The owner greeted us outside as we pulled up. He was a very nice gentleman, and he would not be able to do the work on our car that we needed, but he referred us to somebody who could. Later when we found out that further work might be required by him. We called him for an estimate because we had such a good feeling about this gentleman. I felt we were very well taken care of and all his rates were reasonable. read more

Came in for a transmission drain and fill and they didn't try to upsell me or pressure me into anything extra. Explained everything clearly, did exactly what I asked, and even cleared my codes after. Honest shop and I appreciate that a lot he is also very kind and fast ! read more

"Top notch shop" is all I can say. Came by with an issue with slow shifting on my 2016 Ford Edge. Kim checked things out on the computer at no charge and got negative results for any issues with the transmission. I had him do a drain and fill, it was time(40,000 miles). It was 2 1/2 qts low on trans fluid, which could have caused the issue. He did that service as well as a needed oil change then took it on a test drive up the hill to Castro Valley which didn't turn up any issues either. How thorough can you be. A very friendly, honest, and trustworthy person, and with more than reasonable pricing. He used strictly Motocraft part and oil. You can't go wrong with Kim and Colosseum Transmission. 14074 Washington Ave, San Leandro 510 390 0003 510 569 3590 Thanks again my friend, Rick Olivero read more

I called to have my daughter's car looked at and was able to bring in her car the next day for a free estimate. After receiving an estimate from another local shop for thousands more (and not a free estimate) we went ahead with the repair. Her transmission was rebuilt and ready in a week. The car is running great! read more

I want to give him 5 stars to this shop. Its hard to find a honest mechanic on this time. But. ( Coliseum transmission. ). Its was the best choice. I took my. CRV. To 2 different Place. And they didn't found the problem. After a while i found this place. And the Owner. Fix the problem he fix. My car I will recommend this place for sure. If you want. To get fix. Your transmission This is thr place. read more

Kim was very professional very honest, I needed a transmission for my 2009 Chevy Silverado, which required to swap out the transmission. He did a diagnostic ordered all the parts that was needed to rebuild my transmission and delivered a heavy duty Transmission came with a three year warranty. If you're thinking about finding a good transmission shop, Kim is your guy. read more

Coliseum Transmission - Transmission Repair Near Me - San Leandro, California

Ken is an honest man and does his job well. He went above and beyond to help me out with my transmission issues at a fair price, way better than even my own mechanic that I've been going to for years. After he was done he found some sloppy work that MY mechanic had preformed on my truck and advised me to take it back and have it corrected. He gave me pictures and everything Ken is one solid stand up guy. Five stars!! read more

In March, 2010, Kim rebuilt the transmission on our 2002 Honda Civic that had 148k miles. It had stopped going anymore on the highway suddenly. The engine was still running, but the accelerator had no effect. The car was first towed to the dealer, and they quoted $4000 for a new transmission. We decided to tow the car to our mechanic instead who contracted with Kim to rebuild the transmission for $1350 + $60 part. In October, 2002, it was still running fine with nearly 290k miles. The car had to be junked due to blowing the head gasket for the second time. (Preemptively replace plastic radiators at 15 years to avoid blowing the head gasket!) read more

Car needed the transmission serviced. My normal mechanics are no longer in the picture. Therefore, I searched google and Yelp. Coliseum Transmission stood out more. From communication on trying to schedule in the last 2.5 weeks, I was able to finally get it done. Kim is the owner. He's cool on the phone and in person. His prices are very reasonable. Although he tried to quote me for a lower model. I had to explain to him how many conversations we've had and I would never mislead him with a lower model. We agreed on the same price he first quoted me. Dropped it off at 10AM. Went for a walk. Was home by 12:15. By 3:30 he said come pick it up. Paid in cash and was happy about my experience. Too bad he only worked on transmission, or else he would be my go-to for other things. I'm often asked if I know a good mechanic. But I highly recommend him. He's always booked -- says a lot. read more

