When a broken down transmission makes its way into your shop, you've got some important choices to make. one of the most common yet critical questions is whether or not it's worthwhile to purchase and install a remanufactured (reman) transmission into the vehicle. How of you know what choice to make?

The truth is that it probably depends on the situation and setup of your shop. There's no one-size-fits-all answer, but our list of remanufactured transmission pros and cons will help you decide what's right for your business. 

What Are Reman Transmissions?

There are a variety of auto parts that can be remanufactured, but we're talking specifically about reman transmissions today. Here's what you need to know:

• Generally, "remanufactured" indicates that a unit has had additional machine work that bring the quality level to the same standard as a new part..
• While a "rebuilt" transmission usually implies that only worn-out parts have been replaced, the process to remanufacture a transmission is typically much more thorough. 
• Good reman transmissions have all new mechanical tolerances set to factory specifications, as well as like-new durability and quality.

So, now that you know what reman transmissions are, it's time to weigh the possible risks and benefits of purchasing one to install in your shop. Here's where the remanufactured transmission pros and cons come in. 

Remanufactured Transmission Pros and Cons

Pros:

• If you aren't getting enough rebuild jobs to warrant keeping a dedicated rebuilder in your transmission shop (or, on the other hand, you don't have enough rebuilders to cover all the jobs coming in), purchasing a reman unit can potentially save you a lot of time and money. In this situation, the only thing you have to worry about is installing the unit correctly.
• Additionally, purchasing a reman unit can sometimes cost less than individually purchasing all the individual hard parts needed to complete a repair.
• When you buy a reman unit, all parts will be updated with the latest technology, as opposed to purchasing a "new" transmission that may have been sitting on a shelf for weeks, months, or longer. (See our post on emerging transmission technology for some advancements to anticipate in your shop.)
• When you install a reman unit into a vehicle, your shop doesn't carry the warranty; the part and supplier do.

Cons:

•  While the cost and responsibility for the reman unit's warranty doesn't belong to you, you might have to play middleman in warranty negotiations.
• In order to determine whether installing a reman unit will solve a vehicle's issues, it's critical that you have a diagnostic technician on your team who can determine the source of mechanical problems.
• The greatest risk associated with reman units is verifying the quality of what you're purchasing. However, you can ensure quality by forming a strong relationship with the remanufacturer who supplies your reman units. Be sure the units are being thoroughly tested before they're sold. You'll have to put in some powerful vetting effort to avoid low-quality reman work that reflects poorly on your shop's reputation, but it's certainly possible to find a reman provider you can trust. 

Weighing Reman Pros and Cons

Like we said at the beginning of this post, there's no one-and-done answer for whether you should purchase remanufactured transmissions or not. There is some risk involved when working with reman parts, but there are things you can do to lower those risks if you know what to look out for. The most important step you can take when considering a reman unit is to build a strong and trusting relationship with your remanufacturer. It's incredibly important to remember that you always assume some risk when using reman transmissions rather than doing the rebuilding in-house (and you can learn the true costs of doing a repair for the second time if something goes wrong in our recent blog post here). However, there can also be some great positives to using reman units, especially where time and costs are concerned. It all depends on the particulars (especially staffing and job volume) of your shop and business plan. If you take the time to think through the remanufactured transmission pros and cons, you should be able to determine if those units are right for you.