AAMCO Transmissions & Total Car Care

Stay clear form this shop. Was told I could come in and not be charged for a simple diagnosis of the problem. Lie. One of the mechanics took my car for a test drive and said the transmission was bad, he wanted $ 450 to «explore» the problem. Feeling like I was about to get taken, I walked and took my car to another shop. Not only was there nothing wrong with the transmission but it was just a simple adjustment to the timing belt. So either the mechanics at Aamco have no clue or it’s an outright shady business. Either was stay away.

I’ve had to repair a transmission before and I know how costly & long it can be. I went there Monday 1pm & put a deposit down of 360 to have them take apart my tyranny & see what was wrong with it internally. Knowing a thing or two about cars, I knew my poor VW bug had a problem with the 2^nd-​3^rd gear shift change.Wen. I approved the repair quoted at 1800 — got my car back by Thursday.1200 was the total cost after a last minuet blessing of a discount. Amazing! Super fast & nice. Super blessed.

Went in to drop my fiancée’s car this week.
I“m always a little wary of garages — this one was recommended to me by a friend.
Service was fast, Armando was very helpful; he detailed everything that needed to be done for the 50,000 miles revision. The price was right, and people were knowledgeable. I’m very satisfied.

I want to warn others not to patronize this AAmco shop. I was in possession of a 2004 Mini cooper, when the transmission failed. I had it towed to my trustworthy mechanic and was devastated when he said that the car needs a new transmission, which would cost more than $ 8000. The car still owed $ 10,000, which made the whole situation worth.
He recommended a second opinion and gave me the phone number from Aamco on Pico Blvd. After Ben volunteered to tow my car to his shop «Free of charge» and take a look at it, I felt a little calmer. He promised he would call me as soon as the car would arrive at his shop. They picked it up in matter of minutes and than the nightmare begun… Ben spoke to me and said that they would have to rebuild the transmission, which would cost about $ 3000, plus additional parts which might had damage, but he would have me up in running by Friday, mind you this happened on a Monday.
He said they have to take the transmission apart to assess the damage, at this point I felt I had no choice and said ok please call as soon as you done and can tell me the exact price, he promised to call me before the end of the day. Well, Ben never called me… the next day I called him, just to be informed that they COULD NOT repair the transmission and I would have to buy a new one which would cost $ 8000, just like my mechanic had said. I was in shock and did not know what to say nor to do. I told Ben that I didn’t have $ 8000 and that the car is not even worth that much. He had zero compassion and said to let him now. I ask him to put the car back and I would pick it up or have it towed, he than said the labor would cost $ 1000, which he would waive if I get the job done. I was really devastated and needed a few days to think. I called and left messages for Ben, which he never returned. A week later Jen the owner called me at work, and ask me what are my plans with car, after telling her that I do not have $ 8000, she said how about if she could do it for less by trying to find a used transmission, she also told me that my transmission is very rare and that’s why they are so expensive. She sounded genuine, but also wouldn’t stop talking and at the end of our long conversation she said to take my time and call her when I knew what I wanted to do. A few days later I called and ask for Ben, who apparently was out sick and Jen answered the phone. This time she wasn’t nice anymore just asking questions like how much I owe on the car etc.
Well, today ²¹⁄₂ weeks into this mess, I get a notice of a pending lien for a vehicle valued $ 4000 or less, also stating the car was abandoned.
The car will be sold April 8^th, if I don’t pay:
$ 65 towing,
$ 950 Repairs (What repairs???)
and best of all storage of $ 48 per day

The following is my husband’s experience at this Aamco:
As a mechanic it is particularly offensive to encounter an outright fraudulent mechanical diagnosis. I never mentioned to Ben (the manager) that I’ve worked as a German car mechanic for over thirty years when I brought my mother-in-law’s Ford Taurus in for a transmission leak that I’d already diagnosed. Ben insisted that the car was going to overheat due to a leaking water pump and intake gaskets (both erroneous diagnoses). He tried to convince me to spend $ 900 for these two repairs, neither of which were needed. I insisted he fix only the transmission leak ($ 186) which he begrudgingly did, although he managed to take two days longer to complete this routine repair than he had originally promised. I advise using extreme caution if you take your car to this establishment.

