Luis Transmission and Auto Repair

I had a very bad experience with Luis. The long and drawn out process is summarized below. At this point, I have been refunded for the transmission (by means of a credit card dispute). All of the work that Luis performed (transmission and heater hose replacement) had serious issues documented by the dealership, and it is highly likely (although difficult to prove) that Luis’s errors caused permanent engine damage. Through this process, Luis lied, was rude, indignant, and very difficult to work with. I know it is difficult to find good and affordable transmission shops, but unfortunately I cannot recommend Luis.
This is a brief summary of my experience:
1) I dropped car with Luis. He is to rebuild transmission and replace heater hoses, guaranteed to be done in X days.
2) Parts and repair delayed
3) Pick up car three days later than promised. Transmission does not operate correctly, and something else is… very wrong. Lack of power, runs very hot, engine knocks, check engine light comes on.
4) Bring car back to Luis. He says transmission is fine and nothing is wrong with car, and come back in 500 miles.
5) Bring car back to Luis. Transmission continues to misbehave during test drive and car seriously lacks power, and he denies any issue and claims that it is because the car has only 4-​cylinders.
5) Bring car to another mechanic. Radiator blows due heat and pressure.
6) I fix radiator. In process, I find that airbox was not closed by Luis when his shop performed work. Luis denied ever working near the air box, but this is unlikely as air box is next to heater hoses which he replaced. This intake of hot air is likely what caused the engine problem (and permanent engine damage)
7) Due to running hot, O2 sensor is now diffusion welded to exhaust manifold. $ 1200 repair estimate.
8) After repairing O2 sensor, I bring car to dealership. Dealership confirms that transmission is not operating correctly, and is overfilled with fluid. Dealership corrects transmission fluid level but is unable to remedy poor shifting.
9) Dealership pressure tests cooling system and finds that the heater hoses (replaced by Luis) were not tightened sufficiently and are leaking.
10) After multiple attempts by the dealership to resolve the check engine light, no resolution. Likely permanent damage due to car running hot (likely result of Luis’s work).

I had just bought a used SUV with under 90k miles last summer. I kind of got talked into one of those hell-​ish «warranty» programs. A lot of people have trouble with these, but this is because they try and deal with them on their own. I brought my truck and warranty information to Luis and he said «no problem, I will handle everything».
Luis came through, and after some delays on THEIR part, not Luis’s, I got my truck back. Been driving it for about 3 weeks and everything is smooth as silk. I was scared that the warranty company would screw me over with used tranny from a junkyard, but they let Luis and his crew rebuild the stock transmission. Cost me a $ 100 bill for a rebuilt tranny.
A+, 5 stars, two thumbs up so far.
Great service, good work, veteran owned and operated, what more can you ask for? If something goes wrong with any of my vehicles, they are going straight to Luis!

5 Years ago I had my Jeep Grand Cherokee transmission serviced there and recall that I was happy with the work and Luis. Here’s an owner who you can trust and know that he is truly interested in providing good work at a very competitive price. He noticed another issue and that’s our next trip there. Other customers there said the same. These guys deserve the work.

My transmission was leaking ATF all over my garage in my 1968 Cadillac Deville. After calling around to several shops and being turned away (scared of an older car), I found Luis on Unilocal and decided to give him a call based on his high rating. It is so important to find a mechanic that you can trust, and I have found Luis and couldn’t be more satisfied. Unfortunately my caddi required a complete transmission overhaul (original 47 year old tranny), but Luis busted it out in only 3 days and had it back to me the same week. Pretty impressive considering the age of my car (he was able to source the new clutch gears quickly). Got an invoice with all parts and prices clearly stated, and he even cleaned and freshly spray painted the transmission case, keeping my Caddi maintained at an excellent standard.
I highly recommend Luis!

Great small repair shop. Replaced the clutch in my ford focus. Great price, very honest guy, and the clutch works great. I will definitely go back to have future work done.

Another five stars for Luis!
What a great guy!!! Jorge is also a great tech!
I’m sorry to say that I had to visit these guys again with my second car as the clutch went out. I popped a spring off my clutch, exactly what I guessed happened. Luis offered a price that ended up being about $ 500-​$ 700 less than what I paid a shop down the street on another car a few years ago. And he hooked me up with a free loaner car and a free tow from my home to his shop. When all was said and done, the total was less than the estimate! WTF?!? How often are you going to find a mechanic who charges you the actual cost when it is less than the estimate which was already fair?!?
And I got a warranty for a year. Can’t complain about that!
My car is a front wheel drive, so pulling the transmission means pulling the lower subframe, axles, etc. not an easy task like an old rear wheel drive truck (what I brought him last time).
I can’t say enough good things about this shop!
Thank you so much Luis and Jorge! You guys kick ass. I really really appreciate it!

