Kwik Kar Automotive

Update for an oil change I got a while ago — gotta knock down a star cause of how much they charge — wasn’t a problem last time with the state inspection since that’s set by law.

Great job today diagnosing and replacing an failing alternator. Spot-​on with your estimate on time and costs as well. That’s one reason we keep coming back (plus we love Donut Shop coffee in the Keurig machine!). On behalf of me and my son, thanks much to Randy and crew!

Fantastic customer service and made extra effort to bring my car in and get it fixed quickly when I told them we were leaving town soon. We have come here for years and they treat us well every time.

I needed an oil change so I called Firestone by our house in Leander to ask how long it would take. They said their garage was full and at least 5 people were in line who hadn’t been helped yet. I’ve gone there twice for oil changes before and each visit resulted in me waiting for an hour in their lobby. Not wanting to repeat that today (especially after hearing how busy they were), I called Kwik Kar instead and was glad I did. They informed me their current wait time was zero minutes. #Winning
Within 5 seconds of walking in, they were already pulling my car into the garage. They asked what kind of oil I use (um.cheap?) my name, and my address. That was it! The whole thing would have been done in 10 – 15 minutes except one of the guys had to personally drive across the street to get more oil. He was very apologetic but I didn’t mind at all. It only took an additional ten minutes and I was quite comfy in their plush waiting area chairs.
Checking in on Unilocal will get you $ 5 off a full service oil change, so my total today came to $ 33.72. I would have paid more at Firestone and still be there waiting right now. They even checked the air pressure in my tires for me.
Incredibly friendly staff too which always helps. I noticed the guy behind the counter made an effort to get everyone he checked out set up on the coupon list before they left. It’s nice to see a place that actually tries to save you money. However, I think I may need to learn how to change my own oil (Read as, make my husband do it). Parts were $ 20 and labor was nearly $ 12. Oh well, I don’t mind spending it here when they make it so convenient. Thanks guys!

I considered not writing this, but since I benefit from the reviews of other Unilocalers, I wanted to return the favor. When this place opened a few years ago, it was our preferred place for oil changes and minor maintenance. Recent trips there have not been so good. The last trip (and last straw) was when my son took his truck in for some maintenance. It needed a few things taken care of, and the quoted price was high but not so outrageous that we would take it elsewhere. This was on a Friday and they said they could have it done in a day. By the time my son called and told them to order the parts, it was just after the parts order deadline for the day, so it would not be able to be worked on until Monday. Fine. Not ideal, but fine. Monday comes and we call to inquire — and they say it will be Tuesday. Still fine. No word from them on Tuesday so I drop by on my way home to ask what the problem is. They contend that they never promised it on Monday or Tuesday, but said it would be done on Wednesday. Whether there was miscommunication between them and my son prior to that, I don’t know — so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Since they told me face to face it would be ready on Wednesday, my expectation was it would be ready Wednesday. You guessed it — nothing on Wednesday. My son called and they said Thursday. Then called again on Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday. I purposely stayed out of it — but was fuming by now. Ultimately he got a call that said «realistically, Monday.» Finally — the truck was ready so I picked it up. Driving home the fan belt slipped off. Luckily I was close to home and made it. After opening the hood, I noted that two of the nuts holding the fan on were backing out, causing the fan to wobble and causing the belt to slip off. Really? Nuts backing out after a drive of less than 5 miles? Totally unacceptable. I had already concluded that we wouldn’t be going back there for anything based on the missed promises and lack of communication and lack of ability to schedule. I certainly would not go back after having the issue with the nuts. It’s disappointing since this place seemed to be so good when it opened, and now it is anything but. Thanks to other Unilocalers, we found another place to get oil changes done on our six cars. We also found a competent and reasonable mobile mechanic to take care of maintenance.