I give this AAMCO 5 stars, if there were 6 or 7 stars, I’d give them too!
I went to AAMCO after the transmission on my ’06 Mini Cooper ‘S’ started shifting really badly. The dealer wanted almost as much as the value of the car to replace the transmission, but Mike at AAMCO stripped down the transmission and identified the worn parts that needed to be replaced. My car was in their shop for 3 days while they rebuilt the transmission for half of what the dealer wanted to charge me. That was still a lot of money, but at least AAMCO offers 6 months interest free credit to help make it easier to keep my car running.
The rebuilt transmission is fantastic. The shifts are smooth and seamless, just like when the car was new, maybe even better! I was really impressed with how helpful and knowledgable all the people at this AAMCO were, they really care about doing a good job and keeping their customers happy. Jen, the new owner, is amazing, she opened the shop for me after hours so I could pick up my car after work, and then called me a few days later just to ask if everything was ‘O.K.’ That’s real service.
I have no hesitation in recommending this AAMCO, just ask for Mike or Jen and they will make sure you get excellent service and a great deal.

(Part 1 of 2) All Aamco’s are not created equal. Do not visit this establishment unless you want to fork over large amounts of money to assholes, for services that your car does not need. I live in Glendale, and had the misfortune to break down in Santa Monica last week. We have a wonderful and trustworthy Aamco near our home that we usually go to for all our auto needs and repairs. After phoning our guy Sam at Aamco in Glendale for advice, we decided to get my car to the nearby Santa Monica Aamco rather than tow it back to Glendale for repairs. Upon arriving, we were greeted by Kyle, who has people skills comparable to a rabid honey badger. He seemed genuinely unhappy that we were there. My boyfriend has an OBD II reader, so we were already aware that the problem with my car had something to do with either the coolant getting to the engine, or possibly the water pump needing to be replaced. We mentioned our OBD II reader, and told him the two things we suspected were causing the problem. He mostly grunted in reply. I know many of you have mentioned the friendliness of the women working at this establishment, and their offering of refreshments. I don’t know if the woman there was trying to overcompensate for Kyle treating everyone horribly, but she offered me green tea three times. I said no each time, but she must not have liked my answer because she brought me a cup of green tea and cookies anyway. No means no, lady. I was told I would receive a call later that day with their findings.
Around four that afternoon the lovely Kyle called me with a quote of repairs. His quote was for over $ 1400. He proceeded to list over ten «necessary» repairs for my vehicle, plus labor. His quote included two sections, the first being repairs to the thermostat, thermostat sensors and serpentine belt, and a new belt tensioner. Plus labor. The second section was a «necessary» tune-​up that included five and a half hours of labor. Five and a half hours of labor for a tune up?! Yeah right, you must be smoking some good stuff Kyle. He also said my car was in desperate need of an oil change (really…that’s interesting, as the last oil change I had was only 3 – 4 months ago.), which they were having a special on for $ 67.82 after taxes. …$ 67.82…for an oil change. Hmm, I wonder where I could get a cheaper oil change? Oh yeah, every other car establishment in the United States. I asked Kyle if he would please fax or e-​mail me the quote so I could look at his list of «necessary» repairs in more detail. His response was «…*grunt*…I don’t really have any way of doing that here.» Well Kyle, maybe you could use that COM-​PU-​TER in front of you? Kyle seemed to have an issue being polite while having conversations with females, so my boyfriend called him back to let him know that we only wanted repairs made to the thermostat, the coolant temperature sensor and the serpentine belt. Apparently people do not tell Kyle no very often, because he got extremely flustered, claimed his computer was crashing and that he would have to call us back. He called back a few minutes later to tell us our new quote was now around $ 350. Much better. Fine. We were told the car would be ready the next day.
The next day, Day #2 of Aamco Santa Monica being in possession of my vehicle, I did not receive any calls on the status of my vehicle by the afternoon, so I called about one and was told that they were still working on the car. My ride was only available for a small portion of the afternoon to drive me out to Santa Monica, so I called again around three and was told by Kyle to come on down, the car would be ready soon. It took over an hour in traffic to get to Aamco Santa Monica, and upon arriving was greeted by Kyle who asked «May I help you?» and obviously could not remember who I was or what I was doing there. When I explained that I was there to pick up my vehicle he grunted and walked into his office slamming the door. A few minutes later, he returned to the lobby and began furiously typing on the computer and not looking at me or acknowledging my presence. Eventually, I spoke up and asked if the car would be ready as my ride had to leave soon and I did not want to be stranded so far from my home. In response, Kyle yelled «I DON’T KNOW WHEN IT’S GOING TO BE READY!» and walked into the office again slamming the door. Why did he tell me to come then?! A few minutes later, Kyle returned, leaned on the counter and told me in a much sweeter tone of voice that my ride probably shouldn’t leave me there as they close at 5 and the car likely won’t be ready. So we ended up leaving without the car, again, and sitting in two hours of traffic to get back.
To be continued in Part 2!
SEE AAMCO SANTA MONICA PAGE FOR PART 2