Kim took care of the transmission at a great price and fast. Showed me all the old parts and explained all that they did very well. Scheduled me up for a check in 10 days after the rebuild and confirmed all well. read more

I spoke to Owner he told me he repaired Transmissions. When I arrive at the shop and he saw my vehicle. He wanted to sell me a $4000 dollar transmission. Before arriving he was very much on board with the repairing of my transmission. I explained that I had spoken to a mechanic who looked at the bad solenoid and said replace the shift one and I would be good to go! The mechanic saw my Beautiful 2007 Lincoln and the repair idea was out the window! He refused to do the repair wanted to sell me a transmission for $4000 dollars! I drove my car home. Unbelievable! read more

The customer service to technical service was just Wow. I brought my 2013 Ford for a transmission repair. I really did my research for finding the best place in the East bay. Kim is the best in town. Hands down. Not only does he give you the best price but he trust his work (warranty included). You can tell He likes what he does and that's amazing. Overall great experience and deff would recommend. I will be back! Thank you again Kim. read more

A trusted friend referred me to Kim at Coliseum Transmission. I called and got a quote for filter and fluid change, and the price was way more reasonable than the place I usually take my car for oil changes. I made an appointment to go in the afternoon at 3:30 and they completed the job in about an hour. They told me no one ever changed the filter for me before so it was very dirty and kind of stuck on there, so required some extra effort to remove. Kim had his guy use a scour pad to clean off the gunk, change the filter, and replaced the fluid. I was charged exactly what I was quoted. Kim even pointed out that my oil had a slow leak from the last shops sloppy oil change. Very happy with Kim and his guys. I will be going back there for anything transmission related! Thanks, Kim!! read more

CT just rebuilt the transmission on my GMC Savana. After shopping around and visiting 4 other places I chose CT to do the work. All 4 transmission places indicated that I needed a new transmission (bummer), but CT offered the best warranty around at a comparable cost. Rebuilding a transmission right takes skill and I wanted someone that would stand behind their work for more than just a couple years or meager amount of miles. Kim is excellent to work with too. He worked extra hard to get my van done in as short as time as possible since I couldn't go without it. I especially appreciated that he never over-promised a completion date and instead just told me he would do the best he can to get the work done by the date I needed. It shows that he cares enough about his work and does not want to rush and let a bad repair leave his shop, but he will work hard for his customers as long as you are realistic about it yourself. It's only been a few days, but the transmission runs smooth so far. I'd highly recommend Coliseum Transmission. read more

My wife's BMW (Burn My Wallet)crapped out right before the holidays. Like I needed that during the holidays. In any case I was referred to them by my long time mechanic, Kim Truong answered and took care of everything. From tow, repair to delivery. Can't say I usually get a good vibe from repair shops (even being a pretty car savy guy) but things seemed right with this guy. He quoted me a price and delivery, and upon checking around it seemed he was the cheapest, about 1/3 less then other specialty shops and 1/2 what the rip-off dealer would have charged. Note the neighborhood isn't the most attractive, mostly industrial Oakland. Not much in terms of office or waiting area, but hey I am here for transmission, not expresso and pedicure, I guess thus the great prices. We got it back a few days ago and all seems well. He even fixed a weird noise unrelated to the tranny, that has been around and unfixable for the last two years. I will report further is there really is anything to report. Good job Kim. read more

Contacted Kim for the first time based on the positive reviews of his operation. Best move I have ever made finding this competent , honest mechanic that took care of my Nissan Frontier Nismo's transmission issues. He is far better than any experience I have had with the dealership here in San Leandro. He took to my truck immediately ordering the parts , disassembling and assembling the transmission. And I had my vehicle within a week and a half. My 2008 runs better than when I first purchased it! And the price for the project was totally acceptable. There are mechanics. Then there is Kim who is a mechanical artist that will take professional care of your vehicle. Don't bother to go anywhere else. Just take your ride to Coliseum Transmission. For you will be glad as I am with the result. read more

