Aamco Transmissions

Professional and courteous, are the two words I would use to describe Steve and the service I got at Aamaco. I ended up there after a co-​worker overheard how much the stealer-​ship was going to charge me to replace the clutch in my car.
When I called and spoke to Steve, I told him what the dealership said needed replacing, and what they wanted to charge me. He actually started to laugh, he said he doubted it needed all the work they suggested, but if did his estimate was still HALF of the dealership. Needless to say, I had Aamaco tow my car to their garage (free of charge).
The work was completed in the time frame Steve provided, and they came in under their estimate. However, I was dealing with a family emergency, and was out of town. I called and explained that I would not be able to pick the car up until the following week. They were understanding, and did not charge me any storage, even though the car was there for about 4 days after the work was done.
When I went to pick up my car, it had been washed, and Steve was there to personally shake my hand. If I need any out of warranty repairs on my car, Aamaco will be the first call I make.

This is my very first rating for the year 2016, Happy New year Everyone! I brought in my 2003 Honda Civic Ex with 160,000 miles that clearly needs transmission work since when I put it gear, it does not move anymore and its automatic. Met Steve the owner, I ask him what are my options, should I get used trans, rebuild or remanufactured? Steve was honest to me and explained everything in detail on all 3 options, since I am unemployed right now and tight budget, I chose the financing option and chosen to swap my old trans to a used one with some warranty, believe me if I have the $$ I would have went with the rebuild. So far my car is running like brand new, I will recommend this place to my friends and family for sure, thanks Steve! NOTE: WILL COME BACK IN 6 MONTHS TO UPDATE IF THE USED TRANS THAT WAS INSTALLED STILL WORKS OR NOT.

DISAPPOINTMENT:
Poor customer service; poor diagnostics; much work done, but no repair.
CONCERN:
Inspection and repair (s) needed – dark fluid on pavement.
RESULT:
Mike said I needed new lines, gaskets, and plugs on the under-​carriage. It took two days for this, despite an 8 a.m. appointment/​drop-​off. They never called me to provide updates, estimates, time-​frame, or anything. Over these two days, I had to call them each time to find out what was going on for diagnosis, cost, authorization, and pick up. They left me in the dark every step of the way – I need my vehicle for work.
I paid $ 750 in «repairs» only to discover it’s still leaking! This time though, I find a bone dry power-​steering reservoir. My wheel was now stiff and made a loud whirring and screeching noise.
I quickly filled it back up, the noise stops, but the leaks return. Coincidence? Were the above repairs unnecessary?
MANAGEMENT:
Eddie, Stanley, and fellow mechanics are gone. I had received excellent customer-​repair service here back then. They drove me home, picked me up, called, and asked if I would like to see the bad parts. They volunteered to explain the repair, showing me to the worktable and old parts. –That was then!
Mike, the new manager, said he could neither have someone take me home, nor pick me up, stating they were busy. He said they had to drive to Indiana for other customers’ parts. So, I had to pay for a cab to and from the shop on top of parts and labor, as well as delays due to no parts for other customers.
Mike agreed to take a look at my power steering when I called to complain, but by this point I was so angry at the expenses and time lost, I took my vehicle elsewhere. Not only did their apparent diagnostic error cost me time and a lot of money, it also almost destroyed my power steering rack!
The other shop called me promptly, kept me in the loop, and fixed the problem that day. I paid a reasonable price and learned a lesson.
I won’t be back to this garage.

I had my Ford Edge towed to this location for service a few weeks back (I was in Hammond, IN when my Edge died). After a lengthy and expensive tow, Mike (the service manager at this location) made me feel welcome. No condescending comments were made, expectations were set up front, etc… This guy knows how to communicate, thanks goodness. I thought my transmission blew, nope, just an output shaft speed sensor. $ 600 later, I’m back on the road. I got a hold of the service manual and believe this was a fair price for the labor and parts involved. Good experience at this location. I’ll be taking my vehicle here again in the future if I need any service, highly recommended. Fixing a car sucks, these guys made it the best it could be given the circumstances. A little customer service goes a heck of a long way. Thanks!

