I'm based in the U.K and you've prob seen my other posts about my transmission problems but this has just finished on ebay. I spoke to the guy today and he said that the tranny fell 1 foot and damged the housing , tail shaft and small dent on the valve body,. the tail shaft has been renewed and the crack welded

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-tci-700r4-...QQcmdZViewItem

The transmission has not been used and is brand new and these dont come up very often but do you think i should stay clear due to possible internal problems ?

 

Well it's a car part, so it certainly does not qualify as an "investment".

A cracked case like that is fairly common, and can usually be repaired, as long as the crack didn't go through any internal passages (which that one doesn't look to have done), and the repair is well done. It's impossible for me, 6000km away, to tell how well that person repaired it.

Will the seller stand behind his product? i.e., guarantee IN WRITING to repair or replace it free of charge if the damage is fatal? That's really what this comes down to; an issue of trust, not a purely techincal matter.

 

I doubt he would as he's just a guy that of the street and not a dealer / mechanic.

The torque converter is probably worth £250 - £ 300 so really its a £300 gamble + its got that ally pan.

 

If he won't guarantee it, then basically, he junked it by his own stupidity, in dropping it; AND HE KNOWS IT. That would be the sign he already knows it's no good and is looking to recoup some of his losses, whether ethically or not.

What do you have to lose by asking him? If nothing else, you'll learn REAL QUICK what level of confidence he has in it.

Don't YOU be the "greater fool" that rescues him from his own stupidity, with YOUR money, and takes the risk FOR HIM. That's pretty much a one-way road to an empty wallet and a garage full of useless scrap metal.

If you're going to be successful and have fun in this hobby and not go broke at the same time, one of the unfortunate facts you have to deal with, is that it's REAL EASY to get ripped off. You have to learn how to weed out the bad deals from the good ones, and you have to develop the testicular fortitude to walk awy from the bad ones, no matter how much you want to buy the part.