I took my truck at All-Pro Transmissions in Midlothian TX on 7/23/07 to have a broken shifter repaired in my 1993 Chevrolet C-1500. Soon after leaving the truck at All-Pro, Tommy Kampe (owner), called me explaining the truck needed a new clutch disk, pressure plate, and throw-out bearing. I found this to be odd as these items had been professionally replaced in March of approximately 4 months earlier. When I pointed this out to Mr. Kampe, he quickly changed his story.
Next Mr. Kampe called me and told me the transmission required new synchros and bearings due to excessive wear for an additional $600*. I was skeptical as the transmission had no symptoms of any problems other than the broken shifter. Note: The truck at this time had ~100,000 miles on it and had (has) not ever been used to haul or tow anything. My suspicions were confirmed when I showed up All Pro to inspect the damaged parts. I did not observe any excessive wear (discoloration, pitting, scoring, etc).in addition, the technician servicing the transmission told me there was nothing wrong with the bearings or synchros and if it were he, he would just fix what was broken. When I refused the additional repair, Mr. Kampe became very agitated, almost angry at my decision. He curtly informed me that he would not warranty any part of the repair being that I would not allow All-Pro to replace the aforementioned items. He even said, If this transmission comes apart in a year, I will not be able to warranty any part of it.interestingly enough, the transmission failed in approximately one year.incidentally, the cost of the repair was $675.00* (broken shifter, reseal, refill transmission).
A different shop rebuilt the transmission the week of 10/6/08. Inspection showed the inside of the transmission to be heavily damaged. When I asked the shop foreman what caused such considerable damage, he replied that the incorrect fluid was installed in the transmission (he has stated this fact in writing). All-Pro had filled my manual transmission with Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF). I called All-Pro on 10/16/08 to ask for assistance in this matter and Mr. Kampe stated that the reason he put ATF in the transmission was to allow the shifter to work better in cold weather. GM Specifications for my truck call for only a product called GM Synchromesh or equivalent. ATF is NOT an acceptable equivalent per GM. I verified with a GM technical representative that using anything but GM Synchromesh or equivalent would have detrimental effects on this particular transmission.
*Pricing: In a phone conversation on 10/24/08, Mr. Kampe informed he could have done the same repair as the other did but for ~$400 less. I question this as Mr. Kampe charged me $675 just to fix the shifter, reseal, and refill the transmission. He wanted an additional $600 to replace the bearings and synchros. If my math is correct, that comes to $1275 dollars. The other shop built the entire transmission which included replacing the shift collar, main shaft, counter shaft, and input shaft for $1543. For All-Pro to save me $400 off this price means they could have done it for $1143 dollars. That is $132 LESS than what All-Pro wanted to charge me to rebuild the transmission WITHOUT replacing the input shaft, main shaft, and counter shaft. Also, per the All-Pro invoice, I was charged ~$50 for transmission fluid. Mr. Kampe told me on 7/26/07, the lubricant was so expensive due to the fact that it was GM Synchromesh and had to be purchased from GM. As it turns out, All-Pro admittedly put Automatic Transmission Fluid in the transmission yet charged me for GM Synchromesh. I know for a fact that 2 quarts of ATF does not cost near $50more like $8.
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