Johnson City Auto Repair

2810 W Market St, Johnson City, TN 37604
Call Us:(423) 900-8275
Mon - Fri: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Brakes

How much will it cost to repair my brakes?

There are times you want your vehicle to come to a gradual stop but other times you need to stop suddenly to avoid an accident. The average driver applies their brakes over 200 times every day. Brakes are the single most important safety system your vehicle has.

There are hundreds of individual parts in your vehicle's hydraulic braking system. The major brake system components include the brake pedal, brake booster, brake master cylinder, brake lines and hoses, brake calipers and pistons, disc brake pads or brake shoes, disc brake rotors or brake drums, brake fluid, anti-lock brake system (ABS) control module, wheel speed sensors, and there are many more individual parts within the above component groups.

As you can see it is difficult to give you a price to “fix my brakes”. We can, and will, quote a price to replace your brake pads, and even then, the price will depend on the quality of pads you want to install on your vehicle. That's why, at Mr Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care we offer our customers a free brake inspection. We don't just look at your brake pads but at the complete braking system to make sure everything in the system is operating as it should. After the inspection we will discuss with you our technicians recommendation and give you an exact price. You can then decide to have us repair your brakes or not. Every repair at Mr Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care comes with a warranty and test drive after repairs by a qualified technician to ensure quality and give you peace of mind.

To ensure safety and reliability, brake inspections should be part of your vehicle's ongoing regular maintenance. This should include an actual visual inspection measuring pad and shoe thickness, checking for even wear of the pads and shoes, inspecting rotors and drums for warping and damage, and checking hardware to make sure it is working properly and adjusted properly. Make sure the hydraulic components including the wheel cylinders, calipers, brake lines, brake hoses, and brake master cylinder are not leaking. Inspect the level and condition of the brake fluid. Inspect for proper routing and placement of the brake lines, brake hoses, and anti-lock brake sensors.

Be aware of the following symptoms while braking: pulling left or right, your brake pedal is soft or low, the brake pedal slowly bleeds down when pressing it, a shuddering type of vibration or pulsation, a squealing or screeching noise, a brake warning light on the dashboard, longer than normal stopping times, a grinding type noise, an ABS light on the dash, a hissing noise when braking, or a loss of grip when braking. If you notice any of these symptoms, have your brakes inspected by an ASE certified technician. Remember, your brakes are the single most important safety system your vehicle has. Maintaining your braking system is essential for your safety, the safety of your passengers, and the safety of others.

If you suspect problems with your brakes call or come by and let the professionals at Mr Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care take a look.

Hot Flush

WHAT IS A HOT FLUSH?

Most people have heard of metal shavings in their fluid pan when they have a transmission failure. What many don't realize is those shavings also get in the transmission cooler and cooler lines. A new transmission will fail again soon unless those shavings are removed by replacing the cooler and lines or using an adequate flush to remove them. At Mr Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care we use the best flush machine in the industry, the HOT FLUSH.

Once the transmission is out of you vehicle we connect the cooler lines to our HOT FLUSH machine. The machine is filled with automatic transmission (ATF) fluid and heated to around 170 degrees. Hot oil is an excellent carrying agent of debris. The viscosity of it actually grabs hold of foreign material and carries it with it. The molecules surround the debris, preventing it from becoming attached to its surroundings. The detergents in ATF also help to clean away varnish when under agitation. Solvents, which other machines use, do little to carry away debris that are under these conditions. It actually dries up the environment that the debris is in, causing it to cling to its surroundings. The only way to dislodge the material that gets caught in the webbing of the cooler is by completely reversing the flow for a micro second. The split second reverse is just long enough to dislodge the debris. The problems that face technicians are they can't take a cooler apart and clean it. They can't see the debris, and they can't get at it with a tool. A contaminated cooler will cause the transmission to fail! With traditional methods of flushing all they can do, at best, is make an educated guess as to whether or not the cooler is clean. The high speed, computer controlled flushing action is the only way to remove the debris that gets caught in the thousands of “traps” inside the cooler. Combine that with the patented process of being able to see the debris as it gets caught in the 28 micron check-able catch screen and we eliminate guessing.

At Mr Transmission we are committed to quality and lasting repairs and one of the ways we accomplish this is by using the best flushing machine in the industry. If you suspect problems with your transmission come let the professionals at Mr Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care take a look.

Reman or Rebuild

RE-MANUFACTURED OR RE-BUILT?

This is a question that has a lot of debate when you look it up on the internet. When your car needs the transmission replaced there are generally two different options most people recommend: You can have it re-built in a local transmission shop, or you can by a re-manufactured one from a factory-style re-manufacturer and have it installed.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RE-BUILD VS RE-MANUFACTURED

You will find when you ask what is the difference between the two the answer unfortunately will likely depend on what they are trying to sell you.