These guys were GREAT! I had a odd Mercedes and they pointed me at the dealer instead of trying to handle something that was not in my best interest. They fixed my BMW transmission, gave me great advice, did the work when they said it would be done and at a very good price!
I can not say enough good stuff about Mike the manager and his staff. They gave me a ride to the train and the coffee is even good. What more could I ask for!

The two stars are for the nice mechanic that explained everything to me. However, I brought my car in last feb and got a rebuilt trans. Cost me around $ 2000 now I am having trouble with my car that I was told from numerous people could be my transmission Since I had a year warranty I went to aamco. When I shift gears its like a loud knocking sound. I told the guy Mike about that he said he fixed it. Now I also needed a new ignition and a motor mount put in. (they did that)…after him always saying he will call me and not returning calls I have to call him numerous time to see whats going on with my car. After I get the call my car is done he also had FORD come out to come «reset the computer» that was $ 165 to come out and fix the knocking sound on my car… after I spent $ 900 I get my car and as I drove away the same noise occurs. I had my husband call him right away. He told my husband to bring the car back in the next morning. Therefore I did. Mike drove my car in and heard the noise himself. However he still tells me to get in and try it so he knows what they are looking for (which is the same thing I told them about from the beginning)…so he hears the noise. He raises his voice and says «your ignition was messed up and your worried about that». This is when I lost my patience. ANYONE could of fixed my ignition. and YES Im worried about that. That was the whole reason why I went there. Now when Mike would go over what was supposedly wrong with my car he kept telling me when I first took it in the codes but kept insisting he didn’t know what they meant. (so that was not helpful)…after I took my car back this time he calls me and says to bring it back he will do whatever he has to to fix it. even if that means replacing the transmission. well guess what? I brought it back yet again he insisted nothing is wrong with the transmission so once again I still have the sound…(so the $ 165 spent was useless)…and he just sends me to speak to the mechanic… mechanic was nice, explained everything to me about my car but he didn’t see anything wrong. but he also stated it could be in the trans but he wouldn’t know… so the mechanic also tells me I need no tie rods and mike will give me a quote. Mike says he will call us in 20 mins with a quote. DAYS LATER still nothing from mike. still the same damn problem with my car. I took my car to another good mechanic and he replaced my tie rod and ball joints. I mentioned about the gears clinking and he also stated he thinks its the trans… so here I am going back and forth with aamco to get NO WHERE. What good is the warranty when they don’t know whats wrong? and have horrible service? I would NEVER recommend this place to anyone!!!

The best customer service and honest consultation I have ever received! Mike has a customer for life. Thank you!

This place is amazing they are so honest! Very reasonable they did not try to sell us on anything that was not necessary they saved us $$$ This is our new mechanic shop. Id highly recommend them. You can trust them to be honest and do the job rite the first time. They value there customers

I’ve been to this shop twice. The first time was for a transmission issue. I was prepared for them to tell me that I needed a new transmission and would have believed it and probably paid for it. Instead all I needed was a $ 50 part. The recommended a transmission flush and fill since I was running without much fluid anyway, but they did not demand it. I followed their recommendations and my transmission went from slipping to working like a charm. That was in March of 2014.
Flash forward to October of 2014. Same car has an alternator issue. I know this is the case going in. I also know that it has been running hot. I attempted to change the alternator myself but it became very clear that on my vehicle it wasn’t going to be easy without the proper tools and space. I got my vehicle into the shop on a wednesday and had it back by the end of business on Friday. I stopped by to pick something up and Mike asked if I would look at the radiator. He was adamant that it wasn’t leaking and that I didn’t need to replace it right then, but he wanted me to see it because it was on borrowed time. I knew I had a coolant issue going in and one look at the radiator told me why. I had them replace the radiator as well and because it had to be removed to get to my alternator anyway, there was no addition labor charge. I’ve never had a garage I felt I could trust until this one.
I dealt with Mike both times I’ve had my vehicle into the shop. Another review called him unmotivated and I couldn’t disagree more. The phone was ringing off the hook and Mike does his best to answer the phone and deal with customers at the same time, not an easy task. He is very chill, but not unmotivated. In fact after I pulled away I immediately got a phone call asking if I could swing back around for a double check as there was some fluid under where the car had been sitting. It turned out to be a false alarm but Mike and the technician who worked on the car wanted to be sure they hadn’t missed something or forgotten to tighten a hose. The car now runs at the proper temperature and the alternator is working.
I get why people are skeptical when they take their cars into the shop. My first experience her was one of desperation. I parked on the street very close to closing time and the first thing that was done was to reopen the shop doors so that I didn’t get a ticket for having my car illegally parked. Only after that did we discuss any business. This guys are a class act all the way around. They are two for two with me and I will continue to take my car there whenever there is an issue.

