grandpa's car or anybody else's car to this shop. If you've ever been ripped by bogus transmission repairs you probably have the same disdain I have when it comes to getting these type issues accurately diagnosed and competently repaired. With transmission shops, there is a point of no return once they got it gutted and scattered on a work bench. You're at their mercy, and believe me, many of them are merciless. They'll be happy to show you all the "bad" parts while you dribble in your pants. Me, I wouldn't know the difference between a worn planetary gear and a clogged aorta. But there's no turning back, they got you right where they want you. I think these guys are as honest as the day is long and probably just as skilled. Be confident in deciding to give them a try.