Rebuilding Transmission - 08 L322 4.4L HSE - 190k miles
Had my L322 for about a decade now. A year ago, transmission started slipping around 4th gear and it’s gotten progressively worse. Did a fluid service around 185k miles (3rd time it’s had it done; other 2 were done timely according to maintenance schedule). Slip has gotten progressively worse. Can’t even get it on the freeway without it throwing. does and going into limp mode.
I love this generation and can’t see myself driving anything else. Have spent months debating whether it’s time to cut my losses and replace with another L322 or bite the bullet and rebuild.
Searched around the past few months for a replacement, but haven’t been able to find anything with low enough mileage, well-documented service history, and spec I want in the $10-15k ish price range.
After a lot of thought, I’ve decided to just rebuild the transmission on mine for $6.5k and see if he’ll keep running another 10 years. Between me and the previous owner (family friend who bought it new), the car has had about $30k in maintenance done on it, mostly at LR and reputable indies. Done everything from replacing with new suspension bags, radiator, alternator, and gaskets to rebuilding power steering rack and coolant system to keeping up with regular maintenance and more.
Rebuilding may not the most financially sound decision, but not much about owning one of these is really. Can’t imagine any other car would still bring a smile to my face every time I look at it after 10 years of ownership and despite the damage it’s done to my pockets… I love it, have been through everything in it, so I’m gonna fix it!
This forum has been a great guide through my years of ownership, so figured I’d share. Cheers