Called in, spoke with Mike. Very unmotivated, kept insisting I had to take the car in to get it evaluated (for free of course) I told him I just wanted pricing on an already rebuilt trans not to fix or evaluate my current one. Asked for their labor and trans price, refused to give me a price because he’d have to make some phone calls. Instead, he told me to go look online for a price. I don’t know why I even bother calling if they don’t want business. Wondering if he thought I was some competitor trying to price match them or something?
If this is the service a prospective customer gets over the phone, I can imagine the service you get once you’re locked in and they’re working on your vehicle. I hope some of their upper management read this, too.
Places like this remind me of why I personally perform all maintenance work on my vehicle.

Since the new management has taken over my Ford Taurus has gotten fair and prompt treatment. New Mike is 10x better than old Mike.

I had taken my truck to three other shops [including this one BEFORE it changed owners] to find out what was wrong. ALL 3 had basically blown me off. I was getting really frustrated, and I was a bit cranky when I brought the truck in. This place listened to me, tested the truck, told me what they thought was wrong, and gave me an estimate to repair it. They fixed it at the price I was quoted. Mike, the new owner, was very nice and kept me informed of what was going on. The repair guy was also very nice and showed me what was wrong. I got great service at a very reasonable price. I recommend this place highly.
It also helps that they’ve cleaned up the public area of the shop. It’s a much nicer place to be.

Not sure Why there would be such horrible reviews about this place… maybe the ownership changed in the last few years. My husband has an ’06 BMW 750i. It has an extended warranty through a shady company. He has always taken it to the dealer since he bought it in ’06…and now some transmission issues :(. The dealer could fix it and charge too much, and the extended warranty co. would not work with the dealer… they recommended we take it to AAMCO. My husband called Mike, told him the scenario, and that he wanted to utilize the $ 2500 the extended warranty company was willing to pay out. Mike got his car in the next day, was extremely professional, and highly up front about that he wanted to do a good job, and please us. We scheduled the service to be done while my husband and I were on vacation, and when we got back the car was completed and running very well. we would wholeheartedly recommend Mike and this AAMCO location for any type of car servicing they can can do… It was thorough, professional, and very well explained!
Thanks Mike! He did call a few days later to check on the car… as mentioned by another reviewer.

I have a used 98 BMW. Trans went out. Spoke with Mike arranged getting it towed there. After it got there I asked them based on a diagnostic test is the car’s transmission worth getting fixed. Mike went over the diagnostics test and said that everything else looked good. I was quoted $ 2900 using all OEM BMW parts. I did my research and got a couple verbal quotes for what was needed. These guys came in $ 900-​$ 1200 cheaper between 3 other places. I went with them. From start to finish the car was completed in 4 days. Brought it back for a 10 day follow up per directions. The car is running great and was money well spent in my opinion. A week after the follow up appointment I got a phone call from Steve asking how everything was running. As a sales person I appreciated the follow up. I am very happy with the service and the work that was done at this shop. Most mechanic shops do not do trans work and sub the work out. So its common sense to cut out the middle man.

