Aamco Transmissions

These guys are EXCEPTIONAL! I have had excellent experiences. The most intensive was when I first moved to VA from MA and I didn’t know a soul down here. My old 03 Saturn L300 needed 2 valves in the transmission replaced. I had one mechanic tell me it was a lost cause but the guys at this AAMCO on Picket Rd diagnosed the problem and then even put the money I paid for that towards the total repair. I could not have afforded a new car at the time so this shop saved me. Now I have since moved on up and am doing well. These guys are dependable so even for a basic oil change I drive my 2014 Dodge Ram over 15 miles past dozens of shops that could help me, to get to the guys I know I can count on!

UPDATE 2, Now the owner has seen my review and has been calling me and threatening legal action if i don’t remove this review, he has also said he was going to go to my job and speak to them about this. Please dont even think about using this shop, or his shop in Chantilly… The Police have already been notified and hopefully this guy just goes away…
UPDATE, This review was posted months ago, but after speaking to the owner we made a deal that i would remove it, if he would give my money back. In good faith i did, and removed all negative reviews to end my business dealing with this guy. He has since gone back on his word, I had the work done at another shop, and now ive spent almost 8000 on my transmission. I would happily spend another 4000, for my safety… He can have the money, But its a sad day when people like the owner, are allowed to continue to do business. Terrible useless mechanic,… Lie after lie. he is a con man and worse than that he has 0 integrity. very sad. please dont go to this shop. Hopefully he will be out of business very very soon.
Forget any reviews on this shop, its a new owner as of Nov 2015… PLEASE READ!!!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Do not go here. This has been the worst experience i have ever had in my life. The promise the best warranty in America. The warranty is a joke. The warranty does not belong to AAMCO it belongs to the AAMCO that you originally bought it from. Corporate cannot do anything to help you and has 0 pull. Took my truck for a new transmission. He promised me that he would have it back in 3 days. During that time. he told me he broke a bolt on my manifold. it would be another few days. then he told me he broke my o2 sensor. and it would be another few days. Then he told me the NAPA guy didnt bring him the trans fluid he needed that it would be another day. (NAPA is directly across the street. less than 400 yards.) Then i get there to pick it up on the 11^th day. at 1130. he says its ready. i get there and its not done. turns out he forgot to change the gasket in the manifold. my ride had left so i had no choice but to wait. during this time, i notice he forgot to put my heat shield back on the car. the one protecting the fuel lines. it was tossed in a corner. i asked him to put it back. finally after 15 min of debating he looked and turns out i was right it was my shield. Then i get the car back at 6pm. after waiting at the shop for more than 6 hours!!!. FINALLY. next day turning onto 66. my transmission blew again!!! he told me to bring it in. i take it in right away he says it will be done in 24 hours. Then i find out when they were looking at it they frogot to place my engine cover back on properly. thats an expensive part on my car. so he fixed that. Then the next day says its going to be another 3 days before its done. so i go back FINALLY got my car back. less than 100 miles later My transmission blew AGAIN! 6 hours on the phone with corporate and several threats later from the owner of the shop i still have no car. Turns out there is a chance he also lied about the work he did. he told me i had my transmission re built. when i asked him if it was or it wasnt he refused to answer me. so i have no idea what crap he used. so here i sit. 4,000 in the hole. still need to pay for towing again, another rental, and this guy has all my money. This is a review on the new owner of Fairfax… he has only been the owner since about November. any good reviews prior to that was the old owner, … This guy is hack. and will rob and steal from you!!! STAY AWAY!!! at any cost… and this is only the short story, its far far worse…

