Tri-City Transmission
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Tri-City Transmission
Two specialties under one roof to simplify most all of your auto repair needs. We are a state of the art modern transmission and auto repair facility with deep roots in the community starting back in 1972. Our 10 bay facility is designed around keeping your vehicle safe, secure and clean while it's in for service.

We hear this daily. We find that most shops would rather replace a transmission than fix it. It's not because they're dishonest - they just don't know how. At Tri-City Transmission, if we can fix your car without a costly overhaul or replacement, we will! For over 45 years, the people who come to Tri-City Transmission expecting the worst leave with good news and a bill significantly less than their car payment.
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They knew their strong work ethic and ability to communicate with people would serve them well in their new positions as local business owners. Leon and Mike rented four bays of a seven-bay garage on North Hayden Road in Tempe, Arizona. It was behind the Gas-n-Go service station -- and you couldn't even see the front of the building from the street at that time!
Tri-City Transmission, family owned and operated, has specialized in transmission repair and drivetrain repair in the valley for over 45 years. Transmission repair to most consumers is scary as they realize they are complicated. Frankly, they are. But to us, they are not! We have been servicing, diagnosing, repairing, overhauling, and remanufacturing thousands of transmissions each and every one of those 45+ years.
The number one question everyone asks before they bring their car in for transmission service is "How much is it going to cost?" Perhaps people ask because they have heard stories about shops that practice "RDI" (remove, disassemble and inspect, ) essentially taking the customer's vehicle apart without warning then telling them it will cost thousands of dollars to repair the transmission.
We have found transmission service to be a very confusing topic for the consumer. The modern transmission in many cases develops idiosyncrasies, underperforms and even fails for lack of maintenance. So, transmission service is very important if you want your transmission to last and operate up to its full potential.
Different than years gone past, the automatic transmission has become more highly technological than ever before. Instead of, two, three or four speed transmissions, late model vehicles have as many as nine speeds and all modern transmission are completely computer controlled. Sometimes the computer is in the transmission.
Reviews (30)
Dan Duffy
Dan Duffy
Dec 16, 2021
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I took a vehicle to Tri-City transmission about 20 years ago. There was an issue with the transmission and they got me a brand new transmission from Chrysler for my Dodge ram at no charge to me.
About two weeks ago I developed some issues with my Lincoln navigator. My first thought was to take it to my friends at tri city transmission they are professional and have great integrity. My confidence was not misplaced again Tri-City transmission came through for me 20 years later and got my transmission repaired for free from the dealer. If that is not professionalism and integrity and honesty I don’t
Matthew Nelson
Matthew Nelson
Dec 13, 2021
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Positive: Professionalism
Steve was very nice and welcoming. He helped me out with a minor repair that would allow my car to pass emissions test. He did not charge me due to being a small fix. Thanks Steve!
Service: General repairs & maintenance
Greg Eikerenkoetter
Greg Eikerenkoetter
Dec 03, 2021
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Tri-City Transmission has been maintaining our business and personal vehicles for the past few years and we are extremely satisfied with ALL of the service they have provided.
They always go above and beyond to make sure our vehicles are in tip top shape.
Tri-City Transmission gives me one less thing to worry about and I really like that.
You guys keep up the good work and I'll be sure to tell everyone what a great auto repair shop you are!!!
Bob Sakas
Bob Sakas
Oct 29, 2021
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The service rep listened to what my needs were with my Tacoma and that's exactly the work that was performed. A phone call was made by Tri-City to confirm the needed repairs, to explain that parts would have to be sent in from the warehouse as well as to make a recommendation concerning the brake fluid which could wait until the next oil change. I've been taking our vehicles to Tri-City Auto for a couple of years and have never been tried to be "sold" on any unneeded repairs or services. Great job as always!
Becky Tann
Becky Tann
Oct 18, 2021
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LOVE these guys! My little blue car developed an issue that was beyond the scope of what my regular mechanic was comfortable doing. Initially he suggested i have the dealership take a look at my car. After getting a horrendous quote for repairs i called my mechanic back in tears and he said to go see Dave at Tri-City. He said Dave can fix anything and that their pricing is fair. Oh My Gosh am i glad i listened to him! My experience at Tri-City was WONDERFUL! I can't even begin to tell you how happy i am i found this place! The price they charged was was less than half (significantly less) of what
Dawn DuBry
Dawn DuBry
Oct 16, 2021
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I don’t have a car person in my immediate family that I can go to with automotive issues. In the past, I have made a few car decisions that I wasn’t happy with. So now when it comes to big automotive decisions, I rely on Tri-City Transmission and Auto Repair and am confident in the way they consider all the factors. I can’t say enough nice things about Dave and his crew.. Thanks for all your help, Dawn!
Carolyn Sedgley
Carolyn Sedgley
Oct 14, 2021
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Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Value
I thought my beloved gold truck was done for but Tri city trans fixed her up! 222,000 miles and still runs great! Josh, our service advisor, was great at keeping us up to date and our truck was ready when promised.
Service: General repairs & maintenance
Carole Pellatt
Carole Pellatt
Oct 03, 2021
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TRI CITY TRANSMISSION DID IT!!! I love my Jeep Cherokee Sport 2000, but the air conditioning was intermittent. After 2 years and too much money spent at another mechanic, I was impressed by their website, reviews, and youtube channel.I called and brought the jeep in.They were so careful to make sure it was running consistently before they returned it to me, so I had them perform some maintenance as well. They were straight on the costs and constantly communicated with me. I truly trust them with any aspect of my jeep now, it has found a new home for repairs and maintenance.
Melvin Chandler
Melvin Chandler
Sep 30, 2021
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Tri-city is the one stop shop for automotive mechanical work! Great service and even greater people! The rebuilt my transmission and found out that my brakes cylinder blew out. The informed me of the issue and fixed them when I returned to get my truck I was informed that the complete rear brakes were toast and they replaced all it at the original price saving me $560. This was heaven sent. Will definitely have all my work done here from now on!
Richard Hanson
Richard Hanson
Sep 22, 2021
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I have 2003 Toyota tundra with 189,000 miles on it. I took it in for a transmission leak and they called me back and told me I needed new struts on the front because they were leaking. They repaired both items with a good quality parts at a fair price in a reasonable amount of time. I had my own auto repair shop for 35 years before I retired 10 years ago. I’m glad I found an honest shop that I can take my vehicles to.
Matthew B.
Matthew B.
Feb 15, 2021
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Owner felt like it was professional to call a customer a fuc*er and a di*ck over the phone. He was trying to bamboozle me out of $600 for a diagnostic exam which wouldn't be applied towards repairs. I
Took it to a more Professional auto shop that's charging $100 for diagnostic that will be applied to repair charges. Owner seems to be hurting for money and struggling with mental health issues to be verbally abusive to a prior customer. Lack of business ethics,
Go elsewhere
Michelle S.
Michelle S.
Dec 02, 2020
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I didnt make it past trying to set an appointment to have my car looked at on the 8th because Dave felt the need to bully me and try to scare me into bringing it in before the 8th when I couldnt bring it in told me to go to AAMCO and judged the knowledge of my boyfriend who is the reason I called to have it looked at because he drove it and felt the gear not engaging properly when accelerating which is a reason transmission fluid may need to be changed. My mechanic advised I should have it checked out to be on the safe side and advised not to change the fluid. My car is running smooth and no
Jerry J.
Jerry J.
Jun 27, 2020
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My husbands and mine vehichles transmission on a classic bmw six series, had a problem suddenly. After two other opinions and quotes, we were reffered to you! Thankfully! Not only was money saved, but there was honesty in this service! Dave, the owner has a perfect disposition for this business. We couldnt be more pleased in every realm of our experience with you! We would recommend anyone here. Fair is fair, right is right...and you all are both. With everything going on in this world right now, its refreshing to come along a business like this.
David P. J.
David P. J.
Oct 16, 2019
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I understand that car trouble can be an emotional and stressful predicament. Any of us who have had to use Tri City Transmission are probably spending money we don't want to spend. We probably have trouble with our vehicles, and we just need a reliable fix, as cheap as possible.

