AAMCO Reviews

Then on Super Bowl Sunday my car died. They said the engine blew. My car has sat in the shop for 47 days before being returned to me. They said they had a problem with the new motor and instead of ordering a new one they were authorized to fix it. These 47 days I have been writing Drivetime, who I bought the car from, informing them I'm paying for a product that I don't have.

On Friday, March 25, 2016 I picked up my car. Immediately I could tell something was off but I couldn't tell what. I called the shop asking them if they did anything to my vehicle and **, the representative said no. I had to go to work but when I got off, I was driving on the highway and noticed they replaced my windshield and didn't even replace it right. I’m hearing and feeling wind enter through the windshield. Then my service light and my check engine light is on, there's a popping sound coming from my trunk, the RPMs levels rise to 8, I lost to a Mazda, and I just got the car back four days ago!

I talked to the warranty company and asked them if I could just pay a higher deductible and get my car fixed at the Audi dealership but they said they paid over $6,000.00 so I have to take it back to Aamco. I informed them that my car is in worse condition than I brought it in with and they replaced my windshield unauthorized. They told me I have to take it back and so I did.

I questioned **. I asked what were they going to do since 47 days have gone by and they ain't done nothing. I asked about my windshield being replaced and he denied it. I told him, I own a website and I talk about how a rock flew off an eighteen wheeler and hit my window. I have pictures of the original window. There was an Audi glass symbol, just like there is on all the other windows in my car. My Missouri state inspection or my Customs sticker is not in the window but the main thing is ya'll didn't put it in right. It's unsafe. ** replied, "I am not saying that you don't have all this proof, I'm just saying that I didn't change your glass." This statement lets me know even if he didn't change it directly, he knows who did.

I asked for him to call the employees as this matter is important but he told me he would not disturb them on their day off. I asked for the owner's information and business insurance and he said he doesn't know it. Well who signs your check? I asked, but again he didn't know. So you don't know anything? I asked and he told me when he wants to reach the owner he e-mails him. He gave me the e-mail address but it leads to the shop. I looked on the Secretary of State website, got the registered agents information and called. ** at **, answered and said he sold the business 18 months ago but he doesn't have the info on who he sold it to. I told him, "Your name is listed as the registered agent of this business and until I get some information that I can validate, you're the person I'm gonna call." He hung up the phone.

I feel that I should have my car fixed at the Audi dealership and my window replaced right. I feel like no one is in my corner. The shop denies any wrong doing and the warranty company and Drivetime informed me there is a dispute between the shop and I. I have documentation of this whole ordeal, pictures, and I talk about it freely on my website. I'm asking for your help because I don't want to keep doing this. I seriously have been out of the car more than I been in it (got it in December 2015). I was just trying to live a dream but dreams change. I had an AVM stroke and couldn't walk. I rehabbed myself in the name of Jesus to where I am now. I thank the Lord but this is a problem that I just can't deal with.

I call him and he says he has spoken with his district manager, and he will bring it back down to the original 3 plus some out of pocket which I was going to pay in taxes anyway. To this point they haven't offered a used transmission, they haven't explained the cost of a brand new transmission (which I could have bought myself and had another shop put in for the cost of $4000) so I agree. (But here's a kick in the pants for you. If one phone call to another shop gets my priced knocked down by $1500 then there is definitely something wrong with the original price...)

Week three they fix my car. Finally. I'm without a car for a month, which is ridiculous... but at least it is done. I get my car back, pay what I owe, and not even 12 hours later the light is blinking on the dash and my car won't shift. Cool. They were going to charge me $5000 to not fix my car... I'm real impressed. I looked at my receipt. I looked up the parts. As usual they have a significant mark-up on parts. Guys, I found a torque converter for $205 and they charge $425 plus tax and labor. The mark-up is similar for the other parts I found. I wish I had done it myself. Given a month I could've and it would've cost me much less. Thousands less than $5000.

I took it back in to have it looked at, they take it for a test drive, crash it, and then wait 'til I contact them to tell me. No work can get done 'til the claim gets done (1day). Then the claim can't get done 'til the work gets done (1 day). Then they don't know what's wrong with it (1day)... still don't know (1 more day). "We have to pull it out" (1 day). Next day, still have to pull it out (1 more day). Basically, I'm 6 weeks without a car, $3600 in the hole and in the same place I was in 6 weeks ago. I have no faith that they will complete this job in a decent amount of time. I give them at least 2 more weeks with body work for my door and the transmission fix. 8 weeks. 2 months. They haven't offered to cut the cost, provide me a rental, or help me in any other way. I was told I would receive a call about it. Even calling them every day hasn't lit the fire under their **.

I'm not sure my relationship with them can be repaired and I really don't want anyone else to have to put up with this kind of crap. This has cost me much more than my bill. My wife goes back to work this week, if I can figure out a way to get her car. I had to go into debt just to pay for the tranny, so who knows. Pray, I guess. (6 weeks later) My estimation was correct, took them two weeks to fix the tranny and get an "estimation" on the damage. THEN they called their insurance. Who then sent out a guy to get an estimation! We waited a week for them to either do nothing or go get a useless unnecessary estimation done on my car. No apologies. The guy didn't say a word to my wife when she picked up my car. Just held out the keys as he dealt with another customer. My car is now at the body shop. Still being repaired. I'm convinced they did more damage than help, and I had to pay them for it.

I called the shop immediately and spoke with the owner, he asked me to bring it back asap. I did and was told that the valve body was wrong and had to replace. So after losing truck another week he said it was done. Also to call if I have any issues but he said he thinks it straight. Now being a few months later and still in the first year, only putting less than 6000 miles on truck all year, it started acting up again. I called and he said I need to bring it back. Well now I'm a little pissed. We talked and after hearing about how busy he is, I told him I need it back asap. I planned to take it Monday. He also said that maybe it could be the computer and my jaw dropped. Really the computer!?? Umm I am far from dumb but it is not the computer.

It's definitely the Transmission and it's leaking and slipping and once again I will be without it. No check engine light ever came on, hardly any miles, and time actually on the new one. I just ran to the store and had to grab a few things. Well needless to say, the transmission completely stopped driving and transmission not once again displayed on the screen. I just got towed back home. Truck will be going to back to the shop Monday am and I am not happy with this shop right now. Stuck with a tow bill, and now stuck at home while truck sits. I can only hope that they don't try to give me the push over, runaround and have it fixed. I need it back Friday. I have a feeling that this will not be my last review. Burned twice by this company. Promise that I will go elsewhere and not deal with this hassle again...

Also was told to come here instead of going to car maker's shop and I would receive a discount as I am a veteran. Instead it seemed my fees were fluffed. I felt it was what it was and accept it all until I found out my warranty was non existent and my car won't even start now. Now they want me to pay for more stuff that isn't related nor have I had issues with before they worked on my car. Help me please!

