2001 Durango will not shift out of 1st gear

[jds2074]

My Durango would not shift out of first gear and I brought it to the dealer (Tri State Toyota-Dodge in Dudley, MA). There was a bad Park/Neutral Switch and leaking transmission cooler lines. They reapired those issues and it did not fix the problem and told me I needed a new transmission at a cost of $2900 for the transmission and $90/hr for labor at 8.5hrs; grand total of $3665. I payed them for the work done and brought it to a transmission specialist; Interstate Transmission in Auburn, MA, they have excellent customer service and seemed very honest; and total cost of repair was $400 - bad valve bodies (something like that).

I figured the dealer would have the knowledge and experience to perform this work especially knowing the consistant issues around the Dodge transmissions. With this particular dealer this would have been the second time they robbed me.

Be carefull and always get a second opinion, it may save you quite a bit of money.