Automatic and manual transmissions, clutches, transfer cases and differentials — diagnosed properly before anyone says the word rebuild. Often it’s a solenoid, a sensor or a fluid service, not a new transmission.
Transmissions, clutches and everything between the engine and the wheels, for cars, SUVs and light trucks. Every price below is a starting point we confirm in writing before we begin.
01
Transmission diagnosis
Codes read, the fluid checked for colour, smell and metal, line pressure tested and a road test — ride along if you like. The $149 comes off the repair.
From $149 · About 2 hours
02
Fluid service & exchange
Drained or fully exchanged to the maker’s spec, with a new filter and pan gasket where your transmission has them, and the level set hot — the way it is meant to be checked.
From $219 · About 1 hour
03
Clutch replacement
Disc, pressure plate, release and pilot bearings as one kit; the flywheel measured and resurfaced or replaced; the hydraulics bled until the pedal feels right.
From $1,150 · 1–2 days
04
Manual gearboxes & synchros
Synchros, bearings, shift forks and seals. The box comes out, gets stripped on the bench, and every part is measured before we order a single one.
From $1,600 · 3–4 days
05
Automatic rebuilds
Torn down and rebuilt here with new clutches, steels, seals and a reworked valve body, then road-tested twice. 24 months / 40,000 km, in writing.
From $3,400 · 3–5 days
06
Remanufactured replacement
When a rebuild doesn’t make sense, a remanufactured unit with its own three-year warranty — installed, programmed to your car and road-tested.
From $3,900 · 2–3 days
07
Transfer cases & 4x4
Stretched chains, shift motors, encoder rings and seals on part-time and full-time 4x4 and AWD systems — and the fluids nobody remembers to change.
From $890 · 1–3 days
08
Differentials & axles
Whines, clunks and leaks: bearings, ring-and-pinion set-up, axle seals and CV axles, with backlash and preload measured and written on your invoice.
From $690 · 1–2 days
02Where does it hurt?
Pick the gear that’s giving you trouble.
Stick shiftAutomatic
1First2Second3Third4Fourth5Fifth6SixthRReverse
PParkRReverseNNeutralDDriveLLow
1st gear
Grinds going into first at a stop
Usually the clutch isn’t fully letting go — tired hydraulics or a dragging disc. We check pedal travel and the slave cylinder before anything else.
2nd gear
Crunches on the 1–2 shift
The classic worn synchro. Sometimes the right gear oil buys it years; we’ll tell you honestly whether it will before you spend a cent.
3rd gear
Pops out of third under load
Worn detents or a shift fork — or tired engine and transmission mounts letting it move. We check the mounts first; they’re the inexpensive fix.
4th gear
A whine that rises with speed
Often bearing noise or low oil. We drain it and look for metal on the magnet before we recommend a single part.
5th gear
Revs climb, but the speed doesn’t
A clutch that slips in the higher gears is near the end. We quote the clutch, flywheel and hydraulics as one job, in writing.
6th gear
A shudder at highway speed
The driveshaft, U-joints or worn mounts as often as the gearbox itself. Ride along on the road test and feel it with us.
Reverse
Grinds going into reverse
Many manuals have no synchro on reverse — wait a second with the clutch down. If it still grinds, the clutch is dragging.
Park
A clunk into gear, or stuck in Park
Often a worn engine mount or the brake-shift interlock switch, not the transmission. A $40 part is a better answer than a rebuild.
Reverse
A long pause before Reverse engages
Low or tired fluid, or worn reverse clutches. We check the level hot and read the line pressure before anyone says the word rebuild.
Neutral
Revs flare between shifts
The transmission is slipping as it changes gear: fluid, a shift solenoid or worn clutch packs. The codes and a pressure test tell us which.
Drive
A shudder at 60–80 km/h
Usually the torque converter clutch — sometimes cured by the right fluid exchange. We try the inexpensive fix first and tell you the odds.
Low
Stuck in one gear, a light on the dash
Limp mode: the computer protecting the transmission. Often a sensor, a wiring fault or a solenoid — scanned in minutes, priced before we touch it.
Where it happens tells us where to look first; the codes, the fluid and a road test tell us the rest. Nothing here replaces a diagnosis — but it’s usually a good guess.
Shift pattern · 6 + RDrag the knob, tap a gear or use the arrow keys
03Three honest options
Repair. Rebuild. Replace.