Fast, friendly, reliable! Thank you Luis transmissions for fixing my vw Jetta and making in run like new again!

I have an old 1968 Mustang and recently the front pump seal on the transmission started to leak. Typically I’d like to just do this work myself because of the amount of labor costs, however I currently live at an apartment and can’t work on my car in the parking lot. I decided to just get the entire transmission rebuilt considering they will have to drop the transmission to replace that seal anyway. I originally went to another mechanic shop down the road and they actually recommended I come here because Luis’s transmission has more experience with my particular transmission. Called the owner and explained to him the work I was looking to get done. From someone that typically works on his own cars to avoid labor costs, I was completely satisfied in the quote he gave me for the complete transmission rebuild and he included a three year warranty as well. Owner is very honest and is there to fix your vehicle problems and will not try to sell you anything that you don’t need. He’s also a Marine Veteran. Big plus in my book.

This is somewhat a late review but am new to Unilocal.Our Honda Odyssey van suffered a burned out transmission thanks to front end drive shaft substandard work done by a poor referral in Tucson, AZ (our home). The drive shaft popped loose during a U-​turn in San Diego. It had not been locked in properly. This caused our van to lose its transmission fluid slowly. While leaving San Diego on I-​8 my transmission loses power and burns out. The tow truck brought it to a service station that recommended Luis transmissions. I was skeptical because it wasn’t a major transmission name. Luis convinced me to give him a try. I am glad we (my son and I) did. He did a great job in it at a fabulous price. That was in June 2014 and the van is still driving strong. I hope everyone in San Diego area reads this to learn how highly rated Luis transmissions is.
I’m completely pleased and tend to be a «tough nut to crack.»
RL

Stopped by in the morning to get a diagnosis of transmission problem I had been having for quite some time. Luis came out and plugged in the diagnostic machine and told me the issue. I went to an auto part store, got the recommended part and installed it within 10 minutes right there in the parking lot and was on my way — problem solved for a whopping $ 19. Thank you Luis for your free service and willingness to simply be helpful. It is very much appreciated.
This was actually the second visit to Luis’ shop. He had rebuilt the rear end of the transmission a few years back and gave great service then too allowing me to use a shop vehicle while mine was being serviced. Highly recommend his shop for transmission work.

When your transmission starts to fail it can be one of the worst nightmares in a car’s life, but there is no one else I would have rather taken it to than Luis. He was recommended by my oil change place Express Tire, and i am extremely grateful to have found him. He made an otherwise stressful process smooth. He gave me a good price, provided a vehicle for me to drive, fixed it in a timely manner, and even washed my car when i picked it up. I felt taken care of the whole time and knew that I was getting the best deal he could offer. He also offers a good warranty and one free maintenance. Thank you Luis!

These guys are the professional, courteous and honest. We have a 2006 Nissan X-​terra and suddenly the transmission stopped working, we called our normal shop and they referred us to Luis Transmission. When the AAA tow truck driver arrived he said that he does not usually recommend placed but he would recommend Luis Transmission since they gave him an honest answer about his car. They did great work on our transmission, Luis was up front with us from the beginning explaining everything the car may need and exactly how much it would cost. In addition to transmissions we learned that they do complete auto care and we will be taking our car to him for all services in the future.

Most honest and skillful dudes I know that will take care of you. These guys may seem like a small shop but they can do BIG things. Luis was actually referred to me by Express Tire, due to the fact that they didn’t offer transmission services & my 97 4runner was throwing all kinds of codes & making funny knocking sounds when idling or accelerating in 1^st & 2^nd gear.
One of the staff dropped me off at home and basically got to drive the truck back to see how it handled. 2 birds with 1 stone! Called me an hour later to tell me the fly wheel/​sprocket was making knocking sound and the codes were for 3^rd cylinder misfires. After fixing the fly wheel, on military discount by the way, he sent me next door to a completely different business to take care of the engine and smog that I needed. Also received discount from other shop too!
2 days total time and I Had my beloved 4runner back on the road and re-​registered. Thought I was going to have to scrap the beast if there was major issues. Luis COULD HAVE been like other shady shops and try to milk me as much as possible, but didn’t.
Come see him if u need work done to your transmission, you won’t regret it. FREE DIAGNOSIS and he honors warranty on all parts replaced.