At the end of the conversation I said I was still calling around, he told me, "Good luck with that. We are the only ones in Woodbridge that do transmission work." I was very unhappy with his attitude throughout the conversation. If you read the post for Woodbridge you will see that others felt the same way about Woodbridge customer service. So after that experience, I looked into Springfield thinking that maybe they had better service. The gentleman on the phone was a lot nicer so I decided to give it a try. I told him it was right before Christmas so I wasn't sure if I was going to get it done now or later, I just wanted to know how much it would cost. They get my car and tell me, "Yes, something definitely wrong with the transmission." I ask, "How much to fix?" They say they can't tell until they pull the transmission out and figure out exactly what is wrong with it. I ask, "how much will that cost?" He says, "$850."

I am hesitant but he says that money will goes toward the repair. I let them move forward with pulling the transmission out. When we speak again he tells me that I need to pretty much replace everything in my transmission and it will cost $4980. Now I have called around and found the price of new transmission and they were cheaper. So I get upset and tell him that I can get a new transmission for cheaper than that. He says, "Well, that is the price from all parts from the dealer. Let me call around and give you a call back." He calls me back and gives me a price of $3745 and that comes with 1800 or 18-month warranty. He was like much better. Then I am started to feel scammed. So I ask how much to just replace the torque converter. He pauses and tells me to hold on. He comes back with a price of $450. He says several times that does not come with a warranty.

So when I tell him that I want to move forward with just the torque converter. He gets upset and tells me that there is no guarantee that my vehicle will work after and there is no warranty. I should have just went and got my car then, but I was already $850 in the hole. So I asked, "What do mean it won't work, just because I don't get the full transmission redone my car won't work after? That is crazy you telling me that you don't care if my car works or not."

He tried to talk his way out of it, told me I was putting my feelings into this and guaranteed that my car will work the same way it did when I brought it in maybe even better, but the check engine light may still be on. By then I was really upset, but let them proceed. I get my car back and it does run almost the same as it did, shifts a little harder now. The check engine light is still on. I begin to wonder if they did any work or were just trying to get my money. Be aware of this place. I thought I wouldn't fall victim like others did in Woodbridge reviews but I did.

@2:30pm (PST), called back and asked to speak with Paul (the owner). I was rudely told he was out of the office for the next 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months - angrily. When I said I need to discuss the car that was repaired last week and has been leaking, was then BLASTED, YELLED at. They accused of blocking my number cause I am hiding or trying to hide something. First of all, instead of worrying about why my phone is blocked they needed to worry about the fact that I paid for repair that was not completed. They needed to be more concern with the fact that they are doing sub-par work and hiding and using strong arming when asked to deal with a repair that was not completed when services was paid.

When I called this office on November 23, Paul spoke with them at length to get my business; however, since the car was received I had not been able to get a returned call from Paul. His staff continues to say he is out of the office, is rude, yells me when being told a problem exist with the repair, is more concerned about my calls coming from a "blocked" number than making sure they take care of business. Be sure to check around and find a location that takes care of the services you pay them to perform... BUYER BEWARE! BTW - I will be reviewing options to report the abusive behavior of staff at this office, filing a claim for the cost of the repairs and if necessary seek legal actions against this location. I have recorded conversations between myself and this location for my record!

When I mentioned that I would rather have the car back and take it back to the initial shop, Aamco guy told me I would still need to pay the $1900 in labor for them to have brought out the transmission and checked other faults. I pleaded with this guy that I am a single parent of three minor kids and paying over $5k would resolve in hardship on my part. He then later told me he would have his boss reduce the charge by $400. And if I'm fine with the new charge of $5390 then they can start working on my car and have it ready by Wednesday.

At this point I didn't know what else to do but to have the car fixed. I could not take another day off work to be shopping around for another auto shop and I definitely do need a car to move around. I ended up paying $2k in down payment and had to finance the remaining fee. In the long run my car was not ready for pick up until the following Monday, which was very inconvenient to me. The car was picked up on Monday. Tuesday was a holiday and I didnt have a cause to drive the car. Wednesday however on my way to work I started experiencing some motion that was not experienced prior to taking the car to Aamco. I initially felt I just needed to drive it around for more days but on my way to Church on Sunday it got worse. Now I have to take another day off work to take it back to the shop for repairs. This is very unconvincing and uncomfortable. I only hope I would not be slammed with another fee.

I get charged the $95 plus tax. and tell me I needed to do some more work on it. That would cost another $500 + tax and that then they would take it from there. Meaning if that doesn't solve the problem there would be more spending. On cold days the transmission doesn't act up meaning when the transmission fluid gets hot is when the slipping starts. Didn't get to put a thousand miles on the rebuilt transmission and to this day I'm stuck with a bad tranny which I believe they wouldn't take responsibility on fixing their mistake. Please help me. I just don't know how to go about this situation. Thank you.

I asked them, could they come down on the price and they said they could take 500.00 off the labor. Down to 2200.00 ok... Well that's only 400.00, so that was the second problem. They told me the car would be ready on the 30th. But all day long on the 29th, told me the car was gonna be ready before they closed. I was able to get a ride to work on the 29th but lost 8 hours of work on the 30th because I didn't get the car back until 2:30 pm on the 30th. I started my car and am hearing a completely different sound from my motor. I went right back into the place and told them and was told they could not check it out til Monday. I just want them to tell me why my motor sounds different now. They also told me they flushed the Radiator Twice but it has to be flushed again which they want to charge me another 89.00 dollars. I just don't know what to think about this place right now.

Long story short they never call back, never follow through on their warranty, actually create problems with your vehicle to be able to make more money off you. Car had been sitting there for 2 weeks and they eventually told us it would be $2500 to fix the tranny problem. We asked how they knew because they hadn't diagnosed it yet. We had it towed to another mechanic who told us there was nothing wrong with the tranny, just a small leak in the bell housing (THE PART AAMCO SUPPOSEDLY FIXED) This is not over yet, I don't trust these people, they haven't been open long enough to have complaints but they do. Beware Nampa, this outfit is not to be trusted.

Now I'm scared to drive my car, and really don't understand why my car don't want to take off. He told me that I should protect my investment. If I didn't have a transmission problem I got one now. Now I feel that they have to repair it because they've created a bigger problem. I have to go to work and scared thinking that I can't get to work and the bus doesn't start running until 32 minutes prior to the time I start to work.

They said they could put a rebuilt trans in for $3500 which was already more than what they quoted. But we needed the vehicle so we said to do it. There was one part that might have needed to be replaced on the trans that would need to be put on the different trans. We asked how much that would be and they said another $75. We said to do it. Well 1 week down the road I get a call advising that the trans they put in did not work so they would need to pull it back out and get a different one. I asked if it would cost more than and they said "no, we will have to just eat it" because they did not want to give me a bad trans. So I said ok. It was already 2 weeks so it would be another week to get the new trans. Well it finally came. They put it in and we went to get it on a Wednesday. But now the price ballooned to over $4000.

