why would a van with 132k miles need tranmission rebuild?

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steveh2112

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just browsing, i saw this
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/4964553410.html
is at 132000 miles, 2005 e-350, that seems fairly new and low miles to me so why "We Just got transmission rebuilt "

i could ask him i guess but i'm not ready to buy yet, just wondering if that's normal that you would need a transmission rebuild so soon. is it a sign of misuse?
 
From the looks of the interior, the seats and the body, I'd say it's been road hard and put away wet.... :rolleyes:

Wonder if the odometer had been disconnected or broken for a while, it seriously looks like its' got way more miles on it than 132K.
 
From the looks of the interior it appears whatever he was hauling was stacked to the ceiling!  And whatever it was it scraped the hell out of the inside and made a real mess!  Maybe he was using it to transport chunks of concrete and demolition materials and he overloaded the transmission.   :p
 
130K miles is the average life expectancy of a Van transmission in medium duty use and average maintenance.

Usually they come up for sale right before complete transmission failure, not after.
 
In my experience, the newer the vehicle the shorter the lifespan they have been designed for before they'll need major repairs.
 
Internal heat is the enemy of automatics. My Fords trans cooler was inadequate for the job. It's much happier now after an upgrade.
 
The interior is incredible! I would be curious to know how all that scraping and denting happened. My guess on the transmission problem is the van was badly abused and hauling too much for the transmission to handle. So I would also have serious doubts about the engine lasting much longer. Better get a mechanic to take a very close look at this one.
 
They say a picture is worth thousand words. In this case 132 thousand miles of some freaking hard abuse most likely.
The interior and seats tell me it was a cargo van most likely operated by folks that didn't give a damn.

My 2cents.
 
not sure i agree with some of the comments, i have quite a few bangs and dings on my truck from when i was in the building biz but i always took care of the business end of it, i.e. the mechanics and it still runs perfect (like new) at 170,000km.

does anyone else agree with SternWake that 130k miles is average for a trany in normal use?
 
If it was used for heavy hauling and towing, then yes, 130k could definitely be average. My last truck, a 95 F350 Powerstroke had issues right about that mileage. And I had a temp gauge and really watched it. once we got into it the torque converter was the main issue, but since it was already apart it got rebuilt as heavy duty as possible, including a billet torque converter. Funny thing, it almost left me stranded about 60k later when a snap ring snapped! Sometimes things happen and that could be the case with this van. Some transmissions are also know to fail early, like my Ford's. I'm not sure what year they went to the newer model trans, or if they've had the issues with it. I agree somewhat with your take on the mechanics can be sound, even with a beat up body, especially if it was driven by employees but regularly maintained. I would definitely proceed with caution though when the time comes to actually purchase.
 
I like using a product called Lubegard Red.  It's suppose to keep your tranny running cooler and cleaner.  It's recommended by some transmission re-builders and even some car manufacturers....

http://www.amazon.com/Lubegard-60902-Automatic-Transmission-Protectant/dp/B0007ZAJRM


Prevents overheating, reducing elevated operating temperatures up to 40 degrees Farenheit - Optimizes total transmission performance
Eliminates transmission fluid foaming and oxidation and reduces wear throughout the transmission
Eliminates clutch chatter and torque converter shudder; Softens and modifies harsh shifts making them quicker in duration
Extends fluid life / Raises the thermal and oxidative stability of the fluid
Only protectant that increases the fluid's ability to transfer heat / Protects new seals and permanently restores older seals to a like-new condition, without adverse side effects
 
Dino thanks for the tip on Lube Gaurd.

I have a Chevy HHR that has about 110K on it and it just gave me a hint of trouble. Didn't engage as soon as it should have and after reading what others have said it does seem like this is the product to use.

I'll try it.

Mike R
 
That van looks like it was used to transport Alligators.
 
I owned a small engine repair shop for a brief time. (Not brief enough.) I wouldn't be surprised if 80% of my business was the result of abuse or neglect. The same goes for autos. Trannys get neglected badly. Why? Because people don't check the fluid often enough and don't service them. Trannys dislike heat, old oil, and a lack of oil. A tranny cooler will extend the life, but if it didn't doesn't have one, that is not good, especially for a work vehicle. The reason people don't service is because people tend to take poor care of their vehicles and trannys are expensive to service. Changing tranny fluid is a messy deal most of the time, so that also discourages maintenance. Since it was clearly used hard, it should've been serviced about every 25,000 miles or so. If he has receipts showing that and for other work he has had done, then that would help out a lot.

Many people drive vehicles hard, too. They don't stop before shifting gears. They drive too fast too soon. They shift hard. You know how most people won't take care of your stuff like you do? Same goes for vans.

It's a one ton, so you know it has the beefy tranny.

I like to see receipts of all the stuff that has been done over the years. This is rare, but I'm more willing to buy and to pay a good price for a stack of receipts. If it was for a business, the owner should have the receipts for at least 3 years- long enough to establish a pattern of neglect or maintenance. The lack of receipts would be more indicative to me than the inside. I'm ok with a vehicle being used hard, but it must have been well cared for.
 
if the trans is used hard, overheated, and not regularly serviced I would say 130-150k is about right. on a side note modern transmissions are not cheap to fix. to get a heavy duty rebuild on todays transmissions it will run thousands. another reason for older vehicles. highdesertranger
 
GotSmart said:
That van looks like it was used to transport Alligators.

I laughed pretty hard, thanks. Probably helps that I read the thread first and thought "it couldn't be that bad" before viewing. Sure enough, it was. The slashes in the drivers seat could be from those pesky gators getting through the divider again. :D
 
Well you shouldn't care about the transmission, because getting a van with a rebuilt transmission is usually a good thing. I'd rather have a rebuilt than the original tranny with 132k miles. And that's about the life expectancy of a work van's tranny anyway, if not a little better than usual.

When I sell my cars with rebuilt transmission or motors, I usually don't bother telling people this because they go into this whole song and dance about wanting to see paperwork and all sorts of BS......when I'm asking the same price as a similar car w/o the rebuilds. And it looks like he already sold it anyway.
 
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