Transmission Shop in Augusta, Evans, Thomson & Aiken

No, and that's the first thing we want you to know. A transmission that slips or shifts hard can have a simple cause: fluid that's low from a slow leak, fluid that's burnt and worn out, a shift solenoid that sticks, or a sensor feeding the computer bad information. Each of those is a repair, not a rebuild. Even a shudder at light throttle can sometimes be traced to the torque converter rather than the whole unit. The only way to know is to test it, which is why every visit to our transmission shop starts with a road test, a computer scan and a look at the fluid.

When the damage really is inside, you'll have choices. A rebuild takes your transmission apart and replaces the worn internal parts. A remanufactured unit swaps the whole assembly for one that has already been rebuilt. We price each option and tell you which one we'd pick for your vehicle, your miles and how long you plan to keep it. If your transmission is acting up, bring it to the nearest C&C shop before a repair turns into a replacement.

A well-kept automatic can last the life of the vehicle, but heat is its enemy. Every shift and every stop in traffic warms the fluid, and hot fluid breaks down faster. Towing a boat to Clarks Hill, hauling a trailer of mulch or crawling along Washington Road at rush hour all add heat. Once the fluid loses its ability to cool and protect, the clutches inside start to slip and wear, and the slipping makes even more heat. That cycle is how most transmissions wear out.

Good transmission care is mostly about the fluid. Change it on the schedule your owner's manual lists for your kind of driving, sooner if you tow, and fix small leaks before the level drops. Many newer transmissions have no dipstick, so the level has to be checked in the shop. To keep yours healthy for the long haul, bring it to any C&C location and ask us to check the fluid's color and level while you're there. Fluid changes are handled through our fluid flush service.

ASE-certified technicians who keep training as transmissions change, and our Downtown Augusta shop has five ASE Master Mechanics. That training matters, because transmissions have changed more than almost any part of the car. Many automatics now have eight, nine or ten speeds, CVTs swap fixed gears for a belt and pulleys, and a computer decides every shift. Our technicians pair that know-how with modern scan tools that read the transmission computer, watch its data live and run the relearn some transmissions need after a repair.

You stay in the loop the whole time. Our digital inspection texts or emails you photos of what we found, from a leaking pan gasket to burnt fluid, along with a written estimate, and you approve or decline each item. It's a big reason drivers call C&C the best transmission shop in Augusta and Aiken: you see the problem, the price and the time frame before you decide anything. Bring your car to any of our six shops and see for yourself.

Be careful with any shop that quotes a rebuild over the phone. Without a road test, a scan and a look at the fluid, nobody knows whether your transmission needs a rebuild, a solenoid or a pan gasket, and a low number on a sign rarely says which one you are buying. At C&C, the diagnosis comes first. You get photos and a written estimate before any work, nothing is added without your OK, and we use quality parts and the fluid your transmission was built for. Every transmission repair ends with a road test before the keys come back to you.

The 2-year / 24,000-mile warranty that covers most of our repairs includes parts and labor and is backed by the shop that did the work, and the Certified Auto Repair Nationwide Warranty network backs you up on a road trip. Our ASE-certified technicians have been fixing transmissions for CSRA families since 1977, and that steady, honest work is why so many drivers call C&C the best auto repair in Augusta. Bring us a Ford Explorer that flares between gears, a Toyota Highlander that shudders or a Jeep Gladiator with a tired clutch, and each one gets the same diagnosis, photos and warranty.

For a short while, maybe, but not for long. A slight delay going into gear on a cold morning, or a few drops of red fluid on the driveway, gives you some time to book a visit, as long as the shifts stay smooth once the car warms up. Slipping under throttle, a burning smell, a bang into Drive, grinding gears or a car stuck in one gear with the check engine light on are different. Each one means the transmission is already hurting itself, so keep any trip short and gentle.

Waiting is what turns small transmission bills into big ones. A slipping transmission makes heat, heat breaks down the fluid, and worn fluid lets the clutches inside slip even more, so a leak or a solenoid that was a simple fix ends up as a rebuild. A car stuck in one gear is usually in limp mode: drive it slowly to the shop, or ask about towing if it won't move at all (after hours, our driver is at 706-945-3370). Otherwise, get it to the C&C shop closest to you this week, before the next shift does more damage.

Most cars, minivans and crossovers send power to the front wheels through two CV axles, short shafts with a flexible joint at each end. The joints let the wheels steer and move up and down while they keep turning. Each joint is packed with grease and sealed by a rubber boot. Heat, age and road debris crack those boots, the grease slings out, and dirt and water get in. A clicking or popping noise on tight turns, like pulling into a parking space, is the classic sign the outer joint is wearing.

A vibration that builds as you speed up can point to the inner joint instead. If we catch a torn boot before the joint is damaged, a new boot may be all it needs. Once the joint clicks, a complete new axle is usually better value than rebuilding the old one. For CV joint repair near you, bring it to the closest C&C shop. We check both axles, send you photos of the boots and give you a price before any work begins.

On a manual transmission, the clutch is the link between the engine and the gears. Press the pedal and it lets go; release it and a friction disc clamps against the flywheel so power reaches the wheels. That disc wears a little with every start, more in stop-and-go traffic or with a trailer behind you. Over time the revs climb without the car speeding up, the pedal catches higher than it used to, or the car shudders as you let the clutch out from a stop.

Not every clutch complaint means a new clutch. A pedal that feels soft or sinks, or gears that grind because the clutch won't fully let go, can come from a leaking master or slave cylinder, and fixing that hydraulic part is a repair. When the disc itself is worn, replacement means removing the transmission, so we do it once and do it right: a new disc, pressure plate and release bearing installed together, with the flywheel and the rear main seal checked while everything is apart. Need clutch repair near you? Bring your stick-shift Ford, Jeep, Toyota or Honda to our closest shop.