I was furious asking why so much more and they said they need the new part and there was tax added. I said I thought the tax was added into the price and he said no. I was very mad but what could we do if you don't pick up then they charge $50 a day, everyday it is left and after 7 days they will put a lien on it so I asked him if he took a $150 coupon off that we had at the beginning of the process and he said yes that was already taken off. I told him that he was suppose to take it off at the end so he did take the $150 off but was not about that so that took it down a little below $4000.

So we did write a check for over $600 and ended up financing the rest because I just don't have $4000 lying around. So we took the vehicle home and looked at the breakdown of the fees and also found out they charged an extra $240 for excessive rust off. What was that for? That should have been part of the labor already charged, not an extra charge. So I am not happy with the service and I think I was charged what too much. I will never take anything to them again because they give you a price and it will change and not for the good.

Couple hours goes by and I get a phone call that we need to replace the starter and some harness. Total bill will be $777 (something close to that). Now I'm pissed. $500 was way too much and now we're OVER $200 from THAT estimate?! This is what I figure about AAMCO; they suckered me into coming to their shop because I didn't have to pay for all this work done at one time. I could get approved for this payment plan where I only pay $60 something dollars every 2 weeks. So I get this line of credit and it's like this green light to them to charge you up the ** for problems that probably aren't problems.

To add insult to injury I had to leave my car there overnight and they didn't even have the decency to LOCK MY ** CAR WHILE IT SAT OUT IN OPEN PUBLIC. I didn't even get an apology for that, I just got "hey boss, calm down... I'll put it in the garage tonight." Yea, if you gave a ** you would have put it in the garage the 1st night you **. AAMCO will *NEVER* touch my car again, not even for an oil change. THAT I can promise you.

However when I went to get the car the check engine light was still on and the franchisee still insisted on EGR port clean up amount to be paid in spite of me telling him explicitly not to charge amount. Upon his reluctance to pay the money I made him write on the invoice that Check Engine light was still on and decided to invoke warranty for the same through AAMCO service center near to my place.

After about couple of months (since I use Honda Odyssey only as recreational vehicle) and checking out that I may still under warranty for repair I took it to the service center near my place for the repair under warranty (as usual this franchisee did not show any interest and turned me away for the first time with some silly excuse). However upon next follow up he clearly refused to take it up under warranty repair and indicated that it shall be chargeable to me and not covered under warranty just because the Orlando franchisee over telephone told him that he has done the servicing (check engine light was on and was checked by the technician for the code also miles were still well below 12000 miles since original repair (around 5000+ miles)).

During this entire follow up noticeable things about AAMCO being that policy is clearly door half closed for support by following thresholds that I experienced. 1. No customer support number on the website (the number that is there is only to help locate the service center, not a customer grievances number). 2. Even when I called the number given by the Levittown PA franchisee which was franchisee support number (not customer support) and was picked answered by a person however this person directed me to another number where there was no person just the leave your phone and number (I called around 4.0 pm EST).

My grievance now being 1. I need my vehicles problem addressed free of cost else return the amount that was charged towards EGR port cleanup. 2. EGR valve replacement was probably not necessary since the check engine light remained on through out and even immediately after repair. I am requesting money back for the part (EGR Valve) as well as labor for it.

On August 3rd, just 5 weeks since having the transmission installed it became difficult to shift into 4th gear and it wouldn't go into 5th. I immediately took my vehicle to the local AAMCO in Bel Air with my warranty to have the problem diagnosed and repaired. Keith the owner of the local shop had the car looked over and agreed there was an issue with the transmission. They contacted Bobby ** in Wilmington, NC to advise him of the situation and told us Bobby would need to handle the repairs, as the warranty is from his shop.

I purchased goods and serviced from AAMCO and they refused to honor the warranty because of a dispute between AAMCO and Toyota. Since August 3rd my car has been held hostage by AAMCO. As of today (08-15-15) 13 days later I have no idea when or if my car will be repaired. Bobby ** of AAMCO tells me the same story every time I have to call him for an update, "We are working on finding a replacement transmission, but don't know from where or when." AAMCO has made no effort to help secure substitute transportation, or compensate me in any way while they work out their issues.

I took it to a second mechanic shortly after. I clearly told them I was not able to afford anything at the moment but needed to know what I was dealing with. The mechanic took me to my vehicle and pointed at my serpentine belt. At first look you could clearly see it was shredding. The second choice mechanic was closing in 30 minutes, but insisted on not letting me leave till it was repaired. In fear that it could break and cause more problems, like leaving me stranded with children in the Texas heat amongst damaging my vehicle more. The belt shreds had been hitting the wires to my AC causing them to tangle, shred and short. They had the belt sent right over and did an evac on my system and I left shortly with a cool ride. Only a couple of hundred bucks later, they worked with me on payments.

I am no mechanic, but I could clearly see the issues when shown. I am disappointed in AAMCO that they didn't have this on the list of things my Vehicle needed when it was an obvious visual problem. They probably would of found the problem after replacing the ECM. Stacking on more to my bill. I'm sure they are great with transmissions and were astonishing at customer service but when you need AC repair, get another look. My relief when I found out AAMCO was wrong made my year!!

Two days later at great expense to me, I had to have a tow truck bring it home. The suv was drivable before I took it to AAMCO. So now I am suspecting they might have done more damage to my truck since I was forced to leave it there. The men at this AAMCO saw a woman alone and took advantage and possibly could only see dollar signs. I still don't have my suv repaired and unable to go buy groceries and take care of other errand. One last thing is, Brandon the one in charge, when I would ask him questions, he would answer that he didn't know because he is from Texas. AAMCO truly does not care about taking care of their customers in an honorable way and don't have any integrity.

Had them do the work, unfortunately they misdiagnosed the whole thing as the same issues kept reoccurring. Took the truck back three times, first time they wanted to charge for parts which I refused to pay for, second time I don't think they even looked at the truck, and the third time they kept my truck for two weeks blaming their supplier for sending the wrong parts over and over. Got my truck back after threatening to go the legal route and I am still experiencing the same exact slipping feeling. Cost me over $600 in rental car (they had my truck for a total of 30 days). Never will I support AAMCO again, their technicians lack expertise and training, the advisors give you the runaround.

Finally agreed to let him do the rebuild and took 2 more weeks to get it done. Total of 3 weeks in shop at this point. Paid for and picked up vehicle. Didn't get 15 miles down the road and all the same bells and whistles started. Check transmission/transmission overheating/antilock brake warning light on. I was driving it back home to South Carolina after I picked it up (I had been on a trip when this first happened) and decided to stop in at the Jacksonville Aamco.

Test drove vehicle and said tranny had to come back out. Asked how long it would be and told about a week. I didn't have the funds or time to sit in Jacksonville for a week after spending 3 weeks in Titusville and so told him I would try to get it home and have it looked at. Got home and from there on all the Aamco shops told me that because I hadn't had it repaired in Jacksonville that I had probably done more damage and it was, therefore, no longer under warranty.