My wife and I went to Tri-City transmission last week. We dropped off our car and left town. We were up in the mountains and not available by phone. Tri City reached out to us many times, and never left one of those irritated messages, so we would rush to get back with them. (Even though they were storing our car
Ken C.
Ken C.
Sep 18, 2019
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Off to a rocky start but Dave, Dennis and I came to a common agreement that is win win. Can't ask for much more than that.
Lauri H.
Lauri H.
Jun 06, 2019
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Just got my oil changed at Tri City Transmission and Auto Shop. The owner, Dave, is very personable. Becci invited me to their lovely waiting area with WiFi access. Professionally dressed employees. Reasonably priced and turnaround time was great. Will definitely come back again for any auto needs!!
Bob K.
Bob K.
Apr 18, 2019
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EDIT: I am amending my review(below) due to the owner Dave reaching out to me and us having a frank conversation of what went wrong. We came to the conclusion that communication was lacking on their end and that he was indeed going to take steps this doesn't happen again. The fact that he takes his clients VERY seriously and is willing to improve speaks volumes. I feel comfortable using and recommending their shop in the future....and IF you have any issues at all, do talk to Dave and he will make sure you are happy.

Original review:

They said it would take 1.5-2 days to diagnose...and
David P.
David P.
Mar 05, 2019
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Long story short , it took 3 phone calls and about 2 months for someone to come get my truck after calling for a tow. And I was told the repairs would be $500 and when I went to pick the truck up they wanted over $1,700.00. The work performed was new wheel bearings on the rear. Takes about 2 hours if you take your time and the parts are less than $200

They reminded me why I work on my own stuff. I won't be back.


Response to Dave R.

