My car is a 1997 EL fairmont ghia 6cyl with 190,000kms on it

Ok so a couple of weeks ago i finally got around to getting my car into a garage to get a couple of things done.

The issues i had were:
The gearbox was very clunky and gave very severe upshifts
Car pulled left at highway speeds
Vibrations through the car at 90kmh and between 100-110kmh (to the point is makes the shagged old sub in the parcel shelf vibrate and rattle)
Brake shudder at highway speed

I got my mechanic to do:
a full trans flush and put new fluid in
Wheel alignment
Wheel balance
machine rotors
oil and filter change and tune up

I got the car back and the trans was less clunky but still a dog and still severe up shifts. My mechanic said the fluid he got out of it was in really bad shape and possibly hadnt been changed in 5 plus years... He said that the crappy feel of the box may be down to dodgy solenoids on the box as well but i didnt have the time or money to get it scanned and fixed to check this theory. What sort of damage could have occurred to the box with such a long time between services? Any other theories?

The car still pulls left on highway and i now get intermittent wheel wobble. He said this is to do with tyre wear and it would even out. It does appear to be. Can someone clarrify this as i dont quite understand how long this will take. The car also makes what i would call grinding noises when taking corners at 80kmh+ which vary in intensity depending on speed and corner.

The vibrations though the car are still present and dont appear to have changed at all. Many have suggest uni joints or diff bushes. Would i be on the money having these fixed if the wheel balance didnt work?

I was of the opinion i could get away with all these groans coming from the car as its not exactly new anymore (though it does only have 190,000kms) but they are getting the better of me and starting to drive me mental, not to mention they could be signs of something expensive dying. I am taking this car from brisbane to hobart at the end of the year and i need some peace of mind. Any suggestions or theories you can give me i would appreciate and sorry for the massive post.

Thanks,

Louie

one theing you could do with the tyres if they aren't directional is to swap sides on the steer and see if that clears it up. The rear suspension can also cause this and the other problems.
Hope this hepls

ahh yes forgot to mention that the front tyres were swapped around as well. When i got the car checked before i bought it i was told the suspension is in good condition.

is it grinding in the front or in the back?
my car had all sorts of steering probs at 190.000 all fixable.
i have heard e series grind when any of the rear bushes/links are stuffed also stuffed tailshaft or uni joints.
wheel wobble or pull can be caused by steering parts,any of the mounts ,shafts,ball joints,bearings or front or kframe bushes
cheers mystro

humming/grinding noise is definitely coming from the front. I am trying to pin point whether i need a mechanic to have a good look over the steering. When yours was having steering probs, what did you have to replace/fix?

OK.....humming noise.....wheel bearings- get louder when doing slalemn.
Next is tyre noise.....gets louder when you brake reasonably hard.
Try that.

well in that case i would say it is bearings. Any idea how much it is to get this fixed?