News

In an interview with Aftermarket magazine, Ivor Searle's Commercial Director, David Eszenyi, gives an insight into the growing market for remanufactured transmissions and the painstaking process that all Ivor Searle reman gearboxes undergo.

How's the market for remanufactured transmissions?

Demand is steadily growing for our remanufactured gearboxes because they are far more cost effective in relation to purchasing a brand new OEM unit.  Ivor Searle's top five fast-moving applications for reman manual gearboxes include the Vauxhall F Type, Volkswagen Group’s six-speed unit, Ford’s six-speed for the Transit, Peugeot/Citroën’s five-speed gearbox and BMW/MINI’s five-speed transmission.
 
Are manual transmissions in decline?

Although there’s been some speculation about the manual gearbox coming to an end due to the introduction of sophisticated automatic and semi-automatic transmissions, around three quarters of new cars are manual.  In our opinion, manual gearboxes will make up a significant portion of the vehicle parc for the foreseeable future, which of course means that problematic transmissions will still need to be replaced.
 
What does transmission remanufacturing involve?

The remanufacturing process starts with the careful disassembly of the donor gearbox, which is stripped back to its component parts. These are then subjected to an intensive multi-step cleaning process and detailed inspection against OEM specifications before the skilled procedure of reassembly gets underway.  Any part failing inspection is discarded and replaced with an OEM item.  Ivor Searle remanufactured gearboxes are also fitted with all-new bearings and all seals and gaskets are replaced as a matter of course.
 
In addition, all gears are checked for wear to the tooth profiles to ensure the transmission does not produce excessive noise.  Synchromesh hubs and baulk rings are also inspected and renewed, where necessary, to ensure quiet gear selection. Selector forks are checked for wear and alignment to ensure the gearshift is smooth. The gearbox is then repainted in the final stage of the remanufacturing process, prior to being carefully packaged, ready for delivery. All gearboxes are covered by a transferable two-year unlimited mileage parts and labour warranty and are supplied with pre-installation guidelines, as well as model-specific instructions if required.
 
What does the Ivor Searle reman transmission range cover?

Ivor Searle's remanufactured gearbox programme covers virtually all five and six speed manual transmissions for front, rear and four-wheel drive cars and light vans. In addition to offering a wide ‘off the shelf’ range of exchange gearboxes for next day delivery, we also provide a Customer’s Own Unit (COU) programme for less common and recently introduced gearboxes. We hold comprehensive stocks to ensure first class customer service and offer free next day delivery throughout the UK mainland on stock items, if ordered before 3.30pm.
 

Filed under: Ivor Searle gearbox, reman gearbox, reman gearboxes, remanufactured gearbox