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Nate Pellettieri, Assistant Production Coordinator
$2,891.34....that's how much a new transmission costs these days.

Hello all, Jeff the PA here. The most important part of being a Production Assistant on South Park is having a reliable, well running car. You need one of these motor carriages to perform important trips (we at the Park call them "runs") that keep the office and, sometimes the show, running nice and smooth. Early last week, my trusty steed had a serious mechanical problem. A blown transmission!!! Now in the old days, if it were a horse, I would just take out my six-shooter and put the poor animal out of its misery. Alas, it is not a horse and I was subjected to the ultimate bummer...AAMCO.

When the car gave out, I really didn't know what to do. A PA's car is crucial. I didn't have time to shop around and find a credible, independent, transmission specialist. So, I did the first thing that I could think of. I went to the place that I hear the commercials for everyday on talk radio, AA beep beep MCO. Now, I don't know the first thing about cars, but like to pretend I do. Saying things like "I reckon it's a blown manifold" and That's problee a bent carburetor shaft", but that's just to look big in front of the other PA's and my wife. So when these guys start telling me that the engine is burning parts that are escaping into the transmission fluid, and the metal mount is showing signs of heat stress, blah blah blah, I just say "fix it". Then comes the price...My God the price! They quote me at $2,356, and that's only an estimate! I will also be without my car for about a week. Needless to say I was beside myself. Not only am I spending my hard earned money, but I will also be useless as a PA without my ride. I have another car, but my wife needs it to go to school so she can graduate, get a high paying job, and I can fulfill my life long dream to be a robe wearing man of leisure. What am I to do? My wife ultimately had to miss school so I could take our other gas-guzzling car to work. This is where my PA brothers came to the rescue.

They suggested that I work the front desk until I find a more mileage friendly car, and if I couldn't, they would take the longer runs so I wouldn't spend a ton of gas money that I had already given AAMCO (after all is said and done $2,891.34) Which brings me to the point of this slightly boring story. The boys always have my back. Always. Its great to work at a place where you actually give a crap about the people you work with. If one of us falters or falls, one of us is always there to pick up the flag and run with it to exotic places like Ralph's at 4 am, or a Taco Bell run at 9. We all need that kind of support. And I hope all of you out there will give your support to the boys in South Park who are facing a very dark time as there imagination is running wild. For if it is a blown transmission, or things behind the wall in Imaginationland, we must always remember the immortal words of Winston Churchill "We will never give up, we will never surrender". F You AAMCO.

Oh boy! My favorite subject
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Jesus Christ! For that much money, you could have gotten it fixed at a dealership! Mkay, what'cha need to do is go over to http://www.cartalk.com, and check out the Mechan-X files (or something like that) basically, it's a database that you feed your zip code into, and it'll give you listings of mechanics in your area. It's posted by listeners of the show, and they usually have a little write up of how good or bad the place was.

I've never liked AAMCO, back to when they messed up my dad's car. It was like 20 years ago, and something happened to the manual transmission on my dad's '81 Citation. (It'd only go into second and fourth gear) He spent close to a grand on it, and we had to take it back to them twice because they didn't put it back together right.
Personally, I've had my own horror story with my little Bug. I've dropped close to two grand into it in the past month, which is especially a bitch to someone as heavily unemployed as myself. (thank god for my Dad) First, it was regular maintainence, (spark plugs, oil, fuel filter, change the brake fluid, etc. - $500). Then the little flap that changes the vent temperature broke, and I was getting furnace-hot air inside the car on a 90+ degree day. (New heat/AC control housing - $950) Then last night my check engine light came on. (New thermostat and somesuch-sensor - $400)
Oy. I tell you though, even with all the problems I've had with that little Volkswagen, I'd totally do it all over again. It's the greatest car I've ever had.

Transmission rebuild… that is almost impossible to say, or write, without loosing your breakfast. It is something that no one wants to go through, something to avoid if at all possible, and an experience you will always remember; you will remember lessons of this event and pass them along to your progeny.

I will keep this short. Yes, I have had the trany rebuild experience and the lesson I have learned is: it is like back surgery. You hear of people who have had back surgery but I defy you to find someone who has been helped by it. Helped as in: my back feels better; the pain is now gone! – I have never met anyone who has had that experience.

Your car will never be the same again. The rebuilt transmission will always have issues and you will wish you had put that money into getting a different car. (Replace ‘car’ and ‘transmission’ with ‘back’ to complete the back surgery analogy).

I pray to the Car Gods that you will have a different experience than I have had.

"Their," dammit! "Their" is possesive!

This is clearly why SPS PAs need their own helicopters.
Please contact this completely untrained person with unsafe helicopter alternatives for further info -
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20071021/t ... 81b96.html
'Brilliantly' (?!?) they are made out of crappy cars.

I'd love to chime in with a 'wait til you hear my transmission/mechanic nightmare' story but unfortunately I live in a city where public transport & walking is considered possible and ok, just about possible & ok but possible & ok nonetheless. Your city is too big. hehehe-aha-ha. not...

I'm surprised The Park (i.e. Trey and Matt) doesn't fork over some cash to provide a runner vehicle or two for PA use during work hours.

Ahh ask for a new car - transmission problems are only the start

Southpark Myspace Comments

Well, I don't know about all that. My dad's old Lumina had the transmission changed twice. Once at 24,000 miles (they had to void the damn warranty. wtf?), and again at 40,000. and that third one lasted over ten years and 120,000 miles.
I've put 143,000 miles on my car with no transmission problems so far, but it's a manual.

Just want to say that if they show the evil rulers of Imagination Land, that Jar-Jar Binks, the worst idea of all times, should be on the throne.....