Coliseum Transmission

I did a lot of research on who in the Bay Area could rebuild the transmission on my 2005 Volvo XC 90 T6. If you know the history of the transmission on this vehicle you would understand why it is so hard to find someone confident enough to tackle the problem. Most of who I spoke to just gave me the usual BS. After a year of searching and reading Unilocal reviews I came to the conclusion to give Mr. Kim a try. This was really a shot in the dark. After a few phone calls, a short question and answer session and a meeting with him I was still apprehensive. I didn’t want my hard earned money to get flushed down the drain. However, he assured me that everything was going to be fine. Besides the reasonable price he quoted me, his warranty was 3 yrs. or 36,000 miles so I pulled the trigger.
Customer service was top notch. He updated me on the progress and treated me like a long time customer. His staff was accommodating as well. You can tell quality is a part of their work. You can’t even tell work was done on the vehicle. The area they worked on was tidy. In the end he even gave me a discount… what a guy! I was also shown the parts he replaced. It was exactly the parts I suspected to be bad. They are honest!
I have driven the vehicle for over 1,000 miles now and the transmission shifts better as it did when it was new. I was supposed to take it back for a checkup but I been too occupied driving it. Everything seems to be working like it supposed to. Sounds normal, smooth and crisp shifting. Feels strong… got it to go approximately 90+ a few times without much effort.
If I ever need a transmission work done in any of my vehicles in the future Mr. Kim would definitely be the only choice. I will definitely spread the word to my friends!
Thank you Mr. Kim and staff… and last but not least to those who contributed their reviews.

I cannot recommend Kim and Coliseum Transmission enough. My 2007 BMW X3 broke down in the Tahoe area and I was given ridiculously expensive quotes from the dealership and local shops from the Bay to the mountains. A coworker recommended Coliseum Transmission and everything just fell into place. Very reasonable pricing, incredible customer service (he came in during the weekend to receive my car!, and great turn around. My car is driving great now and I have Kim to thank!

My husband’s F150 needed a new transmission so I had it towed to Coliseum Transmission based upon the great reviews I read here.
It was in for a week which seemed like a long time but Kim was busy. I get it.
When we got the truck back, it never seemed to work properly. There was a clunk when shifting from 1^st to 2^nd. We took it back and left it for a day but they didn’t see anything wrong with it. This was October 2015.
Fast forward to today. It’s gotten increasingly worse. Now it clunks when shifting from park to reverse, from reverse to drive, and still from 1^st to 2^nd. Plus it can barely make it up our street (steep) without rev’ing to 4000rpms before shifting to 2^nd. I’ll take it in yet again and hopefully get it fixed properly. I’ll update my rating if/​when it gets fixed properly.
It’s very disappointing… I had high hopes for using a local repair shop.

I am so happy with the customer service and quality of work performed at Coliseum transmission. Kim has been a friend and and advisor. They rebuilt my transmission for my Audi A4 2003 3.0 Quattro. They did a fantastic job. It now has 210,000 miles and going strong.

One more happy driver!
Kim rebuilt my 1998 Honda Accord EX’s transmission. I am so happy with this old car and not ready to let it go, yet! At first I was hesitant to spend the cost of it because the car is so old! But then I found Kim. When I saw all these great reviews I decided to go to his shop. When I consulted him about the car I knew I was talking to a professional I could trust to extent the life of my great dependable car. My experience with Kim has been great in every way! That was back in January of this year. The car is running so smoothly. It was worth every penny!
Thank you Unilocalers, your reviews helped a lot!
Highest level of Knowledge.
Highest level of Honesty.
Highest level of Care.
Thanks Kim, for being there!

Kim is the man! We had slipping and a rough-​shift and had been told by other shops that we needed a complete rebuild on our 2007 Ford Expedition tranny in the neighborhood of $ 4K to $ 5k. Kim explained he would do the free diagnostic and try to save it. I left the car with Kim for the day, and when I picked it up he said he found a misfire in the engine that could be the cause. No charge for the advice. Sure enough we repaired the misfire and it runs like new. I highly recommend Kim for his honesty and knowledge. I will be back for sure.