I was calling around to see who might work on a GMC 350 Savana transmission and left a message. Kim, (I believe the Owner) called me back and asked a series of questions, showing true interest in assisting. Well, I was calling around for my brother-in-law, so I really didn't know how to answer or what to ask, so i let Kim know that and he said please, have him call. My brother-in-law called and was ecstatic to do business with Kim and was able to get his van transmission rebuilt and was given a 2 year service contract (normally the most you get is 1 yr.). The 5 stars is a result of my asking my brother-in-law how he would rate Coliseum Transmission. Btw YES, they work on GMC 350 Savana transmission (which is a big deal, since. the GMC Dealer won't even work on their own product!!! P.S. Van is running splendidly read more

Fixed my transmission two years ago . Still running and so far so good . He was honest and answered all my questions. I'm a happy customer. Thank you read more

Kim Truong gets an A++ for integrity. The local mechanic, who claimed he could fix any automobile, suggested that my older foreign car needed a new transmission; my husband thought not. So I checked (you guessed it!) Yelp and found Coliseum Transmissions. Within an hour of dropping off my car, Kim called to tell me that I did NOT need a new transmission; my car was misfiring. Well, I wasn't going back to the local guy. So once again I checked Yelp and found another mechanic specializing in European cars, who was able to diagnose and fix the immediate problem in addition to giving me a heads up on a few other potential problems. However, I was most thankful that Kim probably saved me thousands of dollars on an unnecessary repair. read more

One of the most honest mechanics I have dealt with. I really wish I had taken my car to him when it started giving me problems. Unfortunately, I took it to a very incompetent mechanic in Oakland that pretty much ruined my chances of fixing it. Kim took me to and from the Bart station, tried to diagnose my car, and was honest with me about my car not being worth trying to fix. It will (and has been) an expensive guessing game. Thank you Yelpers you are right on about this one. read more

My transmission failed. They gave me a great price for a new transmission. They do quality work and use the best parts for your vehicle. They even washed my car prior to me picking it up. I highly recommend this shop for your transmission needs. read more

I did a lot of research on who in the Bay Area could rebuild the transmission on my 2005 Volvo XC 90 T6. If you know the history of the transmission on this vehicle you would understand why it is so hard to find someone confident enough to tackle the problem. Most of who I spoke to just gave me the usual BS. After a year of searching and reading Yelp reviews I came to the conclusion to give Mr. Kim a try. This was really a shot in the dark. After a few phone calls, a short question and answer session and a meeting with him I was still apprehensive. I didn't want my hard earned money to get flushed down the drain. However, he assured me that everything was going to be fine. Besides the reasonable price he quoted me, his warranty was 3 yrs. or 36,000 miles so I pulled the trigger. Customer service was top notch. He updated me on the progress and treated me like a long time customer. His staff was accommodating as well. You can tell quality is a part of their work. You can't even tell work was done on the vehicle. The area they worked on was tidy. In the end he even gave me a discount....what a guy! I was also shown the parts he replaced. It was exactly the parts I suspected to be bad. They are honest! I have driven the vehicle for over 1,000 miles now and the transmission shifts better as it did when it was new. I was supposed to take it back for a checkup but I been too occupied driving it. Everything seems to be working like it supposed to. Sounds normal, smooth and crisp shifting. Feels strong...got it to go approximately 90+ a few times without much effort. If I ever need a transmission work done in any of my vehicles in the future Mr. Kim would definitely be the only choice. I will definitely spread the word to my friends! Thank you Mr. Kim and staff...and last but not least to those who contributed their reviews. read more

