Two records, two purposes
Two kinds of record are retained for each finished unit, and they serve different purposes. Test data records what was observed when the finished unit was tested under full load on a dyno bench: the test items covered include main line oil pressure, clutch engagement, torque output, shift smoothness, working temperature, hydraulic condition, abnormal noise, and sealing. The quality inspection record is the broader inspection record for the unit, covering the checks that the process applies to the finished unit, including the final inspection against model code, appearance, and sealing. Together, the two records show that a particular unit, not merely a type or a batch, was tested and inspected. A buyer should ask for both, and should keep them distinct from certificate documentation, which states a conformity or assessment position rather than an observation for a particular unit.
Matching a record to a unit
A record is only useful if it can be matched to the unit it describes. Matching requires an identification method: a way of linking a unit to its record that survives packing, shipping, and storage. A buyer ordering in quantity should confirm the identification method in writing, and should confirm how records are grouped and supplied: whether they travel with the shipment, how they are grouped by model, and how each record is matched to its unit. A buyer receiving a shipment should check the matching on delivery: model codes and quantities against the order, appearance and sealing against the description, and records against the units by their identification. Keep the packing until the check is complete, because the packing is part of the evidence of how the unit travelled, and a record matched to the wrong unit is worse than no record at all, since it invites false confidence.
What a record does not show
A record shows what was observed at the time of testing and inspection. It does not show what will happen to the unit afterwards, it does not guarantee that a unit will never develop a fault, and it does not replace the delivery check or the warranty terms. A buyer who treats a test record as a guarantee will be disappointed by the first fault, however well the unit was tested. The proper use of a record is narrower and more valuable: it proves that the finished unit passed its full-load test and final inspection before dispatch, it provides the baseline against which a later fault is judged, and it supports a warranty claim by showing the unit's history. A buyer should confirm what records will be supplied, should keep them with the order paperwork, and should use them in that way.
Records across a batch
For a single unit, the record question is simple: is there a record for this unit. For a batch, the question has three parts: is there a record for every unit, are the records grouped so that a question about one model does not require searching the whole batch, and can each record be matched to its unit without ambiguity. The documented process states that every finished unit is dyno tested, with no sampling, and that test data and a quality inspection record are retained for each unit, which supports a positive answer to the first part. The second and third parts depend on the supply arrangement for the order, and a buyer should confirm them in writing: how records are grouped, how they are supplied, and how matching is achieved. Please confirm the record arrangement for your order in writing before payment.
Confirm before you order
- Please confirm what test data and quality inspection records will accompany each unit, in writing.
- Please confirm the identification method and how each record is matched to its unit.
- Please confirm how records are grouped and supplied for a batch order.
- Please confirm the transmission model code, the quantity, and the destination in writing.
- Please confirm the minimum order quantity, the lead time, the warranty terms, and the packing before payment.
Questions buyers ask
Can I receive the record before delivery?
That depends on the supply arrangement. Please confirm in writing when records will be supplied and in what form, so that the delivery check can be planned.
What should I do with the records after delivery?
Keep them with the order paperwork, matched to their units, for the life of the warranty period and beyond it where the buyer keeps long-term records. They are the reference if a question arises after fitting.
Is a batch record enough?
A batch record describes a batch, not a unit. Where the documented process retains a record for each unit, a buyer should ask for the unit records, not only a batch summary, and should confirm that arrangement in writing.
Related pages
Transmission dyno testing explains the test behind the record. Certified rebuilt transmissions distinguishes records from certificates. Wholesale remanufactured transmissions covers records at quantity.