Two no shows because I called for a tow and nobody ever came to get the truck or even called me.
I said I never authorized the repairs at $1,700+ , and I
Chantrice R.
Chantrice R.
Feb 26, 2019
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I purchased a lifetime warranty Transmission, now that it's time to fix the broken transmission this establishment is unwilling to honor the warranty.
Without a transmission the car is destroyed.
I suggest not trusting your automobile to this repair shop.
Mike M.
Mike M.
Jan 07, 2019
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It has been 4 months since I had my trans rebuilt in my 2009 Ford Escape 3.0. With 88k on it. The car is cherry and I am original owner. I know some of you are thinking "why didn't he get rid of it"? I couldn't sell it to someone and say "oh, btw it has a bad trans". Second, I had just put 2k in it for a oil leak and ac condenser. Bird went into grill knocked out condenser $800, oil leak upper timing chain housing. I replaced plugs all gaskets on oil pan valve cover as long as it was being torn down. $900. To much invested .
The trans had given me a minor problem
Mike H.
Mike H.
Aug 07, 2018
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Not the same shop it used to be. $500 to find a missing fuse in the fuse box. Wouldn't recommend this place. Wish the old owners still ran it.
Marty H.
Marty H.
Jun 20, 2018
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My most recent repair was a 2005 Mazda Rx 8 with what I knew was either a pilot or throw out bearing going bad due to the noise I heard when shifting my clutch. I even told them replace everything you need to when dropping the car off. The next day by 5:30pm (as promised) I received a call letting me know a ball park figure prior to them pulling the car apart, mind you I dropped the car off with the gas tank on empty, the interior thoroughly trashed, and the exterior dirty - all I needed was the clutch repaired, I could care less about the rest. The day after that (day 3 for those of you counting
Hunter T.
Hunter T.
Aug 04, 2017
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Update: Dave asserts we wanted him to move our work ahead of other customers. While that might have been nice (for us) we never asked for that. All we asked for was an update. What we got was lectured for bothering him.

We had to wait to bring our car into him by appointment. When leaving our vehicle with him we had to sign a document (a copy of which was not tendered) agreeing to the cost of diagnostics and that we'd be contacted with an estimate by 5:30pm the following day. That never happened.

We did have a speculative conversation about what the repair and costs might be; but
Darci Y.
Darci Y.
Jun 23, 2017
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Update: so we did get our car back and because the price was over their quote they gave us quite a bit of a discount. They also apologized for some miscommunication going on. A lot of staff were out due to various illnesses, etc. So overall we are glad we took it in. We will probably be going back. Kudos to owner Dave for his explanation of what was going on and why it had taken so long. Thank you for explaining. :) Next time we'd love to know up front though so we aren't left wondering what is going on.


So we decided to try tri-state transmission per a referral from my father. I read
Eldar C.
Eldar C.
Feb 17, 2017
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I have arrived with my 2012 dodge ram work van to tri city transmission to fix my transmission issue,
Since this was a work van I was very clear as far as timing that I expect to have the service done in reasonable time,
After having the vehicle in the shop for two days they have called me to let me know they have to do more tests and it will take additional day, so after three days they called in and gave me a quote to get it fixed their quote was almost DOUBLE from the dealership and the other place I got the service done later down the road, once I agreed to the price(because I needed the vehicle
Paul S.
Paul S.
Sep 26, 2016
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This is the most thorough, friendly, and honest place I have ever taken a car. I took my vehicle in for a transmission diagnosis as a second opinion to a very high estimate from the dealership. After Tri-City checked it out, they let me know that my transmission was in fine shape and that I did not need any work done. I learned that transmissions tend to feel a little different as they age. These guys could have sold me anything, but told me that I did not need to spend a dime. If you want top quality, honest service, you should check this place out. I will take all of my vehicles here for
Brian R.
Brian R.
Jul 11, 2016
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I have personally been recommending this place since I was a teenager working at my family's furniture store. We knew the previous owners and never heard a complaint about their work or customer service. So, when our transmission stopped working suddenly, I knew I had to try them out. Honestly, there were places that would have done the work for less, but we have absolutely no complaints about the quality of their work or their terrific three-year warranty. I will still recommend them in the future and hope that my friends have quality experiences there also...should they ever need transmission
Craig C.
Craig C.
Apr 07, 2016
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Although I decided not to have my car worked on by TriCity, my experience with them was very positive. Ray was always very cordial and courteous on the phone, and continued to try and earn my business. Nothing but positive interactions with everyone there. It turned out to be a communication issue, where all of the available options were not explained to me initially. I was looking for a cheaper option than a full rebuild, and did not find out that a used transmission was an option until the morning I told them I was taking the vehicle elsewhere to have that done. A suggestion I have for both
Tim G.
Tim G.
Jan 30, 2016
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TriCity is the only place you need to go for your tranny needs!!
My pos 96 Blazer wouldn't start and TCT fixed the problem and troubleshot the transmission too. Tom was very thorough, professional and knows the realities of fixing a old car. They have ASE Mechanics and can fix anything esp. My pos Blazer
Emma R.
Emma R.
Nov 11, 2015
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I went here for a second opinion. They were honest about the problem and upfront about the cost. They didn't throw in any hidden fees or surprises. Well, there was one surprise: a free car wash!

The staff was friendly and helpful. They sent a ride for me all the way to Scottsdale to pick me up so I could go up there and collect my car.