...first review of 2015 for Kim. Let me start off by saying all the great things about Kim in other posts are accurate. His customer service is amazing and his ability to describe why your transmission is dying or broken or whatever the issue is is perfect - without getting too technical if you are not a car person, Im sure he would help you understand. I brought a 2002 4.6is X5 (160k on the transmission) in due to some weird issues I was having. Im a car guy, so for me to go out of my realm to a transmission shop to handle a new type of service to me is a bit scary...but I had no choice due to the cost of BMW Transmissions from the dealer and even independant BMW shops charge double (and possibly triple) the price Kim quoted me. I read all the reviews for Coliseum Transmission and found at least one happy X5 customer and that was enough for me to go ahead and bite the bullet and give Kim a shot. Aside from his price compared to BMW's and others, it was a no brainer even with one review specifically for an X5 (though he has worked on many others Im sure...I saw another X5 when I dropped off my car in there). I took the chance and glad I did. Instantly I knew he was confident with the work he was going to perform. He was well knowledge in the issues I was explaining and was able to describe in detail what I needed and was was going to be replaced (I did a lot of research before deciding my transmission was my issue) Kim confirmed it from his test drive and decided to have him fix it and return it to me fully functional again. I picked up my car and Kim had kept all the parts that were problematic and showed me them. He explained each of the parts and why I was experiencing the issues and how they related to those issues (amazing). Since Im a visual type of person, it really helped me understand the need and gave me some sort of relief that I decided to have the entire transmission rebuilt. The car was completed in the expected timeframe - roughly 7 business days and the price was nearly what he quoted me from day 1. Other items were tacked on that needed replacement and he showed the parts and I approved them. Clearly this guy knows what he's doing and Ive been told over and over by people that I should only deal with BMW for BMW Transmissions. WRONG! Kim is SOLID and trust his work. Warranty = Excellent Customer Service = Excellent Explanation of Service = Excellent Price = Excellent (in my case and opinion for this transmission specifically) Time to Complete = Excellent Recommendation of other items to fix as needed while performing work = Excellent (he explains what and why) I have to say, if I ever need any transmission work - this shop will be on my top list to perform work. No doubt very knowledgeable and professional. They even fixed another item that I was going to schedule a service for, but they took care of it for me at no charge. Look no further - when I drove off the lot and took my car home, it was like a new car again. Shifts were smooth, no more weird noises, felt strong....waiting for break-in time to occur and Ill step on it a bit more. Definitely feels like a new transmission and is operating as expected now! THANK YOU! read more

There maybe other places in the Bay Area to take your car for transmission service/repair but I find it hard to imagine better quality service with integrity. I was first introduced to Kim back in 2010 when my 2001 BMW X5 4.4i transmission shutdown on me. With 160K miles I figured it had reached its life of service to me. The tow truck driver recommended me to give Coliseum Transmission a call and just compare with other shops. I called 2 well known Bay Area BMW Dealerships and they both gave me estimates over $7K. Kim told me based upon my error codes he could rebuild my transmission for less than half the cost of the dealerships. Not only that but I was able to get another 100K miles (and counting...) of life from the car. I highly recommend Kim and his staff for any of your transmission needs. He's honest and direct allowing you to really make the most informed decision with your $$$$$$. read more

So I wanted to wait to write a review, because sometimes the first day back from a repair may not be the same feeling a few months later. Well I happy to say the Coliseum Transmission and Kim the owner have earned my trust and respect as a solid shop for repair. I'm not an easy customer by a long shot, and I'm a care freak that thinks he knows it all. So when my transmission went out I looked around at a bunch of different transmission shops and got all kinds of answers and quotes. It really is amazing how many shops are sketchy. When I called Kim I had because of the reviews on yelp, I asked him a few questions based on the truck and it's know transmission issues and he confirmed everything and informed me of new items per years of the transmission made by GM. Then he asked how I use the truck, what my commute is and how I want it to respond to my driving style. After informing him of what I use the truck for, he worked up a plan on how to rebuild it, custom clutch packs, and converter. He then said the he would add a trans cooler and other features to make sure the trans lives a long life. Here is the best part as a consumer...great customer experience, work done one time, prof attitude, and the price was cheaper then others with a 3 year warrenty, most shops is 1 year. I did have one small issue that was caused by the person I bought the truck from, that caused a slight leak. Kim didn't notice when I picked up the truck because it only leaks going up a hill. I brought the truck back he fixed it, had to order a new part that was not in the original bill. When I went to pick it up I expected to have to pay for the work. Amazingly he didn't charge me, he just wanted the truck to be right. Now I'm not saying he gives work away for free, but in this case I could tell it was about future business and the right thing to do. This company has earned my trust, future business and I will tell others the same. Thanks Kim! read more