AAMCO RUINED MY CAR AND COST ME THOUSANDS. My ongoing issues with this company started about a year ago when I bought a Groupon for a standard oil change. Thinking I was just keeping up with my car maintenance, I quickly learned that AAMCO’s technicians are just downright incompetent. How they are still in business baffles me. They first attempted my simple oil change last fall, but couldn’t complete it because they had broken my drain plug. Instead of trying to resolve the issue, they lied to me saying it was another company’s fault and there was nothing they could do. A quick trip to my previous mechanic proved that they had lied and single handedly broken my drain plug due to negligence. However, I regretfully thought I would give them another shot for my next oil change, since I had already paid for the Groupon. This time, AAMCO COMPLETELY DESTROYED MY CAR. As soon as I got in after the «oil change», all my engine lights came on, and my engine seized. I was left on the side of the road to be towed back to AAMCO 5 hours later. I had no previous problems with my car at all, and it was clear that AAMCO had once again proven their incompetence and did some major damage to my car instead of anything helpful. We argued with them for about 2 months before I finally got my car back. I was left car-​less for 2 months while they worked on getting me another engine. They REPEATEDLY promised me $ 20 a day compensation for my rental car until I could get mine back. When I FINALLY went to go pick up my car after 2 months of «repair» because of their stupid mistakes, they told me my compensation check would be in the mail in 2 days. It is now 3 months later and AAMCO still owes us $ 700. The man we dealt with everyday refused to give us any information about the owner… very sketchy. Finally, I went in personally to get the address of the owner so I could send them a letter form my lawyer demanding compensation. But, once again, the liars at AAMCO gave me a completely FAKE address for their so called owner… my letter was returned to me with an invalid address. As if things could get any worse… I took my car in to get looked at by REAL mechanics and was given the news that I would need a new car, or $ 7,600 to fix it. THANKS FOR RUINING MY CAR AND COSTING ME THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AAMCO!!! PLEASE NO ONE EVER TAKE YOUR CAR HERE– EVEN FOR A SIMPLE OIL CHANGE, UNLESS YOU WANT TO END UP HAVING TO BUY A NEW CAR!!! liars, cheats and downright stupid «mechanics».

The package we purchased included an oil change, visual brake inspection, check and adjust tire pressure, multi-​point inspection, and a tire rotation. Upon picking up our first vehicle day, we met service manager Mark. Mark essentially handed us a statement of service. Which I found very strange. I’ve never had an oil change and a service manager not explain the service performed. As a result of his lack of professionalism and rude customer service, I suspected dishonesty.
Therefore, prior to dropping off my second vehicle for the same service I marked the oil filter, as well as the four tire rims. TIRES WERE NEVE ROTATED AND INSPECTION WAS NEVER COMPLETED. Upon being confronted, ONL then did they state the rotation was not a service the location provided. After I showed then the purchased service, Then, they claimed the lift to change the tires was un-​operable.
THEY’RE DISHONET, LIARS, AND THIEVES!
Submit cmplaints to Fairfax County and AAMCO if you were also victimized by this fraudulent location.

I got here with a very short notice to get my engine light checked out. The front dest staff, Andrew was very helpful and understanding. The best customer service i could ask from any car service shops.

Lied about rotating my tires. I bought the Groupon specifically because tire rotation was included. I even double checked afterwards and they said that yes, they had been rotated. I knew I had a cracked tire that needed replacement, so when I got home, I checked to see which position it had been moved to. It was still in the same place. Very disappointing, now I have to pay someone else to do it. Now that I’m reading the other reviews, I realize I need to check my oil to see if they lied about that too.
Also, it took about a dozen phone calls before I got an actual human to book an appointment.

Groupon customers — BEWARE! This company does everything in its power to treat you like crap and make you «beg» for their business:
1) They won’t have any openings for your an appointment until many weeks later
2) Then, don’t be surprised if they turn around and cancel your appointment just 30 mins before it is scheduled.
3) Top it all off with the fact that they are only open M-​F 9 – 5 and it’s a wonder if you can ever get an appointment at all!

I took my van in to check the check engine light. I found the appointment setting process to be reasonable and friendly. They spent a lot of time with my van, gave me an itemized list of repairs and were no pressure on selling the repairs. I ultimately didn’t get it repaired because the expense outweighed the value of the van!
Only reason to not get 5 stars is that their waiting room is small and they have no van service so that could drop off your car easily. The location isn’t really near any place to go hang out at so you are pretty much stuck there or getting a ride from someone.
But I’d go there again.