This aamco is definitely a shady place! The mechanics have no clue what they are doing! They misdiagnose your vehicle and tell you they can repair things and when you get your car, you still have the same issue! Then they act like they did all they can to fix your vehicle! Please don’t fall for all the niceness and the so called professionalism because it is a big front so when they screw you and take your money you will think they have your best interest at heart! Don’t fall for the offering of coffee and donuts and water that they offer for free! Steve is the owner and mike is his sidekick! Please do not trust them! You will be sorry! 2500.00 gone down the drain to rebuild a transmission and come to find out that wasn’t even the problem with my vehicle! When they realized it wasn’t a trans issue they so called fixed one of the issues and when I went to pick up my vehicle something else was wrong with my vehicle in which they claim they knew nothing about! They also only wanted to hear from me after i got a lawyer involved!

Came here last weekend for a transmission flush and oil change. The pricing was reasonable and service was great. Mike assisted me and was professional and honest. Did not try to sell me things I didn’t need. The waiting room is really nice compared to what you are probably used to in shops. Plus they washed my car for free when they were done! Definitely recommended.

About a year and a half ago, my car’s transmission died. I had it towed to this shop, and my vehicle was repaired within a week or so. Initially, I thought the work was fine, but it did not stand the test of time.
Within the year, my maintenance light came on and I found it was related to the transmission. The work was covered under warranty, so I was not charged for the repair, but Aamco kept my car for at least a week, maybe 2 weeks. When I got the car back, it wasn’t long before the check engine light came on again. It took another two weeks or so in the shop before I got my car back.
The worst part was that I felt the people working at the shop weren’t honest with me about what was going on. They would promise to call me, and then not call. I would call them back to follow up, and the person I would need to talk to was conveniently not available. They also didn’t offer good explanations for what the problem was, what they were doing to solve it, or when I could pick my car up.
The last straw was when my maintenance light when on again last week for a transmission-​related issue. I absolutely dreaded the thought of bringing my car back to Aamco because of the frustration I felt over my experience with them. I brought the car to another shop and paid $ 300 for the repair there rather than bringing it back to Aamco, where the work may have still been covered under warranty.
Do yourself a favor, and do not bring your car to Aamco on North Western Avenue.

I recently had a check up at this Aamco transmission shop after going to see 5 other local shops. I scheduled an appointment to come in and had an amazing experience! I was explained that the shop had just undergone a big change and the new head of the shop was Mike. He was fantastic… he was incredibly honest on what he thought needed to be done with the shop and what didn’t.
I asked them to take care of a brake change and also check my transmission as I was told by 3 other shops that my clutch was going out. After doing an inspection Mike found that the slave cylinder had a crack in the bushing and was leaking fluid and losing pressure to the clutch pedal. He also shared that my clutch was in great shape and that no new clutch was needed. This was incredibly pleasant to my ears as I was told by other local shops that I needed a new clutch in at over $ 1K!!!
After all was said and done, Mike and his shop Aamco changed the Master Cylinder and gave me a break job for an incredible price and under half of what all of these other shops were trying to quote me. He really saved my life! Will definitely refer this place to my friends and would happily recommend it to a stranger as well!
Good luck and keep these guys in mind if your looking for honest and good work!

After calling around for a estimate on an O2 sensor, this place has the best price.
We called to make an appointment, and they were able to take us first thing this morning.
This place is a little dated in the office and waiting room areas, but they have good knowledgeable, honest people and the shop looks great.
We went in, got taken care of, the sales guy, Mike took care of us, updated us on the status of the project, and it was done fairly.
They brought to our attention a legit problem with our breaks, and actually took out the time to SHOW us the problem in detail.
Every customer that came in there while we were there was treated fairly and given several options on their repair and they tried to stay in budget.
We are going back to them for our breaks, and I will continue to bring our car here for service. The people here talk to you like you are a human being, and don’t treat you like your an idiot. We were even offered doughnuts!

Three weeks ago I drop my Mazda Protégé 5 off at Aamco. It had a bad third and forth gear. They told me it would take three days and it would be $ 2400.00. Three days later it was ready. It need a few more parts and it was now $ 3200.00. I was told the cars computer need a little time to get use to the new transmission. If I had any problems to bring it back. That night I took it to work and on the way back home on LSD the car dropped out of fourth and then third gear. I had to drive home in second gear all the way home. I dropped the car off at Aamco in the morning and I have been waiting ever since to have them fix it. Tired of hearing excuses. Four weeks to replace the transmission.