I wish more businesses operated the way Coliseum Transmission does. A year ago, I was told by my mechanic that My Fors Explorer probably needed a new transmission. I went to Coliseum Transmission who said I did not needed to yet.
Naturally, I went back there a year later as the car was revving when accelerating. There was again no charge to test it and Kim provided a full explanation of what needed to be fixed.

My regular mechanic (DAS in Colma) took a look at my 2001 BMW 330ci (127k miles) when the transmission light came on (a little gear and an exclamation point). He said it definitely was a transmission issue and not one of the other possible issues that can activate the light (if you search it, you can see other possible scenarios). So I asked my regular mechanic how much for a rebuilt transmission and he checked around and said he could install one he buys from another shop for $ 3500 total. I like DAS a lot, but he is not a transmission specialist. For general repairs and maintenance, I think DAS rocks.

I then checked around pricing transmission shops and got a few prices that were comparable. At Coliseum, Mr. Kim gave me a price of $ 2900 to rebuild my transmission, not do a swap. Since this is a second car, I liked that idea better, even though it would take longer.
I took my car to Coliseum last week and took the BART back to the city. Mr. Kim did a diagnosis and came up with the fact that input and output speed sensors were bad and the harness was also brittle and cracking. He gave me pricing for changing out the harness and asked if I wanted to change the fluid while he was there. He informed me the fluid was clean and I had record of a transmission service with the previous owner 20k miles ago. I asked him what would he do and he said go ahead and change it anyway, clean fluid and new filter, new gasket and new harness (gently used one he sourced). anyway, instead of $ 3500 or $ 2900 for a new tranny, i walked away for about $ 580. One thing I liked is Mr. Kim said to change the fluid «is expensive, like $ 120». I appreciate it when people look after my money. He gave me the choice and when I was younger and money was more of an issue, I would have said «no».
Mr. Kim is now «my transmission guy» for any such problems in the future. I can now continue to buy high mileage German cars (which I like) with confidence that I can service them with reasonable value.
I posted a photo of the old parts, which Kim kept to show me. I am well aware that the gasket, filter and fluid were not old or a problem. I made an informed choice to change the filter and fluid and the gasket should be changed regardless when you drop the pan.

…first review of 2015 for Kim.
Let me start off by saying all the great things about Kim in other posts are accurate. His customer service is amazing and his ability to describe why your transmission is dying or broken or whatever the issue is is perfect — without getting too technical if you are not a car person, Im sure he would help you understand.
I brought a 2002 4.6is X5 (160k on the transmission) in due to some weird issues I was having. Im a car guy, so for me to go out of my realm to a transmission shop to handle a new type of service to me is a bit scary… but I had no choice due to the cost of BMW Transmissions from the dealer and even independant BMW shops charge double (and possibly triple) the price Kim quoted me.
I read all the reviews for Coliseum Transmission and found at least one happy X5 customer and that was enough for me to go ahead and bite the bullet and give Kim a shot. Aside from his price compared to BMW’s and others, it was a no brainer even with one review specifically for an X5 (though he has worked on many others Im sure… I saw another X5 when I dropped off my car in there). I took the chance and glad I did.
Instantly I knew he was confident with the work he was going to perform. He was well knowledge in the issues I was explaining and was able to describe in detail what I needed and was was going to be replaced (I did a lot of research before deciding my transmission was my issue) Kim confirmed it from his test drive and decided to have him fix it and return it to me fully functional again.
I picked up my car and Kim had kept all the parts that were problematic and showed me them. He explained each of the parts and why I was experiencing the issues and how they related to those issues (amazing). Since Im a visual type of person, it really helped me understand the need and gave me some sort of relief that I decided to have the entire transmission rebuilt.
The car was completed in the expected timeframe — roughly 7 business days and the price was nearly what he quoted me from day 1. Other items were tacked on that needed replacement and he showed the parts and I approved them. Clearly this guy knows what he’s doing and Ive been told over and over by people that I should only deal with BMW for BMW Transmissions. WRONG! Kim is SOLID and trust his work.
Warranty = Excellent
Customer Service = Excellent
Explanation of Service = Excellent
Price = Excellent (in my case and opinion for this transmission specifically)
Time to Complete = Excellent
Recommendation of other items to fix as needed while performing work = Excellent (he explains what and why)
I have to say, if I ever need any transmission work — this shop will be on my top list to perform work. No doubt very knowledgeable and professional. They even fixed another item that I was going to schedule a service for, but they took care of it for me at no charge.
Look no further — when I drove off the lot and took my car home, it was like a new car again. Shifts were smooth, no more weird noises, felt strong… waiting for break-​in time to occur and Ill step on it a bit more. Definitely feels like a new transmission and is operating as expected now!
THANK YOU!

