Remember, A Dealership's First Priority is Not To Save You Money

Dear Car Talk:

My daughter's 2018 Honda Pilot LX's warning light came on, so she took it to the dealer. They said there were metal shavings in her transmission fluid so they flushed it. Then they said she needs a new transmission for $7,500 or they can sell her a new car, because her transmission could seize up at any time.

They also said she needed new tires. All four were just replaced a year ago. The car has 86,000 miles. Does this sound reasonable? Her car has had no performance issues, just the warning light. -- Cheryl

You need a second opinion, Cheryl.

The fact that they tried to sell you a transmission, four new tires a year after they were replaced, and a new car, suggests that their first priority may not have been trying to save you money.

The metal shavings don't necessarily mean your transmission is toast. All transmissions have small amounts of metal shavings in them from years of gear meshing. So, unless they removed enough shavings to open an aluminum foundry, that doesn't give me a lot of information.

And you say the car has no performance issues. There have been transmission failures on Honda Pilots and Odysseys of this era (there's even a class action suit), but those transmissions tended to exhibit drivability issues, like "juddering" on acceleration or slow shifting.

It's possible that you do have a bad transmission, but I'd start by getting a second opinion. If a second mechanic you trust agrees, then the next step is to go back to Honda and ask them for some help.

It's true, your car is out of warranty. But hopefully, they would agree that a Honda transmission shouldn't fail on a car that's 5 years old and has only 86,000 miles on it. Tell them you've been a good customer, and given the car's age and mileage, you'd like to request that Honda "participate" in this repair with you. Tell them if they help you out, you'll even agree to buy the four tires you don't need.

They might offer you a discount. Or they might invite you to buy a Toyota next time. But while you're waiting for their answer, you can shop around and get some other estimates. If your transmission is failing, you may be able to get it repaired or replaced for less than what the dealer quoted -- at Honda or somewhere else -- and then, hopefully, drive it for another 86,000 miles. Good luck.

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