Carters Transmission & Automotive

**** This is for the NORTH LAMAR location*** sorry.
Do you remember the era of a handshake and a smile– if so and you enjoyed honest business relationship this is your place. Taking my car in for a repair ranks right up top with going to the dentist in my book but Carters has changed that perspecitve for me.
My 2002 Nissan Xterra is starting to show her age and decided to give up on the air conditioner right as this summer is starting to show its ugly fangs. After attempting to recharge it myself twice I gave in to what I was certain to be a bank breaking repair. I chose Carters based on very high google ratings and was not dissapointed. Even though it wasn’t the $ 30 fix I had in my budget, I believe the price was fair ($ 650) and overly competitive. Its been two weeks since my repair (hoses and couple of other smaller parts) and my A/​C is running better than it has in years and no signs of any hickups.
They were quick (able to fix it for me the very next day), attentive (patiently tolerated my beefy boyfriend questioning his diagnosis), informative (walked me through a diagram of a basic vehicle A/​C system, how each compenent worked and what to expect in the future), and all out just friendly and receptive. THIS, my friends, is how you do business. Even though it hurt to pay for the repair, it had to happen and I’m confident I got one of, if not THE, best deals in town. Plus, I would rather give my business to a local, honest, customer-​service oriented organization than a chain focused solely on sales and profits.
Give them a try– they give free bids so it costs you nothing to decide for yourself.

Maybe I’m just grumpy because I just paid these guys/​gals $ 1681.00 to fix my air conditioning, I normally go to a guy who runs a small shop who I really trust. I did bring my car to him a few days prior and being a small Pop kinda shop he doesn’t subscribe to the online service manuals that cost $ 500 a month. He tried to find a service manual for my 2007 Dodge Nitro but could not. he did look at my compressor and said it was compressing but with out the service manual he didn’t want to proceed. He thought there was a problem with the high low. So I took it to Carters. We brought it in at 7:30 am and they called me around 3 telling me it was blah blah blah. They replaced my compressor„ control head unit, A/​C drier. Oh yeah and of course the added shop materials at $ 76.90. I’m assuming at that price they use rags that are monogrammed and made of linen. When I picked up the car I asked for my old compressor since I had paid $ 530 for the new one. They claimed they could not give it to me because of the core deposit. Huh? They showed me how it had oil on it though to prove it was broken. So I call my trusted old school mechanic and tell him all this, to which he responds in his rather gruff voice, «of course it had oil on it. I put gages on it to check it and I’m sure they did too. And since I am already grumpy, let me continue. Chris who runs the shop called to tell me the car was ready. When I said I might not make it til 535, she said she’d put the receipt in the car and could I pay on credit card. So I grab my card and she tells me to hold while she gets on the phone and finishes another call. Hey Chris, when someone is standing there and waiting to pay an astronomical amount, don’t put them on hold. Oh and I don’t like being called sweetie or honey, it kinda seems condescending. And one more thing, why do mechanics insist on putting on the parking break. I drove 4 blocks with that thing on.

As everyone knows, our economy stinks pretty badly right now and prices are going up fast. When something unexpected happens to your vehicle you want to get it fixed fast and in the cheapest way possible. I am new to Austin and I searched online for hours looking for a transmission shop that I felt I could trust. I am SO thankful that I went with my instinct because choosing Carter’s Transmission on South Lamar was the best choice I have made when it comes to car repair shops. After looking over my car, they called and told me exactly what was wrong and how much it was going to cost. Carter’s is the most honest and affordable car shop and I will recommend them to everyone I know in Austin! From now on I will be taking my car to Carter’s for routine check-​ups and maintenance! Thank you guys for making me a lifetime customer!

It’s hard to be exuberant about car repairs. I will say this: Doug, the manager here, was kind enough to drive me to work after I dropped off my car in the morning, and he called me throughout the day to give me updates on what needed to be done, and he was kind enough to give me his cell phone number in case the car had troubles out on the road. The price was fair enough, and the work was well-​executed. I think they operate with the ideals of a small, family-​owned business, which makes me trust their work. Give Carter’s a look if you need some fairly extensive repairs and don’t want to get fleeced in the process.

Carter’s… oh how you have done my car right.
I was having some problems and I dragged it kicking and screaming to Carter’s. Worried about my car, I rented a rental because I didnt know how long it would be in the shop.
They called me about 2 hours later to tell me that they had looked over my car and I needed a few gaskets changed as well as two belts and I needed a tune up (something my car hadn’t in it’s 10 year existance).
I had all of this as well as all of my fluids changed, an oil change, and a test drive done for a mere $ 600 bucks… they had my car done THAT DAY. I didnt need the rental, but it was fun to drive it anyway.
The service there was excellant, the staff was helpful in explaining everything to me, seeing as I know nothing about cars… and the son who runs the shop is EASY on the eyes ladies.
I left there with my 10 year old clunker and it runs better than it did when I bought it 2 years ago. I was very pleased and recommended it to my sister.
My sister took her car in and had the same experience I did. I plan on taking my car to Carter’s as long as I live in Austin. If there is something they cant fix, I just dont know what I will do.