Kim is legit! I highly recommend it.
He fixed up the transmission on my Honda Odyssey. Unfortunately, a solenoid crapped out early (OEM — manufacturer defect) and caused my 2^nd gear to die. So I took it back in and he made it right. Free. Under warranty. He even offered to fix another car for the hassle. He’s a man who stands by his work and now it runs smooth again.
I mean this is probably like $ 2K worth of repairs he could have charged me for, especially since I drove it on the freeway (coming back from SF) on a bad transmission. Free. I really like Kim. He’ll also always pick up your call if he can (unless he’s driving or with another customer — but he’ll call you right back).

I can’t say anything about this shop less than great!
I took my camaro in for a transmission diagnostic and the guy working there explained everything to me. the rates are very low, it was as though he gave me a fleet price!
Will refer to all of my friends!

I called several transmission places and Mr Kim was the only one to return my call. He had asked what was going on with my car? I explained what was going on and he told me to bring it in and he would give me a free diagnostic test. When I arrived at the Colosseum transmissions Mr Kim told me to leave my car I explained to him that I had no way of getting around. I had not planned on leaving my car. With that he stated he would make an exception and he proceeded to run the test and he was honest, he could find nothing wrong with my transmission according to the test. He referred me to another mechanic TMS automotive and I was on my way. Unfortunately, after a few tests run at TMS. It did turn out to be my transmission.
The mechanics at TMS, Explained to me why the diagnostic test would not show why the transmission was actually being affected and I was satisfied with the answer. So I gave mr. Kim at Coliseum transmission a call and explained the situation and he called it a great price! He also gave me a nice deadline as well
By the following week as promised mr. Kim had called me to let me know that my car is ready for pickup. However he had ran into another problem that before dropping the transmission. I want that problem fixed with no charge. I just had to pay for the parts. What a great guy! My car was ready the next day and things in my car that were not functional, are working properly again.
I’d highly recommend this place :-)

There maybe other places in the Bay Area to take your car for transmission service/​repair but I find it hard to imagine better quality service with integrity. I was first introduced to Kim back in 2010 when my 2001 BMW X5 4.4i transmission shutdown on me. With 160K miles I figured it had reached its life of service to me. The tow truck driver recommended me to give Coliseum Transmission a call and just compare with other shops. I called 2 well known Bay Area BMW Dealerships and they both gave me estimates over $ 7K. Kim told me based upon my error codes he could rebuild my transmission for less than half the cost of the dealerships. Not only that but I was able to get another 100K miles (and counting…) of life from the car.
I highly recommend Kim and his staff for any of your transmission needs. He’s honest and direct allowing you to really make the most informed decision with your $$$$$$.

I have an old Lexus 2001 RX300 FWD that has 177,000+ miles on it. Since it’s the BEST car I’ve ever owned, I want to keep it. My engine light went on over a weekend so I needed it checked out. Had done homework re what it could be and found the possibility of a transmission issue. Went on Unilocal and found that Kim’s ratings were great. Towed to Coliseum Transmission, Kim checked engine light warning, and yes it was transmission. He kept the car for 5 working days, rebuilt my original transmission for $ 2,600. My car now runs GREAT, as usual. Thanks Kim, for taking care of my baby!

