ATS Transmissions And Auto Service

OK, true story:
I was referred to Will (the office manager) and Mark (one of the mechanics) for my 60,000 mile tune up on my Honda Fit.
They took my car, then a few hours later, called me back and said that after basic fluid fill up and tire rotation — everything looked good and nothing needed to be replaced (I had done my own oil and air filters earlier).
I appreciated the honest review and asked how much the work would cost. They said … wait for it … NOTHING! They said that the basic inspection and tire rotation was free. Because no real work was needed they didn’t charge me anything.
How often does that happen? Free 60k mile tuneup!
Definitely will be referred all my friends here.

I went online and scheduled an appointment and was promptly called back, William explained how to use the Early Bird drop (which is super helpful) since I have to be in at work at 5am. I dropped off my 1990 F150 truck for transmission maintenance. William was great — he called me when my truck was ready and thoroughly explained the condition of my transmission. When I arrived to pick up my truck, William took the time to make sure I was happy with the work done — which I was, he also let me know that I can bring my truck in for regular maintenance and other repairs if needed. I will definitely be back. — Thank you!

I brought my 03 Mini Cooper in under the impression my (manual) transmission was busted, as it popped out of first gear as soon as the RPMs passed 2300. Turns out it had a broken axle that was causing the problem, the transmission was fine! They easily could have taken advantage of the situation, but they were up front and honest about my car. The place has a friendly and professional vibe with Will behind the counter. They have earned my trust.
¹⁰⁄₁₀ would take my car here again

We went here after stopping by aamco and after calling around to other shops in the area. couldn’t be more happy with that choice. It was a really great experience the whole way through.
The transmission went out on a 2010 Hyundai and decided to fix it to keep the car for the long run. So I expressed interest in finding out everything that should be fixed or repaired on the car… which they are able to do since they do more than tranny work here. After leaving the car until the next day and coming back ATS had an itemized list of parts, labor, and costs for EVERYTHING to be done to get it back in tip top shape… just what was asked for!
Now since the first visit to the place it was evident customer service was a focus point, and then some. They just really seemed to care about not only the needs but what we wanted. Never felt an ounce of pressure nor like I was being misled about anything. ATS even told me what to make sure I knew and also what to ask from other places & from online. They didn’t care I was shopping around because (and I know this now) they were confident in themselves for all the right reasons. It’s clear ATS goes above and beyond for their customers.
We never really said a number we were trying to stay at but they work very hard to give the best price possible. They worked out different package options and even some package discounts depending. I was able to get help with transport over the 3 days they had the car which was super, too! They were happy and willing to take me back and show me the car up on the racks, the tranny disassembled, or really anything. Very transparent and awesome people here.
So, their work on the tranny is warrantied, they did everything asked of them and then some. I’ve never seen such genuine customer service so high at a shop.
Not taking the time to stop by for the quote and the experience would be a mistake. They care and like what they do, which is a great combo.

It’s been a very long time since I’ve come accross customer service as good as this. William runs this business with a very professional and kind manner. They worked with us on time, budget and even helping getting the car there and all without trying to get us for all they could. Every conversation with William was one that left you feeling «taken care of». I would highly recomend them to everyone I come across!

So I drive a 1997 BMW 540i. I love the car but it is an older Beemer so there are issues from time to time. ATS has been my car’s best friend. They almost always know what to do and get it fixed fast for a much more reasonable price that the dealer or the shop by my house. I am planning on keeping the car and keeping with Rick and ATS for a long time to come. These guys are great!

I was selling my vehicle and on the way to get it washed, it lost it’s ability to go into drive. The problem was intermittent but all the same, I needed to fix the issue before I could sell it. I took it to a local «recommended» transmission shop (down by Sports Arena and across from Home Depot). I expressed my urgency and they said they were on top of it. Long story short a month and a week later… NOTHING, nor did they ever call me back once… I had to call every week and get a voicemail or an excuse… I FINALLY expressed my frustration and guess what… Surprise! 10 minutes later they knew the problem and gave me an expensive quote.
I called ATS and spoke with Rick (the owner) and explained my situation and had it towed over immediately. Not only did Rick have my car diagnosed properly within the time he committed too…(24 hours) he gave me a couple options to fit my budget and followed through with exactly what he said he would do. The price was better than fair.
I will say this, I’m a person that when I find an honest and reputable service provider… I stick with them and that’s the case with ATS. I was elated to know that ATS does ALL types of mechanical services and repairs… not just transmission work. I’m taking the time to write this because ATS and Rick stepped up to the plate and did what they said they would… AND they communicated to me throughout the process…
I’m taking my other vehicle there next week for additional maintenance services and a repair…
Thank you Rick and ATS… wish more businesses had your business/​work ethics… Especially in the auto repair industry.

