Automatic gearbox specialists
Having a planetary gear set issue?
A whine, a bang into gear, or no Drive. A damaged gear set does not quieten down with miles.
- A new whine that rises with road speed?
- No Drive after a bang, engine still fine?
- Want internals checked before anyone quotes a whole unit?
A planetary gear set is the mechanical heart of a conventional automatic. Sun, planet and ring gears make the ratios. When they wear, you hear it, then you lose Drive. That diagnosis is core work at Service4Service.
A grinding automatic will not polish itself. Metal in the oil spreads through the unit.
8am - 5.30pm Mon-Fri
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What is a planetary gear set?
A planetary gear set is a sun gear, planet gears on a carrier, and a ring gear. Hold one, drive another, and you get a ratio. A conventional automatic gearbox stacks these sets. clutch packs and brakes choose which member is held.
A torque converter feeds it. A dual-clutch uses parallel shafts instead. Mixing those up is how people get quoted the wrong job.
Noise from the set is not a valve body job. A diagnostic check and an oil inspection tell you which.
Metal from a gear set will wreck the rest of the unit
A whine that becomes a grind is debris already in the oil. Keep driving and you score the pump, the bearings and the packs. Stop and call while the car still moves.
Planetary gear set symptoms people search
If any of these sound like your car, do not wait for it to fail on the road.
Whine with road speed
Gear or bearing wear, not always the engine.
Bang into Drive
A member has not locked, then it slams.
No Drive, engine fine
A set or a holding clutch has given up.
Metal in the oil
Do not treat that as a filter job alone.
Worse in one ratio
That set or that clutch is the weak one.
Rumble on overrun
Bearings or a damaged carrier.
How a planetary gear set works
Oil pressure clamps a pack so one member is held. The set then gives a ratio. A tired gearbox oil pump can starve that clamp and look like gear damage.
gearbox bearing wear often starts the noise before teeth fail.
A pack holds a member
The set produces a ratio.
Wear starts as noise
Whine, then metal in the oil.
The set fails
No Drive, or a bang. It only gets worse.
Planetary set work we do
We inspect oil, listen, scan and, if needed, strip conventional automatics to confirm gear-set damage versus clutch or hydraulic faults.
- Oil and noise diagnosis
- Strip and inspect when honest
- Rebuild versus replacement advice
- Collection when it should not be driven
Still driving with a gearbox whine?
A new noise from an automatic is not a wheel bearing until someone has checked. That is automatic gearbox repair. Call before you have no Drive.
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.
Most dual-clutch units use parallel shafts. Planetary sets are the conventional automatic layout.
Sometimes. Debris often means a wider rebuild is honest. We will say which.
No. Bearings, the pump and the converter can all sing. Diagnosis first.
Not if teeth are worn. Fresh oil will not glue metal back on.
No. Planetary work here is automatic.
If there is metal in the oil or a bang, no.
Related guides
Do not ignore a new gearbox noise
If an automatic has started to whine, bang or lose Drive, tell us the symptoms. Planetary diagnosis is work we do every day.
