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San Diego Shop Guide

San Diego County

Transmission Rebuilds in San Diego: Most of These Shops Don't Even Have a Builder

The part of this industry nobody advertises: when a shop sells you a rebuild, most of them are not rebuilding anything. They can't. There is nobody on site who opens a transmission.

Your unit comes out, a box arrives from somewhere else, and it goes in. That is an exchange, and it is a perfectly legitimate repair — right up until it is sold to you as a rebuild, at rebuild prices, with a warranty you will be making a claim on through a third party you have never spoken to. We read 3500+ published reviews across 30+ San Diego shops and checked the three things that decide how that call goes.

Builds in house

Has someone on site who opens transmissions. If it fails, that is who fixes it — not a supplier you have never spoken to.

3 of 17 shops

Warranty past 24,000 miles

Three years sounds generous until it is capped at 24,000 miles, which is about eighteen months of ordinary driving.

2 of 17 shops

Does the whole trade

Covers all 12 kinds of transmission jobs — pulled directly from the reviews customers have left online.

1 of 17 shops

13 of the 17 shops meet none of the three. One meets all three: Miramar Transmission.

See who builds in houseCompare all 17 shops

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Showing 31 shops.

Who has actually done what

A mark means customers describe that shop doing that work. The typical San Diego shop here covers 4 of twelve; the widest covers 12. Most shops do a narrower slice of this trade than their rating suggests.

San Diego transmission shops and the kinds of work their published reviews describe them doing
ShopAutomatic rebuildsManual & clutchCVTTorque convertersValve bodiesTransfer case & 4x4DifferentialsAxles & driveshaftsSolenoids & electricalFluid & servicingHeavy duty & dieselLeaks & resealsRange
Miramar TransmissionAutomatic rebuilds: described by customersManual & clutch: described by customersCVT: described by customersTorque converters: described by customersValve bodies: described by customersTransfer case & 4x4: described by customersDifferentials: described by customersAxles & driveshafts: described by customersSolenoids & electrical: described by customersFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: described by customersLeaks & reseals: described by customers12/12
Morena AutomotiveAutomatic rebuilds: described by customersManual & clutch: not describedCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: described by customersSolenoids & electrical: described by customersFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers5/12
MR Auto SDAutomatic rebuilds: not describedManual & clutch: described by customersCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: not describedSolenoids & electrical: described by customersFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers4/12
Miramar Auto RepairAutomatic rebuilds: not describedManual & clutch: described by customersCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: not describedSolenoids & electrical: described by customersFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers4/12
Miramar H & A Auto Repair CenterAutomatic rebuilds: not describedManual & clutch: described by customersCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: not describedSolenoids & electrical: described by customersFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers4/12
AAMCO San Diego (Mission Bay)Automatic rebuilds: described by customersManual & clutch: not describedCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: not describedSolenoids & electrical: described by customersFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers4/12
Transmasters Auto CareAutomatic rebuilds: described by customersManual & clutch: not describedCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: not describedSolenoids & electrical: described by customersFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers4/12
Dr Trans Transmissions & ClutchesAutomatic rebuilds: described by customersManual & clutch: described by customersCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: not describedSolenoids & electrical: not describedFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers4/12
AAMCO San Diego (Miramar)Automatic rebuilds: described by customersManual & clutch: not describedCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: not describedSolenoids & electrical: described by customersFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers4/12
Soto's TransmissionsAutomatic rebuilds: described by customersManual & clutch: described by customersCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: not describedSolenoids & electrical: not describedFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers4/12
Kearny Mesa Automotive & TransmissionAutomatic rebuilds: described by customersManual & clutch: not describedCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: not describedSolenoids & electrical: not describedFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers3/12
Miramar Automotive & TransmissionAutomatic rebuilds: described by customersManual & clutch: not describedCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: not describedSolenoids & electrical: not describedFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers3/12
Phan's Auto RepairAutomatic rebuilds: not describedManual & clutch: not describedCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: not describedSolenoids & electrical: described by customersFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers3/12
Miramar H & A Auto Repair Center IIAutomatic rebuilds: not describedManual & clutch: described by customersCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: not describedSolenoids & electrical: not describedFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers3/12
West Miramar Automotive & TransmissionAutomatic rebuilds: not describedManual & clutch: not describedCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: not describedSolenoids & electrical: not describedFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers2/12
Mode AutomotiveAutomatic rebuilds: not describedManual & clutch: not describedCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: not describedSolenoids & electrical: not describedFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: described by customers2/12
West Kearny Mesa Automotive & TransmissionAutomatic rebuilds: not describedManual & clutch: not describedCVT: not describedTorque converters: not describedValve bodies: not describedTransfer case & 4x4: not describedDifferentials: not describedAxles & driveshafts: described by customersSolenoids & electrical: not describedFluid & servicing: described by customersHeavy duty & diesel: not describedLeaks & reseals: not described2/12

An empty cell means we have not seen that work described in that shop's reviews. It does not mean the shop cannot do it — plenty of good work never gets written about, and a shop that is rarely reviewed will look narrower than it really is. Ask them.

Reading these numbers

Range
How many of the twelve kinds of work this shop's customers describe it doing, counted the same way for every shop. Three separate reviews clears the bar — one mention could be a quote or a referral somewhere else.
Builds in house
Whether the shop assembles transmissions on its own premises or fits units built elsewhere. Both are legitimate, but it decides who you are really dealing with if something goes wrong.
The rating
Yelp's own published figure. Not an average we calculated, not blended with anywhere else, and one click away as a sort if you would rather rank on it.
1–2 star share
How often this shop leaves someone unhappy enough to say so. Two shops can share a rating and differ sharply here.

Range is not quality. A shop that does one thing can do it superbly, and a wide range is no promise that any single job went well. What this does and does not tell you.