Aamco Transmissions and Total Car Care

OK– this will be a two part review-​I have NOT received the car back yet but have been impressed with the attention to detail these folks have going over my daughters car (which I was unclear on its service history.) I feel confident that the work they will preform will be top notch and will report back after I get the car back to «complete» this review.

Shannon and the staff at this Aamco station are absolutely wonderful.
My check engine light came on during my commute on a Tuesday. I had the day off on Thursday so I called on Wednesday and scheduled an appointment for the following day. I explained what I noticed with the car and when I brought it in the following day they had made note of my comments. After a test drive to observe the symptoms I had noted they called me back with a detailed explanation of their preliminary findings and the tests they would perform to assess the total situation. I gave my approval and received another call after all tests and diagnostics had been completed and again I was given a detailed explanation of their findings and the recommended repairs.
I needed the car for work on Friday, so the staff stayed after hours to complete the repairs and I was able to pick up my car Thursday night.
Shannon and his staff are very thorough, thoughtful, and considerate. I will continue to bring my vehicles and I recommend their services to everyone.

This place is amazing!!! Shannin and his staff are the friendliest and trustworthy people. They do it all, well almost for except body work. They were fast and honest and gave me options explanations etc! Wouldn’t go anywhere else now that I’ve been here.

what can I say, Aamco in San Rafael is a great place to take your car. i recommend them to my family and friends it’s great place to repair your car, Great costumer service. Ron and Tim, and their staff are really nice and friendly, They are very honest and help full with their work. I took my car over because it was leaking oil, they did a free inspection and fix the problem. they are awesome people becouse they keep in touch they call you in a timely manner to tell you what they found and give you a estimate, and if you are struggling they offer monthly payments, I took my car couple of days ago to them, they found a hose that could have ripped and put my family in a really dangerous situation. Visit them you won’t regret it, THEY ARE GREAT

Update: been here several more times now… including a couple other places because it seemed more convenient at the time;
Last time I had my oil changed went to penzoil in San rafael: they didn’t tighten my oil drain plug enough leaving oil all over the private drive on our rental street. Aamco tightened it for free. Took my car in today to Aamco to get an oil change and they pointed out (and showed me) that the place I had do my rear brakes up in novato 3 months ago (I went there because I was getting new tires) actually replaced NOTHING. Needless to say I’m ONLY going back to aamco, except when I go to this place to ask them for an explanation and hopefully a refund. These guys are trustworthy

To start off their customer service is great. Very personal with their customers and are not just trying to get you in there to make money. Honest guys and the free inspection is always great. Shannon and his crew are on top of it and do great work. They actually care, when my wife found out her axles were broken Shannon offered his card that goes to his cell phone and if an accident or anything happened before we got the axles fixed, offered to take care of the situation personally (get on the phone and have it towed to Aamco and fix it the next day). I recommend these guys for sure.

Shannon has been extremely helpful. We brought our old Plymouth Voyager in, and he gave us a free and very detailed assessment of the issues it has. We may not choose to get the van repaired, as it is so old at this point, and Shannon has been very patient and helpful in allowing us to keep the van at his location until we can donate it and get it towed. Really appreciate their honesty and great customer service, and will for sure use them when our next car needs repairs.

I have a list of items to repair on my car to do list. I have brought my BMW to the shop on multiple occasions for different items on my list and have received the best service. Shannon and McDonald are great to work with and if anyone asks me, I will send them right over to this shop. Thanks guys!

Shannon was great. They took my (what I thought was totaled car) and fixed it up all under $ 500! I could not be happier. Honest people and very helpful.

Shannon was super sweet! I loved the transparency of the staff, I really felt like I left knowing a lot more about cars. Of all the places I’ve taken my car to I have finally found a quality shop! I won’t be taking my car anywhere else

I would highly recommend this place to everyone who loves a business with Management/​Staff that are extremely considerate, caring, and honest!

Shannon was so great to work with! My car needed the check engine light diagnosed and he called me with updates the whole way through the process and confirmed all pricing on parts and labor before doing the work. He even changed out my brake light without an extra fee!
Also, McDonald was great for pick-​up/​drop-​offs. Super friendly place and better treatment than any other auto repair shop I’ve been too!

