After the tranny shop broke (yes, broke, but denied) my old B&M megashifter, I had em throw in another one (new ones). Now, when the car is in drive, you can't shift down into R, yet you can go into Drive, then up to R. BUT, when the car is off, going to R is simple from P. What gives? Also, stay away from cottman transmissions, they suck *** . They broke my shifter, and ****ed up my interior (broke power window switches and jacked up alot of peices w/ nasty oily hands). Also think they did a shoddy job on the tranny... feels very wrong to me.


Black Bow Tie

 

Something tells me you should have put the new shifter in yourself. Also give the better business bueauro (sp) a call. And give the head Cottman office a call; I've heard their ads on the radio so they've gotta be one of those chain-type stores with a headquarters office.

It sounds like maybe they didn't convert the megashifter for 4-speed operation? As you know the Megashifter can work with a 3 or 4 speed trans; to get it for 4 speed, you remove a bolt. Can you grab all 4 gears?

If you can, it could be a major problem with the way they adjusted the swivel on the cable end.

How the flip did they break the shifter anyway?


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

I would have done the install myself, but she had been sitting at cottman for 3 weeks (YES, 3 WEEKS) and I couldn't wait anylonger to get it back. She's too low to tow, so I had no choice other than to just get them to put it in.
Now, i've writen a 2 page letter, and have been sending it to cottman's corp office every day this week, but still haven't heard back. I will continue to send them untill they call me and get this worked out.
My list of problems with them was extensive, everything from price gouging to slopy work. It was a damn nightmare! I'm also complaining to the BBB as well. I always deal w/ my local family owned shop, but I made the mistake of trying out the new cottman place. Big mistake.

I can do all 4 gears, and it only doesnt go into R when the motor is running, but works fine w/ the car is off.

I've got the console disasbembled (they put it in wrong, and it was sticking up, looked horrid), they wired the netural safty switch wrong. I have the feeling i'm going to have to re-do all their work.

Get this. The shifter work flawlessly when I took it in, but when I got it back, it wouldn't go into drive from P, it would get to N but wouldn't ratchet down! He actualy TOLD ME that they had to quote "slam it hard" to get it into drive. The damn this was all messed up. Later, they removed the cable and the shifter still wouldn't ratchet correcly. You would not belive my horror story with this place. These damn mechanics were hot rodding my car all over town! He said "thats one hellova motor" after he came hauling *** back into the lot! WTF!? I'm very pissed at the work done, and Some how some way they are going to be giving me SOMETHING back for my troubles.

Ug... STAY WAY FROM COTTMAN!

Black Bow Tie

 

WHAT IN THE HELL?...THEY DROVE YOUR CAR AROUND???....LAW SUIT.....LAW SUIT.....LAW SUIT....THEY ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT **** ..if i were u id get thier phone number and tell them they owe you for damage and repair cost......and they prolly screwed the damn thing up when they "slammed it hard" into drive..

 

it says on their little sign that they drive the car a few miles after the new tranny is in to test it.... but me thinks they had a little too much fun with my 450 ponie motor

Well, here is a quick rundown of the trouble:
1) they tried to price gouge me. said 1400$ at first, I said i'll just take it to my normal guys and they'd do it for 900. They matched.
2) Said that the wiring was all weird under there and they had to "fix it"
3) put the new tranny in, but now the shifter cable wast too long (but funny how it wasn't before right?) and they wanted me to go back to a stock shifter. No way, so I bought a shorter cable from B&M
4) Car was said to be done, but when I got there, it didn't shift into D very well. I took it out, and it kicked into neutral, almost gettting me rear ended! I couldn't get her back into drive. I managed to get it turned around and back into the lot.
5) diagnosis: broken shifter. Funny how it worked when I took it in right!? So I got to buy a new shifter (we're on the 3rd week mind you)
6) Finaly got the new shifter, turns out I didn't need the new cable after all (which I tried to tell them from day one). They took 2 days to install it, broke my power window and hatch buttons, got oil on my door sil plated, and were playing around w/ my nitrous arming switches (but no juice - thank god!) because there were little greasy paw prints on my switches! They also ***ed up the reinstalation of the console (Must be geniouses... open the console lid BEFORE you put the console all the way down, THEN close the lid to seat the console! but nooo... it was half way off when I got in the car!). Then had the ***** to charge my CC anotehr 150 bucks for labor! That one is in dispute right now.
7) She does drive, but it seems very loose to me, rpms seem to drop and it goes into 4th waaaay quick (bog motor). Still does the no-R from P, but it will do R from D if you go from P.

So, over 3 weeks and over a grand later, i'm stuck with a halfassed tranny and a dirty interior. AVOID COTTMAN AT ALL COSTS! I am seriously going to seek legal council on this one. I've been sending them a 2 page letter every day now, sooner or later they WILL respond to me and I WILL get SOMETHING back. I DO however have pictures of the tranny being built, I made them take photo's for me hehehe (evidence perhaps? )

To top it all off, the neutral safty switch was wired wrong, and i'm convinced it lead to the death of my starter soleniod! I'm also hearing a weird rattle from the rear, so I got to check that one out too.
The car hasn't gone 3 miles since the rebuild, and i'm thinking of spending 50 bucks and taking to my trusted tranny guys to see if they can find something wrong with it. If they do, it will give me alot of power to fight cottman with.

So, lesson of the story is, AVOID COTTMAN!
uggg.. this will be so much easier once I get my lift

Black Bow Tie

 

so your motor was justbuilt...and they were out hot-rodding it??????????

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350, Comp 262, Edelbrock Performer intake 600 cfm carb and exhaust, headers

 

No, the tranny was just built and they were out hotrodding it. I am SOoooo glad I took the bottles out before I took it up there, who knows what the hell they would have done to her.

It was a nightmare. Just hope this can be a leason to anyone, DON'T USE COTTMAN TRANSMISSIONS! Learn from my misfortune.

Black Bow Tie

 

dude .......can i see some pics of your car?........motor and all?.....im just curious.......they must have sh*tted on themselves when u brought it in...

 

BTW, BlackBowTie what cotman did yo utake it to? in newjersey?

-Stell

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1988 IROC 305TPI MINT!!
Mods= Accell SuperCoil, MSD 6A, Ported Plenum, No MAF Screans , K & N, 160 Thermostat+ Temp Switch, Relocated MAT, Cold Air

 

goin to Cottman is like fishin in a sewer...you only get ****

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87GTA,350,Auto,MAF screens removed,195 thermostat,cold start injector UNPLUGED,K&N,modified air intake,ADSchip,3:70s,3inch cat back Flowmaster single outlet,TPS.54,Bosch Plat plugs,base timing 6BTDC,22 MPG,what a ROACH,Bilstiens in the rear....,don't let yer meat loaf

 

B84305-Streetmachine:
I'll send you some pics when I get more scaned. I'm working on geting all my billet polished up and get her all waxed for some real photo shoots

I don't like the stall converter they used, i'm going to put a vigilante in there and have some REAL fun hehehehe.
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Stell1579

I am in South Caroline man

Black Bow Tie