I was in Ft. Lauderdale a week later and tried to take it into an Aamco shop there and manager refused to take it in. Their 12-month warranty is worthless. Finally had transmission completely rebuilt again by a trusted transmission shop in my hometown. Cost me $1,700 and he told me that when he took the transmission apart that there is a sleeve on the torque converter shaft that has a hole in it so the hot fluid can be pumped out to the radiator cooling system and that this sleeve had been installed backwards. He said because of that my transmission fluid wasn't able to be cooled and that's why I was getting the check transmission and transmission overheating lights. Said the anti-lock brake light comes on because some of the sensors are integrated with the transmission.

Needless to say, my shadow will never cross an Aamco shop again and I give fair warning to others out there that may be considering them to read the many, many complaints. It seems that their business practice is to do shoddy work so that you have to keep coming back and they charge you more money to fix what they should have already fixed. God bless you all and be safe out there.

Original Review: June 1, 2015

I've had my car there for 3 weeks almost now since 5/14. Now it's 6/1 and my car still hasn't been fixed and the transmission installed - I've had to get a rental car at the Aamco on 1900 e McFadden Ave Santa Ca - very angry. Why does it take so long? Luckily I got a promotion at my job during this time but this is absurd.

I just wanted my car fixed! Bait and switch, claiming to need to fix things that didn't need done and didn't get done, intentionally destroying of property. When I came to pick up, I showed after 3 days of telling them the time was up, we needed to go home, the car was up on hoist the tranny still on the bench and no one in shop knew anything about it. I got chased out of shop area when they were loading up my parts. Looks like they took a hammer to the Planetary gears to smash them!

Well the very next year guess what? Yes I had problems yet again with this transmission that I've spent almost 4 grand repairing and it's messing up again!!! Thankfully I was still under warranty, so once again it was repaired. I've taken my car back because it was skipping gears on 2 or 3 occasions. Just constantly something was always happening to the transmission and mind you I was still making payments on the car. So to wind this story up at the beginning of this year my 5th year around the same time every year, it was skipping in 2nd gear so I took it in. They kept it for about a week and I finally got a call it was ready.

Well about 3 weeks later on a Monday morning I get in my car to go to work and it wouldn't go in reverse, I put it in drive and nothing so I had to have it towed in yet again and when I checked my warranty it was about to expire in like a week! So yet again another tow and another repair. After about a week my car is ready and as I was talking to the owner I asked him "why do I keep having problems?" I've never got a real complete answer only that "I don't know. It happens sometimes!" BS! I just get it, so I asked "What now, my warranty is up. Are you gonna extend it anymore?" and he says "no", so I'm like "what am I gonna do because it's gonna mess up again" and he says, "it shouldn't but if you have any problems you know I'll look out for you."

What exactly does that mean? It means I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place and I'm under stress now wondering when it's gonna stop working again. I need another car but I'm already on 2 loans with my children. I feel so loss so hurt. All I can do is pray that God works something out for me. I need my transportation mainly for work. I've read all the bad stories about different AAMCO'S all around the world and just can't believe it. I mean the only reason I went there because they are suppose to be the transmission specialist!!! Well I beg to differ. I do appreciate the extended warranty because I would have been up a creek. So after 5 long years I'm still dealing with transmission issues. My advice is to always look a business up and read the reviews first before you use them. I have learned my lesson!!

The only communication was if I rang them. They did not ring as promised with any updates such as transmission arrival. The original delivery date for the transmission came and went. They blamed the suppliers and holidays. Bearing in mind Christmas comes on the same date every year this seems to have caught them out? We waited and waited for our vehicle to be fixed. Eventually we picked it up on 12/31 2014, 12 days after we had delivered it to them. We left with the paperwork that I have quoted from and a warranty.

On Sunday April 26th 2015 the transmission failed, less than 4 months since we picked up the vehicle. We got the vehicle towed back to the garage. First thing on Monday morning I was sitting on their doorstep when they opened. I was not happy that after only 4 months the transmission had failed. I heard nothing from them on the Monday despite the fact that I was told they would look at it that day and call me. I called them on the Tuesday to be told that the transmission had failed and they would have to order another one. They told me that their supplier did not have one on the shelf but it was scheduled to be delivered on Friday May 1st. They said they would call me. They didn’t so I called them on Friday. It did not come in.

Meanwhile we were forced to rent a vehicle. They expected it to come in on the following Monday and again they said they would ring me. They didn’t. I called them on the Monday to be told it had come in. I asked when the car would be ready bearing in mind I felt like we had been in line for this to be done properly since December 2014. I was told it would be Tuesday but possibly Wednesday. They would call me. They didn’t (see any pattern here?). I called them on Wednesday to be told that it was not finished and they had about another hour’s work and a test drive to do on Thursday. On Thursday I heard nothing from them. My wife called them to be told that the vehicle could be collected.

As I was at work I told my wife to ensure that she obtained paperwork from them as regards this latest repair and supply and fitting of the new Transmission and to ensure that as this was a different unit that the paperwork confirmed that the parts and labor were warrantied for the same 36 months /50000 miles that the first repair was for. Well here is what happened. They refused to supply ANY paperwork as regards this latest repair under warranty. They stated that THERE WAS NO WARRANTY AT ALL on this latest repair. They stated that THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY FROM DECEMBER 2014 was now invalid.

Ok so in December 2014 I had a transmission supplied by them which failed due to no fault of mine. It was warrantied for 36 months or 50000 miles. Only FOUR months later it fails and they have to replace it under warranty. Now they wish to totally wash their hands of the new transmission and labor by refusing to supply any paperwork regarding this latest repair and totally refuse to issue a new warranty on the NEW unit and even go further by now stating that they will not honor the original warranty issued only 4 months ago!

Just what is wrong with this picture? If this new unit goes wrong (and they clearly do) in the next 36 months they want nothing to do with it and all the cost will be on me. Really? Have they so little confidence in the products they supply? This unit failed because their supplier failed not me. I had not researched AAMCO prior to taking the vehicle to them in December 2014. I have now an all I can say is WOW, just take a look for yourself and see what customers nationwide are saying. From their advertising they are the experts. Well let me tell you from personal experience now that in my case their communication with their customers is very poor.

Their estimation of when work will be completed and parts supplied is always out. Clearly they do not want to continue to honor any warranty as in my case. I am not saying do not go to this AAMCO franchise because the risk is all yours. If you want to be treated like this and will be happy to go 36 months or 32 months even with the original warranty to run in the knowledge that this franchise will not respect it then I can only wish you the best of luck. I hope this was polite enough because as they say the facts always speak for themselves.

On 2/16/15 I went to pick my truck up, a gentleman named ** who told me he is the district manager gave me a phone number to a finance company and asked me to call them. I did but they denied me. So on the the 19th Feb 2015 I went to pick my truck up. ** gave me my key. I started the truck but the sound of the truck was very loud. I looked under the truck and noticed that the catalytic converter is missing. I immediately notified **. He said "well I don't know what happened," but he will look for it and come back later.

