Preferred Transmissions Plus, Oregon, Ohio - Transmission Digest

Preferred Transmissions Plus, Oregon, Ohio

After more than a quarter-century of rebuilding, with self-awareness that this was the time to make the move, and with strong spousal encouragement, Dean Rhodes opened Preferred Transmissions Plus in 2011 in Oregon, Ohio, near Toledo.

‘The Jobs We Do Are Very Personal’

Owner-rebuilder Dean Rhodes cares about technicians, customers, industry

After more than a quarter-century of rebuilding, with self-awareness that this was the time to make the move, and with strong spousal encouragement, Dean Rhodes opened Preferred Transmissions Plus in 2011 in Oregon, Ohio, near Toledo.

He immediately had to shift his focus from doing work to finding customers. The transition came with some challenges.

“It was scary as hell,” Dean said.

“It was quite some time that I was walking around with my hands in my pockets. The phones didn’t ring. There was no business. I physically had to go out there and find work.”

If a job came in, he would take care of it. Otherwise, he put all his effort into drumming up business.

“I would forward the shop phone to my cell phone, and I would go out and make sales calls every day until I could get the phone to start ringing enough so I could afford to hire somebody.”

Selling points

As the shop began to gain traction, he sought more business by widening his wholesale clientele. His background as a rebuilder became a handy selling point.

Dean’s approach is simple: “Basically, going out and presenting myself, selling myself. I pretty much know the inside of most transmissions. That helps tremendously to sell your product, sell yourself to a customer or a client. When you go out to generate business, you know what you’re talking about. You’re not just a salesman. If they (prospective customers) have questions, you can answer them intelligently because you know what’s inside of them.”

Dean said his success in building the business is due in part from a boost from his wife, Colette Baxter-Rhodes. “She was a huge inspirer of me getting my own shop. She believed in me, knew I could do it, and basically pushed me,” he said. Now Dean confronts the good problem of whether to expand or stay in this good place, businesswise, where he can control operations and manage quality.

Pavement, earth, water

Preferred Transmissions Plus is a full-service facility with the majority of the business in transmissions, mostly R&R and some bench jobs.

The shop began with one hoist; it now has four, including a bigger hoist for handling smaller dump trucks, smaller school buses, heavy-duty GM and Ford pickups, and some motor homes. Standard transmissions occasionally come into the shop, mainly pickups and cars, but also classic muscle cars.

Dean also works on vehicles that don’t roll on pavement. He has encountered agricultural transmissions, such farm tractors and a hay baler.

What’s more, he works on marine transmissions for boats that ply Lake Erie. The marine trannies Dean has worked on have two gears, forward and reverse.

“They’re not that big, but they’re extremely heavy – cast iron,” he said. The majority of boat transmissions he sees are Velvet Drive and Paragon, the two most common brands.

Fix it or scrap it

Preferred Transmissions Plus has a 40-mile radius where most of the customers reside.

“The jobs we do are very personal because I’m the one who’s doing it myself,” Dean said. “If I see a customer out at a grocery store or local hardware store, that’s my company they’re looking at. It has a direct impact on myself, my own personal feelings of what kind of work we’ve actually done on your vehicle.

Dean is a hands-on owner.

“I’m here every single day. I know what’s going on in my business. I’m part of the work. I wear a uniform just as my guys do, and I work hand-in-hand right alongside of them. It’s important to be a part of your business, not just an owner,” he said.

He’s also forthright about the condition of a customer’s vehicle.

“I try to talk to them about their vehicle like that vehicle was mine. Would I spend $2,000 on a transmission repair? If the vehicle is worth it, I would spend the money on it. If it’s not worth spending the money on it, I’d tell them so – in a nice way, of course.

“Customers rely on good honest mechanic or shop to point them in the right direction whether or not they should spend any money on their car or take it to the scrap yard,” he said.

Good technicians

Accuracy is a policy at Preferred.

“We strive to do an extremely good job at our shop. We have checkpoints. When an individual is done with the job, it’s our policy in the shop that the other technician goes over his work and makes sure everything’s correct. Anybody can make a mistake. We’re not here to point fingers. We’re here to make sure the job is done the best that we can do it. Occasionally we find errors, and we address them and correct them.”

