Had a customer talk me out of replacing a whole transmission today

Guy comes in with a 2015 Ford Focus that's jerking hard between 1st and 2nd. I'm ready to quote him $3,800 for a remanufactured unit. He says 'hold up, have you checked the TCM yet?' I laughed it off at first but decided to humor him. Ran the diagnostic and sure enough the transmission control module was throwing a code. Reflashed it for $150 plus labor and the car drives smooth now. Makes me wonder how many times I've jumped to the expensive fix without checking the cheap stuff first. Anyone else ever get shown up by a customer like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

derek_schmidt621d ago

Had a customer talk me out of replacing a whole transmission" - reminds me of that time I watched my buddy tear apart a lawnmower engine three times before realizing he just had the gas shut off valve closed. Sometimes we get tunnel vision trying to be the expert and miss the dumb simple stuff staring us right in the face. It's humbling when a customer saves you from yourself like that.

joseph_adams6621d ago

Did you ever find out what the actual transmission problem was after that?