Supper nice shop, guys were super nice and helpful. I would be a returning customer if I was in the area again. Close and convenient to the airport as well.

I had my car towed to this shop because I couldn’t get the key out of the ignition when I put it in park. In addition to the key being stuck, it was not registering as being in «P», so my car also wouldn’t start/​turn over.
Will and the rest of the staff were excellent, expedient, and accommodating. They did a great job of diagnosing, assessing, and fixing the problem on my car.

Trusting an auto repair place is really important, and ATS consistently fits the bill. Rick and William have the highest integrity, expert know-​how, and patient customer service you could ask for. I’ve been there many times for maintenance and repair, and I’d recommend them to anyone!

I own 3 cars and I just moved to San Diego, didn’t have any idea where to take my car and ATS happens to be a block from where I live lucky for me.
I usually work on my cars myself, but this was a bigger problem that I couldn’t handle, I had an emergency problem with locked up brakes on my 72 Chevy and they took my car and had it diagnosed and repaired in 2 days, which was fast considering the problem required a special order part to fix. They charged me a very fair price for labor and took great care of my car and I will definitely be back again when I need one of my cars fixed or looked at.

So my car died on me and I was referred to this shop, amazing customer service, they will bend backwards to try and work with the customer, their mechanics work as a team and do a great job. Will and rick are great guys and will even helped me out with the towing, I would absolutely recommend this shop, great work for the price and the price is fantastic.

My former mechanic retired. He recommended Rick to me about 7 years ago. I have had multiple transmissions repaired by him, as well as lots of other work on a wide variety of cars. Rick always diagnoses the problem right the first time, does outstanding work, and consistently charges less than anyone else for comparable work. I just referred another friend to him tonight because his transmission just failed and he had heard me rave about Rick’s work many months ago, so he called me at 10pm to get towed to Rick’s shop. I can guarantee that he will be more than happy with the service he gets. In the 7 years I have taken my cars and trucks to Rick, I’ve only had one problem, and that was nearly a full year after the repair, and Rick said «bring it back and I’ll fix it right now for no charge», which is exactly what he did. I don’t think the failure was his fault, but he completely honored his guarantee anyway. This is the first time I’ve ever written a review on Unilocal, and only because I had to go to Unilocal to find out the new name for his shop since he renamed it ATS transmission. You can’t go wrong with these folks, honest, competent, affordable, and reliable!!!

Rick saved my butt! I dropped off my wifes’ car before closing and he called me
by 9 the next day with a very fair quote. Honestly, transmissions are rocket science to me, and he could have said the ««muffler bearings» were bad and charged thousands, but he didn’t!
Great guys, great service, confusing location, but my GPS figured it out. Highly recommend them, plus, now they have Rafael, a very sharp VW mech!

Rick and Will lead an outstanding team of professionals that instantly earn your trust and confidence in their abilities. I first brought my truck in for a major transmission problem after the dodge dealership had quoted me an astronomical price which I could not afford. So, I took it to ATS. They did a free diagnostic and quoted me a price that was nearly half of what the dealership quoted, then they fixed it in record time, put better than stock parts in it, gave me a 3 year warranty, and took payments. For my fellow military personnel; ATS works with NMCRS and will work out a payment plan if you can’t pay all at once. It’s tough to find a repair shop that is competent and won’t screw you over. These guys are legit! I can’t say enough good things about them.

We are not from San Diego and my husband and I were looking for a good, affordable, and trustworthy place to take our car to get a diagnostic test done to see what was wrong with the car. ATS Transmission and Automotive was very helpful, and didn’t jerk us around when it came to finding out the prognosis of our vehicle. They asked us before doing any work on the vehicle, and kept me up to date on what was going on. They were very helpful when it came to finding a good deal on the part, and we can’t thank them enough for showing us that their still is some hospitality/​good in this part of the country.

I had trouble starting my car over the past 2 days and took it in. They said it could either be a bad battery or bad starter. They replaced the battery and I was back on the road again. Some other places most likely would have tried to replace both in order to up the man-​hour charges, bug these guys just took care of what needed to e fixed.
Thanks to William and his maintainence staff for your professionalism!!!