Hi all, I've reecently discovered a nasty grinding noise in 3rd gear and I want to take the car in very soon, (also get an oil change). I've heard the nightmare tranny stories posted here so I'd like some advice on how to approach it with the dealer.

Should I play dumb and just say "It makes a bad sound while accellerating in 3rd can you check it out?"

Or, should I go in there, talk about the defective transmission stuff I've read, say how I'm worried that 3rd gear may have a broken tooth or a few, and that i've had problems with reverse popping out on me when its cold and it often feels notchy going into gears especially 3rd.

I'm worried that If I go in there sounding too smart about it they'll have more reason to believe its because of abuse or something... I drive hard at times, but I'm always very smooth and I take care of my baby. As someone said in the forums, 'abusing my car would be like abusing my wife' - aint gonna happen. Anyone with similar experiances have some advice?

Thanks in advance, I'm pretty worried and can't afford to get screwed on this one.

 

Thanks djseto, my problem is not just going into gear though, I also hear a nasty rattling sound once in gear and accellerating that only happens in 3rd gear, sounds like a chipped cog. I also have increased noise on what appears to be coastside of the diff... I don't know/think that's related though.