I’m up here visiting from San Diego. Of course the best time for the check engine light to come on. I stopped into Aamco because I’ve seen their commercials for a free code check. I was very pleasantly greeted by Shannon the GM. After a short wait he had a tech come out and check my code. It turned out to be a vacuum leak. We opened the hood and he spotted the air feeder going into the filter had disconnected. I re-​attached it and no light back on since.
I would like to thank Shannon and his team there for taking good care of an out of towner. For sure if I had any other issues I would go back and see them again.

Great service! Honest owners, talented techs, straight forward explanations. Our suv went in for major work, the communication between shannon and don and us was timely and professional. We always knew where things were at and we got the truck back in good time. Work was done well. I would recommend this shop to anyone who wants quality, honest work with genuine customer service from guys who really care. Glad I came in!
Paul
2006 Ford explorer

Shannon and McDonald’s customer service is the epitome of AAMCO San Rafael. I’ve had both of my vehicles checked for various mechanical issues and they have provided honest and detailed recommendations and estimates.

I couldn’t be happier with the service of the San Rafael Aamco. From Shannon’s welcoming smile and knowledge and McDonald’s fast drop off and pick up while my vehicle gets looked at, I highly recommend this shop.
Not to mention the most important part; the quality of work and follow up; excellent, fast and forthright. I was kept up to date as to what they were trying, looking and and making conclusions on before moving forward.
Look no further, I feel comfortable recommending this shop to even the pickiest of customers!

My car broke down on the Richmond bridge and I was able to limp into their parking lot. Shannon took great care of me and my car even giving me a ride to the Avis around the corner so that I could continue on my way! Great communication all week long and I was able to pick it up in a reasonable amount of time. Thanks AAMCO and Shannon!

I brought my husband’s Subaru to Aamco this morning and had a great experience. The staff was friendly and knowledgable. Shannon took time to explain the work and its cost. He kept me apprised of the progress. He helped me get on Aamco’s wifi so I could continue working. Shannon brought me a donut and McDonald gave me a ride home. I couldn’t have asked for better assistance!

After having my car worked on they were really encouraging me to write a review on Unilocal so here goes.
I feel like I’ve been ripped off. I was told the problem had been solved when it wasn’t. I was told something else broke and I had to fix it now! I spent almost $ 1000 there and I had to have somebody else fix it for $ 2500 more. Some fast talkers behind that counter.
Avoid!

Scroll down to for the TL: DR version.
These guys saved me from a very unpleasant experience. As I was driving on 580 to the Richmond Bridge, my car «slipped» as if the gear shift was delayed. Immediately, the check engine light came on. I pulled over and contemplated my situation along with all of my bad life choices. After gathering my wits, I looked at my Waze app for the nearest gas station.
I drove into the gas station and continued to ponder about my fate. This was 5÷24÷15, a Sunday AND the day before Memorial day. The hour was around 6 PM. What to do… I checked Unilocal and of course no other car mechanic was open. I walked to the gas station attendant and asked if he knew of any emergency mechanics. He proceeded to give me a lecture on poor life choices. Just kidding, he told me that he did not know of any emergency mechanics.
I drove off the gas station and pulled to the side of the road. I pulled out my iPhone 6 and googled for a car mechanic. A number showed up and I called it. It was these guys! Shannon picked up the phone ON SUNDAY 6 PM! Apparently, he has his office phone directed to his home phone.
I explained my situation and stated that I do not feel comfortable driving my car in the current situation. Especially since I have to cross the bridge to get home. He did me a solid and called a towing company to come and pick me up. 10 minutes later, a tow truck came and we were on the way to his shop.
HE WORKED ON MEMORIAL DAY TO HELP GET MY CAR IN SHAPE! With the total charges, he gave me a military discount as well.
So Tuesday afternoon around 2PM, my car was up and running and ready for pick up. Very quick turnout, fair prices and excellent customer service. Shannon was communicating with me from the start to finish.
TL:DR version —
Car broke, they fixed it, worked holidays. Gave me freedom discount.