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AAMCO

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AAMCO calls itself "The Transmission Experts." This means they're experts at finding a reason to work on your transmission. Our advice: Find a trusted local mechanic to take care of your car and consult him regularly. You're more likely to get good advice and economical repairs.

Mounir of Somerset, NJ May 21, 2009

I had a transmission problem so I drop it off on Saturday the 16th of May 2009. Matt was the only person in the shop, he promised to do a comuter scan 1st thing on Monday and call me back to let me know the final cost. He typed the car information and mine in the computer and printed a document and gave it to me to sign which I did. matt did not give me a copy and it did not occur to me. On Monday, Matt called me and told me my transmission is bad and told me that they will look more into it as they don't know what parts are also bad. I asked Matt what is the cost that I am looking at aproximatly, his answer was it's going to be 1495 for a transmission rebuilt with all the parts included plus another parts in which he will call me again to let me know. Tuesday AAMCO did not call, I placed 2 calls and Matt's answer they are still waiting for the cost of the parts, Wednesday the same thing.

On Thursday noon, I called Aamco again but this time they figure out the price of the parts and the whole rebuilt cost. This time it was 3100, as the tork inverter need to be replaced as well. I told Matt, I don't think the car is worth fixing it in this price and I don't want to fix it so how much I owe you so I can my car back and I was surprised to find out that they took my whole transmission out. I told matt, why you took my transmission apart and I didnot give you the okay to work on the car. I was waiting for you till now to tell me how much my car will cost, he answered me back that he had to take it apart to find what other parts needed to be changed.

This is rediculous, friend of mine called another transmission place he deals with and they gave him price innless than 2000 and when my friend told them that the tork inverter maybe need to be replaced, their answer was they always replace this part specially when the car have over 190,000 miles on it and it is included in the price. As a transmission experts they should know exactly what parts need to be replaced and should have let me know what is the approximate cost before they touch the car. Now, I am pushed in the corner. Pay a 980 to put my bad transmission back in the car and don't fix it or pay 3100 and fix it with them.

toccara of des moines, IA May 21, 2009

took my car in to have looked at. explained to mark what the car was doing. he said (mark) that he was pretty sure what the problem is. he said it was the ignition module. he would order the part. 4-29-09he would have his guy call me. 5-01-09 i was told car went under diagnostic and the new part was on and it was showing no codes. got car back. died 2 hrs. later. called aamoco. they had the car towed. said it would be looked at on monday.

picked up vehicle 2 days later. said it was repaired and that the fuel pressure is at normal level. 5-06-09 car dies again. called aamoca had car towed again. car towed to wrong location therefor couldnt be looked at til the next day (their own tow company).

5-07-09 called them they say the car needs a new ignition module (previously put on used one) would order the part and call when part is in. says should be ready tuesday 5-12-09. i called says car not ready.waiting on bob brown cheverolet to reset. 5-13-09 called aamoco. they say car ready. it will be 311 dollars. marks states no code are showing up. 5-15-09 car dies again. called mark at aamoco. tells him what is is doing. he says now he thinks its the fuel pump. at this time i lost all trust in them and decide not to let them touch my car again. i spent over 400 dollars and car is worst than when i took it to them. now i am wihout a car and no money!now my check engine light is on which it never was before

richard of los angeles, CA May 20, 2009

I brought my car in for a clutch. He said it would cost 550.00. After an inspection he said the labor would be 395. I said how much to turn the flywheel? He said 90.00 (4 times the rate of any machine shop). Based on these two fixed prices it left only 55 dollars for tax and parts. I told him there is no way that clutch would cost 550.00. He was abusive and told me I was making him mad because I was asking so many questions. The reason I was asking questions was because I read all the posts on this website. I drove the car off the lot. This was after he had told me the clutch had,"come apart" I took the car without them working on it after reading the posts on the website as previously mentioned. Thank you for helping me avoid a serious problem.

Terry of Marietta, GA May 18, 2009

Last Sunday I as I left my residence I noticed that the car wouldn't shift out of 2nd gear(automatic trans.). I also noticed that the speedometer wasn't working as well as the odometer. I returned home and called Aamco. They sent a wrecker to my house and advised me that the towing would be free if they did the repairs. Vick at Aamco called me the next morning to advise me that the repair would be around 560.00 and that I was in bad need of an oil change.

As soon as I heard that I told Vick not to touch my car and I would be down to pick it up and take it to another shop. You see my oil had just been changed less than 300 miles miles ago. When I arrived at Aamco I met with Vick and we walked out back to where my car sat and I lifted the hood and pulled out the oil dip stick and you could clearly see that the oil was fresh(clear golden color).He said that his mechanic had made a mistake.

This is not the kind of mechanic that I would allow to do any work on my automobile. He then proceeded to charge me for the tow which he said was 85.00. I called the tow company and they advised me that they only charged Aamco 45.00 for the tow. After I finish venting on this site I plan on filing a complaint with the BBB as well as the local media about this extremely poor business practice.

michael of scotia, NY May 14, 2009

I had a transmission problem brought the truck for service they were suppose to change the transmission and rebuilt the transmission and 4 months later and 4024.00 dolars later it breaks down again. The aamco tells me that he wants more money and they will not warrenty the transmission and basiclly that i am on my on my own. If anyone reads this please let me know how i can handle this and get my truck fixed. To me aamco is the biggest rip off in the country.

