Rolling with the changes: How Mister Transmission plans to continue growing in its 60th year and beyond
Tony Kuczynski may be on the executive side of the transmission industry these days, but having gotten his start as a technician, he has experience with both the business and the technical side of things. For the past five years, Tony has been president and CEO of Mister Transmission, Canada’s largest transmission repair shop chain,
Counterfeit parts: Let the buyer beware
There is a Latin term handed down from English common law: “Caveat Emptor,” which means “let the buyer beware” of what is purchased. In this era when purchasing parts and other products online is becoming more common, that cautious approach to purchasing is of particular importance. Recently Transmission Digest participated in a discussion with a
Shop profile: Fryar’s Transmission is keeping up the reputation
His grandparents warned him that the transmission industry was a “tough business.” But Matt Fryar, who grew up around the business, ended up in it anyway. The family shop, Fryar’s Transmission in Pearcy, Arkansas, was opened in 1965 by Matt’s great-grandfather, Weldon Fryar. At the time it was called Fryar’s Garage and was a general
From the ground up: Dunn Transmissions trades on a long history and a strong reputation
The founder of Dunn Transmissions, a shop which has become a staple of the East Texas city of Tyler, was Truman Dunn, a World War II veteran who worked on cars in his spare time. He opened a repair shop called Dunn’s Transmission Shop in 1950, specializing in what was, at the time, the latest
Shop profile: Virginia’s AAMCO Transmissions is built on life lessons from a family of industry lifers
Mary Gentry has been around transmissions and automotive repair all her life. Her father ran a shop, her brothers are all in the transmission business; she even met her husband in her shop. It pretty much runs in the family. Growing up in the business, you learn a lot of lessons. Mary, owner of AAMCO
Hard parts hunting
Image caption: The diagram representing results from the 2022 Transmission Digest survey of retail shops tracks the various sources those shops rely on for acquiring hard parts. The results don’t provide a breakdown of the original source of the parts. Here we show where the order is placed by the rebuilder. Every April we tend
Shop profile: Small-town RAMM Transmission puts family first
When you spend time talking to transmission repair shops, you’ll hear a lot about the importance of family. Transmission shops, after all, tend to be small and specialized, so it follows that many of them are family-owned and operated. Rare is the transmission shop, though, that is 100% family staffed. But that is the case
Customer-focused approach: American Transmission specializes in automatics and customer service
“We only specialize in transmissions in this shop; this is not a one-for-all shop,” says Bo West, owner of American Transmission in Louisville, Kentucky. “We only do automatic transmissions. No general repair, no tires, no engines, no tuneups, no oil changes. None of that. Just transmissions.” West, the self-described “owner/diagnostic guy/transmission rebuilder,” took over American
Nominate your shop to be featured in TD’s shop profile series
Our best wishes to you all for a successful and happy new year. I know we’re all trying to overcome the challenges of supply chain shortages, inflation and the pandemic. But, every time we see January roll onto the calendar, we have the opportunity to take a fresh look at what we do and quite
Shop profile: AJ’s Transmissions has made a name for itself with customers and technicians alike
Al Varner Jr. was “born with transmission fluid on his bib,” according to those around him. Hanging around his dad’s shop, he had an early introduction to the industry, tearing down transmissions at age 8 and building his first transmission when he was 14. “I was definitely born and raised in his business,” he says.
Shop profile: The success story of ACE Transmission
“I don’t know of another shop that does nothing but transmission work that has 23 bays going,” says Marvin Gott, founder of Springfield, Missouri-based ACE Transmission. Add to Marvin’s description the fact that the bays are full, the lot is full of more vehicles and there’s a large ACE reman facility across town building units
Remanufacturing Is Surging
“Reman” has been around since the early days of automatic units, but the use of remans has exploded in the past 20 years.