About an hour later I got call from the shop owner informing me that they don't know what happened to my converter. I told them but the truck has been in their possession. They told me since I didn't come to pick the truck when I said I would, somebody must have come there and stole it. They told me they are not responsible. They further said since I didn't give them consent, they can't be responsible for my missing part. So with this type of experience in this shop, I will never recommend anybody going to AAMCO to fix their car especially if you change your mind from fixing your car with them.

This time they only took 2 months to fix it. Took the vehicle for a second time, did not drive 35 miles and same exact problem occurred again. Had vehicle towed in again. I get a follow up call from the service manager trying to sell me a battery and an alternator. Says he won't be able to check vehicle without this being done. Battery is fine. I took a battery tester and tested it on premises. Alternator was not even checked because they never started the vehicle due to them leaving the ignition key on and draining the battery. Tester says battery is weak, needs charging, does not say replace battery.

I asked them to please charge the battery so they can start the car to run their tests. They refused and asked me to take my vehicle if I wouldn't pay for the alternator and a new battery. All I am asking is they warrant the repairs they charged me 4000.00 for. The job was not done right and this cannot stay this way. This is criminal. We're talking 4 thousand dollars, not 4 hundred here..

On Saturday morning I got up to go and get my alignment checked and was told an alignment could not be done because the front outer tie rods were broke. As well as there was a curtain wrapped around the back rim from which it had to be removed from under the vehicle as well as the back lateral bar was damaged. I immediately called AAMCO around 11 Saturday morning. Again I had left another message to address the additional damages. I was told they would have him give me a call back. Still no call back. I went to another shop for a second opinion and the damages were confirmed. I didn't want to subject myself to danger so I proceeded to get the tie rods repaired. Upon them removing the tires to make repairs, they noticed that the front driver side axle was broke.

On Sunday morning I knew AAMCO was closed but I was so upset that I called and left another message and was told by the answering service she would have ** call back. On Monday morning I waited a bit to see if I would get a call back but I didn't. So I called and finally reached ** and explained the issues and of course he denied the damages. I contacted the last mechanic that worked on my vehicle which was the one that told me I needed a transmission. The first question he asked was if my car had been towed. He was last to drive my car and he said my car did not have any alignment or front end issues. I also questioned the mechanic that completed the repairs and he stated the only way the axle could break like that was by impact. I am highly upset.

I kept bringing it back because my SUV said conductor 1 and they claim it was a dummy light. After they did work, my seat belt light stayed on and they would reset it, but it didn't go out. I really believe they ripped me off and it didn't need at the work. I don't Believe my new converter was bad now or my fuel pump, because they seemed fine before I brought them in, just it wouldn't go over thirty and was slipping gears. I called AAMCO corporation and ** said he would get back to me. Well they sent a letter saying, the place did what they thought was right at the time to get it running, so AAMCO won't go good for it.

This just proves something was not right at the time and they sugar coated my vehicle for time, hoping I will come back in. I rely on my vehicle as a single mom for work. They were very unprofessional and obviously believe in ripping customers off. I will be taking it to small claims court to get my money back, 3000 dollars gone. I see more females saying the same thing. Sounds like they have a knack about ripping woman off. Do not go to them.

I asked him about the commercial that clearly states that "the good folks at Aamco" will do a free check engine light diagnostics check and will tell you what is wrong with your vehicle, and even have an easy payment plan if you are short on cash. ** proceeded to tell me that the little tool he stuck under my dashboard was the "free service" and that was all they do for free. I told him that was false advertisement and he said "no" it was not and the $135.00 fee would be applied to any repair bill they provide us after they collect the $135.00 fee and test the vehicle.

So in other words you are on the hook with them after you pay them the $135.00 fee for the so called "free" diagnostic service. Then you are put in a situation where you either lose the $135.00 dollars altogether, or pay whatever repairs they draft up on the estimate. But remember the "kind honest folks at Aamco" will take your $135.00 fee and apply it to the "repair bill" that they draft up. Like we don't already know they are going to get that back two-fold. Ridiculous. How kind of them. I think not!

Well let me tell you it gets better. My son is a proud full time student at Cal State Northridge. He is almost finished with his third year. He works part time and he is on a fixed budget. This incompetent idiot, ** at Aamco proceeds to ask my son what school he is attending. When my son replies, Cal State Northridge, ** says "Well that's not really a "real college", and you must have lots of free time on your hands, because my daughter goes there and she is home all of the time." Can you believe this guy?? Not only did he insult my son and all the great folks from Cal State Northridge, he insulted his own daughter! I just wish I would have recorded that conversation. I cannot believe that in this day and age we still have complete imbeciles working at corporations like Aamco.

My final thoughts. I ask that all Cal State Northridge Alumni and current students, boycott Aamco transmissions and total care repair shops. If any of you reading this complaint are CSUN Matador Alumni and happen to know any CEO's at Aamco, please reach out to them and get this ** guy reprimanded or have him submit his resignation! Ultimately I feel sorry for his poor daughter who I assume has worked hard and earned and achieved an opportunity to get a great education and attend a great school like CSUN, and yet her father is still obviously not proud of her. GO MATADORS!!!

I told them I needed to and will drive. After we made the payment of $3700.00 the communication suddenly died. A week of silence later, we called to get an update ending with the employee hanging up in my face because we demanded information on why a three day job isn't done a week later. A week after I got the car back my minimum engine oil warning displayed followed by my minimum coolant level. Two weeks after that my transmission locked in third gear. Of course each time I came across an issue I called Aamco resulting in them giving me a bunch of "maybes" but no actual help, conclusion or service. After the third gear locked I had the car towed to Aamco to have it inspected. This time we (my wife and I) scheduled to meet with the owner Jonathan Tow and discuss the current status of our vehicle. Jonathan called the employee who assisted us previously to join our meeting.

They told us the leaks were not caused by them and due to us not purchasing the main valve body our transmission locked in gear. When we questioned this, the same employee who hung up in our face started getting angry and walked off. Service is definitely not his strong suit! We decided to get a second opinion. Not surprisingly the second opinion exposed that the filter and seal was original/never changed (which we very much paid for) and a transmission pump leak. The BMW shop stated the main valve body could not have been properly condemned without changing this seal. I was also informed the transmission fluid Aamco used was of red color and supposed to be gold which may have caused the tranny to lock in gear.

After informing Jonathan about the findings of the certified BMW shop, he asked for the phone number of the shop but went directly there without calling neither them nor us. When he felt he was at fault John paid for the filter without our knowledge and went as far as asking the BMW shops not to report the transmission fluid is wrong. Needless to say we went back and forth many more times trying to resolve the issue with Aamco. Our conclusion... We did not get what we paid for nor did we get satisfying customer service. Definitely won't go back or recommend. Evidence for Pans original date (we have the pics). Evidence of Red tranny Fluid.

