AAMCO Transmissions & Total Car Care

If I could give them no stars I WOULD… These people specialize in transmissions??? My car went into their shop a month and a half ago. To be exact during Christmas break. They told me they will have an answer for me within a day. One week later I CALLED and they had no idea that my car was at their shop. They came up with some excuse and apologized and said they will get back to me by the end of the day… 3 days LATTER I CALLED again and they said the problem has been solved. They said it was an electrical problem, they fixed it and now they are taking it for a test drive. After the «test drive» they called me back and said: «oops not a electrical problem, it is a mechanical problem.» At this point we were a month into it. I called the store Brian who is considered a floater for AAMCO picked up. «Typical business man» told me that he is sorry offered my a discount (which in all reality it is NOT a favor) because they offer that 10% to everyone. He said my car will be ready in 3 days 14 hour labor and I could have my car by Tuesday. On Tuesday I called him and he had NO CLUE who I was… After refreshing his memory he said oh the car will be ready by Friday. Got my car back today Jan 25^th all the loans Brian had told me to apply for to pay for my car Azeri refused to use. BRIAN has no idea what he is talking about. He crashed another customers car he talks about Azeri all the time. THIS COMPANY IS A SHAME.

I had my transmission rebuilt in 2010 and received the lifetime warranty deal with it. It is now 2016 and Zero problems so far… The few times I had to take my car in to another shop because I have since moved to Southern Cali, all the mechanics that have worked on my car say my trans is in an excellent condition (I keep asking about it). BONUS!!! Loved the no BS approach of the owner (Azaria) no nickel and diming attitude and to my surprise my car was fixed and ready to be picked up in one business day. Thank you again
An old/​lifetime customer ;)

I took my car in for an oil leak and was told the repairs were going to be close to $ 600. I bought my car in 2008 brand new and this was literally the first time I’ve ever had a problem of any sort with my car which now had nearly 100,000 miles on it. I asked Azaria if he felt like my car (because of the milage) was going to start «nickel and diming» me and he said «yes». He could have said no and made $ 600!!! I can’t tell you how I appreciated his honesty. So, I left with my car , went and traded it in, got a new one and all is right with the world. Thanks Azaria for your professionalism and your HONESTY. You rock !!!

My check engine light came on then went off I went in on a Saturday they told me they would need to keep my car a whole day. So I brought my car back during the week so I could rent me a car and still go to work. so my car was ready the next day I took my rental back got in my car to drive it home and it overheated by the time I got home I called the number on the invoice which leads right back to Aamco store which is closed and you can only leave a voicemail. so the very next day I am without a rental car and I could not go to work because I had returned my rental, Aamco tows my car the next day only stating that they are only sorry. I sat in the office all day waiting for them to fix my car, the manager then comes in and says they put a defective part on my car and they ordered a new part so I go home and wait the rest of the day and still no updates. so I have to call multiple times and finally just go back down there and my car is out front. I asked if the car was done and the manager states yes so I wait in the waiting room and still nothing. so after 15 more minutes go by I ask again he states he has to put something on the car we both go out he put a new cap on something and I drive car for over an hour before they close and its now working just ok.
Customer service is horrible, they don’t call you back to give you updates on your car, I missed a day of work because I had to take off to make sure the car was going to taken care of they seemed like they just don’t care about the customer. After the broke down they said nothing about renting me car because they did not fix it they first time.

I’ve been to many other local auto shops and this is the first one that both Azaria and mike keep it real and genuinely want to help people get back on the road. I wouldn’t trust anyone else.

They got my truck transfer case and updated all the transmission parts from the junkie GMC and it was pretty damn fast. If I remember correctly Mike helped me out i financed 1600 and she still runs strong great work guys! Sorry it took so long to write back.

