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Update on my Honda Accord V6 AT after a gearbox rebuild

30th April 2025, 20:00 by R Patil

I was genuinely so happy to see my car again after almost 4.5 months of waiting. I just sat there admiring this beauty. It shifted just how I remember it, probably a little better and snappier, although it revved a little higher before shifting than I remember

BHPian ImportedLlama recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Today, 26/4/2025, I made the long trip to the SEHMBI Bangalore workshop. I had recently become friends with another TBHP member, @PainlessDeath09, and he had very kindly offered to come with me to the workshop, which I am extremely grateful for. We hopped in his friend's Audi A6 and headed down. I was extremely anxious and excited on the drive there. Unfortunately, I got a call from the mechanic I had been in touch with, and he said the car was not shifting past second for some reason. I told him I would be there anyway and to see if he could figure it out while I came.

I was not too worried because just a few days ago I received a video of the car driving and shifting flawlessly, so I was hoping it was simply a loose connector or something. Once we arrived, I greeted Yash, who was the mechanic I was in touch with, and he came off as a very knowledgeable person who knew what he was doing. He told me the shifting issue was simply a loose connector and that the car was now driving perfectly fine.

I was genuinely so happy to see my car again after almost 4.5 months of waiting. I just sat there admiring this beauty. I did notice a few cosmetic things, some of the pinstriping on the taillights had peeled off, but this was not a big deal. However, one of the Honda emblems that was on the right side rear wheel was now missing, which I was unhappy about. I had proof that the badge was still on the day I had the car towed to the shop, so he said he would arrange for a replacement promptly. After that, I went out for a test drive.

I was completely overjoyed to have my car back up and running again. It shifted just how I remember it, probably a little better and snappier, although it revved a little higher before shifting than I remember, but I am sure that will adjust itself once the TCU learns the shift patterns after some more driving. @PainlessDeath09 also mentioned that he had driven rebuilt transmission cars before and there was always something off about them, but this rebuild thoroughly surprised him with how well it was done. A problem I noticed was when getting above 60 kmph, the front end of the car wobbles a lot. This was because, during the lowering of the subframe, the lower control arm rear bushings were completely mangled. SEHMBI was not willing to reimburse the costs for this, as it was my word against theirs on when it was damaged. I did not want to drag this out too much, so I simply approved just the bushing replacement, which he offered to install without labor charges, which was appreciated.

Apart from that, I went to play some music and I noticed that all speakers except the passenger door card speakers were no longer working. The head unit had power and seemed to be working fine. The balance was also set in the correct position. This stressed me out. I mentioned it to Yash and he said he would have an electrician look it over. This was not an issue before I had given the car, and I have video proof of all the speakers working just a couple of days before sending it out to SEHMBI. I am hoping it is something simple, or even if it is not, that SEHMBI will own up to this and have it fixed at their expense because it is very obviously due to the work carried out by them. Speakers do not just spontaneously fail, especially with no use over extended periods of time.

Overall, I am satisfied with the mechanical repair of my car. Now all that is left is to button up the few issues left over. I am really hoping the speaker issue is resolved simply. If anyone is experienced in this domain, please feel free to provide some suggestions as to what could go wrong that could be directly related to the rebuild job itself. Perhaps battery disconnections and ground points, I am not too sure.

I am thoroughly impressed with Yash and SEHMBI's rebuild skills. I saw numerous really cool cars in the workshop, like a Lexus LS400 with a V8 and a Mercedes CLK. I am hoping they are able to button things up and smooth everything over with my car, and have it back to its former glory soon. The estimated wait time on the bushings is around a week. Hopefully, in the meantime, they can resolve everything else. I will attach some pictures below.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the final updates once the car is back home.

Peace.