Dr Trans Transmissions & Clutches

A1, super customer service. Dr. Trans rebuilt my 2003 Avalon tranny 2 years ago and went in for my first maintenance since and let me say it runs smoother than I can remember. My wallet took a pretty good hit for the rebuild but worth the money. Honest, quality workmanship and good people.

Wanted to thank them for the great service on my car and going the extra mile helping me out on the towing issues and the driveshaft issue saved me hundreds. Price was right and id say give them a call when your in need of some work on your car!

5 Stars aren’t enough! Chris and Nancy who run the business are the nicest of people: they couldn’t have been more willing to help out with my VW Eurovan woes that have been with me for about a year now! The engine sound when idling was so bad I had to get used to the horrified looks from everybody nearby! Also Ron and Reuben, the mechanics who checked out the Eurovan, really know their stuff and were able to quickly diagnose the problem and in 15 minutes fix this really nasty engine sound that I have to say BOTH VW dealers I had taken the vehicle to — City VW on Morena Blvd. and Bob Baker VW in Carlsbad — were totally unable to help with barring suggesting I get a NEW engine installed! Good thing I wasn’t in a hurry to do that — all that was needed was a plate and some bolts to be tightened and everything is back to QUIET normal … and at no cost! Thank you Chris! Amazing service, and Nancy thanks for the kind hospitality while l I waited. It’s the second time I’ve brought my vehicle here and I cannot recommend this business enough.

I got ripped off by these guys not once but twice. I was referred to them by my mechanic who I trust. Chris put on the hard sell from the minute I walked in. Gave me a reasonable quote for a new transmission, then exceeded the ‘range’ by $ 1,000. He failed to get my approval to exceed the quote. The cost was far greater than the value of the car. He talked me out of the warranty. Two years later the tranny goes out and he refused to give me a break — on his own crappy work. Told me it would cost more than the last time he ripped me off. I scrapped the car thanks to Chris. If you can’t stand by your own work, don’t expect referrals in this town.

Honest and fair. My 06 Toyota Tacoma’s tranny decided to stop working last Friday. Took it in and 3 days latter (and a reasonable yet still a lot of loot) I had a perfectly functioning transmission with a year warranty on parts AND labor. (Lots of warranties don’t include labor which is HUGE)

This place was highly recommended to us through AAA. They offered a 2 year warranty on our transmission which we welcomed! The customer service was incredible and the work was exceptional. We would recommend this place to anyone looking for a good price with solid service.

visiting from LA and trans hose broke. Dr. Trans fixed it within hours and gave me a ride. I consider them honest, timely and helpful. Thanks again guys.

Unfortunately my husband and I have had to have three clutches replaced in the last 15 years. Fortunately we had Dr Trans do the work and have received awesome quick service every time.
My husband had to have his clutch replaced just last week. He called around and other shops’ prices were about the same as Dr Trans. But we decided to take it here because it only takes a day to get the work done, and there’s never any trouble afterward. Highly recommended!

I am very impressed with Dr Trans. I took my Mercedes there, they diagnosed the problem and did the repair. A few months later, I noticed a problem and took it back. They fixed it under their warranty — with a smile ! I can highly recommend them for transmission repair.

I’ve had Dr Trans rebuild my GMC Truck tranny almost 10 years ago, a clutch on my S10 and multiple services on my fleet of service trucks and personal vehicles thru the years I have always found them friendly, prompt more than honest and fair priced.
I have no idea what others that have posted a single star review are experiencing or if they even went to this shop for certain.
Kevin Holt
Blue Dolphin Pools

Brought my car in because the transmission was starting to slip so I decided to have the transmission fluid flushed to see if that would help. Plus it was way overdue for a fluid change anyway. I didn’t think it would be an all day ordeal so I dropped it off and went to kill some time. It ended up taking over 6 hours to have the fluid flushed.
Only got to speak to the lady at the front desk and did not get to talk to the actual mechanic who worked on my car which is no good for me.
Drove my car home and noticed the transmission was still slipping a little. I checked the level of the transmission fluid and noticed that it was way overfilled. I ended up siphoning out 2 quarts! Quarts! of transmission fluid. Once the fluid was at the right level I drove my car again and no more slipping. If a place that specializes in transmissions cannot get the level of transmission fluid correct there is no way I would trust them with anything else.

I find it puzzling that the reviews on this business are so polarized… generally either 1 star or 5 star, very few in between.
I had a very positive experience with Dr. Trans. They rebuilt the tranny on my 2002 Volvo XC, and the cost was fair. Everyone was professional, and the work was well performed.
I am left to surmise that the 1-​star reviews reflect mis-​set expectations and a breakdown in communication. It takes two to tango, and given my experience am further led to believe that some customers are hard to please.
Their work is solid.

The Doctor Was In
When I was told by my regular car mechanic that the «check engine» alarm of my PT Cruiser – the one that I was trying to ignore – was because of a transmission problem, and on top of that, he wasn’t qualified to do the repair for whatever it was that was lighting up my dashboard panel, my heart sank and I began to envision my bank balance going down for the count, as well. I was looking forward to a visit with a transmission guy about as much as I would look forward to scheduling a root canal. My mechanic told me not to worry; he had a discount coupon for a company that he frequently recommends with confidence: Dr. Trans in Kearny Mesa.
I trusted my mechanic, made an appointment with Dr. Trans for an «examination» and then, after completely understanding my car’s Dr Trans diagnosis and discussing my options, decided to begin the course of treatment. I can say without any doubt – given my long history of car repairs – that this was the best garage experience I’ve ever had. I’d grown weary of chain shops and impersonal corporate structure and having to be always on alert for under the hood and chassis rip-​off artists. Although it’s a franchise operation, the owners, husband and wife team Chris and Nancy, exude a mom-​and-​pop-​shop personalized friendliness framed with professionalism that is typical in the Midwest, but becoming an all-​too-​rare business experience in America’s Finest City. They care about their reputation; they’re big on ethics. That means a lot to me, too.