RE-MANUFACTURED
  • Takes old core and disassembles and re-builds to factory settings.
  • Common wear components are changed automatically.
  • ”Hard parts” made of hardened steel or pressed aluminum are replaced “as needed”.
  • Valve body gaskets and usually solenoids are replaced.
  • Most use a factory assembly line approach having individuals install specific components.
  • Torque converter is replaced or rebuilt.
  • Case is generally sandblasted and painted.
  • Facility dyno tests the completed transmission.
  • Unit is crated for delivery.
RE-BUILT AT MR TRANSMISSION
  • Your transmission is removed from your vehicle and disassembled on a work bench.
  • Experienced rebuilder cleans and inspects entire gear train.
  • Common wear components are replaced.
  • Solenoids are checked and replaced as needed.
  • ”Hard parts” are inspected and replaced as needed.
  • Torque converter is replaced with new or rebuilt.
  • Same experienced builder works on transmission from start to finish.
  • Any updates or re-learns to computer are installed on vehicle.
  • Vehicle is taken on multiple test drives.
  • After all test drives and final check for leaks has passed vehicle is delivered.

What you notice in the list above is that basically the same process is used. The main difference is a re-built vs re-manufactured is who is doing the work. Notice both start with “Re”. Neither unit has all new parts, contrary to what many believe.

At Mr Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care we have builders with 30+ years experience so we rebuild most of our transmissions, but we also install some re-manufactured transmissions because the damage is such that it would be cost prohibitive to our customer to replace all the parts. When you do have transmission problems bring your vehicle to the professionals at Mr Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care and let us perform a Complimentary Performance Check and make sure a re-build or re-manufactured is what you need.

Options

IF MY TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ARE INTERNAL WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?

At Mr Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care our main concern is to help you make the best decision regarding your transportation rather than just selling you a service. When your transmission fails internally on your vehicle you always have more than one option.

One option is to trade your car for another one. Sometimes this is the best option depending on other factors such as mileage, year model, other mechanical problems, etc. Sometimes repairing your existing car is the best option. This depends on many factors such as how much you have in your budget to purchase another car. You could be trading one problem for another. Also, is the rest of your car still in good shape mechanically? Have you already repaired some other problems? And the price of cars today are at an all time high. It may be more financially feasible to repair the car you have. At Mr Transmission we will genuinely do anything we can to help you determine which route you should take.

Two other options are replacing your transmission with a re-manufactured transmission or a used transmission. The re-manufactured will have the most warranty but will also be the most expensive. A used transmission is less expensive but also carries the most risk and least warranty. These two options are also the easiest to price.

Another option is to have your transmission rebuilt in our shop by one of our experienced builders. Our builders are very competent and some of the best in the business. The price and warranty usually fall somewhere between the other two options and is usually the best choice for repair. This option is also the hardest to price. It requires removing your transmission from your vehicle and dis-assembling it and inspecting the reason for the failure.

At Mr Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care we are always happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the care of your vehicle. If you suspect any problems feel free to call or stop by and have the professionals take a look. We are here to help!

Transmission Rebuild

MUCH WILL IT COST TO REBUILD MY TRANSMISSION?

At Mr Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care we start by performing an external diagnostic on your vehicle to determine if what your are experiencing is indeed a transmission problem. We are not going to sell you something you don't need! We will give your vehicle a Complimentary Performance Check. Our preliminary diagnostic will include a test drive by a qualified technician, overall inspection of all external parts and a thorough scan of the computer for codes.

If our professional technician determines the problem to be internal we will contact you and go over your options so you can determine the best course of action.

The transmission in today's automobile is the most complicated and impressive piece of machinery on any vehicle. It has between 500-800 parts and those parts must communicate through the vehicle's computers properly to work as it should. When you have a broken bone your doctor will require an X-Ray to determine whether to put it in a splint or hard cast and even in some cases surgery. Similar to a broken bone, when your transmission is “broken” internally there is no way to give you an accurate price without removing the transmission from your vehicle and disassembling it and inspecting what caused the failure. Any transmission shop, including us, that does is simply guessing. At Mr Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care we will not give you a “low ball” price to get you in the door and then surprise you with a higher price after we have your transmission disassembled. We will strive to give you as accurate a price for every step of the process as possible.

Research has shown that the average consumer experiences transmission trouble only once every 8 years. Because of this, most people aren't knowledgeable about the repair process or cost. We realize one of the quickest ways to ruin your day is to have vehicle trouble, especially transmission problems. It is understandable for you to be anxious and worried about the quality and cost of repairs.

At Mr Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care we want you to feel as comfortable as possible during this process. To help with this we will keep you informed every step of the way, be completely transparent and willing to answer any questions you may have. All of our technicians have many years of experience working in the transmission industry with multiple having as many as 30+.

Lastly, every transmission we repair carries a Nationwide Warranty to give you peace of mind after the repair. If you suspect you are having transmission related problems with your vehicle, call or stop by and let the professionals at Mr Transmission/Milex Complete Auto Care take a look.

Mr. Transmission - Milex Complete Auto Care - Johnson City is committed to ensuring effective communication and digital accessibility to all users. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone, and apply the relevant accessibility standards to achieve these goals. We welcome your feedback. Please call Mr. Transmission - Milex Complete Auto Care - Johnson City (423) 328-0595 if you have any issues in accessing any area of our website.