Built Rite Transmissions

I took my 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser Touring Edition to Built Rite Transmissions for repairs, this shop having been recommended by a family friend. After a week in the shop, I paid for the repairs, only to have the transmission completely fail again the next day (Christmas Eve, actually) with less than 25 road miles on it. Back into the shop, this time for two more weeks, at which time I retrieved the car only to find that one of my tail lights had been smashed (of course, the mechanic knew NOTHING about how that could have happened, and did not even offer to replace the broken tail light, much less repair it). Several days and less than 50 road miles later, the transmission began to make increasingly loud whining noises, and began to shift in and out of gear at random. Seeking a second opinion, I took the car to an older, more reputable transmission repair shop, who advised that the transmission had basically been “butchered” – with multiple fluid leaks, missing parts, SAE threaded bolts forced into Metric threaded holes, parts replaced incorrectly, etc. – and that the resulting damage inflicted to the transmission rendered it essentially beyond repair, necessitating a complete replacement of the transmission- at a cost exceeding not only the Blue Book value of the vehicle, but my ability to cover financially – to put the car safely back on the road. I am now without a car.