UPDATE:
I received a phone call from Randy regarding this issue. He said he read my review and would like to resolve the problem. He was polite and very apologetic about how this was handled.
He asked if I would bring my car back in they would offer me a loaner and they were going to replace my oil pan to make sure this problem was fixed correctly. I was very hesitant but he assured me he was going to do the work himself and it would be done right.
I agreed and allowed them to fix it.
I appreciate that he took the time to call me and wants to resolve this issue.
Thank you Randy for stepping up doing the work.
If you asked me this a week ago I would have given it 5 stars.
I took my car in for an oil change today. After about 40 minutes the job should have been completed I was asked to come into service bay and told my oil plug was stripped and it will cost over 750.00 to repair. I was told it had to be done. Well, the oil plug was stripped when it was put back in, not when it was taken out or I would have been told then and there, not after the oil change was done.
My BIL is a mechanic and I called him. He said it was BS and they are responsible for stripping it. KK has been doing the oil changes on my car for the last 3+ years. So, explain to me how this happened. He said its due to wear and tear.
I told him this isn’t correct and he then told me that whoever changed the oil before used a butterfly plug to try and fix it, I said, so your telling me now one of your guys screwed this up on my last oil change and didn’t tell me?
He had so many different excuses I could keep them straight. He then told me he’d call his boss and see what they’d do. Without speaking to me or asking if this is ok, he went ahead and rethreaded the hole and put a plug back in, but I just don’t feel like they fixed it at all. I’m worried since they didn’t take my oil pan off there may be metal shavings in my pan or they didn’t do anything at all and jimmy rigged it so my oil will just leak out and blow my engine before I’m aware of it.
I’m planning on calling them tomorrow morning to talk to the owner. I don’t feel like my car was fixed correctly and I also feel like he was doing and saying anything to get me out of there.
I’ve always loved this place because I felt like they were honest about repairs for my car.
This time I felt like they saw me as a dumb woman and tried to take advantage of me.
I specifically said I want this in writing of what they said to me and what was fixed on my car, he kept telling me it’s all in thier notes. I said I want a copy of it and your guarantee if anything happens due to this repair that it’s covered by them and he said yes, but thats not whats on the paper work he handed me. He just kept saying its all in their system. I feel like I was just taken advantage of.
I’m also scared that my car isn’t safe. I’m a single mom with two small children and to worry my car isn’t safe is a pretty crappy feeling.
I hope KK will resolve this issue and keep a loyal customer.
I will modify this review if and when KK responds to me and or fixes my issues with the repair that was done.

I frequent many different places all over the states, as I am traveling the majority of the time for my job. When I travel with my family sometimes we have to stop in places that we aren’t familiar with. Having been to many different automotive repair facilities, dealerships there is always a price difference, service experience difference etc. I have always been told «You get what you pay for». The guys at Kwik Kar do excellent quality work and at a competitive price. They always have done great since I’ve been bringing multiple cars to them for years. You can’t always please everyone, but they sure do go above beyond the call of duty. The lobby and shop are always clean! Usually a sign of good workmanship! Keep it up guys!

This place is shameful. They prey on women and scam them. It’s complete fraud, typical mechanic you can’t trust any further than you can throw them. They ripped my wife off once and tried it again this past week.
They failed to pass her inspection stating that her brakes were metal on metal and she was ruining the rotors and they needed to fix this immediately. The brake pads all have between 40−60% on them. The manager was unapologetic and simply made further allegations of things that are wrong when we took it back today. Griffin the manager couldn’t even muster the word sorry. They put their fraudulent claims in writing on the previous receipt and paperwork, maybe it’s smarter he kept his mouth shut. This is far from the end of this, Kwik Kar.