Over time, the staff has reached a total of four people: Dean the rebuilder, technicians Chuck Ropp and Ian Fox, and Rob Rego in outside fleet sales.

“It’s hard to find good technicians. I’m very fortunate that I found some younger people who have an interest in transmissions. Our industry will die one of these days if we don’t find some younger men and women who want to learn this trade,” Dean said.

“It’s our responsibility as mentors to pass this information on so our trade won’t be just washed up on the shores. That’s what shops should be doing. … because this work is complicated, challenging, and very rewarding.”

You May Also Like

Going the extra mile: Proving your transmission repair suspicions

A 2003 Honda Pilot with a five-speed three-shaft transmission came into our shop with a customer concern that the vehicle had no power, and the “D” light was flashing. I first did a scan for codes to see what it came up with, and the scan tool returned four DTCs: P1298 (ELD voltage high), P0135 (H02S

RRfeature-1400

A 2003 Honda Pilot with a five-speed three-shaft transmission came into our shop with a customer concern that the vehicle had no power, and the “D” light was flashing. I first did a scan for codes to see what it came up with, and the scan tool returned four DTCs: P1298 (ELD voltage high), P0135 (H02S [S1] heater failure), P0141 (H02S [S2] heater circuit malfunction), P0748 (clutch pressure control solenoid valve “A” failure), and the ubiquitous P0700 (AT system malfunction) code. (See Figure 1). 

Diagnosing Ford 10R60, 10R80 and 10R140 series speed sensor issues

Ford 10-speed 10R series transmissions utilize four two-wire, Hall-effect sensors — TSS, ISSA2, ISSAB and OSS — for providing speed signals to PCM or TCM. They are supplied nine volts by a PCM or TCM and assist in the control of clutch apply/release timing that is used in determining shift quality, including TCC. Related Articles

Jatco JF613E transmission quick reference material

For those working on the Jatco JR613E transmission, a widespread transmission with plenty of applications, the following should be a helpful guide. Related Articles – Hidden problems: Three tales of electrical issues – Easy TH400, 4L80-E reverse servo setup: Craft your own tool – Outgrowing the walls: The story of EVT Transmission Parts Domestic and

Complete the 2024 transmission shop survey for a chance to win a gift card

Every year, Transmission Digest conducts the Retail Shop Survey. This survey will take five minutes or less. The results of this survey will appear in the March edition of our Powertrain Bulletin email newsletter, and should serve as a valuable benchmark for your business. Your responses will be kept confidential and reported only in the

Think pink: Curtis Price strikes out on his own and has Liberty Transmission and Auto Care stand out from the crowd

In 2018, Curtis Price, at 43 years old, found himself at a crossroads in his career in the transmission industry: unsure whether he could move up in the family business where he had worked for 20 years, or whether he should start his own. At the time he was working at Price’s Transmission in Virginia

Liberty-Transmission

Other Posts

Sometimes, you should sweat the small stuff

It’s a common phrase: There may have been a time when you worried about something, and someone who knew what you are going through said, “Hey, don’t sweat the small stuff.” Sometimes, this may be good advice. But other times, it may be wise to handle the small stuff before it becomes bigger “stuff.”  Related

Fabricating frictions: Keeping ahead of the curve at Raybestos Powertrain

While the transmission aftermarket is well familiar with Raybestos Powertrain branded friction elements for transmissions and torque converters, most would be impressed to learn the science and efforts that go into creating the product lines. Transmission Digest recently did just that, visiting the manufacturing plant and tech center facilities of the company in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Shift Pointers: Focused DTCs

On occasions when a vehicle’s computer system detects an error, it can set an array of diagnostic trouble codes. The variety and quantity of them require the ability to diagnose diagnostic codes, so it’s nice when codes set that point directly to the problem.  Related Articles – Inside Toyota’s UA-UB80E/F torque converter – Manual transmission

Vote for the Top 10 Powertrain Products of 2024

Every year, TD conducts a poll to select the top powertrain products of the year, and 2024 will be no different. At the link below are suppliers’ nominations for the Top 10 Powertrain Products of 2024. Once you’ve looked over the choices, we invite you to cast a ballot. Related Articles – Sonnax introduces Smart-Tech

top10-1400