Coliseum Transmission - Transmission Repair Near Me - San Leandro, California

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When I drove off his lot, I hoped I'd never have to go back, but after 3000 miles I probably should have. But I don't fully blame Kim. I think I just should have scrapped the car since rebuilding an automatic Volvo transmission is risky business. So, 9K miles later I got tired of the same problems that I had previously slowly returning.... and bought a Honda Prelude with a manual transmission. I have a lot of experience working with cars. My Volvo c70 shows it. It's got about 2 grand under the hood, a super obvious 5 grand in the chassis (once you have it up on a lift to see the underbody) and another obvious 1 grand inside wrt the electronics. So when Kim repeatedly warned me about not using the right grade fuel to avoid knock and high-speed vibration, i felt a little belittled and mostly pissed off. And when I started expressing my annoyance, he didn't notice that he was barking up the wrong tree. Little did I know he was warning me because it was actually happening. He did not fully remember his experience while test driving my car, so he did not accept that his work created a new problem. And it was so late at night that it'd be impractical to test drive it to discover what the heck he was nagging me about. ... But I quickly discovered what he was nagging about as soon as engine warmed up about 2.5 miles down the road away from his shop. Outside of his mediocre communication skills, he's a really nice, tenacious guy. He had some issues running my credit card since this is the first time I've used this particular card to spend more than 2K at a time, so he eventually split the bill on two cards giving me 25 bucks off in the process. Since the experience warrants a 3 star review, here's why I give him 2 stars: 1. Timeliness. I dropped the car off the Monday before thanksgiving and he was too overloaded to look at it until the next week. I had a truncated work week so I didn't need the car. I left it for him, as he claimed he might get a chance to look at it sooner. Nope. So he started the following Monday. From the very beginning he told me it would be 3-4 days, so I expected to be biking to work up until Thursday. But instead, he finished the following Monday. That's 16 days without a car. What kind of mechanic doesn't work weekends? This pissed me off something fierce, since apparently I work harder than he does. But his service is the cheapest around, so I dealt with it. 2. And then there's value. Later, about 3 or 4 months afterwards, I was really bummed to find out that his transmission rebuild costs as much as buying one that's already been rebuilt. Considering the amount of time this whole ordeal took, I'm positive I could have taken 2 weeks off from work and stuffed a pre-rebuilt one in my car in 10 days. For a 2002 volvo c70: transmission from the dealer = 4500 + tax & labor. Rebuilt = 2800 Coliseum's price = 2775. Since he was late in returning my car, I figured it'd only be proper if I was late in submitting this review, even though It was written from an experience that happened nearly a year ago. Plus I really don't like that I'm giving Kim a 2 star review. I can tell he's normally better than this. read more

If you have Transmission problems then look no further than Coliseum Transmission to fix it. Kim, the owner, is super ethical and just a great guy to work with and know.. i had my entire transmission rebuilt for my Lexus ES300 and it works great now . Just give him a call and tell him what the problem is and I am sure he can help you get it resolved. Anyway I had to post because I was super pleased with my experience at Coliseum Transmission. I am sorry for your transmission problems. Super bummer i know. PS. His prices are the most reasonable in town. read more

I can't say anything about this shop less than great! I took my camaro in for a transmission diagnostic and the guy working there explained everything to me. the rates are very low, it was as though he gave me a fleet price! Will refer to all of my friends! read more

Do Not Go To Any Other Transmission Shop! GREAT PRICE!!!!!! Aamco and all the other transmission shops in Oakland wanted money upfront just to look at my transmission! Coliseum did not!! I tell you, after getting the run around from all other transmission shops in the Oakland area, I went to Coliseum Transmission, Kim the owner is honest and will give you the best price, he lays it out before you, you know where you stand, no hidden charges or crap that most automotive places lay on you! I highly recommend this place!!! 5 stars is not enough! When needed I will take all my vehicles there to be serviced!!! Ed - Happy Customer read more

