DR
Daniel Rohwedder
Oct 9, 2025
I decided to take my car into 27th Eagle on the recommendation of a friend who had a great experience at 27th Boise, but I seemed to have the opposite experience.
I appreciated the availability for shop time at this mechanic, I was able to book an appointment for the next day and immediately get my car inspected.
As I was walking home, I received a call requesting approval for a ~$200 diagnostic, not unusual.
A couple hours following I received a $5,000 quote for a transmission replacement, showing a transmission dipstick and some fluid, citing a "burnt smell" from the transmission fluid, which they reported as otherwise clean/recently serviced.
They also indicated that my CV axles needed replacement, showing images of boots with leaking grease. There was no quote for the CV axle replacement, just the $5k for the transmission replacement.
Two hours later I looked at the quote again and it silently doubled, now ~$10,000 for replacing my transmission. I checked this a few times, and until I received a call I was unsure what the charge would have been to replace the transmission in the car.
The person I spoke to asked which quote I saw and I indicated I saw both, I am not sure if I had played along with the $10k quote if that's the price they would have charged me.
My car is not worth $5,000 in perfect working condition, and no other options (transmission rebuild, even CV axle replacements) were presented to me.
When I decided to pick my car up I was told "It's a matter of when, not if" for my transmission, which seemed like a pressuring tactic to get me to sign off on the transmission replacement.
I took my car to a different mechanic who specializes in transmission work, and received a CV axle replacement and a transmission service (not replacement nor rebuild) which resolved my issue for ~$1,200. They indicated that it would be almost impossible to know if the transmission needed work unless it was serviced, since it's a closed system.
This mechanic said the transmission fluid was dirty but not burnt, and it just needed a service combined with the CV axle replacement.
I have noticed my issue was resolved with just a service and the CV axle replacement, which is not what my experience with 27th Eagle led me to believe.
Maybe I caught them on an off day, but the doubled quote, near immediate quote for a brand new transmission, all combined with no quote for the CV axle replacement, makes me feel as though I didn't get the value of the $200 diagnostic fee.
I also don't think 27th Eagle would refer alternative services that would be more cost effective at specialized shops, which to me seems like a key practice for a generalist mechanic.
In this case, they could have mentioned that this transmission can be rebuilt, and that rebuild would be more cost effective than a brand new part.
If you need work urgently completed and don't mind paying for new parts instead of repairs, 27th St. Eagle might be the option for you.