We didn't even know we had to pay anything up front, it was always after the work was done!! And they didn't even tell us they weren't going to look at it, they just let it sit there when we could of had it looked at and fixed elsewhere!! My husband then went up there to get the vehicle and the owner Aaron was very rude, hostile and belittled towards him! Claiming they can refuse business to anyone, well why didn't they say that instead of taking it in and telling us they will look at it?!?! Very upset and feel betrayed.

The car is a 4 cylinder 1.8 liter engine and very small. He informed me at 5 pm that he would need to order the filter and would attempt getting it and finishing the job. It was there since 7:30 am that morning and they still hadn't ordered the filter for the car knowing it was being changed. No problem, just finish the car and I will pick up in the early afternoon. I went to pick up the car and the person at the desk informed me again about how there was metal in the pan when the service was done. I told them again the car was cheap and I will drive it until it is done and sell it for scrap. I asked if a drive test was done to the car after the service and if I would need to top off the fluid in the car.

He said he didn't think they did a drive test but the fluid will be good to go. I drove to work with many slipping and other trans issues going on. I checked the fluid and it was bone dry. I put 1 quart of Tran fluid and checked and it was still not registering. I put another quart of fluid and still no register on the dip stick. It took 3 full quarts of fluid to get to the right level for my car. I am in shock that they didn't even put fluid in the car. The car is fine and driving great as it did when I took it in for the service but if I hadn't checked the fluid it would have seized up and been totaled quickly.

I am still amazed that they didn't put fluid in the vehicle. When he handed me the receipt for the service he also informed me that it would be a coupon for the total of the service (180) if I needed to do any repairs. I told him again at that point that I would be driving the car till it no longer drove because it was so old and only worth 500 dollars. I am sure it was a mistake that they didn't put fluid in it but then again maybe it was on purpose to get more work. I will never do business with them again and will tell everyone I meet about the service they performed for me. It took three full quarts of Tran fluid to fill it up to where it finally registered. Luckily the car is old and didn't seize up. It was able to take the abuse they caused for me and after I filled the fluid back to the correct level actually drove as well as before giving it to the to service.

Mr. ** said based in his knowledge to fix the transmission is no more than that. After that day for 3 days no communication. I had to call him, at the end my price was $2,224.00 dollars. Really. They insisting me to get a finance anything, I was really clear that it was no more than $900 dollars. I call corporate and Mrs. ** said she couldn't help me to reimburse the money cause I sign the receipt. If I don't sign they won't give me the car back. The mechanic when giving me the car he felt bad for me, and said sorry to me because of what they did to me. Even the mechanic knew what was going on. Mr. ** never gave me his face again not that his word was any good anyway. I EXPECTED SOMETHING MORE PROFESSIONALISM FROM THIS COMPANY, BAD DECISION. MY ADVICE IS TO NEVER EVER GO THERE. BAD PLACE, SERVICE, AND NON PROFESSIONAL.

So I went back Monday to have the paint job estimated and I have to leave the car there for possibly the whole day. After a long arguments with **, he decided that he have it estimated while I wait and I have to pay for the estimate if decided to have it done somewhere. That confuses me cause they're the one who damage my car. One of their mechanics came back with an estimate of $225 but it cannot be done right away and I have to leave my car there until it's done and they don't even have any idea when. So I suggested just to cut me check for that amount and I'll take the car somewhere else. ** made another call to the paint job manager and when he hang up he said the guy can do it for $125. Out of my desperation to have it done I agreed to $125, then ** said I have to come Wednesday because the owner had to decide on that.

I went back there Wednesday and the owner said it has to be done with their guy. Again out of my desperation I kind of agree to it. When I ask her if she can call them to find out when can they do it, she told me that she don't know the number (what? No number with their own choice of shop). The good thing is I have GPS on my car and googled the place where they took my car for an estimate. Then she told me that I have to come back Monday so I can leave it there in their shop to have it for unknown amount of time/days. This time I give up. I guess they're successful in trying my patience. I was very much in terms of the cost if they only agreed to the way I want my car fixed. I ended up paying to fixed my car.

I told them about it... to be basically be thrown out and in which I contacted headqtrs... which had me send pics and pics were never good enough... To finally be told the owner refused to pay for damage or AAMCO would pay for it... it was only less than $40.00 but sadly... the transmission wasn't looked at and was told about brakes... etc. Nothing on why I had it towed there and waited 10 days to pay $90.00 tow and get my car damaged and pay more out of my pocket? Worse CST service I have ever come across and owner and company resolution dept also... again, karma and God is on my side.

On Tuesday, I was call and said, "Come and pick up, your car is done. We found some electrical issue but fix it or no charge due to your patience." I open the door, 3 holes were still in the back seat, the seat belt was chew up and damage. I was told that I brought the car in like that, that I was trying scam them, not to mention they had already been paid in full. Took another day for them to replace one seat belt. I got my car back with seat belt damage, which they don't want to change, my car sticking like cigarette thirty from oils, and now I have to replace this seat belt. I will not deal with them any more and took my car.

A week later when I called to find out the status of the car I was told that everything was good except for the power seats because they did not have the tools to fix it and I should drive it back to St. Louis and take it to Chrysler. Did I mention that the seat is fully reclined back? Now I took it to Chrysler in NY because there is no way I'm driving 18 hours with a reclined seat and they said that whatever AAMCO did with the engine might have disrupted all electrical situations. Needless to say we are still in NY and my seats still do not work and AAMCO wants me to bring it back for them to not fix the seat but for them to break the back of the seat in order to get it in the upright position. Oh did I mention that we have been here for a Month and 8 days?

We brought our truck there last week to fix a problem. We paid $600 for this problem. We then took it home and less than 10 miles down the road it was leaking again. We took it back and they stated it's in a different area of the same place as before. They charged us another $400 for this problem. Then called us to pick up the vehicle, however said the vehicle would not start. They wanted to charge us again for another new starter. We said "absolutely not, we are going somewhere else." After much back and forth with a manager he told us, "because you are being an *** I am going to make you pay in cash."

We went to this company trusting they would be able to fix our problem. It came back with even more problems than before. I have been reading all of the reviews on this page and it's ironic that many others say the same thing. I believe AAMCO has an educational issue with their mechanics clearly. The rep upfront told us our truck is a piece of junk and to trade it in. We did not ask for your offensive opinion. We took it to you to get fixed. The first time around we paid with a card, this time he refused it. It's funny because he told corporate that we were going to dispute the charges. We never said that. You can pull up the cameras in the building. We run a business and put everything on a business credit card. Clearly Kevin Sabbides has had problems in the past with disputing charges or he wouldn't of been so quick to jump the gun on that matter. Clearly, he did not want any more of a bad reputation than he already has.

