I'll be up front here. I've never had any work done at Flathead Transmission but for several years I was a transmission mechanic at a rival shop in the area. We had to repair a lot of transmissions done at other transmission shops in the Flathead valley but we never had one from his shop. I know Todd and the mechanics working for him and If I needed transmission work done that I couldn't do myself I would take it to him. My son (who rebuilt his first automatic transmission when he was thirteen-years-old) also worked there for awhile before he moved out of state. He has nothing but praise for Todd and his crew. read more

Paid $4500 for a rebuild that only lasted 20k miles. I did not mistreat or tow any large loads or do any crazy off road stunts. I was very good to my truck and regularly maintained it. Poor quality. read more

Troy was very unprofessional and didn't know what to tell us about why the truck wouldn't go into 4c4. He just said, come get your truck & keys . After waiting all afternoon. Geez thanks I wouldn't Recommend them unless you want to waste an afternoon read more

Original review posted on 11/29/23: Todd didn't seem interested in helping with an issue that I suspect is transmission related. In all fairness, there is a tiny chance that it may not be. Still yet to be determined for sure. The point here is that flathead transmission was my fourth or fifth call trying to get to the bottom of this. Todd didn't take the time to listen to my issue to the full extent before cutting me off and suggesting I put a code reader on the vehicle. Which I did prior to calling. He then questioned the cost of my code reader and upon receiving the answer his response to me was to "take it to someone competent with a more expensive code reader." Will do, Todd. Thumbs up buddy. Right on their website it says they have computer controlled diagnostics. Not once did he suggest bringing it in to their facility to see if they could help. He even told me he has an expensive code reader and that he finds codes with his that other people don't with theirs. That said, maybe I should conclude that they're not competent, since he suggested that I go somewhere where someone is? I've read good and bad reviews about this business. They've even been around for a while and I know they likely will be. I decided to call and quickly understand the bad reviews. Maybe he was having a bad day. Maybe he's tired of doing what he does. Maybe it's both. Maybe it's a combination of many things. I don't know. I do know the customer service provided to me was garbage and that speaks volumes. This valley is growing rapidly. I strongly suggest looking elsewhere for transmission/diagnostics help. Based on my experience, Todd recommends the same! Followup/update: I failed to mention in my original review (experience) that Todd, the "transmission specialist", kept cutting me off telling me that he suspected I had an issue with my fuel filter... With the behavior of our truck, I had originally suspected this as a possible cause too. Or considered an issue with the AFM system. In fact, I didn't initially suspect the transmission being the primary cause at all. However, I'd already ruled these things out prior to making my call to them, but Todd didn't seem to care to hear that. My new suspicion was related to the TEHCM after more research. Besides the stalling (my fuel filter problem, according to Todd), the truck seemed to shift hard. As I mentioned, flathead "transmission specialist" was my fourth or fifth call, and turns out, the least help. When I suggested this to Todd, he was quite adamant about how the truck would not behave in the manner I described (as much as I could before being interrupted) if the issue was transmission related. He then proceeded to tell me how the truck would "act" if I was having an issue with the TEHCM, which was nothing at all close to the symptoms it was experiencing. Granted, this was all over the phone, but again, Todd had zero interest in assisting. Well, I take the truck for a drive with a close friend of mine (who is also an owner of a local mechanic shop) with his scan tool and what do you know... 3 different pressure switch codes on the TEHCM in the transmission. With my suspicions confirmed, I ordered the part. This part is attached to the valve body in the transmission, if you don't know. It must come out and be separated from the valve body. I've never done this... prior to now. Guess what I find... at least 2 of the membranes on the pressure switches are obviously torn. There is a kit to repair these, but it wouldn't have addressed our issue of the stalling, hence the reason I opted for a new TEHCM. While I was at it, I did a fluid/filter change as well (obviously). I had the truck back on the road on 12/15/23 - after the dealer was able to program the TEHCM. It has never shifted better during our ownership - coming up on a year. Not too bad of a diagnosis and repair for an "incompetent" non-"specialist", IMO. I'm not suggesting that I'm now suddenly an expert or "specialist" myself, by any means. But having a self-proclaimed "specialist" imply to me that I'm incompetent is just gross. That's how you treat a potential new customer, eh Todd? At the end of the day, I'm actually glad he did. I'm not so sure that he wouldn't have given me an incorrect diagnosis and overcharged for it on top. Be weary of this business! I would strongly encourage anyone to look elsewhere first! read more