I took my Volvo S40 (66,000 miles) in on a Thursday morning, expecting that there was something wrong with the transmission after a few check engine lights went on. I live in San Francisco, so it was bait of a trek for me but thought that the AAMCO reputation made it worth it. After a couple hours, Mike called and told me he had to replace the spark plugs, wires, and that the air filters weren’t working correctly so he had to clean out the sensor. If cleaning it would’t work, he would have to replace it. I get a call a few hours later and he tells me he needs to replace it. My bill is now up to $ 850 for labor and parts, and I can pick up the car on Saturday.
When I arrive on Saturday I sign the paperwork and pay the bill before seeing the car. The car — that was supposedly fixed and ready — won’t start. Mike isn’t there, but the owner tells me the car has «cold morning sickness» and needs to be kept until Monday. This was not only degrading, but it didn’t tell me what the problem was.
I call Mike on Monday, he tells me that he needs to bring in a programmer to fix the misfire, and that it’s a simple problem that can be fixed. They’re also not charging me, since I had already paid for the repairs that were SUPPOSED to fix my car. He calls me at 1:30 and tells me the car is fixed and running great and I can pick it up.
I arrive around 4:30 and the car won’t start… again. After some tweaking with the engine (where they’re still not telling me exactly what they’re doing), they get the car to start and test it a few times to make sure it will keep running. Skeptically, I get in the car and drive back to SF. I immediately notice that it’s not running the way I would expect it to after four days in the shop and nearly $ 900 — but I make it to SF and park the car. Three hours later I go back to the car to drive somewhere and it won’t start. Shocker.
I ended up getting a AAA tow to the Volvo Service Station in SF, and they fixed my car in one day and it’s running great. They knew exactly what the problem was after a two hour assessment, and they were friendly and respectful, explaining everything to me.
When I called Mike back to tell him all of this, the best he could do was offer me 5 free oil changes. No thank you — I will never be returning to this place again. I’d rather pay twice the amount for an oil change at a reliable dealership than deal with these crooks.
If you’re a woman and you don’t know a lot about cars, I highly suggest bringing a man or someone else with you who knows what they’re talking about. I was definitely taken advantage of.

I had an appointment on 7÷9÷13 to have the check engine light checked out along with a multi-​point courtesy check on basic systems. I dropped the car off at 9:30am as scheduled and was told it would likely only take 1 hour, but give him an 1.5 hours to be safe. I return 1.5 hours later to find my car hasn’t even moved. Way to over-​commit and under-​deliver. Being in the area just for a visit, I didn’t have time to leave my car in the shop all day, especially with these jokers. I asked for my key back and left. They get at least 1-​star for being friendly during the sign-​in process. Zero stars for professionalism and management skills.

Went here during one of their ‘free checkup’ promotions because my gas gauge didn’t work (amongst other issues). Got a voicemail later that day saying he had found the issue and already fixed it and that it would be $ 100. Yeah, awesome.
I was going to let it slide (as I’m not the confrontational type), but the wife disagreed. I called and after we got into a heated conversation around the meaning of «free» and asking an owner’s permission before making any repairs, the sleazy dude said I could pick up the car. Not surprisingly, the car wasn’t fixed when I picked it up.
Needless to say, never went back, and my distrust of (most) car repair places was strengthened. So thanks for that Aamco.

So, I had a transmission code that prevented getting my new-​to-​me 2001 Ford Focus smogged. Aamco was open Saturday, so I took it right in. I was worried when it was taking several days to find the exact problem. Then I get a call that they had sleuthed out that there had been a battery explosion in the past, and a tiny, hidden segment of the tranny wiring harness had developed an intermittent failure due to battery acid. They fixed this as part of the diagnostic fee. Turns out the previous owner had taken the car to two other places that could not solve the problem. Big points for taking their time and being amazingly thorough.

I’m still waiting on a final review…
I came here to get my engine fixed for a misfire and a new timing belt. The customer service was adequate and Azarria was very personable and easy to talk to.
The car was ready in several days, initially appearing in much healthier shape than when it was brought in. But then the Service Engine light reappeared the day I was to bring it to a smog check, maybe 2 weeks after picking up. Disappointingly, my baby failed the health inspection.
This issue has not been brought back to Aamco nor has it been retested since… still in progress.