Mr. Luis is a very nice and gentle man. He showed great care and concern for our needs. He initiated phone calls when needed. He gave us a great deal on my daughters Town and COUNTRY mini van that gave out on the 5 while coming back from Magic Mountain. He did the work on time and in the cost range of the semi-​estimate of what was the likely cost of repair. Really what you want in this line of work; honest and reliable. I would use him again, no question…

I highly recommend Luis and his team! After getting a quote to fix my clutch for nearly three times the price, I was referred to Luis for the clutch on my 99 4Runner. He treated me a like a friend from the beginning and was completely honest with me the whole way through. I’m fairly particular about my car and do some work on it myself, but with Luis, I felt like he treated my car as he would his own, which is nearly impossible to find nowadays. On top of that he gave me a great deal on my repair and had it done the same day as I was hoping for. I’ll definitely be coming back to him for future work and would recommend him to my friends as well. From someone who has been to his fair share of repair shops throughout the years, my experience with Luis has been one of the best so far. Thanks Luis!

Since my brother had such a great experience with Luis overhauling his Ford Explorer transmission, I took his advice. It has been 3 years since Luis overhauled my 2001 Plymouth Neon transmission, and has been running perfect since then. Luis included a free one year check-​up, with my only out of pocket expenses… cost $ 90.00 for an ‘oil leak’ …, but then also included a free $ 69.00 transmission oil change the following year. True to his word, Luis replaced the tranny oil, and his technician topped off the radiator fluid and gave me a heads up on getting the radiator flushed as it was showing signs of rust.
Luis gives you that personal and caring extra mile, …even giving me and my brother the use of his pickup for 2 — 3 days on each of our transmission overhauls… and no charge for the wheels!!! It’s nice to have work done from someone who talks from the heart and truly show that he cares for your budget.
I’m very satisfied with the quality of work and will take my vehicle back again and again.
Thanks Luis and your great staff!!!
~ Nels

I have nothing but good things to say about this place. They have unbeatable prices and the quality of their work is outstanding — SO MUCH BETTER than most other (more expensive) places. Luis and his team are the best. They were incredibly accommodating and really went out of their way to help me out when my car broke down, TWICE. They replaced my car’s clutch and front axle, transmission seal, and front wheel bearings. After inspecting the car he gave me a list of things I needed to take care of, all of which I knew about: nothing more, nothing less. That never happens with mechanics; they often scare you into getting things your car doesn’t really need. Other shops quoted me as high as $ 1700 for these repairs. Luis did it all for less than that.
I hope they get as much business as they can handle. If all mechanics were this hardworking, knowledgeable, and honest car repairs wouldn’t be so costly and such a hassle. There’s nothing better than walking away from your mechanic knowing that you’re getting exactly what you need. Highly recommend!

Called about having my car looked at. The guy did not want to help. Said my there was no car like that in his shop and hung uP^ on me!!!
Of course my car isn’t there. I have it and wanted to see about having it looked at and what options they had to even do so.
Worst CS support. Good luck staying in business!

Luis rebuilt the transmission on my Montero about 18 months ago. The workmanship and price was great. The gasket to the transmission took on a leak about a week ago. Luis fit me in to his busy schedule and fixed it, replacing all the transmission fluid as well at no charge no questions asked.
Luis is a credible proprietor who provides excellent service at a reasonable price. His shop is always clean and he is a wealth of knowledge and has one mission, to get you back on the road. It has been great dealing with Luis and his crew. Semper Fi.

I looked at the reviews and since their was only one bad one by «a stupid girl» her words not mine, I thought I would take a chance. It’s very difficult to find honest transmission repair shops. Rapid transmissions shops are a ripoff stay away from them.
I digress, Luis came out and spoke with me personally. I have a 28 dodge with a chevy engine and tranny. I told him I don’t know the year (the first place I took it to couldn’t figure it out). He said no problem, he would serice the trans and change the oil and check the rest of the car for me so I didn’t have to take it all over the place. The job is not done yet, but I’m very impressed so far. Stay tuned