Steve and the guys at Transmission Hero are terrific! He saved me big $$! I took my 2018 Chevy Silverado there to get a transmission fluid service done because I had the “Chevy Shakes”, and I wanted to see if that would help. There were codes on my code-reader that didn’t make any sense, along with the “Random Misfires” code. I was fully expecting the verdict would wind up being that I’d need a new 6L80 transmission. But Steve’s integrity came out right away. Steve said we should not do a fluid change until we first do diagnostics and see the whole picture. He’s a talker… and very dogmatic, so be patient and listen to him… he definitely has tons of experience in this. He explained to me that many Chevy/GMC 5.3L V-8 engines have Active Fuel Management (AFM), and that the AFM programming in the Engine Control Module (ECM) and the over-complicated programming in the Transmission ECM (TECM) can cause the Torque Converter to lock & unlock too much; there’s too much “noise”. The shifting from V-8 to 4-cylinder (and back), changing speeds, braking, all cause constant Torque Converter “chatter”, and I could definitely feel it. It was shakin’ & shuddering! So they first ran diagnostics, and very importantly, live diagnostics while driving it so they could see the converter chattering, engine misfires, live data, etc. He told me there’s likely ‘nothing wrong with your transmission’, but we need to quiet the “noise.” He proposed an AFM Delete. Not the cheap little thing you get on Amazon, mind you (those don’t work well), he was able to re-flash the ECM & TECM to remove the AFM programming, improve the transmission function, and also we went with new plugs, coils, and wires; BAM! No more shimmy, shimmy, cocoa-pop! No codes on the OBD-II Scanner/Code reader! Now I have one smooth running pick’em up truck with a V-8 that’s a full-time V-8, not dropping cylinders due to AFM. And… not sure why, but over the 2 weeks since we got this great resolution, it’s getting better fuel mileage too! What I thought was going to be a very expensive problem, Transmission Hero got me out the door for a fraction of the expected costs. Thanks Steve.
David, I truly appreciate the honest and detailed review. Very few customers take the time to explain their actual experience the way you did, and your review is a perfect example of how we try to approach diagnostics and transmission problems differently than most shops. Thank you for trusting Transmission Hero and giving us the opportunity to properly diagnose the issue instead of just selling you a transmission you may not have needed. We believe in looking at the entire vehicle system — engine performance, AFM programming, converter behavior, drivability data, live diagnostics, and transmission operation together — because modern vehicles are all interconnected. We appreciate your patience, your business, and the amazing review. Enjoy the Silverado, and thank you again for supporting Transmission Hero!
- Transmission Hero