TLDR: tried to price gouge me so i walked out.
Full review:
I came here on a Sunday and they quoted me:
On a 2004 honda pilot
$ 421 to just change brake pads
$ 900 to change pads and rotors
Retail price for pads are $ 100
Retail price for rotors are $ 160
These guys get parts at a discount, mark it up like crazy and then decided to charge me an insane amount of labor.
The guy was pushing really hard to get me to do rotors and pads for $ 900 which to him were completely shot and couldn’t be resurfaced
When i said it wasnt happening he tried to negotiate the price.
Well thats funny because my brakes just started to grind indicating the pads were getting low. He tried to use a shark sales tactic on me which i wasnt having.
You’ll give me a loaner car while you’re going to do my brakes in less than hour but charge me a bunch of labor hours for? Yea no thanks.
It is dangerous driving down the street to the brake shop by 183? I have kids and shouldnt put them in danger? Yea at your prices ill take the chance.
You’ll beat any of your competitors prices? Should have done that the first time.
Bottom line: i know the going rates for car work
the prices they quoted me are worse than a dealerships which is why i walked out.
Front and rear pads should cost $ 250-​$ 300.
Pads and Rotors should be $ 500 – 600.
I ended up driving off. I was fuming so i didnt go to the other shop. Instead I bought pads and rotors for $ 110 online and parked the car at home. Even if i bought them at retail it would only cost me $ 260+tax for parts.
I will have them installed by a mobile mechanic in my neighborhood for $ 100 which will give me a total cost of $ 210.
$ 700 less than what they quoted me for pads and rotors and its not like i was being cheap.
I was ready to pay up to $ 600. Maybe even a little more.
We’ll see what the verdict is on my rotors. Im going to take them to oreilleys and see if they are «shot» like he said they were.
In any case, i’m never coming here again.

Been going here for years. Looking for a new place. Not enough help. Counter is not manned, Phone can be busy for long periods of time. No call when the car is ready. Seems to have turned over Managers several times. Some good but they do not last so there is no one to trust and speak with. Going back to doing my own oil changes.

Long story short. They tore my steering wheel, tampered with my dashcam and denied it all.
Here are the details: I went in for my regular oil change and discovered my steering wheel was torn as I pulled out of the parking lot. I turned back around and asked them about it. They denied it and said it would not have been possible for them to do so as they were not holding anything sharp. Hello? It could have been my keys, their watch, their fingernail, etc. Accidents happen. Just admit to it and move on. When we asked to speak to his manager, he said «Jim (the owner) does not take calls after 5pm» even though they closed at 6pm that Wednesday 8÷5÷15.
When I arrived home, I reviewed the dashcam in my car. The video shows me driving up to Kwik Kar, then the video completely cuts out right before I turn into the parking lot. My dashcam is new and has never malfunctioned. This means someone deliberately went through my dashcam and deleted that footage in order to get rid of the evidence.
When Cory finally agreed to replace my steering wheel, he ordered a very old, used and torn up steering wheel that looks like it came from a dumpster. It looked 100x worse than mine. He could have at the least requested one that is in better or similar condition as my current one.
To sum up the Kwik Kar Cedar Park location — horrible customer service, incompetent employees (Cory and Griffin), continuously fails to returns calls and cannot be trusted.
This situation has been escalated to Jim. I will retract or revise this Unilocal review if the situation changes.

Wow I can’t say anything better about this service. After having an alignment done I was a little shocked with the price… My mechanic discounted the price to something that was mutually agreeable upon they did excellent work on an oil change and alignment on my car. I was really happy with the work and speed. To bad they have horrible construction work in the front of the business. I will be sending all future business of friends and family to this place of business.
Sincerely
Red ctsv.

Please please do not go there. I got my oil changed there yesterday. They said they topped off my fluids, including my coolant. Today my car was overheating every time i stopped at a light. That has never happened before. I brought my car back over there. They said i had no coolant in the vehicle, and had a leak in the temperature gauge housing. Not a problem I had less that 24 hours earlier. And they topped off the fluids, it was holding coolant then. The manager came out, didn’t bother to take off his mirrored sunglasses, and played dumb. Said I must have already had a leak if they topped off my fluids. The fact that it has none today, but was holding fluids yesterday, and only needed to be topped off was unimportant. Nothing they could do. Not sure what they did, but now I have to go get it serviced my real mechanics, and I will put an update on here.
Please Please do yourself a favor and find somewhere else to get your oil changed. If they screw something up they will not try to fix it, and will not even think about making it right. You can do better.