I actually just got back from Coliseum Transmission, and it was a great hassle-free experience. Kim got the job done in the time and amount pre-negotiated. When I picked up my car, Kim walked me through all the issues and potential issues in my tranny, and what it really means. He even took a picture of the cracked bolt on my tranny pan so I understood. I have a Jetta V6 so there's only a handful of mechanics that have the right equipment to check it, and I'm glad Kim's shop is one of them! BONUS: He fixed my loose bumper at no charge! I just went back and it was a-ok! read more

I wish more businesses operated the way Coliseum Transmission does. A year ago, I was told by my mechanic that My Fors Explorer probably needed a new transmission. I went to Coliseum Transmission who said I did not needed to yet. Naturally, I went back there a year later as the car was revving when accelerating. There was again no charge to test it and Kim provided a full explanation of what needed to be fixed. read more

I can't say enough positive things about Coliseum Transmission, but I will start with Kim. Kim is awesome and his care and customer service is exceptional. I was worried when Acura Oakland told me my transmission was failing and gave me an estimated cost of $7,500 to replace it. I was floored. Refusing to be ripped off, and wanting to spare my care, I did some research and found Coliseum Transmission. The Yelp reviews were excellent and accurate! Kim and I agreed on a date and time to bring my car in and in a week my Acura was like new. I paid less than half what the Acura dealership quoted. The transmission is smooth and came with warranty! Kim wanted to ensure there were no troubles such as leaking, so he scheduled a follow-up appointment. I recommend anyone whose car is having transmission issues to take their car to Coliseum Transmission. read more

I picked this shop based on the reviews here at YELP because I have no clue about transmissions. The question is always in the case of an expensive repair whether or not to keep the car or buy a new one. I kept the car because it's a diesel turbo 2004, rated the best car of the year (not to be mistaken with the newer ones that involve the emissions lawsuit). They did a very good job. The troubling item was the under cover was not put back correctly and it fell down while driving on 880. We struck up a deal to share the cost of a new one eventually and I think I would have preferred they paid the whole thing. I don't know. It very well could have been worn out and a Passat is a very low car and one doesn't just run under it and see the whole story. Also because of it's lowness to the ground it is subject to more damage. One must investigate those things more carefully. That is the way we decided to do it the way in which we agreed. Anything on a foreign car is expensive. The car has served me well in the meantime so I really don't have a complaint. I like the people there and it all got worked out. I drive that VW like crazy. read more

Two and a half years ago I had my transmission overhauled. The car is a 99 Volvo V70 four wheel drive. Overholt came with a 3-year warranty. The price was quite reasonable compared to many places I checked. After 2 years and 3 months the transmission needed more work it essentially stopped going forward and would only go in reverse. Kim the manager was very easy to work with very pleasant and seem to have a high integrity in his work. I brought the car back to him and he fixed it added parts that it needed and fix it completely and did not charge me anything because it was fully under warranty. He did not charge me for any of the additional Parts he put on including a fan that the transmission needed for cooling purposes period since then it's been working fine and I found him to be very honorable. read more

Someone recommended this business to me. I called up and asked for some routine maintenance on my 86 Ford pickup, fluid and filter change and an adjustment to the bands. This guy told me that because of the age of the truck, he refuses to guarantee his work. He told that because of the high mileage (160,000), he may not be able to do anything to improve the performance of the transmission. He then kept repeating that over and over and over again and started to raise his voice. I asked him not to shout at me and let me speak, but his just kept on and on. I informed him that I thought something is wrong with him and terminated the call. Apparently, if anyone asks too many questions (I always ask lots of questions), he get upset and starts shouting. What a stupid business model, treating a new customer with disrespect. ADDED COMMENT: I am adding this comment after reading to the business owner's negative response to my original review. The owner's is not telling the truth. He told me there was "no guarantee" and the problem may continue after he performs adjusting the bands. I called another transmission shop in Oakland, Transmatic, and I leaned from the owner that my 86 Ford Automatic Overdrive transmission has NO INTERNAL ADJUSTMENTS on the bands whatsoever. I did further fact checking on the WEB and verified the information from Transmatic. It was factual. Colosseum Transmission was just going to change the fluid and filter, but misrepresented doing an "adjustment". The owner also characterized my statements. I asked him, "Don't you guarantee any work you do?" He also shouted at me on the phone and I had to repeatedly asked him, "Could I speak now?" The owner is linear boring and rude. read more

