Aamco Transmissions

I do not usually write reviews unless I am upset, but this Aamco is the exception. I brought my car in for the state inspection after a bad experience at another shop. The new owner was extremely accommodating, personable, and honest. After an hour, he told me my car was fine and offered guidance on future maintenance my car would require, but did not try to push it on me as it was not necessary at the time. I was in a hurry so I opted to decline, but this Aamco will definitely be getting the work when it is time for it, though.

Honest guys. Fixed me right up with a quick appt.

I own an hvac company. My truck is my life-​line!!! lost forward drive. Called Brian and talked about repairing the truck asap. He told me to get it into the shop as soon as I could. I had it towed over and he got right on it. Had the transmission out and replaced within a couple days. He could have charged me anything, I was at his mercy. Quoted me a very fair price!!! Picked up the truck and it runs GREAT!!! Would use him again and again. Can’t speak highly enough about the way he does business. Its good to see honest hard working people. THANK YOU!!!

I’ve been going to see Larry at Aamco for years and was always pleased with the timing and results. Larry retired in December and now Brian is a co-​owner with Jim. Both are incredibly nice and accommodating. Recently I had to get my annual inspection but was in the middle of getting a temp registration because I lost the original and was supposed to get it later that day. Brian said he’d be able to do everything except the emissions test and when I get the temp to bring it over and he’ll finish it up. He could have easily told me to make another appointment when I have all the correct documentation but didn’t.
After I got them the temp registration and they finished the inspections, I thanked them and apologized for everything and Brian said, «well we strongly believe that if you’re good to your customers they’ll be good right back to you.» So this is my first Unilocal review, something which I never thought I’d participate in, but these guys deserve it.

I just got back from getting my oil changed here. Brian, one of the new co-​owners, could not have been nicer and more polite both on the phone and in person. I called a lot of places trying to make an appointment, and was turned down pretty rudely until I finally called Aamco and spoke to Brian. He got me in the next day (which everyone who works a 9 – 5 during the weekdays will be happy to hear was actually a Saturday – they’re open Saturday mornings!) and I was in and out with little issue and reasonable prices. Brian was there to meet me when I got there, and also fixed a loose splash guard next to my front wheel free of charge. I will definitely be going to Aamco for my future car needs.
P. S. If you’re the type that doesn’t really like just hanging out in the garage while you wait for them to finish with your car, Aamco is pretty conveniently located just off Baum, behind the AAA building, so you can leave, walk around, shop for some groceries across the street, or grab a coffee at Starbucks while you wait.

I took my Jeep to Brian and Jim’s shop a month ago because I heard a grinding noise at about 20 mph and above in the general area of the rear wheels. I talked with Brian a several times and he seems to be a knowledgable and good guy. They found a used «rear end» and installed it at what seems like a reasonable price. Jeep sounded great when I got it back. It’s now two weeks later and the same (or similar) sound is back. When I called Brian said essentially, «Bring it right in and we’ll take a look.» I like this shop.

I had a very positive experience with Brian at this Aamco.
Brian was able to correctly diagnose my problem. Additionally, he took 15 minutes to prove to me he had correctly identified the issue. Some shops won’t let you in the back, but Brian showed me the nuts and bolts of my car, and the component that had failed.
Brian stuck to the estimate he gave me, which was far less than the price a nearby chain had quoted for the same work. Also, he went the extra mile to get the work done on a tight deadline that I had due to my work constraints.
If all mechanics acted like Brian, mechanics would be more trusted than doctors.

Best Mechanic Shop Ever!
Pros: Brian has amazing customer service skills. He calls you once the car is opened up and then like a surgeon diagnosis the problem with honesty and some truth. What I mean is he says ‘I believe with 96% probability that _​_​_​_​so_​and_​so_​is_​the_​issue_​_​_​with your car. I really like the honesty and trust he conveys when discussing the diagnosis. Just like with humans, Doctors are unable to always predict with 100% certainty that a person has a specific disease and Brian says it how it is as well. It brings the conversation down to Earth and I haven’t had that type of service at a mechanics shop especially in a large city.
After fixing the car he actually brings out the old part and explains everything they did to fix the car. He goes into detail in layman terms and it reassures you as the customer in the care and trust they take to fix your car.
Cons: Even for basic service it often takes +3 days to do.

I have a very, very rudimentary base of knowledge when it comes to cars. Mechanics probably pick up this scent within seconds of me walking in the door. So when it came time to get the oil changed in my new-​to-​me 2010 Honda Civic, I turned to Unilocal to help find a place with a solid rating. As far as oil-​changing joints go, this AAMCO location stood out among others in the East End. Here’s why it gets a high rating in my book…
I called two days ahead of time to schedule. They could take me early Friday morning– the sooner the better. Well, I was out late celebrating a birthday the night prior and overslept. I called back to reschedule for another day, but they were able to squeeze me in in the afternoon. I went in thinking I was going to be dropping $ 80 for synthetic oil, but Brian, the shop manager and co-​owner is a Honda guy himself and said regular oil would work just fine. I asked him if he could check out the condition of my brakes and tires. Instead of doing a quick visual, he took the tires off to check. Moreover, he rotated them, so my best tires are up front, where they should be. All told, the bill came to under $ 40 and I was in and out in under an hour.
Along with his business partner, Jim, Brian took over the AAMCO in the latter half of 2014 and he officially became a co-​owner on 1 December. He has years of experience working on cars, first as a hobby, and then after a long time in the restaurant business, as an employed mechanic. The customer service was great. I was greeted promptly and with a handshake. After returning to pick up my car, Brian and I spoke for about 10 minutes after the shop had closed for the day. He has plans to renovate the shop to make it better for both his customers and employees, as well as to offer deals through social media.
I’ll need tires soon and brake job down the line– I’ll be returning to AAMCO for both. It was great walking away not only with the feeling that I didn’t get screwed this time around, but that I have a reliable, knowledgeable place where I can go for any mechanical issues. Bottom line: can’t recommend this place highly enough.