I arrived at 8:45 for a simple oil change. I was told it would take an hour to an hour and a half. My car sat in the parking lot for a little over two hours before they started to work on it. 3 hours later… My two little ones and I were the only ones left in the waiting room. I would like to add that I arrived before two of the ladies and they were out before me. I understand that wait times aren’t always guaranteed. I guess because the other women were spending more money on their repairs they had priority. I really liked this place but, something has changed. We will not be back.
On a positive note they were nice!

Perhaps the owner is cool with some people, but he is not fair and honest with everyone. WOMEN & GAYS BEWARE! The manager is very cool — friendly, knowledgeable, great people and communication skills, and I’m sorry he’s not the owner. The owner, I wish I could say the same of, but I can’t. And I’m sorry too, because he’s a «brotha» who I’d like to have supported with my business. But, when someone is just straight up taking you for a ride, and I don’t mean a joy ride, well, you just have to take your business elsewhere. He «contradicted» himself about his original diagnosis, and his quotes for repair and parts were highly inflated (like $ 200! for a part that costs $ 30). I know because I made several calls, and checked it out at several parts and repair places myself. This is one of the all too many garages that will «take you» if you’re a woman, because they think you’re stupid. These mechanics need to stop this kind of b.s., it’s bad karma and it’s bad for business.

Mike, one of the managers at this location, is a doll! He was the one who broke it to me that the used car I had just bought had a pre-​exsisting transmission problem. He not only called the dealer to objectively explain the situation to him that same day, himself (I was pretty upset), he also continued to offer me support whenever I had questions as to how to go about negotiating with the dealer about how to get the matter resolved (even though the dealer ended up paying half but at a totally different shop)! The customer service was excellent & I would definately recommend them to anyone in need of transmission work. I actually wish they did other services/​repairs! :-)

I got my oil changed here and Mike is the most helpful, friendly and fun guy! He made me feel right at home! I left my car there and picked it up a few hours later while I was visiting a friend in O-​Town. It’s close to the bus stop on Broadway (like 2 blocks) and I found out that you can get a Zipcar at Kaiser so make a pitstop here for your oil change! Thanks guys!

I started having problems with truck in early may so on 5-​21-​2010 I took my 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 into Aamco Transmissions in Oakland. I was greated by the owner (Azeria) and the new shop manager (Mike). They explained to me the process and what need to be done and what upgrades I could do to make my transmission more heavy duty. Mike was in contact with me through the entire process and was extremely helpful. When picking the truck I had unique chance to meet the builder and then was shown the parts that had failed. I recommend this Aamco, not just because of the name, but the manager is great and takes care of his customers and the owner is friendly but most importantly THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING!

I felt compelled to write this review to let people know that it’s under NEW MANAGEMENT. While they did take longer with my car than I would have liked, they knew that I had had a prior horrible experience with the previous guy and Azaria made it right. He got me back on the road and even noticed that I had a new set of wiper blades on the passenger seat and his guys installed them for me!
Thank you, Azaria. You turned that place around!

I had a poor experience at AAMCO. My car would die at stop signs/​traffic lights and would have problems with acceleration at low gears.
They diagnosed the problem as some sort of electrical arcing problem and recommended replacing wires, an oxygen sensor, and spark plugs, totalling $ 750. I spent all that money for nothing as shortly afterwards, i started having the same problem.
I took the car to another mechanic and they diagnosed the problem as a faulty fuel pump, which was correct. So I spent $ 750 for nothing!
These guys don’t know what they’re doing and I will never go here again!

I came to AAMCO due to there numerous ads on free diganostics. The customer service could be better, but they were helpful with handling the issues my car was dealing with. I guess they don’t have time to be nice since they were swap with so many cars. Steve was the mechanic that handle my car problems and was knowledgable and prompt, he got the job done with my car. AAMCO is like the fast food chain of cars lol. It gets the job done but don’t expect 5 star service.

So what I thought was a great mechanic, turned out to be bad, very bad.
I went to get my oils & fluids changed and they informed me that who ever last touched my car didnt drain the oil, they just topped it off, they didnt change any filters or any fluids, and that probably should ask for my money back.
Im in the process of looking for a new mechanic, b/​c now alll of my belts are squeaking. Which AAmco should have fixed.
What did I pay for?