Professional reliable services and awesome value. Detail estimate before the work was performed on our Mini-Van. Save us $$$ compare to the dealership and other shops. read more

Kim and his team rebuilt the transmission on my 2004 Acura TL at 166K. Fully explained why the failure happened and how the rebuild will address those issues and help prevent them from causing the same wear that made the transmission fail in the first place. Drove the car from SF to San Diego, no problems, pushed the car hard, redlined it, no problems. Drove from SF to Seattle, same. Comes with 3 year warranty. I messaged some of his previous customers on here that posted reviews and some of them who had their transmissions rebuilt by his team anywhere from 2-4 years ago stood by the work and said everything is still performing well. Transmission failure sucks but dealing with such an honest repair shop that knows their stuff made it suck less. Kim's small business very deserving of all the work that comes his way. Feel free to message me directly to check on the status of the transmission if you're reading this review sometime after I posted it. read more

Kim at Colesium Transmission is great. Saved me a gang of $$$., plus fixed my 4runner. Other shops quoted me stupid $$$. Go to Kim first if you want affordable top notch transmission repair. read more

Excellent speedy service...for transmission work. Coliseum Trans., brought my 2004 Volvo back to life. Mr. Kim has an intense, hard working staff that are always willing to help and throw a smile at you. I love these guys. read more

My regular mechanic (DAS in Colma) took a look at my 2001 BMW 330ci (127k miles) when the transmission light came on (a little gear and an exclamation point). He said it definitely was a transmission issue and not one of the other possible issues that can activate the light (if you search it, you can see other possible scenarios). So I asked my regular mechanic how much for a rebuilt transmission and he checked around and said he could install one he buys from another shop for $3500 total. I like DAS a lot, but he is not a transmission specialist. For general repairs and maintenance, I think DAS rocks. I then checked around pricing transmission shops and got a few prices that were comparable. At Coliseum, Mr. Kim gave me a price of $2900 to rebuild my transmission, not do a swap. Since this is a second car, I liked that idea better, even though it would take longer. I took my car to Coliseum last week and took the BART back to the city. Mr. Kim did a diagnosis and came up with the fact that input and output speed sensors were bad and the harness was also brittle and cracking. He gave me pricing for changing out the harness and asked if I wanted to change the fluid while he was there. He informed me the fluid was clean and I had record of a transmission service with the previous owner 20k miles ago. I asked him what would he do and he said go ahead and change it anyway, clean fluid and new filter, new gasket and new harness (gently used one he sourced). anyway, instead of $3500 or $2900 for a new tranny, i walked away for about $580. One thing I liked is Mr. Kim said to change the fluid "is expensive, like $120". I appreciate it when people look after my money. He gave me the choice and when I was younger and money was more of an issue, I would have said "no". Mr. Kim is now "my transmission guy" for any such problems in the future. I can now continue to buy high mileage German cars (which I like) with confidence that I can service them with reasonable value. I posted a photo of the old parts, which Kim kept to show me. I am well aware that the gasket, filter and fluid were not old or a problem. I made an informed choice to change the filter and fluid and the gasket should be changed regardless when you drop the pan. read more

Coliseum Transmission - My speed sensor (the problem) harness, gasket and filter. Gasket and filter were good. I changed them anyway. - Transmission Repair Near Me - San Leandro, California