Wow. I am saddened and shocked at how rude the young male who picked up the phone (customer care? general manager?) to take my appointment. One of the worst customer service calls I’ve experienced this year.
He not only shortly and rudely told me that:
— They’re completely «blocked» of schedules until several weeks later. «What do you want to do? Do you still want to make an appointment.?» Um no, I guess not? Why do you think I called in the first place?
— He rudely told me they «also» don’t operate outside of the M-​F and close at 5 then left me hanging, without any call to action.
— I told him about an oil change Groupon offer I wanted to use (but had expired) and he very icily told me they’d only redeem for what the paying amount and the rest (another $ 20) I’d have to pay for on my own.
There is probably no faster way to lose a conversion than a phone call like this. Highly unpleasant experience.
I’m just looking for an honest, friendly place I can rely on for basic car care needs — and instead I got eschewed away.
Note to the guy: If you deal with people (prospect customers/​first-​timers) on the phone, please be somewhat friendly or expect to lose revenue and poor review on the company you represent. Or just quit your job. I’d rather not redeem the $ 14 I lost for this Groupon, simply because of how unpleasant that phone call went.

The guys at Aamco in fairfax are awesome. I took my 2004 Jetta here with the intent to fix it up to sell it because I was so fed up with the maintenance. Not only did they fix my car, they took the time I talk to me about the problems with my car and they were really honest with me about what to expect and what to plan for. It really helped me put everything in perspective and make the decision to keep my car. I will definitely come here for any other maintenance I need and strongly recommend it!

Adam, you were amazing and went above and beyond in explaining my transmission! You deserve a promotion quickly, and you were *honest*. Everyone, see Adam and he will give you honesty (I never got the name of the other mechanic, but he was very honest too!). Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I’d give zero stars if i could: They told me I needed an entirely new transmission for my vehicle with 70K miles, at a cost of $ 3500. Sensing something was fishy, I did some research & took it to a another shop in Vienna with an outstanding reputation, and they fixed the problem for only $ 600. It was a sensor that needed to be replaced. No new transmission needed. Car runs & has run as good as new since. The shop that did the work told me that anybody who worked on transmissions would have to know that it was only the sensor from the diagnostic read out. These guys at AAMCO in Fairfax are incompetent at best, dishonest cheats at worst. Either way, you’re better off going elsewhere.

Should have written this months ago, but better late than never…
First used AAMCO when I went in for an oil change. At the time, my car had a lot of problems. The service manager, Jason, did a great job explaining the issues and educating me on everything needing to be done. I was on a limited budget and Jason not only helped me prioritize the items to fix, but he also went out of his way to find solutions that worked with my budget. In my subsequent dealings with Jason and his entire staff, I found them all to be very knowledgeable, honest, and genuine.
Fast forward many months and my 11yr-​old car experienced new problems. Instead of trying to make a lot of money off me by convincing me to make some very expensive repairs, Jason was upfront and told me it was time to get a new car. I really appreciated his honesty and suggestions on new cars to buy. I won’t be visiting the AAMCO anytime soon since my new car has a great warranty, but I’d recommend this AAMCO to anyone needing auto repairs.

I came across a deal for an oil change at AAMCO and decided to give them a try. Jason who worked at the front desk and answered the phone was very polite and honest. When I called for my appointment, I mentioned I wanted to also get my coolant flushed. He asked me if I was sure if it needed to be changed. It had been a few years and going by the manufactures recommendation, it was due. He said they will take a PH test and inspect it as well once I bring it in.
The day I brought it in, they changed the oil, rotated the tires, topped off the fluids, and did what seemed to be a thorough inspection of the car along with recommendations actions. I know, they are in a business to make money, so they were looking at things that can be fixed. Fortunately for me, they were all simple things that I already ordered parts for and was doing myself that week (new wipers, air filter, battery). When it came to the coolant flush, they found that my car had a Toyota coolant that once you use it, you should not change to a different type. This coolant is more expensive and is something they had to go and purchase from a supplier that day. Jason told me not to worry about it, it will take an extra hour or so to get the coolant, but he would charge me for the regular coolant. I told him I’m willing to pay the difference, but he didn’t want me to and said he would like to build the relationship and have me come back in the future.
I plan to take our cars back there in the future. I was very impressed with their service!

I am not discounting the other review at all. But I do want to put in a good word for my mechanic that just transitioned here. Dan is phenomenal and he always is honest and upfront with me. He’ll explain the problem in detail and even show you the problem. I’ve been taking my cars to him for the last 10 years without hesitation. My husband strayed once and we had to still take it to Dan because the other guy didn’t actually fix the issue. Give Dan a chance — he’s the best mechanic in town if you ask me!

