Check with the shop doing the trans replacement first. They might have their own sources and or want to use these as they are doing the work.

Double check with this shop and the seller that the trans is the same as the one being replaced. As noted the trans model may be the same but there were differences in details for models and years.

 

Hello. Just an update and to thank you for your help and direction.
In the week I located several transmission shops and read countless reviews on them and then visited six! Three said they couldn't help and would have trouble locating an engine (after two of the shops did a full diagnostic), and two said they could help.

Just for a sense of comparison I have attached the only two estimates from yesterday with huge varying prices! At the place with this highest I heard the mechanic tell someone ' We'll be able to get a transmission for about $4 to 500", but that's not what the estimate they sent me says. On top of all projected costs they said I have a small drip in the oil pan gasket and they'll fix it for $622.75!

The second estimate is from a local Japanese 'Auto Clinic' and their prices are much more reasonable. I did question why they were offering a comparable / compatible transmission with only 50.000 miles and this is their response ... "In Japan, due to the restricted emission regulations, most of the people don't keep their vehicles too long like we do here". They would also check ALL motor mounts at the time.
I still need to chat with kids and think it over but the vibrating is getting harsher now. If most estimates i might have gathered were to have been much higher, I may have had to consider NOT putting that kind of money into this vehicle and to look for a replacement..

 

That’s a lot to digest but will give it a try.

Are all these quotes from the same shop or more than one?

In visiting these trans shops what was their trans diagnosis as to what is causing the vibration and was this diagnosis consistent between shops?

Apparently the Japan government makes it progressively more expensive via car condition rules, inspection fees and more to keep a car a long time. The government seems to discourage long term ownership via increasing costs of ownership. Thought in Japan one needed to get the car inspected in detail by a licensed shop and the inspection requirements became harder as the car aged.

US media states 13 years was the average from new car to registration cancellation as in scrapping the car. Hence still good car parts can end up being exported. Many US auto repair DIY’ers at DIY forums have raved about these imported parts while some did not. My limited experience was not good due to parts condition here an engine requiring major work to fix. However, if a shop is doing the part seeking and is willing to provide some guarantee of the part it might be OK.

Today, auto parts salvage yards cans search their and other yard inventories to find specific engines, trans, etc. and some will list the miles on the car when the part was pulled out. A repair shop will have access to these yards.

A trans shop may not be interested in installing a used trans. They are in the new or rebuilt trans business not the used trans business. They also don’t want any possible issues in a used trans if something goes wrong. If your repair shop is already backed up with business for new and used trans installations then why do used trans plus suspect there is more profit in new and rebuilt. This is SOP for the business and not something devious. A general auto repair shop doesn’t have this limitation.

There is going to be a large variation in trans price between used and rebuilt. These days, labor rates per a specific job are taken from a book generated by a third party. Your invoice shows “Mitchell” at the bottom. Mitchell has formulated the time in hours or fraction of to do various repair and maintenance jobs. They sell this info to shops on paper or computer software. A specific shop having the software then imputes the rate THEY charge for labor, plus local sales tax, any other fees/costs, etc. When customer asks for a quote for doing work the shop just inputs the specific work needed in detail to generate a $$ quote. Thus your quote has a price for each part replaced such each engine mount and trans item plus fluid cost.

Did you ask for quote on every item on the list such as brakes, engine mount, etc?

You can ask why the quote trans price is higher then $4-500. That price may be the trans wholesale cost to a repair shop or the shop is marking the price they paid for the trans up. A shop buys their parts for $XX cost and charges the customer $YY. This is standard practice in every industry not just automobiles and not something devious.

The shop receiving the trans will change the trans oil filter and add new fluid as SOP.

What is up with the rear brakes again? The quote is very expensive for the listed work.

Do you have any auto repair skills, interest in learning who to repair, etc. Brake repair is easy enough and pads and rotors low cost.

What is the hourly rate for the shop listing the quote ($85/hr)?

For the oil pan leak one might try to tighten the bolts but don’t overdo it or they can break. You are going to run into this type of high repair charge for seemingly minor issues as that is the way it is for repair shops. That’s way many people DIY on repairs and buy their own parts.

As stated you do realize the car is only worth so much money it is your decision how much to put into it
See private message sent to you.

 

Thank you very much for the extended and helpful reply. I just sent you a private message which I hope you received. Actually on that page I was ready to send my long-ish message but it only allowed 5000 characters to be sent so I kept having to reduce my message but maybe the full message got through.

Yes all shops diagnosed the same problem, a lot of play now with the axel in the differential with one shop sending me home with a short video of the mechanic grabbing hold of the axel and pulling it freely back and froth showing the play and the sound.
I too thought the quote for fixing the rear brakes was high. I was told there is only 3-4 mm of tread on the rear brakes.

Besides that, they showed me the color of my brake fluid against a chart and they said it should be changed soon even though it was changed two months ago. Apparently that can be accomplished with a turkey baster, simple.

I will look under the car tomorrow to try gently tightening the bolts on the oil pan, but I actually don't see oil drips but maybe one every day or two- still worth me looking under there tomorrow. Thank you for the prompting.
Yes I did get a quote on labor / parts costs from other shops and they vary quite a bit making it somewhat easier to make a choice whom to use - if I decide to go that route i.e. repair or not.
It's quite a difficult decision really as I enjoy the Camry. It's nice to drive and has no rust on the body or engine, plus I know all parts that have been replaced since I've had it from 2010 and I'm just glad to realize that most part for the 1995 Camry can still be obtained.

The other hard decision would be whether I can let it go even for a newer model with (hopefully) no oil issues, transmission in good working order and rear brakes not needing to be replaced soon....but at a price thereby needing to compare current proposed repair costs against a newer vehicle cost.

I hadn't known about 'Mitchell' and their being involved with individual repair shops whereby they have predetermined prices. That's interesting to know, but limiting the shops own choices and costs otherwise.
Thank you again for your help and taking time for my response.

 

Hello toyomoho, i'm wondering if you got the message I sent you two days ago in 'private message' view? I 'sent' it twice actually but didn't see it in the line of messages afterwards.
Hope it went through as I wanted to thank you for your help and tips etc. and to let you know 'where I'm at regarding my Camry which we take in early next week for a transmission change out.
Thank you.

 

Last message received was on 2/25.

 

I am not too familiar with how to correctly post in private messages but I had kept a copy of the last message intended as a reply to you.
It is posted in Private messages but with your last message, i.e. within the same message you sent.