I actually just got back from Coliseum Transmission, and it was a great hassle-​free experience. Kim got the job done in the time and amount pre-​negotiated.
When I picked up my car, Kim walked me through all the issues and potential issues in my tranny, and what it really means. He even took a picture of the cracked bolt on my tranny pan so I understood. I have a Jetta V6 so there’s only a handful of mechanics that have the right equipment to check it, and I’m glad Kim’s shop is one of them!
BONUS: He fixed my loose bumper at no charge! I just went back and it was a-​ok!

When I drove off his lot, I hoped I’d never have to go back, but after 3000 miles I probably should have. But I don’t fully blame Kim. I think I just should have scrapped the car since rebuilding an automatic Volvo transmission is risky business. So, 9K miles later I got tired of the same problems that I had previously slowly returning… and bought a Honda Prelude with a manual transmission.
I have a lot of experience working with cars. My Volvo c70 shows it. It’s got about 2 grand under the hood, a super obvious 5 grand in the chassis (once you have it up on a lift to see the underbody) and another obvious 1 grand inside wrt the electronics.
So when Kim repeatedly warned me about not using the right grade fuel to avoid knock and high-​speed vibration, i felt a little belittled and mostly pissed off. And when I started expressing my annoyance, he didn’t notice that he was barking up the wrong tree.
Little did I know he was warning me because it was actually happening. He did not fully remember his experience while test driving my car, so he did not accept that his work created a new problem. And it was so late at night that it’d be impractical to test drive it to discover what the heck he was nagging me about. … But I quickly discovered what he was nagging about as soon as engine warmed up about 2.5 miles down the road away from his shop.
Outside of his mediocre communication skills, he’s a really nice, tenacious guy. He had some issues running my credit card since this is the first time I’ve used this particular card to spend more than 2K at a time, so he eventually split the bill on two cards giving me 25 bucks off in the process.
Since the experience warrants a 3 star review, here’s why I give him 2 stars:
1. Timeliness.
I dropped the car off the Monday before thanksgiving and he was too overloaded to look at it until the next week. I had a truncated work week so I didn’t need the car. I left it for him, as he claimed he might get a chance to look at it sooner. Nope.
So he started the following Monday. From the very beginning he told me it would be 3 – 4 days, so I expected to be biking to work up until Thursday. But instead, he finished the following Monday.
That’s 16 days without a car.
What kind of mechanic doesn’t work weekends? This pissed me off something fierce, since apparently I work harder than he does. But his service is the cheapest around, so I dealt with it.
2. And then there’s value.
Later, about 3 or 4 months afterwards, I was really bummed to find out that his transmission rebuild costs as much as buying one that’s already been rebuilt. Considering the amount of time this whole ordeal took, I’m positive I could have taken 2 weeks off from work and stuffed a pre-​rebuilt one in my car in 10 days.
For a 2002 volvo c70:
transmission from the dealer = 4500 + tax & labor.
Rebuilt = 2800
Coliseum’s price = 2775.
Since he was late in returning my car, I figured it’d only be proper if I was late in submitting this review, even though It was written from an experience that happened nearly a year ago.
Plus I really don’t like that I’m giving Kim a 2 star review. I can tell he’s normally better than this.

If you have Transmission problems then look no further than Coliseum Transmission to fix it. Kim, the owner, is super ethical and just a great guy to work with and know. i had my entire transmission rebuilt for my Lexus ES300 and it works great now .
Just give him a call and tell him what the problem is and I am sure he can help you get it resolved. Anyway I had to post because I was super pleased with my experience at Coliseum Transmission. I am sorry for your transmission problems. Super bummer i know.
PS. His prices are the most reasonable in town.

