Automatic gearbox specialists
Is your gearbox making a grinding noise?
A grind under load, on a change, or all the time. Metal on metal does not heal. Automatic grind is our work. A pedal manual is not.
- A grind that arrived with a bang?
- Worse in one gear, or whenever you pull away?
- Three pedals, and you are not sure if we can help?
Grinding is damaged gears, a failed bearing, or a dual-clutch that is trying to apply a half-dead pack. On an automatic that is specialist work. On a manual, we will say so.
A grind is late. Debris is already in the oil. Stop and call while the car still moves.
8am - 5.30pm Mon-Fri
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What is a gearbox grinding noise?
A grinding noise from an automatic gearbox is often a worn planetary gear set or gearbox bearing, or a clutch pack dragging, and it can follow earlier whining. On a dual-clutch it can be a shaft bearing or a dragging pack. Grinding means metal is wearing, so stop driving and get the unit diagnosed.
On an automatic gearbox a grind is often a planetary gear set or a gearbox bearing that has gone beyond a whine. On a dual-clutch it can be a pack dragging or a shaft bearing.
A diagnostic check and an oil sample tell us if the unit can be rebuilt or is finished. Limp mode with a grind is the computer and the metal agreeing.
Count the pedals. Three is a manual. We do not repair those. Two is automatic or dual-clutch. Ford, Volkswagen and BMW two-pedal cars are regulars in the bay.
*Service4Service does not repair manual gearboxes. A grinding three-pedal car needs a manual specialist. Two-pedal automatics and dual-clutch units are the work we do.
- Grinding is usually advanced wear, beyond a whine
- Metal on the pan magnet or in the fluid confirms internal wear
- A fluid sample helps decide between repair and rebuild
- Manual gearbox grinding is not work Service4Service takes on
Grinding means metal is already in the oil
Keep driving a grind and you sand-blast the pump, the cooler and the remaining gears. Recover the car. Do not motorway it to us.
Grind symptoms people search
If any of these sound like your car, do not wait for it to fail on the road.
Grind in Drive, engine fine
Internals. Automatic work if there is no clutch pedal.
Grind on a change only
A pack, a synchro on a manual, or a dual-clutch apply.
After a bang
Something has broken. Stop.
Metal on the magnet
Not a service-only job.
Three pedals
Manual. Not our repair.
Two pedals and a grind
Call us.
How a grind starts
A whining noise that was ignored becomes a grind when teeth or a bearing shed. Low automatic transmission fluid starves the mesh.
Once you can hear grit, the honest conversation is rebuild versus replacement, after a look inside or a proper test.
Noise starts as a whine
Bearings or gears.
It becomes a grind
Metal is loose.
Drive fades
Stop. It only gets worse.
What we do with a grinding automatic
We confirm it is the gearbox, inspect the oil and advise rebuild or replacement on automatics and dual-clutch units. If it is a manual, we will tell you straight.
- Two-pedal grind diagnosis
- Oil and debris inspection
- Rebuild versus replacement advice
- Honest no on pedal manuals
Two pedals and a grind?
That is automatic territory. That is automatic gearbox repair. Call. If it is a manual, we will say it is not our work.
Why this work comes to Service4Service
- Automatic and dual-clutch work is core work, not a sideline
- Diagnosis before parts
- Collection when the car should not be driven
- 12 months or 12,000 miles on parts and labour
Guarantee and payment
Repairs are backed by a 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty on parts and labour. See Payment Options for ways to pay.
Usually, if it follows gear or road speed. Wheel bearings growl differently. We listen.
Yes, once gears or bearings are damaged. It is a late sign.
No.
If it is low, a leak is the issue. Oil will not glue teeth back on.
Sometimes, if the case is sound. Diagnosis first.
No. Recover it.
Grinding usually means metal parts are wearing against each other, such as a bearing, a gear set or a clutch pack that will not release. It can also come from a damaged torque converter or flexplate at the front of the gearbox.
Yes, though it is less typical than in a manual. Grinding on a change can come from a failing clutch pack, damaged gear set or hydraulic problem, so stop and have the car diagnosed instead of waiting to see if it settles.
Often yes, if the casing and main parts are sound, but metal debris spreads through the unit, so a full strip and clean is needed. A fluid sample and inspection after diagnosis show whether a rebuild is realistic.
Related guides
Do not drive a grinding gearbox home
If it is a two-pedal car and it grinds, tell us. If it is a manual, we will point you to the right kind of specialist.
