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Jan 26

Where To Buy Used Transmissions Online And Not Get Scammed

Sometimes your car breaks down and you think there is no way to get it back on the road. However you would be surprised to find out that most ELVs (End of Life Vehicles) that insurance companies would classify as salvage can be brought back on the road if you follow our professional advice in this blog post.

In most cases complete mechanical failure of a vehicle occurs when there is severe or irreparable damage to your engine or transmission. When either one breaks down completely most insurance companies classify the vehicle as salvage because the cost to repair a transmission or an engine by a mechanic would be astronomical. In most cases the repair of a broken transmission or engine would cost more than the value of the whole car. That is why we recommend replacing the entire component.

Yes, it sounds crazy but replacing the transmission or engine in your vehicle with a used one might be less costly than repairing it, even when you take into account the cost of having a mechanic install it for you.

The most difficult part of the process is finding a good used transmission or engine from a trustworthy place. This is where most people fail and the reason why so many people give up their cars to the insurance company. Because they are scared they are going to buy a transmission or engine that does not work properly or with more miles than advertised.

Where to start

Most guides recommend that you buy local from a salvage yard but that is usually inconvenient. You would need tools, need to know how to remove the transmission yourself and spend the whole day removing it; plus have the means to transport a big and heavy component. This is not realistic for most people. That is why we recommend that you buy used parts, especially used transmissions and engines online, but only from the right place.

This guide will help you learn how and where to buy a quality used transmission online. If you are looking for tips to find used engines online for sale check out our blog post Where To Find Used Engines For Sale Online And Not Get Scammed.

Before you start looking for a used transmission for sale online you should keep in mind that:

Finding a used transmission for sale online is not difficult, however it does require patience and lots of research if you do not want to get scammed.

The first thing that you need to start your search with is pieces of information about your vehicle so you don’t end up buying the wrong part. Information you would need includes:

• Basic vehicle information: Year, make, model, trim and VIN number.
• Engine information: Number of cylinders, engine displacement, induction or naturally aspirated, turbo or supercharged, and fuel type.
• Body or trim information: Number of doors, hatch, sedan, coupe, SUV…
• Drivetrain information: If it’s front-wheel drive (FWD), all-wheel drive(AWD), four-wheel drive(4WD) or rear-wheel drive (RWD)

If you have no idea where to start looking for that information here is a pro tip:

Use this free VIN number decoder to find out all the information you need about your car. All you need to do is input your vehicle’s VIN number, this is a 16-digit code unique to a vehicle. This number is usually located on the driver side corner of the windshield or the side pillar of the car that you can see when you open the driver’s door.

Trust is key

Buying a used transmission online is like buying any other product online. It’s convenient, and it saves you time and money unlike buying from a junkyard which will only save you money if you get lucky.

The key thing that you have to take into account when making a decision on a transmission you saw online is credibility and trust. You want to feel confident that the place you purchased your used transmission is trustworthy. If you do not feel completely confident that you will get exactly what you are seeing in the picture do not buy it. Below is a list of things you can do to identify if the website you are going to buy used transmission online is reputable so you can avoid getting scammed.

How to spot fake posts and avoid getting scammed:

If you learn how to spot fake postings you’ll avoid getting scammed:

• Pay attention to the advertised mileage of the used transmission you see online. Keep coming back to the website and if you notice that their listing’s images or mileage does not change over a period of time, don’t buy from that website. Chances are that the transmission you will receive is outsourced and it won’t be the same one you saw in the picture or mileage.
• Make sure there is a street address listed on their website that is not a residence or mail forwarding address. Use Google Maps to further verify. It’s a big red flag if they do not have one.
• It’s suspicious if the company does not have even a single negative review on their Google Business Listings, yelp or their Better Business Bureau profile.
• Do yourself a favor and simply Google the name of the company before you decide to make a purchase.

If you follow this advice you will not only avoid being scammed but will save money because most of these websites we described are middlemen that make a profit by buying from the source and selling the parts to the end user.

The biggest risk when purchasing from third party sellers is that these might not offer a good warranty and lack customer service. You could be stuck with transmission that costs you hundreds of dollars that does not work and they won’t send you another one. This is also the reason we advise not to buy used transmission online from a peer to peer site like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace on the simple basis that you won’t have a warranty at all.

Where to find reliable used transmission sellers online?

Most guides will tell you to avoid buying online for the reasons we discussed earlier. It all comes down to trust.

That is why we recommend you get a used transmission straight from the source. But you might be asking “how do I know if a used transmission dealer is reputable or not?” The answer lies in these three simple points:

1. Does the company offer free shipping? This shows the company’s resources as well as customer service capabilities. Most reputable companies offer free shipping.
2. Must have an extended warranty. 30-90 day warranties are not good since most used transmissions could fail past that time. Look for companies that offer warranties of 6 months or more.
3. Ask if the used transmission comes with all it’s sensors. Transmission sensors are expensive. This is another signal that the used transmissions are handled with care.

Note: Trust always comes first, make sure the company you are purchasing from is accredited by national associations. If the company is accredited by automotive recyclers association most likely it handles the removal of the parts and is the source of the parts!

Where can I buy used transmission online?

As we recommend in this guide the best thing you can do to save money when buying a used transmission online is getting it straight from the source. However there are very few companies that handle all the aspects of selling used parts online like My Auto Store.

My Auto Store is the source of the parts for most of the East Coast. We handle everything from acquiring the vehicles and parting them out, to customer service and more!

Every part goes through a 4 step quality process. Therefore we are able to offer a 6-month warranty on all of our parts with a great and responsive customer service experience willing to help you at every step of the buying process.

Instead of going through a middle man, you can get the parts you need straight from the source at My Auto Store.