Dean Transmissions

I really have no words for this place! I’ve never been disrespected and yelled at like this. I had called a day before and made an appointment for Friday 12 PM. When I got there I asked for Eric the guy that scheduled my appointment. Instead this guy that was at front told me «Eric is very busy what can I do for you «in a rude way… I told Him I’m here to drop of my car so it can be looked at. He says you have to schedule an appointment… I said I did. Then he says I don’t know what to tell you i had sent my mechanics for the day and I have no mechanics on site. I said that’s not my problem, I drove my broken car all the way out here for nothing. He says to me «That’s your problem!» Then Eric comes in and the first guy yells at him did you make an appointment… Eric didn’t say anything because he knows he made a mistake. He told me I don’t remember talking to you… Come on it hasn’t been 24hrs and how many calls do you get for Chevrolet Suburban’s … Anyways I walked out and drove away!
I should have read the previous reviews before going there! Good luck getting MISTREATED!
FYI… attached the screen shot for the appointment call!

I never know if these types of places are ripping me off or not BUT these guys seemed legit. 3.5 Stars.
I knew I had major issues with my transmission. The last place I took my car to (NOT a transmission specialist), replaced the solonoids. Then less than a year later the transmission started acting up again. That plus failing my emissions test due to a shift solenoid code/​diagnostic led me back to a repair shop.
So this time, I took it to Deans (a place that actually specializes in transmissions).
They told me my transmission will need to be replaced sooner rather (which sucks but is better than charging me an arm and a leg to put a 6-​month band-​aide on it).
I ended up deciding to just drive her until she goes out and then get a new car instead. Dean’s helped me fill out the paperwork for a waiver that allowed me to renew my tabs without passing emmissions. So at the end of the day, they didn’t really have to do a whole lot of work on the car itself (so I can’t speak to that) but they were helpful with the process regardless.

I had to get a CVT replaced in my Nissan Altima, which was going to be much cheaper with them doing a used one than the dealership. After the initial replacement, I had some issues with changing gears that they didn’t readily notice, but over time it got worse and confirmed the transmission was bad by the dealership.
Turned out Dean Transmissions overfilled the transmission fluid, as the fill level is not readily known in the newer Altima’s without a dipstick. Dean Transmissions was quick to own the mistake and replace the CVT under warranty. Everything is running perfectly now.

I’m a bit surprised at all the great reviews for Dean Tranny’s. They did come highly recommended by a Firestone Dealer so when my 1996 Toyota Tacoma’s tranny started slipping, back in October of 2013, I brought it in. $ 2100.00 later they said it was all fixed. I drove it home. The next morning I went out to drive my car to work and I couldn’t get it into reverse, a problem the truck had never had before. Fortunately my driveway slopes downward, so I was able to roll it back out and use it, careful to always park it on a downslope. I literally had to bring my Toyota Pick-​up into Dean’s 7 times before it finally got fixed. It took three months and I had to leave my truck there for at least 2 days each time I brought it in. At one point I even had to rent a car.
Terry, the guy in charge, initially seems like a nice guy and promises to take care of you.
But unfortunately, Terry is a lying horses ass, talks out of both sides of his mouth, and all the workers in the shop hate his guts and tell you right behind Terry’s back. It’s quite shocking.
Finally, I went to Maestro motors in West Seattle, (Richard, the owner of this small shop, is an honest mechanic), and he told me to bring my truck to ALLSTAR Transmissions in Seatac. The owner of ALLSTAR, Dan Priem, told me he knew Terry very well. In fact he said, Terry used to work at ALLSTAR until the onwer fired his ass. He then amazingly offered to call Terry on the phone for me. I couldn’t imagine what he would say to Terry, but I said to Dan, «sure why not», and thought what have I got to lose. He gets Terry on the phone right in front of me and says, «I’ve got I very unhappy guy here with a Toyota that won’t go into reverse.» Terry says that I should bring the truck in again. I’m reluctant to do so after so many bogus attempts to fix the tranny, but apparently Dan put the fear of god into Terry’s lying ass and my truck finally was fixed and has been going into reverse since December of 2013.
ALLSTAR TRANSMISSION IS THE PLACE TO GO, not Dean’s, IMO!