What bothers me is he lied to corporate and said we were going to dispute the charges, which was never stated. Therefore, they are an unethical business and liars. On top of disrespectful calling us profanity. If we were made aware of the cash situation before hand it would be completely different. Many people can't afford to pay in cash. We have a family. I hope that no one goes to this location. They are very dishonest. They created more problems than there were at hand. We never were offered any compensation, nor a simple apology. Please everyone, save yourself the headache and do not go to this business. They are anything besides the statement they are providing to the public. They might lure you in with their "family" ways, but it will be a downward spiral from there on out.

This was laughable since no one ever agreed or would ever agree to such an enormous estimate fee. The owner said he had a recorded phone call with our mechanic agreeing to this. That was good news for us because we knew that it wasn't true. Unfortunately for us the owner called back and said they had ironically lost the last three days of recorded phone calls. What a coincidence! We also asked if we could see something in writing of course there was nothing. So with no verbal or written agreement to pay $695 they had no grounds, however they held the truck hostage until we paid and they required a cash only payment.

We fought and fought but eventually we had to get our truck back because we have a business to run. We reluctantly paid the $695 in cash and brought our truck to another much more trustworthy and reliable mechanic. I contacted the corporate office in Pennsylvania but they said they can't control the franchises since they are individually owned. To that I say why not have some standards and accountability?

Most successful franchises do! Look at a McDonald's or a Panera you think no matter who owned an individual location they would get away with cheating customers? No they never would. Needless to say we will never do business with ANY AAMCO ever again. I will tell as many people as I can this story to try and prevent others from being scammed. I don't know how these people sleep at night!

I thought this was a bit high to replace a $20 hose, which took him all of 10 minutes (I felt ripped off). So then I go to my car and I'm horrified - the hood and quarter panel was covered in oily hand prints and the tow hook is still installed in the front bumper. I then went back into the office and explained what I found. The owner blew me off and sent out the employee. He cleaned everything appropriately and explained on that day the owner was dealing with an irate customer (wonder why). He said they usually clean the vehicles before the customer picks them up. He did apologize for the owner. The owner should have been a stand up guy and spoke to me face to face instead of hiding in his office. Will not be a repeat customer!!!

I have now been back in Florida for a few months and the transmission has blown again. AAMCO refuses to correct the problem stating that the warranty is out of date. They managed to install 2 bad transmissions in the vehicle. To be fair, the Houston office took care of getting me a rental deal and everything when I broke down, but the Daytona Beach office were extremely rude and wouldn't even evaluate my car unless I agreed to have it fixed full price there. When I went to pick it up, the manager made me wait for 30 minutes and then proceeded to (while on the phone) throw my keys at me and threaten that they were the only repair shop in town and I HAD to get my truck fixed there. The kind of service that AAMCO provides is corrupt and a scam. The transmissions they install are supposed to only outlast a 1 year warranty before they break. AVOID!!!!

I explained that I was not making a decision right away and he proceeded to really push the rebuilt transmission. He cited the cost of a new vehicle, went on about how many miles I would get out of a rebuilt transmission from them (100k miles was mentioned), how many miles were on my vehicle now, when they typically see these transmissions go (which of course was within my current mileage range), etc. He basically had a rebuttal for any objection I came up with. I said I was not making the decision now, and he finally backed off. I asked if it was safe to drive the car and was told that it would strand me eventually whether it will be the next day or in 2 weeks, there was no way to tell. That felt like a scare tactic.

None of this made sense with the codes and the symptoms of the vehicle. I talked to a mechanic friend of mine who also said it didn't make sense. He explained that the transmission fluid would be discolored and smell burnt if I was losing a gear in addition to revving instead of shifting at a low RPM. I checked my transmission fluid again and it was not discolored nor did it smell burnt. I took my vehicle to the dealership for service and had them pull the codes. They explained that it indeed a switch in the transmission and that I did not need to rebuild the transmission. Total cost with parts and labor was less than $300.

I am very angry that Aamco was pushing a transmission rebuild when, if they were truly transmission experts, they would have been able to tell that all it needed was a switch, especially given the CODE that came up in the check engine light! Buyer beware. Get a second, and if necessary, a 3rd opinion on anything they tell you here.

They wouldn't give me a refund on the $39 groupon coupon, even when service was denied for turning my rotors and forced me buy their overpriced parts at triple the retail cost! I video recorded mostly everything that Seattle Aamco manager said and will be posting it up on YouTube soon! If you want to only spend $39 on brake service, bring in your own brand new set of rotors and calipers just in case, so they can't overcharge you on parts. If they will ever turn your rotors, just refund your parts. I don't think they turn rotors there, I didn't see any rotor turning machine in their shop...

They use Posi Quiet semi - metallic brakes #104.02560 (not OEM) worth under $20. The rotor that they gave me wasn't OEM. Just cheap Dura International #BR3134. $15.98 each at eBay with free shipping. Brand new set of Dura International CERAMIC BRAKE PADS AND DISC ROTORS COMPLETE KIT LEFT & RIGHT PAIR on eBay is $44.08 free shipping... I feel like I got scammed for $160 + $26.26 for resurfacing my old rotors at Honest Jack auto parts and wasted 8 hours of my time dealing with Aamco and Groupon...

I made an appointment and brought my Truck in for service. A few days had passed and the shop hadn't called, so I called them to check in. They explained that they found the problem, that a valve needed to be replaced. They explained that if they couldn't find the valve, they would replace the valve body. 9 days later I got a call that they were ready to do the repair, but that I would have to pay for the electronic components that needed to be replaced. I stated that I was disappointed. This goes completely against what I was told when I had the initial work done. I was offered a free oil change for my trouble. When I declined the $15 oil change, Vince said that he would see what he could do. When I arrived to pick up the truck, I was simply given the bill for the $288.85 with no mention of anything else. I paid it and left.

When I got to my truck and opened the door, not only was the truck filthy on the outside, but my light tan leather drivers seat was smeared and covered in oil. The inside of the door panel was dirty from dirty hands and the paper on the floor mat, covered in mud was not even removed. I returned to the office and told Vince of what I found. Instead of coming out to see it himself, he sent a worker to clean it. The worker wiped it for a few seconds and told me it was clean. I explained that it wasn't at which time he exclaimed, "You're full of **" and repeated it several times. I returned to the office, quite angry and stated that the employee had just told me that I was "full of **." Vince lured me outside and immediately got in my face. I asked him if he wished to fight me and he accused me of "disrupting his business." I repeated again what the worker had said to me.

At this point, Vince turned to my vehicle and looked inside. With the worker still arguing that it was clean, I tried to say something. Vince cut me off and stated "I have 3 F150's, I know the truck very well." Not sure what that meant. I asked him if they used seat covers when they worked on the truck. He stated "we have them". I asked him if they used them, he admitted they don't. After inspecting the seat, he turned to me and asked me what I wanted to happen. I simply stated that I wanted my seat cleaned. He went inside. His worker returned with some cleaner and after a few minutes it was clean. As I got into my truck to leave, the worker who had the passenger side door open tried to continue to argue with me. I just told him to get out. After repeating myself a few times as he continued to argue, he closed the door and I left.