Do Not Go To Any Other Transmission Shop! GREAT PRICE!!!
Aamco and all the other transmission shops in Oakland wanted money upfront just to look at my transmission! Coliseum did not!
I tell you, after getting the run around from all other transmission shops in the Oakland area, I went to Coliseum Transmission, Kim the owner is honest and will give you the best price, he lays it out before you, you know where you stand, no hidden charges or crap that most automotive places lay on you! I highly recommend this place!!! 5 stars is not enough! When needed I will take all my vehicles there to be serviced!!!
Ed — Happy Customer

About a month ago my beloved Isuzu Trooper developed an expensive sounding clunk during my commute home from work as it shifted through the gears. Not good! The Trooper and I limped home and I pondered it’s future with me. Get rid of it with 195K miles on it but in relatively good shape and it’s always been a good vehicle for me? Or spend some money on it and get it fixed. Well, I took it to Car Care for diagnostics and Wayne informed me that it was indeed a transmission failure. His estimate to replace it with a used transmission was around $ 4K. Yikes! I started looking around for replacement vehicle options as well as second opinions on transmission repair. I called Aamco and was quoted a starting price around $ 1800 for a rebuild, then I searched Unilocal and Google for other local options. Unilocal reviews led me to Coliseum Transmission. I spoke to Kim and arranged to bring it in to him a week later for a look. I should note that when I drove it over to Car Care and Coliseum Transmission the clunk did not occur but Wayne indicated to me that it only happened once the car was suitably warmed up. Which made sense since it initially happened after about 35 miles of my 40 mile daily commute. So at first, Kim could find nothing in the diagnostic codes to indicate a failure and it was refusing to act up for him. I told him to take it out for a long drive and see what happens which he did. The next day he confirmed the bad news and I OK’d the work. He gave me a verbal estimate of $ 2K which was MUCH better and acceptable. I preferred that than buying a new vehicle. I was concerned about being able to find parts for an Isuzu Trooper since they stopped selling non-​commercial vehicles in the US a few years ago but Kim assured me it would not be a problem as the parts were GM manufactured.
Now, I never had any paperwork but I had a good vibe from Kim so I didn’t worry about it. He was supposed to fax it to me but a couple of attempts at that failed. So I dropped by to pick up a copy. I’m used to having a paper trail for this kind of work but Kim didn’t seem to be concerned about that and I suspect since he gave his word on the phone the estimate was all good. I mention this in case you are paperwork-​centric like I am. :) You might have to follow up on it. I can’t say I was worried just because he just seemed like a straight up guy.
He was honest with me about his backlog so I wasn’t expecting it to be completed soon and the work would take about a week to complete once he had all of the parts he needed. I was heading out for a week of camping and was expecting to use the Trooper but that idea got squashed when he informed me that they found another part they needed to replace and it wouldn’t arrive until the Monday after I departed for the woods. I asked if this meant the $ 2K estimate would increase and Kim said no, same price. I expected the Trooper to be ready the following Monday after I returned but when I stopped by to pick it up it was still on the rack. Kim said they were filling it with ATF and still needed to road test it and verify that everything was cool. I don’t know what happened the week I was gone but I suspect that he was still pretty backlogged and/​or the part didn’t arrive when he thought it would. Either way, I didn’t really care as all I needed was it to be repaired and in good shape. He called later that afternoon and told me it was all good and I picked it up the next morning. I drove it on to 880 and couldn’t remember the last time it shifted so smoothly. Probably when it was new back in 2000. I decided to shake it down that week by driving it everyday and after a week it’s performing quite well.
I’d have to say I’m a fan of Kim and his crew at CT. I liked that they rebuild your transmission with only the necessary parts and he’s a nice guy to work with and seems very thorough. If I have to do this again I would definitely return to Kim and Coliseum Transmission.

My wife’s BMW (Burn My Wallet) crapped out right before the holidays. Like I needed that during the holidays. In any case I was referred to them by my long time mechanic, Kim Truong answered and took care of everything. From tow, repair to delivery. Can’t say I usually get a good vibe from repair shops (even being a pretty car savy guy) but things seemed right with this guy.
He quoted me a price and delivery, and upon checking around it seemed he was the cheapest, about ¹⁄₃ less then other specialty shops and ½ what the rip-​off dealer would have charged. Note the neighborhood isn’t the most attractive, mostly industrial Oakland. Not much in terms of office or waiting area, but hey I am here for transmission, not expresso and pedicure, I guess thus the great prices.
We got it back a few days ago and all seems well. He even fixed a weird noise unrelated to the tranny, that has been around and unfixable for the last two years. I will report further is there really is anything to report. Good job Kim.