TLDR: high five, thumbs up, gold star! Quick, caring, transparent about costs, great facility, great team, great manager!
We got 20 minutes into a road trip when my boyfriend noticed that his truck’s engine was getting hot. He had just had it checked over at Firestone the day before! We went to Firestone, now behind schedule for our vacation, and they didn’t offer to refund his money and said it would be several hours before they could even address it! The other Firestone was also slammed, and we would have been a whole day behind schedule. They didn’t seem to understand that our vacation was on the line.
Frustrated, we went to Kwik Kar across the street. The assistant manager, Randy, sympathized with our need for speed and immediately began work. Diagnostics were $ 20 and took 10 minutes. The water pump, coolant hoses, and thermostat needed to be replaced. He got on the phone and located parts, got us a very thorough estimate quickly, added a manager’s discount without us even asking, comped the diagnostics since we OK’d the work, and even combined labor charges to bring the price down even more. He assigned two technicians to work on it to further reduce the amount of time and had us out on the road before Firestone would have even had a chance to look at it.
Bonus: the customer waiting area is spacious and furnished with plush chairs, Keurig coffee, nice décor, lots of interesting magazines, kids’ corner, and clean, warm bathroom.
Randy is an incredibly caring guy whose first priority is the customer. Can’t say enough good things about this place!

Friendly staff. The quickest place I’ve ever been to get my state inspection. The waiting room was clean and comfortable. I look forward to when all the road construction around their business is complete so it will be easier to enter and exit. But driving through some construction was worth the good service that I got at this place.

I have taken my car here a couple of times for inspections and minor maintenance. I have never had a problem. The prices are quite reasonable. The place is spotlessly clean, and the staff is terrific. I have not noticed a neck-​tatted ex-​con among them. They also send out useful coupons in the mail. The waiting area is quite comfortable, with leather seats. If you have to spend some time waiting on your car, at least you can do it in style!

Fooled me once… shame on you!
A full service oil change took 1 hr and 20 minutes. For some reason, two customers, a Suburban and a Toyota checking in after us, were serviced first. Very pushy on the upsale of items we supposedly needed. They didn’t explain why, they simply expected a «yes» to the additional $ 189 sales pitch. No thanks.
We asked for synthetic Mobil 1 oil which they said was $ 69.99. They didn’t tell us about the $ 14.99 upcharge for our choice of oil. To add insult to injury, the didn’t apply our coupon to our bill either. I prefer to know the costs up front especially if they change!

Got a State inspection here, and while it’s a bear to get to with all the construction going on, (I did some fun off-​roading through a construction site and still couldn’t get in that way) I give them credit for being open on a Sunday afternoon when almost no other automotive place in the area was open. They said an hour wait, but I think it only took 30 or 40 minutes (not sure, was reading Game of Thrones #5 and didn’t care).
Would recommend it if you are in the area.

I love the staff at this establishment. The waiting room is always clean, they have very comfortable chairs and they have wifi.
They have competitive prices and often have coupons for oil changes and repairs. I feel they are honest in the work they preform and about what maintenance is needed.
I currently bring 3 of my cars to this location for oil changes as well as other maintenance.
I’ve been working with the assistant manager Randy and he’s been great.
Keep up the good work Kwik Kar 1431!

Just stopped in last week for a state inspection on my Landcruiser, after not being able to get in at 3 other locations closer to my house. The inspection was done quickly, and I left satisfied, knowing I had checked that box for another year.
3 days later, I noticed my credit card was missing… After turning the house and vehicles upside down, I decided to check my past history, and found that the last place I used the card was KK. I was relieved that it had not been used by someone who had found it, but that didn’t solve the issue with where it was. I called KK, to see if they had it, and found that my card was one of two that were left there that day! I drove over, and after identifying myself, got my card back, learning that it had been in a lock box since the day I left it there. Whew! The reason they could not contact me earlier in the week was that I had not given them my phone number or email address when checking in.
Great service, and honest folks; I’ll be going back!