I got screwed big time at Aamco. I took my car in for a noise/​vibration that was happening whenever I took it above ~40 mph. I asked them to drive the car around and let me know if they could see what the problem was, and they had me leave it so they could do so.
They said the problem was in the brakes and transmission and charged me $ 1300 to replace the brake pads, hub bearings, machine the front and rear rotors, and replace the transmission filter and gasket and replace the fluid.
I got the car back already thinking I’d spent too much to get it fixed, just to get on the freeway and find the problem hadn’t been fixed at all. In fact, not only had the problem not changed a bit, but now the AC has a bad smell coming from it, like there’s moisture somewhere in the pipes (this wasn’t happening before I took it in). I haven’t gotten this problem fixed yet and will update when I do.
Anyway — I took the car back into Aamco and told them they hadn’t fixed the problem I took it in for. THEN the guy took it for a drive to see what the problem is (I don’t think they did so when I first took it in). When he got back he said it was clearly a tire problem, not the brakes (gee, THANKS). He said to take it in to a tire shop. When I complained they hadn’t fixed my problem, their only answer was that they fixed something else that would’ve caused noises anyway. They made no effort to accomodate or make it right that they didn’t solve my problem, and acted like they had done me a huge favor.
I took it down the road to a great tire place and they fixed the issue within about an hour by replacing my tires — my rear tires had bulges that were causing vibration. This cost about $ 300 and they cut the price because they agreed I got screwed by Aamco.
I would NOT go back here, for anything, and wouldn’t recommend it either.

I’m updating! I took my car back to this location and the mechanic that was there told me that a noise that was coming from my 2004 car is a part that is now «extinct» and he’d have to blah.blah.blah. and then blah.blah.blah. He wanted to charge me $ 800 to go find a replacement part from the junk yard. Turns out, all the car needed was some WD40 and my old mechanic said that no parts on my car are «extinct», as it’s not THAT old. I felt this guy at AAMCO tried to take advantage of me. and it sucks because I had given them such a rad review. I won’t be going here again. I’ll just continue to go to Lancer’s Automotive.

My husband took his car in about a year ago and was treated really well so when my car wouldn’t start, I decided to call them and get an estimate on what it would cost to replace the starter, if that was indeed the problem. The woman on the phone didn’t want to give me a price and seemed to just argue with me. I explained to her that I have limited funds for this repair and that I cannot just tow it up and then tow it elsewhere, that I need a quote, but she refused. I called back again and told her that I had received a quote from another place and if AAMCO’s would be about in the same range. My problem was, that she said they charge $ 105 per hour labor. So I asked her how long it takes to replace a starter, she just kept insisting that they go by the book and just bring it in. I asked her if the book says the average time to install a starter is 3 hours, but the mechanic only takes 2 hours, will they charge me by the book time or the actual labor. She insisted on arguing, told me to bring it in and hung up on me. So she calls in the afternoon on the next day, realizing that I did not bring the car in. She argues with me because she looked in the system and I was not there. I tried to explain to her that my husband had taken his vehicle in, it was not under my name. She then tries to tell me that she has a quote for me. I advised her that I did not like her arguing and took the vehicle elsewhere. This was the strangest experience for me.

Jen was extremely nice (even gave me a slice of pumpkin pie) and Arlene was super on top of it.
They replaced my clutch, belts, brakes, etc. All was done efficiently and with a smile. Highly recommend.
They even gave me 10% off because they had a coupon I didn’t know about running.

What an refreshing honest experience – free inspection (educated guess at the problem) and $ 105 per hour diagnosis (find and expose the problem). Then the diagnosis fee is free (waived) if AAMCO does the repair. The diagnosis fee is applied toward repairs.
Dave, the manager, is a people person and gives you choices and options. The entire team is efficient and cordial. The location is safe, secure, and clean.
I’m a hobbyist/​home mechanic and brought in my truck thinking I had a transmission problem (I don’t work on transmissions much). The team placed my vehicle on the rack and inspected it for free to tell me it was probably an engine problem to my surprise. I opted to tow the truck back home and there were no hard feelings or even a hint of attitude. That’s probably because they have no shortage of happy customers and plenty of business.
I’ll always bring my vehicles here for repair if I can’t fix it myself because I feel these employees have integrity and are in it for the long run.