After the diagnosis you get all three, priced side by side in writing, with photos of what we found. Most of the time the answer is the smallest one.
Most often
Repair
$180–$1,4001–2 days
Solenoids, sensors, seals and valve bodies
Your transmission stays in the car
12 months / 20,000 km warranty
About half the transmissions we see leave with a repair, not a rebuild.
Clutch kit, installedTrucks and rear-wheel drivefrom $1,490
Flywheel resurfaceWith any clutch job$160
Shift solenoidMost automatics, installedfrom $380
Transfer case serviceFluid, seals and chain checked$149
Differential servicePer axle, gasket included$139
CV axlePer side, installedfrom $340
Automatic rebuildMost cars and light trucksfrom $3,400
Prices in Canadian dollars, before GST, for most cars and light trucks. Heavy-duty and imported units can cost more — you’ll see it on the written estimate, never as a surprise on the bill.
Two other shops told me I needed a new transmission. Gearbox found a $380 solenoid, showed it to me in the bay, and the truck has shifted perfectly for a year.
★★★★★
They put the old clutch disc on the counter next to the new one and explained the whole job. Two days, exactly the quoted price.
★★★★★
My Equinox shuddered at 70. A fluid exchange fixed it for $289 — and they told me up front it might not work. It did.
★★★★★
Rebuilt transmission, photos of every worn part, road-tested twice, and a ride to work both days. This is how a shop should be run.
07The shop
The people under your car.
Three Red Seal technicians, four bays and a rebuild bench on the west side of Edmonton. The person who diagnoses your car is the person who calls you about it.
01
Walt Brennan
Owner · Red Seal technician
Opened Gearbox in 2004 after twenty years rebuilding transmissions for a dealer. Still drives the first road test of the morning, and still says “let’s check the simple thing first.”
02
Ana Sousa
Rebuild bench · Red Seal technician
Has rebuilt more than 1,800 automatics. Measures every clutch pack and photographs every worn part, so you see exactly what we saw.
03
Kofi Mensah
Diagnostics & clutches · Red Seal technician
Our scan-tool and road-test lead. If your car only does it on cold mornings, Kofi will be in the lot at seven to catch it.
01Four bays and two lifts rated for trucks02Every wrench back on the rail by 5:3003Old parts kept, so you can see them
08Find us
Off the Yellowhead, at 149 Street.
11630 – 149 Street NW, Edmonton
Mon–Fri 7:30–5:30 · Sat by appointment
Monday7:30 – 5:30
Tuesday7:30 – 5:30
Wednesday7:30 – 5:30
Thursday7:30 – 5:30
Friday7:30 – 5:30
SaturdayBy appointment
SundayClosed
Drop-offA key slot by bay door 3, open around the clock — leave a note in the envelope.
Ride to workA courtesy ride within 10 km when you leave the car with us.
ParkingSix customer spots out front; trucks and trailers along the north fence.
01Is a fluid change safe on a high-kilometre transmission?
Done gently and to the manufacturer’s spec, it’s good maintenance. We look at the old fluid first — and if it says the transmission is near the end, we tell you instead of selling you a service.
02Why do you charge for a diagnosis?
Because a proper one takes about two hours: a scan, a pressure test and a road test. It’s what stops us guessing — and the $149 comes off the bill when we do the repair.
03How long does a rebuild take?
Most automatic rebuilds take three to five working days once the parts are in. You get a date in writing, and a call if anything changes.
04Do you work on CVTs and dual-clutch transmissions?
Yes — CVTs, dual-clutch units and the 8-, 9- and 10-speed automatics in newer trucks. Some are repair-or-replace only; we’ll tell you which, and why.
05Can I drive it in if it’s slipping?
If it moves and no warning light is flashing, gently and not far. If it won’t engage, won’t hold a gear on a hill or smells burnt, call us and we’ll arrange a tow rather than risk it.
06What does the warranty cover?
Parts and labour, in writing on the invoice: 24 months / 40,000 km on rebuilds, 12 months / 20,000 km on repairs, and the maker’s warranty on remanufactured units — which we handle for you.
07Can I bring my own clutch kit?
We’d rather supply it, because then the whole warranty is ours to honour. If you bring your own, we’ll install it and stand behind our labour.
10Book a diagnosis
Get a straight answer.
Tell us what the car is doing — when it slips, what it sounds like, which light came on — and when suits you. We’ll call to confirm a time, and again before any work you haven’t approved.
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