Transmission Destroyed By Python 871xp

OH, you get up early. I concur on all points. Reviewing your work would have been a pain in the butt, especially on a busy day. But it’s part of the cost of having a (reputable) business. (And it appeared that I was the only customer during the entire day in their install shop, so they certainly weren’t too busy to attend to my problem.) They didn’t look at a wire; they even blew off my request to remove the +12 VDC connections, removing only the ground wire much to my dissatisfaction. (Did I mention enough times that I was still very patient and very polite?)

I obtained the wiring color-code from this site (thanks again to the12volt.com!), and sorted through the connections specified by the installation manual. Yes, it’s very straight forward, but I do appreciate the younger guy digging through the wire bundles in the contorted positions necessary to do the installation. He mounted the alarm control unit high enough on the side panel that it blends well with the factory wiring, and with the addition of a 50-cent piece of wiring loam which I will add later it should be indistinguishable from OEM wiring. Good job on this part of the work!

I will take it to an independent shop for review. I’m somewhat pessimistic about it being as easy as finding a misplaced wire. I’ve done a lot of troubling shooting over the past 30 years, and most of the problems that I’ve had to contend with are intermittent problems requiring extensive testing. If I’m lucky, the independent technican will find a misplaced wire, a connection that should have been made, or a poorly insulated connection that grounded out. If not, then I’ll have to have the alarm control unit bench tested including examined for high frequency spikes (yes, I know how to do all of this and I have the necessary equipment). And if this fails to reveal the problem, I’ll have to have the alarm control unit placed back in the vehicle and tested in situ.

The latter two approaches I expect to be well outside the abilities of even a highly qualified alarm installer. I know how to do this myself, and I have unlimited resources for independent testing at an outstanding electrical engineering department in my university. If I am forced to contract independent testing beyond having the wiring reviewed by a local installer, then the bill for this work will rise exponentially propelling this case well outside the limits of small claims court.

Update: the good news is that AAMCO has completed the repairs to the transmission, and I’m picking up the vehicle latter today -- my handicapped wife should be able to get out of the house this afternoon in her wheelchair. The bad news is that I don't have an alarm/remote-start system and that I don't really trust the vehicle to be relaible now.

This poses a dilemma that I’ve already considered: if I lose a second transmission the evidence is incontrovertible, but the bill rises dramatically. I won’t be satisfied with a simple repair on the next one; it will be an OEM replacement. And then there will be added considerable attorney’s fees (e.g., around $1,000 to initiate the case), time and trouble, and other financial compensation. One obvious thing that I see is that I really don’t want to touch the alarm system; this is the way that Circuit City left me driving down the road. And this case is certainly going to court, so I don’t want to tamper with the evidence in any way.

So, "what's a fella to do?"

Well, I would take the van to them and tell them to pull the fuses out if you don't want to touch it.  Then take it to another shop and have them look it over.  As for the insurance company, I know they stopped using travelers a few years back for sil's.  I can't remember who they switched to but I would call the cool line like suggested earlier and get someone higher up or out of that store involved.

I would have the alarm removed for the sake of 'breaking in' the new tranny.  If you leave it like it is now, and the tranny fails immediately, there are two possible explanations - 1. bad repair or 2. alarm.  If you remove the alarm, break it in for 500 or so miles (and get your wife out of the house and around town a bit) and then plug the alarm in and the tranny fails immediately that would be too much of a coincidence to me. 

The cool line phone numbers is: 1-800-251-2665.  I got it by calling my local CC and asking the girl at the front desk.  Renee was her name, she seemed very nice and helpful.  :)

If I were you, I would call the 'cool line' and give them the bare minium details.  Explain that your vehicle was worked on, and soon as soon as you left you experianced transmission problems.  Ask them who their insurance agency is and for a contact number.  If they refuse that info, I would go up the chain.  I wouldn't outright accuse them of damaging your vehicle, I would calmly and politely (like you seem to be already) tell them that you would like a 3rd party (insurance company) to help resolve the issue.

Good luck!

hehe, I'm half tempted to call the cool line and pretend to have a problem just to see how I am treated......  

I'm working on a long post to update the current status and address a few other issues, but I saw this comment and thought I would immediately reply in case this information was lost in the earlier postings . . .

The mechanical parts of the transmission are electronically controlled by a powertrain control module (PCM) that takes signals from the tach circuit to determine when to cause a solenoid to shift gears. (Is that explanation ok? I may need some help here; I just learned last week that modern automatic transmissions are electronically controlled.) The PCM was fired!!! The transmission then got very confused and gears found abnormal positions which caused major mechanical damage along with the electrical damage. (For those of you than have been on a farm, it's like a chicken with its head cut off -- still running for a while but not knowing where to go.) I know some of you alarm installers still don't see how this could happen, but the installer most likely tied into the tach circuit of the PCM (still to be determined). Perhaps his installation was standard and the DEI product had one of their rare failures. I don't know (yet); I just know I was left high and dry by all parties involved. and Ciruit City wouldn't even look at the problem.