They did the job in a day within the time frame they projected, and the bottom-​line price for the Transmission Control Module fix was actually reasonable. Their centrally-​located, clean and efficient shop is easily accessed just off the 805.

I have no problem in referring Dr. Trans, just don’t ask me about a root canal.

Big shout out To Dr. Trans! They helped get me a little bill instead of a big one. I noticed what I thought was transmission fluid dripping out of my car, so I took it into to their shop in Kearny Mesa. I explained what I saw and they told me to go have some lunch and to come on back when I was done.
When I came back from lunch, the manager told me my cooling system had a small leak of a hard part that was up against the firewall. What I thought was going to be at least a transmission removal, put in a new gasket and have to put the transmission back in again turned into just needing a simple part.
Dr. Trans referred me to another mechanic as they only do transmission work. I went there, got a $ 50.00 bill and was out! If you are looking for an honest place, try here.

Chris the manager is very knowledgable and the shop has fast, friendly service.

The lady at the front desk was extremely helpful, I really appreciated the free check up on my transmission– these guys saved me hundreds of dollars by recommending a different solution. Highly recommended!

Not unexpected of a repairman with a history of performing shady repairs to female cars, Chris conveniently forgets to tell you the accurate dates. When my vehicle began experiencing problems, I was 2 months pass the 1-​year warranty he gave me on the $ 4,000 transmission, however, I had not yet reached the 10,000 miles (the warranty was 1-​year or 10,000 miles, whichever occurs first). However, 14 months after his shoddy repair work, he felt he would continue with his pattern of taking advantage of females and wanted me to give him an additional $ 1,400 to further bend me over and repair my transmission.
Since he mentions the fact that my car is a Porsche, did he also mention that in addition to the «shoddy» repair work he performed on my transmission, that he ignorantly failed to refill my transmission with the proper Porsche transmission fluid.
Not only did he not properly fix my transmission, he also put the wrong type transmission fluid in my Porsche and that was probably due to the fact that he is not authorized to purchase the special transmission fluid required for a Porsche (at least that is what I have been told by two reputable authorized Porsche repair places). However, rather than take the honest approach and tell me that he was unable to get the proper transmission fluid for my car, instead he chose to put the wrong transmission fluid in my car. These facts can gladly be verified by the work orders and comments I received from authorized independant Porsche repair place, along with the proof of his shoddy $ 4,000 transmission job that he performed.
The sad part is that Chris does not realize that his unprofessional shoddy repair work only hurts him in the long run because he does not receive referral business. Just look at all the negative reviews he has received. Hopefully he will go out of business soon from lack of work because that is such a pitfful shame to take advantage of people and then not have a conscious about your actions. Thank God for Unilocal because more and more people are relying on the reviews of Unilocal.I only regret that I did not read the numerous negative reviews regarding Dr. Trans prior to getting screwed out of $ 4,000. Ladies… also please note that rather than attempt to make a situation right, he would much rather try to defend his negligent acts. All I can do is pray for Chris because he truly needs Jesus.

First gear was all right, second gear was out of site; third gear well, that where the problem was. I have a 1971 Pontiac GTO, four on the floor Hurst linkage. I have been restoring the car for about two years now, and had the Hurst linkage all redone down at Dr Transmission. If you anything about the old Hurst shifters they looked cool but were a real pain in the you know what! They were always sticking in third gear and you would have to reach underneath the car and unstick it. They retooled the linkage and I’m happy to say; no more stick. I call all around Los Angeles & San Diego to find someone to fix my GTO linkage and with out a doubt Dr Transmission was the most knowledgeable. All of this at a very reasonable price. Another year and I’ll have the GTO 100% restored. Want to meet a real transmission professional give the Dr a call.

I was sorry to see the negative Unilocal.These guys not only quoted me a price but actually charged me less than quoted. I have had exceptional service here and have brought other vehicles after my first great experience. My car felt like it was «slipping» and they could have charged me an arm and a leg for a new tranny but they change the fluids and I was good to go!!! I highly recommend!!!

BEWARE OF THIS PLACE — THEY REINFORCE THE UGLY THINGS YOU’VE ALWAYS HEARD ABOUT TRANSMISSION SHOPS.
I purchased my sister’s 10 year old (exceptionally well maintained with only 40k miles) Grand Am and I decided to make sure all preventative maintenance was up to date so that I wouldn’t have to worry about any unexpected problems.
I went to Dr. Trans for a power flush — purely maintenance. Two months later my trans blew and I took it back and had to pay several thousand dollars for them to rebuild it. I was very upset and was told that because my car was older and never had a flush — that it’s not that unusual. A reputable company would have told me about this possibility BEFORE I dropped a couple of hundred on a flush that didn’t even need to be done.
The trans never felt ‘right’ after they rebuilt it and I took it back at least twice. The second time, they pulled the pan and when they put it back they didn’t even bother tightening the pan down (let alone torquing the bolts) and it was leaking fluid. I took it back (again) and they informed me that they would be nice and fix it even though it was a few days out of warranty. Guess what? It’s a year later and the pan is still leaking and the gasket is bad. I’m not even going to bother trying to get them to fix it because this place is a freaken joke. Ever since I was 16 I was warned about transmission shops and this place gives them all a bad name. I’ll find some other transmission crook to clean up their mess.