--- title: Transmission Repair for Gerlach and Empire Drivers | A-1 url: https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/gerlach/ business: A-1 Transmission (A-1 Transmission Inc) address: 670 East Grove Street, Reno, NV 89502 phone: (775) 829-1333 hours: Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, closed Saturday and Sunday type: Transmission shop and auto repair shop in Reno, Nevada, since 1968; walk-ins welcome during business hours, appointments suggested --- - [Home](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/) - [Areas we serve](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/) - [Washoe County towns we serve](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/washoe-county/) - Transmission repair for Gerlach and Empire drivers # Transmission repair for Gerlach and Empire drivers A-1 Transmission is about 108 miles and 130 minutes from Gerlach without traffic, south on State Route 447 past Pyramid Lake and then west on I-80. On a run this long, call the shop before you leave, and plan a tow instead of a drive if the transmission slips, overheats or will not stay in gear. [Call (775) 829-1333](tel:+17758291333) [Get directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=A-1+Transmission+Inc,+670+East+Grove+Street,+Reno,+NV+89502&destination_place_id=ChIJZfhkfH4_mYARqc7eV_uhOws)[What is it doing?](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/symptoms/#checker) 1968 In business since [4.6 ★ 112 Google reviews](https://maps.google.com/maps?cid=809418658926218921) ATRA Member shop M-F 7:30 am to 5:30 pm Gerlach 108.0 mi · about 2 h 10 min · US 395, I-580, I-80, BIA 35, SR 447 A-1 Transmission, 670 E. Grove St. Free-flow driving estimate from OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), read October 18, 2026. Real trips vary with traffic, weather and chain controls. - about 58 people - 58 households U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (tables B08201, B25046, B08301), read October 18, 2026. Small places carry large margins of error. Also on this page: Empire Empire 101.5 mi · about 2 h 01 min · US 395, I-580, I-80, BIA 35, SR 447 A-1 Transmission, 670 E. Grove St. Free-flow driving estimate from OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), read October 18, 2026. Real trips vary with traffic, weather and chain controls. Leaving Gerlach, the only practical road is State Route 447 south and down the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation to Nixon and Wadsworth, where it meets I-80. From there it is west through Sparks, onto I-580 and US 395, and into south-central Reno. The desert section is the part that matters. ## The long way south on SR 447 For most of its length SR 447 is a two-lane highway through open desert with a few small settlements and no lanes to spare. The routing estimate for the whole trip is 108 miles and 130 minutes (OSRM free-flow), and that figure assumes no stops, no slow vehicles and good weather. Fuel, food and cell service are thin between Gerlach and Nixon. Fill the tank before you start, tell someone your route, and carry water. Those are ordinary desert-driving habits, and they matter more when the vehicle is already sick. ## Empire Empire sits a few miles south of Gerlach on the same highway, about 101.5 miles and 121 minutes from the shop by the same route (OSRM free-flow estimate). The Census 2024 count shows no residents there, so there are no household figures to quote. Everything on this page about the road, the distance and the advice applies equally to a driver starting from Empire. Because Empire is the first stop south, it saves only a few minutes; the decision about driving or towing does not change. ## Gerlach in the Census count The Census place for Gerlach shows about 58 residents (ACS 2024 5-year). With a population that small the margin of error is wide, so this page quotes the headcount and the drive only. ## Weather out on the playa side Gerlach sits at the edge of the Black Rock Desert, with open sky and wind. Summer afternoons are hot, and a long, flat run at highway speed keeps a transmission loaded for an hour or more. Winter brings freezing nights and the occasional closed road, and nvroads.com is the place to look before you go. Event traffic in late summer can also fill SR 447 with trailers and RVs. ## Tow or drive: the questions to answer first - Does it still go into Drive and Reverse every time? - Does it slip, flare or lose power on a hill? - Has a warning light or a burning smell shown up? - Is there fluid under it after it sits? If any answer is yes, call the shop at (775) 829-1333 before you set out. The shop is open Monday to Friday from 7:30 am, and the person who answers will help you decide. When the vehicle cannot hold gear, arrange a tow with your roadside plan or a towing company and call the shop first. See [getting a car that will not move to the shop](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/guides/getting-a-car-that-wont-move-to-the-shop/) and [limp mode](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/symptoms/limp-mode/). ### Sources - [OSRM routing (OpenStreetMap data), free-flow drive estimate, read October 18, 2026](https://project-osrm.org/) - [Nevada DOT road conditions (nvroads.com)](https://www.nvroads.com/) - [U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates](https://api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs5) Keep reading ## Related pages [Washoe County towns we serve The shop is in Washoe County, in Reno.](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/washoe-county/)[Transmission repair for Nixon drivers A-1 Transmission is about 48 miles and 59 minutes from Nixon without traffic.](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/nixon/)[Transmission repair for Wadsworth drivers A-1 Transmission is about 33.6 miles and 42 minutes from Wadsworth without traffic.](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/wadsworth/)[Transmission overheating Transmission overheating means the fluid has run hotter than the transmission was built to handle, most often from towing, long climbs.](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/symptoms/overheating/) ## Can I drive it to the shop from Gerlach? More than 70 minutes: 2 h 10 min from Gerlach Call first. If it is slipping, overheating or will not stay in gear, plan a tow rather than a long drive; the shop can tell you what to watch for. SR 447 is a two-lane road with long gaps between services and little cell coverage in places, so a transmission that is already in trouble should be towed rather than nursed for 100 miles. Drive times ## Check another town Free-flow driving to 670 East Grove Street from OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), read October 18, 2026. Real trips vary with traffic and weather. Areas ## Nearby towns - [Transmission repair for Nixon drivers](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/nixon/) - [Transmission repair for Verdi drivers](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/verdi/) - [Transmission repair for Sun Valley drivers](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/sun-valley/) - [Transmission repair for Washoe Valley drivers](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/washoe-valley/) - [Transmission repair in Reno](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/reno/) - [Transmission repair for Sparks drivers](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/sparks/) - [Transmission repair for Incline Village and Crystal Bay drivers](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/incline-village/) - [Transmission repair for Wadsworth drivers](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/wadsworth/) - [Transmission repair for Lockwood drivers](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/lockwood/) - [Washoe County towns we serve](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/washoe-county/) - [Areas we serve](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/areas/) Answers ## Gerlach questions Still have a question? Call [(775) 829-1333](tel:+17758291333) during shop hours. More answers are on the [questions page](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/faq/). ### How far is Gerlach from A-1 Transmission? About 108 miles and 130 minutes by SR 447, I-80, I-580 and US 395, according to a free-flow routing estimate. ### Is Empire closer than Gerlach? Slightly, by about six miles and nine minutes, since it is the first community south of Gerlach on SR 447. ### Can I drive a slipping transmission 100 miles to Reno? It is a long way to push a transmission that is already struggling. Call the shop, describe the symptom and ask whether to drive or tow. ## Not shifting right? 670 East Grove Street, Reno, NV 89502 Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 5:30 pm [What to tell us when you call](https://a1transmissionrenonv.com/call/) [(775) 829-1333](tel:+17758291333)