Gear Shifter moves in all directions. Mechanic says I "broke a cable". Is this true?

Brett- · 11-22-2008, 10:32 PM

My gear shifter 'broke' recently, and it got stuck in a gear. The actual shifter can move in all directions, even a circular direction. I was told that what probably happened was a pin came lose or broke, so my shifter is no longer hooked up to my transmission. I took it in to a mechanic and he said I broke a cable and it will cost $400 to fix, if I am lucky. I have a hard time believing such a simple thing could cost so much, or that there is even a cable involved with switching gears. Any truth to this?

Satty101 · 11-22-2008, 11:38 PM

There is a shift cable connecting the shifter to the tranny, and yes, when it breaks it will allow the shifter to go any way you move it. Also, shift cables aren't too expensive, but the amount of labor to put one in (Depending on the car) will be close to 4-500 bucks. This ofcourse varies on the $$$/hour labor rate the shop you take your car to is at. Most shops are somewhere around the 60-100 bucks per hour of work these days.

Brett- · 11-23-2008, 12:38 AM

Thanks for the info & reply, helps out a lot!

Brett- · 11-28-2008, 02:57 AM

I just had this issue fixed today, and I am surprised at the $890.03 bill. The cable itself was listed at $595.95 on the bill, and they said they had to special order it because they didn't have any. =\

newyorker · 11-28-2008, 03:13 AM

Just curious, what car was this in

Satty101 · 11-28-2008, 04:19 AM

That is a HELLA expensive cable. What kind of car was this??

Brett- · 11-28-2008, 08:26 AM

Oops, thought the OP had my car:

1990 Chevy Cavalier 2-Door, Standard

Satty101 · 11-28-2008, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brett-

Oops, thought the OP had my car:

1990 Chevy Cavalier 2-Door, Standard

2.2L or 2.0L? I'm assuming it's the 4cyl because the 3.1L 5-speeds are Z24 models only and are actually kinda rare...

Either way, that is WAY too much for a cable. I bought a brand new one for my 94 2.3L Beretta and it was only 60 bucks.

Oh, and the special order deal is actually quite normal. Do you know where he got the part from? If it was the dealer, that explains why the cable could've been so expensive. Just a parts store (Autozone, Napa etc) it should've been cheaper.

Brett- · 11-29-2008, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Satty101

2.2L or 2.0L? I'm assuming it's the 4cyl because the 3.1L 5-speeds are Z24 models only and are actually kinda rare...

Either way, that is WAY too much for a cable. I bought a brand new one for my 94 2.3L Beretta and it was only 60 bucks.

Oh, and the special order deal is actually quite normal. Do you know where he got the part from? If it was the dealer, that explains why the cable could've been so expensive. Just a parts store (Autozone, Napa etc) it should've been cheaper.

Well, they are literally right beside a place called Parts Source which is like a supermarket for car parts. I'll investigate why it was so expensive, it doesn't sound right from what I've gathered searching Yahoo!/Google.

I have no idea what kind of car it is, I am not a car person lol. It's nothing special, just an old car to get me around town.

jedmann1989 · 12-07-2008, 10:27 PM

Yeah that's a ridiculous price for a shift cable. My advice is buy the parts for your car and then take them to a garage to have them installed. You'll save yourself a pile of money.