I needed an oil change and general safety inspection, but I was having trouble finding a place with decent reviews that took appointments and had weekend hours. I called this AAMCO and the guy said that they usually only do transmission work on the weekend, so their mechanics/​general tech guys aren’t in. However, he offered to schedule me for a Saturday morning appointment as he was going to be in that weekend anyway. I was happy to accept his offer and the actual appointment went very well. The man I spoke with and who worked on my car is very personable and accommodating, and the maintenance he performed on my car was done well and priced fairly. I don’t know if they will always be able to accommodate my schedule, but my experience thus far is that they are at least willing to try.

So I had to take my car to get inspected in order to register my car here in PA and ended up taking it to this place. I called in advance, the day of and they were able to fit me in since I needed to get this done ASAP. Anyway, I drop the car off in the AM and walk over to the closest Starbucks (its like 3 blocks away) so that I can get my work done, as they don’t have WIFI. After 3 hours or so, Larry calls me and lets me know that my car was ready. Fortunately, my car didn’t need any work so I was a happy gal. The inspections that they did were about $ 67 or so, which was pretty average as I had taken my husband to get the same thing done elsewhere. At any rate, the people here were very friendly and professional, they didn’t try to sell me anything that was not necessary, which I tend to encounter a fair bit. Highly recommend.

If I could give them zero stars, I would. Awful! My car wouldn’t start so I called the tow and he managed to get it started, but it’s been acting up so I brought it in anyways. After having my car for an entire week and not calling me once, after I’ve called twice, the man on the phone told me it was ready to pick up, nothing wrong with it. When I went to pick it up, I turned it on and before I could even leave the lot, it died! I went back in and told him that the tow truck operator hooked it up to a jumper box and pumped the gas to start it. That’s what he did. Then told me it probably didn’t start because it was sitting so long. Then he told me «I don’t know anything about your car»! I left and sure enough had trouble getting it started at my next destination, had to pump the gas pedal. Yeah, that sounds like «nothing’s wrong». DO NOT BRING YOUR CAR HERE. THEY ADMITTEDLY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT CARS!

I took my car here for the state inspection. I mean, there’s really not much to rate here — they gave me a sticker, didn’t try to sell me anything (my car is like a year old, anyways) and the price was as advertised. They gave me a ride to work, and were quite friendly.
I’ll most likely come back for my future inspection needs, and, if I have a car out of warranty, certainly give them a try for mechanical issues.

I went here to get my serpentine belt replaced and a transmission flushed and these guys were friendly and efficient. They took the time to explain things to me and I felt comfortable that they were making the appropriate recommendations without trying to charge me for things I didn’t need. It was ready in just a few hours as promised so I was able to pick it up same day. Only complaint is that they left my transmission fluid dipstick out of place under the hood so it was just laying on top, but fortunately it didn’t fall down and screw up anything since it was laying flat on the top, but if it had that could’ve been a more serious problem. So I subtracted a star for that since it seemed a bit careless.

I’ve taken my car to Larry, aka Aamco, the first time because my brakes had been squeaking for months. Asked Larry to change my brake pads and he said. «No.» He said there was still 80% wear left on them. He said just bring them back in a year or so when they need changing while explaining the squeaking was due to a lower quality material aftermarket pad that my guy in San Diego had installed. Stand up guy. Stand up service.
Now it’s been a year, so I’m taking my car in to actually get it worked on with confidence.

I have taken my car here now for seven months (two cars really). From routine maintainence to identifying a problem they have only shown me the best service. They always present me with good and complete information and are honest and trustworthy. The last time I was in they saw the problem right away and since it was a 30 second fix they didn’t charge me.
I can’t recommend these guys enough. The best mechanic I have had experiences with in my adult life!

I was incredibly nervous about taking my car to a major chain as I’ve heard and read many mixed reviews about numerous locations. My experience at this Aamco was fantastic though!
Larry was incredibly kind and helpful in explaining what was wrong with my transmission, and when it came time to fix it, he ended up charging me the originally estimated cost even though he needed to do a little extra work.
Can’t recommend this place enough!

So the whole reason why I chose this Aamco was because it was a short walk from my apartment in Shadyside and I could easily leave my car there and walk home without having to bum a ride from my roommate. All I needed was an oil change and my PA state inspection and it turned out to be a pretty painless experience. I just dropped off my car in the morning and picked it up in the afternoon. It’s hard to find a decent mechanic and Larry and his team seem like people who will take good care of you. I’ll be back there for sure.