Christopher of Sierra Vista, AZ May 6, 2009

I am retired military living in Sierra Vista, AZ and was serviced by my closest Aamco located at the Valencia Blvd location in Tucson, AZ. I have a lingering issue I wish to discuss with someone pertaining to work done to the transmission on my sons 1994 Isuzu Trooper. The matter has led to an unsafe operating condition of the vehicle due to work the manager said he would try and complete after charging me over 800.00 on the work they did. My bill was paid in full and the manager committed to trying to find the electronic device needed to bring the transmission to proper operating condition.

In addition the vehicle actually broke down on the way back home (some 75 to 90 miles away) on the way back home when the tranny plate beacme loose and deposited the tranny fluid on the highway. 3 days and 125.00 in towing later Aamco retrevied the vehicle, but to this day has not reimbursed me my towing. They verbally agreed to this without an issue since the car broke down on the way home due to poor workmanship! This matter is going on an entire year now. The vehicle work was challenging as the Aamco team actually rebuilt the tranny on one occasion and then replaced electronic hardware the second time. The vehicle was returned to that location at least four different occassions with the breakdown occurring afetr one of those visits. I have essentially been put off and passed around between the owner Louise and his son J.R. They have even tried passing me off to store manager Jeff of the Golf Links store also in Tucson.

J.R. just recently (7 months now) took over as manager. Louise has stated on several occassions he assumed that his son was handling it and his son would point his finger likewise to Louise or Jeff. The latest development was supposed to be a check for the towing being sent to my home address from J.R's store. This was two weeks ago! The towing event took place September last year after they had the vehicle for more than two months! The gentlemen are pleasant and good mannered however the safety of my son is the issue as well as money the owner has stated he would reimburse considering the towing event took place right after leaving their store. Lousie runs the Ina Road Store in Tucson and of the course I have stopped my son from driving the car. Louise mentioned that this was a tough case because of the amount of research and trouble shooting it took to find the issue. The same amount of effort is needed to go into finding the electronic "chip" needed to complete the work. It was agreed that it may take some time to find because the part is no longer manufactured, but that did not stop us from paying for servcies rendered. I never receive any updates from the Aamco side and almost never get a call returned when I finally call to get an update. I wanted to simply get my reimbursement at one time and tell them I will not expect to hear from them again about the chip, but the reality of the matter is thay would rather write me off and not live up to a perceived reputation of professionalism and trust! Please help me settle this matter so we can all get on to other things. Truth be told the 800.00 should not have been paid after all that has occurred. The vehicle ran mediocre at best after the work and quickly got returned to it's unsafe sluggish performance.

Pamela of South Plainfield, NJ April 25, 2009

Nearly 5 weeks ago, my Volkswagon Beetle convertible was acting up -- slipping when changing gears and jetting forward. It's less than four years old and has 75,000 miles on it. We took it to Aamco in Metuchen. Three days later, the mechanic calls and says 70 percent of the transmission is gone and it will need a rebuilt transmission. Cost will be 4,300. For the next 2 weeks, they have the car, promising work will be completed each day. This went on for 2 weeks and we had to call them, they never called us to let us know when the car would be ready. I finally get the car back, am riding on I-287 and feared my safety. The car continued to slip like it did before so much to the point it could have jetted forward and hit pedestrians on back roads. Annoyed, we immediately bring the car back that night. I call the mechanic back -- a man named Mike, who says the company paid out of pocket for the car much more than 4,300 and he wouldn't lift any money off the price to repair it. We also paid for a 300 extended warranty for 3 years on it. If we didn't, the warranty would only be 30 days! Then my husband talks to Mike and he says, "Ok, I have to talk with my manager, but we can probably lift 5% off the price." Mike says he will be working around the clock to have the car done by Wed., April 15. Wed. comes, no phone call. Thursday, no phone call. Friday, no phone call. Saturday, my husband goes down there and Mike has been on "holiday" for his religion most of the week! We ask them to credit at least the 300 extended warranty and they won't credit a penny -- not even the 5% promised by Mike. They stated they needed to order a valve through Volkswagon, which cost them more money than they anticipated. I called yesterday and asked to speak the franchise owner, Georgette, who refused to get on the phone with me and a man claiming to be a manager kept saying they won't credit any money, but if I want a fluid change, they'll do that. We are finally picking up the car today after 5 weeks of hell and rudeness. I am praying it is working. If not, we will go to another Aamco.

Mark of Prescott Valley, AZ April 23, 2009

I took my 2002 Explorer to AAMCO for a transmission fluid change on 2-18-09. Soon afterward, I found the transmission would disengage on a hard stop. I took the car back on 4-22-09 to check on what the problem may be, and AAMCO Customer Service Manager D. Migdol told me to come back later in the afternoon. As my free time is extremely limited, I took the car to another certified repair shop, and they found the transmission fluid to be 2 quarts low! How can that be? My car does not leak a drop of anything.

After paying 48.64 for the solution to the problem (the car runs great now) I went back to Mr. Migdol, and I was practically accused of lying. He told me he would give me an unspecified discount on some other service, but I do not trust AAMCO to do a proper job anymore. What is my recourse for reimbursement of the 48.64 spent on repairing my car correctly? Who knows what damage was done to my transmission after driving two months with low fluid. I am quite upset and disappointed. AAMCO never again.

Janine of Philadelphia, PA April 22, 2009

I took my car there because my transmission fluid was leaking out. I thought I had to get a new transmission but the mechanic said its fine all I have to do is clean the screens and fix the leak. Which cost me 320.00. Four days later I experience the same leaking promblem. I bring it back now he says I need a new transmission and its leaking from somewhere else. Odd I see fluid coming from the same spot.

Marcey Wiggins of Pounding Mill, VA April 21, 2009

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