I'm from outa state traveling through Whitefish, Montana when my transmission started shuddering pulling a 37ft fifth wheel on our way to Canada. I immediately pulled into a fuel station and called my mechanic 1200 mi away who confirmed my fears of torque converter going out. We were so fortunate to have found Todd at Flathead Transmission who went above and beyond to fit us in his very busy schedule. He understood our predicament being from out of town with two pets in a fifth wheel stuck at our campsite till the truck was repaired not knowing anybody. Todd repaired our truck as quickly as he could to get us back on the road. We rented a car, drove around the area and met two different people who knew Todd and his reputation for outstanding service. That really put our mind at ease knowing we picked the right man for the job. Thank you Todd for everything you did for us! Hope you enjoyed the cake! Garry & Karen Wilson read more

I own a small used car dealership here in Kalispell and Todd and all the guys at Flathead Transmission have been fantastic to work with over the years, he is very knowledgeble on all types of vehicles and knows the vehicles typical problems. He is patient and kind with answering questions and helping trouble shoot before scheduling an appointment. Thanks for the help and I would definetly reccomend you guys! read more

I took our family Chevy van into Corwin Motors here in Kalispell originally for transmission service. They serviced it, said system looked good. If our original issues continued, bring it back for diagnostic work. Couple months later, brought it back as problems stayed the same. It went from "system looks good" to "you need a new transmission", for a mere $4,300. Not trusting the sudden and drastic change, I took it to Flathead Transmission for a 2nd opinion. They called me not long after to ask permission to fix it. There was a broken filter laying in the bottom of the transmission pan. They also recommended a wiring harness and re-service the system. Total cost: $470 and system works great. So they basically saved us approximately $4,000 from what I would consider a fraudulent diagnosis from the other guys. So they gained a new customer and a lot of trust. read more

Recently my husband visited the shop to "consult" with the owner about a transmission dipstick. The attitude my husband experienced when he asked questions was total dismissiveness. When my husband tried to explain his subsequent confusion over the not-so-accurate information, the owner said, "Good luck with that!". It basically was an invitation to leave. Today my husband was able to confirm that the information the owner provided was in fact incorrect. I have never offered a negative review in my life, but I just had to, this go around. read more

Our family was on day 3 of a 16-day, 2000-mile road trip and our rented camper van had a complete transmission failure in Glacier National Park. We towed the van to Flathead Transmission Specialists late in the day thinking it would be days of waiting for repair. Todd worked with the rental company in Salt Lake, his crew expedited a new transmission overnight from Spokane and they had the van repaired and ready by the next afternoon. Excellent service and commitment saved our vacation. Much thanks! - Paul G. read more

During a recent visit to the valley I had a sensor failure and called the Chrysler dealer they told me that it was going to be a week even to look at it I said is this a joke? Next stop Flathead Transmission, they replaced the sensor and I was back on the road late the following day! read more

These guys are THE BEST!!! I recently had my 700r4 transmission rebuilt here, I took the transmission out and brought it down out of the vehicle. They rebuilt it (at a very reasonable cost, and it only took about 3 days!) and let me take it home to install it. I installed it in my S15 GMC Jimmy. After a short drive, the Transmission would not shift. I called Flathead Transmission and told them the problem, and they asked me to bring the whole vehicle down so they could inspect it and see what was happening. Keep in mind I did not have the 1 year warranty issued to me as of yet. They took a look and after inspection, it turns out I was given the wrong torque converter! But it was no problem, they fixed it up (and even replaced the input shaft seal on my transfer case as well. Keep in mind all of this only took two days to complete) free of charge! These guys do quality work, at a fair price, and their service is unparalleled to any mechanic I have ever dealt with. I highly recommend Flathead Transmission Specialists to anyone and everyone! read more