Brought my car in for a transmission issue to have it checked out before I made my annual 400 mile drive back home to upstate New York for Christmas. I know something was wrong given the violent shifting from first to second gear. Dropped my car off on a Wednesday before closing the said they would let me know the next day what was wrong.
Next day comes, nobody calls… so before they close I call the shop and was told there were no issues with my car and there was a $ 49.50 diagnostic fee. So being the sucker that I am I paid the fee and went about my business.
Fast forward 4 days to my annual drive home. Roughly 150 miles into my drive home the exact same issues a occurring with my car. All in all I was able to make it home because highway driving doesn’t involve too much shifting with the transmission.
The very next day I drop my car off to a reputable transmission shop in my home town and right away the technician explains to me what the issue most likely is before he touched the car. Shift solenoid and it will require a valve body replacement kit.
After about an hour the technician contacted me and informed me that a dynastic code of 1811 is appearing. And what he had explained before would be required for repair $ 800.00 plus tax.
I returned back home after the holidays, and I’ve put close to 2000 miles on the car since the repair and all has been fine, so the work that was done is not in question. My problem is with Aamco. I contacted the corporate office and explained to them that I would like my 49.50 diagnostic fee reimbursed. Considering that if the technician had actually read any of the computer codes the 1811 would have appeared in the history. I would have been informed of the problem before my drive home. Simple, the technician didn’t do his job… but I was still billed for it.
Now after speaking with the corporate office they had informed me that they had «spoke» with the technician and that he performed a complete diagnostic and no codes were found. Two words…
BULL SH – T.
Thank you Aamco for sticking it to me with your lazy technician and sticking it to me when I ask for what I think is fair for you crummy service. You just lost another customer and anybody else I can tell my story too.
Dan

In summary:
They are dishonest and lie. They will tell you that they performed a service that they did not and charge you for it. I really recommend that you do not go here. I would’ve given them 0 stars if that was an option.
I came to them because I had a Groupon for an oil change. Since I was here anyway, I asked that they change my wheel bearings. They did not do either, but told me they did. They blatantly lied to me. I know that they did not change my oil because I checked my oil dip stick and the oil was still dirty and obviously not clean, despite the fact that they specifically said it was clean. And, I know they did not do anything to my wheel bearings because I’m still hearing the same noise even though they supposedly test drove my car for nose afterward.
In detail:
I dropped my car off at AAMCO on Monday night (10/​17/​2011) for a price quote to check my brakes, replace my wheel bearings and to change my oil. They did not get back to me with a price quote until Tuesday (10/​18/​2011) afternoon, at which time they called with the price of the wheel bearing change and recommended against the brake pad change. They told me that my car would be ready for pick up on Wednesday (10/​19/​2011). By the way, I know that this does not take an entire afternoon or more than a day to do. I had another wheel bearing changed recently and that took only 1 – 2 hours, and the Midas had to get the part sent to them from another store.
I did not receive a call that my car was ready on Wednesday, but I couldn’t pick it up that day anyway. I went to their store on Thursday morning (10/​20/​2011) at 7:30AM, the opening time that was posted on their door. I found out that they did not open until 8AM.
When they were finally open, the mechanic let me in. He was not the same person who fixed my car, so he had no idea whether it had been fixed. We both had to wait for the person at the front desk to arrive (almost 15 minutes later). When the front desk person finally arrived, he said he was not normally from that store and was just filling in.
The front desk person told me that the mechanic test drove my car to make sure the wheel bearings were fixed. When I asked if my oil had been changed, he said he would ask the mechanical to check the color of my oil to make sure it was clear. After the mechanic returned from supposedly checking my oil, the front desk person specifically asked the mechanic whether he checked my oil and it was clean like it was new. The mechanic said yes to him, in front of me.
It’s only Friday (10/​21/​2011), and I can still hear the same noise from my wheels. I also checked the dip stick just tonight and saw that the oil was definitely dirty.
They blatantly lied to me and did not perform any of the services they said they would or that I paid for. I really recommend that you do not go here.