I took my 2000 BMW to Dean Transmission and want to echo what others have said in terms of needing honesty and integrity as well as expert repair. From the moment I walked through the door the staff was polite and helpful, not only with my car but helping me get around town since I was visiting. They tested the car, kept it overnight which made sense given the problem I was experiencing, fixed it (it only needed additional fluid) and re-​tested it. Like many other people, I know nothing about transmissions so could have easily been told I needed an expensive repair or even a new transmission. Instead they were very honest that my transmission was in very good shape and only needed additional fluid. They charged me only for the transmission fluid and a very reasonable amount to diagnose the problem. It was the best auto repair experience I have had in years and would highly recommend this company.

I’ve had Dean Transmissions fix three cars, and the first two times were excellent.
Unfortunately, when I went in for a third car repair, in October, 2013, they had a service manager that, to make a long story short, was not doing a good job, made me feel that I had to prove that the car had not really been repaired.
Now the good news: the owner figured out that the service manager was not doing a good job and let him go.
When I went in with my long list of documented cases of the reoccurrence of the problem, the owner was running the office, and immediately understood that it was a problem that they should fix.
So, if you had a bad experience with these guys last year, give them another chance.

I just got a used car with out a warranty, had it 2 months and heard a loud bang and transmission broke in rush hour traffic. I had it towed to a shop and they don’t do this kind of repair so I called around and was shocked at what it cost for my car! (98 Ford Taurus SHO with V8) I liked the reviews so I called Deans & had it towed in. I liked the guys blunt force honesty of hope for the best but be prepared for the worse kind of thing. They checked it out and called me back and said they could fix it and did not have to rebuild or replace it! It was ½ the price of every other shop I called. When I went to pick it up he showed me what was broke and has he talked I looked around the shop was impressed with what I saw. The crew were professional, no goofing around here. You could see they take pride in their work and looking at all the cars there they have a lot of work.

«The mystery wasn’t why your car wasn’t going in reverse — it’s why it was ever going forward.» You hate to hear things like that from a repairman, especially one looking at one of the most expensive pieces of machinery a car has*, but the guys at Dean Transmissions did a great job minimizing the horribleness of the entire affair.
There are two things I want from an auto repair shop: skill and integrity. These guys seem to have both in quantity. The staff are highly skilled, from the builders to the mechanics**. And I have to single out Manny, who was a rock star at wrangling my warranty company and sourcing parts from all over the place to complete the job. He advised me on what’s ok to get used and what I should get new, he stayed on top of suppliers and shippers, and he was good about keeping me up on the status of the repair. Because of Nissan parts availability nationwide, the repair took almost three weeks, and I got regular calls letting me know what was going on.
Anyway, taking your car to a mechanic is as much about trust as it is anything else, and I trust these guys. 5 stars.
* I don’t know anything about cars. I just made that up. But it seems plausible, since transmissions are freakishly expensive
** I have no basis to judge the skill of the mechanics and builders, really, other than the fact that my car runs great now, so take that with a grain of salt

Superior service with extremely knowledgeable and trustworthy staff. These mechanics are experienced and efficient and I will only take my vehicle to them for any and all transmission related repairs/​service. I highly recommend this local company!

Late hours– awesome! He goes out of his way to make sure you and your car are taken care of. Prices don’t even compare to a dealership

A lot must have changed since the 2006 5-​star review.
I brought my car in that I noticed a little transmission slippage with. I let the folks there know that I couldn’t recall the last time I had had my transmission looked at. I was called a few hours later and told that my transmission was completely wasted and I will have at least $ 2000. I brought it in for a second opinion (North Seattle Transmission) because my car was hardly even worth that much money.
To make the story short, I paid for a transmission flush for ¹⁄₁₀ the cost and my car has been running just fine for the past year.
I sure hope Dean’s goes out of business real soon. Thanks!

convenient location, LATE hours (open till 1am? something like that), quality work and fair prices make this shop a first choice for any major repair work on any vehicle. They bid a power steering pump r&r job at about 30% less than a shop closer to my house! You get the feeling that these guys will stand behind their work: a rare recipient of a 5 star rating