Arvada, Colo.--It's difficult to be everything to everybody. Over the years, however, the increasing complexity of transmission repair has led Ian and Mary Hastie to do just that. The couple said they recently separated their transmission-rebuilding and auto repair divisions for greater efficiencies, creating two companies in the process. After doing business for more than four decades under a single roof, the Hasties leased a building at 6340 W. 56th Ave. last January and moved their transmission-rebuilding business, Shift Dynamics, into its own 5,200-square-foot space.
The aim is to increase inventory and supply more transmissions to repair shops in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, said Co-owner Mary Hastie, who conducts commercial sales.
"In the short time we've been here, I've noticed an increase in productivity, quality of products, happier workers, and a greater ability to control inventory," said Shift Dynamics Operations Manager Don Evenson.
"We quadrupled our rebuilding area," Evenson said, adding that he employs three rebuilders and wants to hire three more. "We have better organization and control over what we've got in inventory."
Transmission cores are stored indoors, identified, and palletized, Evenson said. He added that when the rebuilding operation was sharing space with The Shift Shop at 8050 Chase Drive, parts were stored upstairs, in the back lot, and builders were in separate rooms--a less than ideal setup. "Now, the dynamometers are 10 feet away from the builders," he said.
"There were too many people working in one area," Evenson said. "There just wasn't enough room."
Storing cores indoor is another major benefits of the move, Evenson said, adding the controlled environment indoors eliminates moisture and water intrusion. He said he obtains most of his transmission cores from repair shops, resellers, and local automotive recyclers.
In addition to online training, Evenson said his builders mainly learn new technology on the job through disassembly and inspection. The Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association (ATRA) is also an important source of training and information, he added.
Shift Dynamics rebuilds many types of transmissions for vehicles ranging from Honda Civics to F-550 trucks, Evenson said. The parts that typically go into transmissions and transfer cases are purchased from Axiom Automotive Technologies or Transtar Industries, he said.
Most of the transmissions sold are tested on one of two DynaDrome dynamometers before leaving the building, Evenson said. "Once we're finished, we know it's ready for installation." The rebuilt units carry either an 18-month/18,000-mile or a three-year/36,000-mile warranty, he said.
Transmissions and general repair
A vehicle with a problem often has symptoms that reveal themselves through the transmission, Co-owner Ian Hastie said. The amount of computers on a vehicle have made transmission repair complex. "You can fix the transmission, and the car still doesn't work," he added.
"The worst call to get is when they say, 'It's doing the same thing,'" Evenson said, adding that proper diagnostics are critical to ensure that the customer even needs a transmission repair or replacement.
"Small transmission shops are going out of business because they're not keeping up with the modern car," Evenson said. "There's nothing more embarrassing than selling a customer something they don't need."
The Shift Shop uses TransX software for transmission diagnostics, Evenson said, adding that it can isolate and verify problems. On late-model vehicles, it can actually activate solenoids and measure voltage signals to ascertain if the transmission's "pulse-width modulation" is correct, he said.
Three technicians work in the seven-bay repair shop, Hastie said. "They're so much more capable without the rebuilding facility there."The shop performs all types of services, including many transmission installations, Hastie said, adding that many times the job includes a new clutch.
For clutches, LUK is the shop's brand of preference, Evenson said, adding that they purchase them from Clutch Dr. in Denver. Even if a clutch is replaced, "Slave cylinders and master cylinders will still fail," he said, adding that he prefers OE over aftermarket parts for this application. "We take care of it the first time and don't have comebacks."
As more motorists are hanging on to older, higher-mileage vehicles, they're demanding cheaper repairs, Hastie said, which is driving demand for inexpensive transmission rebuilds.
In some cases, rebuilding a customer's transmission, rather than replacing it, can save up to 50 percent of the cost of a new or rebuilt unit from a production remanufacturer. An average transmission job costs $3,000, he said, pointing out that a lot of people aren't willing to pay or don't have the money for that type of repair. The economical replacement units carry a 90-day warranty, he said.
"It gives the customer one more option," Hastie said. "We think there's a significant market for good working transmissions that are inexpensive."