have you ever left a place like this and NOT felt completely taken advantage of? HOW REFRESHING!!!
as someone who doesn’t understand cars but who DOES very ACUTELY understand how auto professionals use the disparity of knowledge between themselves and the layperson to their advantage in driving up cost… i really appreciated the treatment i got here! after calling around to about 5 different shops– and getting jerked around by one after another about something as simple as an oil change– the guy i talked to here was patient and forthcoming about the pricing and specifics of an oil change for my car. his charge was almost ¹⁄₃ the price estimates i received at the other shops.
on top of that, he went ahead and diagnosed the problem behind my engine warning light at no charge (unprompted by me) — detailing the problem IN EXPLICIT TERMS, explaining EXACTLY what would need to be done to fix it and what it might cost, and FURTHER EXPLAINING that there would be absolutely no consequences to my engine if i decided not to ever have these services performed! so despite not directly giving me a reason to dole out more cash for my car, this shop has earned my business for the foreseeable future.
five stars for now– because only time will tell if these guys treated me as wonderfully as they appeared to!

I can’t speak for the others that commented before me but I felt that I should give this Aamco credit since I had a good experience. I had a leak in the slave cylinder on my truck. This effected the hydraulic clutch and prevented me from shifting gears. These guys found the leak quickly, replaced the slave cylinder and the clutch, and bled out the air in my hydraulic clutch. They charged $ 105 per hour for labor. My roommate claims this is too high, citing his mechanic’s rates ($ 65 per hour), but that’s for automatic transmission work for his European car. I know automatic transmissions tend to be more expensive so he may be right about that. However, it wouldn’t surprise me if mechanics charge different labor rates for different types of cars and/​or jobs. When I called around to several reputable shops, with good Unilocal reviews, they said that the total Aamco price was about right. I ended up paying $ 1043 (with tax). It was a big job as it was labor intensive so I don’t think my roommate knows what he’s talking about.
Keith, the counter guy was pretty good. The total project took a few days but much of that was due to my delay in trying to come up with the cash. The only negative thing that I can say is that Keith said he would call me at various points during the repair work. I preempted that promise slightly when I grew impatient and didn’t hear from him when I thought I should have. I can’t fault him much for that as I had nothing else to do except wait so I probably followed up sooner than I should have.
Overall, I had a good experience and would give these guys more credit than they received on Unilocal previously. Hence my 4 star rating. They also replaced one part for free that could only be replaced when the they had the transmission disassembled. Apparently this part was not cheap and was allowing oil to leak. So for that I also commend them. Dave, the mechanic, did all the work on my truck and was very cool. I returned the next day so that he could attach another part (also for free) from his personal tool box at home. This was a necessary part for the job but still they went out of their way to save me money on this part and the other.
Bravo.

AAMCO is not just for transmissions anymore they say. They do all repairs. So I went in to get my brakes done — they were squealing. After I left the brakes still squealed, so I went back in and they took a look and gave me a song and dance about how it was not the brakes but the frame dampeners (?) that were making the squealing and that it was not dangerous but just annoying. Hmmm I thought. That’s weird. Because the car is making the exact same noise it was before. I lived with this noise for nearly a year (I’m a procrastinator) before I went back to AAMCO and this time talked to manager. He said he’d warranty whatever work was done — this is the one good thing they did! He re-​did the brake job. It still squealed. I took the car to the Subaru dealership. They did the brake job perfectly and no more squealing. They told me that AAMCO used some crappy brake pads that never really fit the car and so were always making noise. Unfortunately I wasted $ 500 at AAMCO before getting the job done right at Santa Monica Subaru — for another $ 500. It was an expensive lesson to learn — not everyone can fix a Subaru — and especially not AAMCO.

Well, I ended up needing an O2 sensor replaced, so I guess AAMCO was wrong! hah

I had some problems that I needed to check out, not being close to my home garage and tools I decided to bring it here to make sure it wasn’t dangerous to drive (both for myself and others)… What a mistake that was!
**Edited since it was too long**
Summary: don’t go here, they play with your car and ruin it then overcharge you to fix it.

super nice. WAY cheaper than anywhere else — at least $ 500 less. they even took me to work in culver city and when i had to get a ride back at the end of the day, they stayed late to wait for me. the free inspection was awesome and they told me a few things that needed to be done down the line and offered to refer me. same day service.