I'm taking the time to write this review because what happened at this shop to me goes so far beyond the simple fact that they lied to me when I had the work done initially. They're irresponsible and disrespectful. I do not recommend this shop. I don't trust them and I didn't need the aggravation.

I brought the vehicle in for the required maintenance after so many miles and was told everything was fine. In December of 2014 I started feeling the hesitation, hard shifting, and the vehicle started to shudder sometimes when I was driving. I took the vehicle back to AAMCO and after inspection they told me it was the Mass Airflow Sensor and it would cost me $385 to replace it. Now this I know a little about. I know it is seldom a case where you need to replace the MAF sensor so I opted to have it cleaned a few days later. Also I had just had the O2 sensor replaced so if there was a problem with the MAF it would have been caught then.

After I had the MAF sensor cleaned I continued to have the same hesitation, hard shifting, and shuddering issues. I took the vehicle back to the shop where I had the MAF cleaned and they said it was the transmission. I then had my vehicle towed back to AAMCO. I told them the diagnosis of a bad MAF was incorrect and that the other shop said it was the transmission and that the transmission fluid looked/smelled burned. After a few minutes in the shop the manager comes to tell me I need another transmission because the radiator leaked coolant into the transmission (mind you this voids the warranty which was still effective). My first thought was, if you are supposed to be transmission specialist how could you have missed that the first time I brought the vehicle in less than a week ago? I asked could the transmission be rebuilt and he stated again no because all the internal parts were ruined. (How they know that without taking the transmission apart I don’t know). He offered me some financing but said the transmission could not be repaired. I told him I could not afford it therefore he offered to let me leave the vehicle until I decided what I wanted to do.

Thinking it was too convenient that the radiator leaked into the transmission voiding the warranty I wanted to get a second opinion. The next working day I towed my vehicle to another transmission specialist to get a second opinion on the repairs. The technician took the vehicle on a test drive, inspected the dipstick and dropped the pan to inspect the transmission fluid closer. Wow, would you know there was no coolant in my transmission fluid. There was nothing wrong with my radiator. My warranty was not voided. I am in the process of taking my vehicle back to AAMCO to let them know they misdiagnosed my vehicle again. I'm taking pictures with me also. Now I’m wondering if I needed to replace my transmission in the first place. Please stay away from AAMCO!

My car was previously running and in GOOD condition overall. They told me that the diagnostic came up with a "Timing Belt System Failure". They also came up with Multiple misfires (in Cylinders #1, #2, and #3!!!). Seriously??? That would be totally impossible, since I had drove the car in to the shop, and they claimed they couldn't get the car to start, and a multiple misfire in 3 cylinders, in a 4-Cylinder car, would be impossible for anyone to have even start the car, much less been able to drive it anywhere!!! ANOTHER MAJOR LIE!!!

I wouldn't doubt it for a moment they had actually did something to sabotage the car to have caused this "system failure" to occur. I asked them, just out of curiosity, how much a full Timing Belt replacement would cost me, and they quoted me a price of $550 or so. The Timing Belt had been changed at 44,000 miles (Only 16,000 miles previous to the current odometer reading), and was in good condition as well. There was no prior problems with the belt or the timing. But they failed to be able to tell me what the cause of the system failure was. They were only supposed to do a basic Diagnostics check, which took them days, instead of hours, as they kept stalling, and we finally had to just go in and pick up our car, 4 days later on Monday, Nov. 3, 2014.

We had drove the car in, and it was in good running order, and only has 60,780 miles on it. When we had picked up the car, they CLAIMED the timing belt was "stripped", and in a lot of damage, and won't start. But, in fact, AAMCO claimed they had never even touched the timing belt cover, and had not removed the covering in order to actually visually check the timing belt itself, which is the only way to actually check the belt. They then claimed the car needed a new Timing Belt, and changed their story on the cost, which was now, they claimed, a total repair cost of $1,100.00. More than DOUBLE the original quote. A major lie! Since, The Timing belt had been changed at around 44,000 miles, just about 16,000+ miles previously, as stated above.

I returned to the shop to retrieve my car, whether they were finished or not. I raised the hood to inspect what had been done and they had me under the impression that the Timing Belt cover was off, and missing, and the belt was on the bottom of the car's undercover. Another LIE!! But later, I discovered that it was both 'Serpentine belts' (NOT the Timing Belts) had been completely ripped to pieces, and shredded beyond all recognition (with mostly just the wires that are imbedded within the belts, were not just fully exposed, but the wire was all that was practically left of the serpentine belts, and they were completely wrapped around one of the belt wheels multiple times as well as behind the wheel). This makes me suspect that they did something to sabotage the serpentine belts as well like maybe they poured acid on the serpentine belts just to make more work for themselves, and rip me off and rob me blind of any and all money I have.

In order to get the car back, we had to sign the authorization for the $400 payment for the labor and would not release the car unless I did so (but which already came out of my debit card), just to diagnose the problem, and the 'multi-point inspection/ diagnosis', as advertised was supposed to be FREE. They gave me back my car, but not just in NON-operating order - but it won't even start. So we had to have the car TOWED at our expense. We had only went to AAMCO, because they were recommended to us, and of the fact that the Transmission codes came up. I had done a Diagnostics check elsewhere prior to coming to AAMCO, as stated above, yet they didn't come out with ANYTHING wrong with our Timing Belt.

Upon further checking with other mechanics, we found that the Serpentine Belts were all tangled up and messed up. I feel that AAMCO messed up my car. I have been WITHOUT my car for over 1 month now, trying to figure out what the so-called "repairs" were that AAMCO is responsible for. AAMCO made a ton of excuses, and that they couldn't have done anything to the belts, and that it would've been ridiculous for them to have possibly done anything even remotely close to this kind of thing. And this just makes me think and feel how guilty they likely are... then, had actually offered to do the repairs, but I don't trust them anymore with my car, since I feel they messed up my car... big time!!

After all, the car is in their possession, with authorization to check it out - whatever happens, makes them fully responsible. They have, as I had found out after checking for customer reviews in the internet, that they have a very bad reputation for quite a long time, and had very bad reviews with over several hundred complaints from all over the country, for damaging people's vehicles, overcharging customers for work. They falsely claim that needs to be done, as well as purposely and wrongly diagnosing the problems involved.

I did some more research and found out the employees are working at AAMCO under 100% commission, and not a straight wage at all. So they will purposely and fraudulently create more work than is needed, that are far from necessary, claiming repairs are needed on problems that previously did not exist. They exceedingly overcharge their customers for a job that costs a certain amount, and will even charge them up to 3 times more, even up to 400 times the amount of what the real charge is. Same goes for the $400 charge did to me for a job that, for AAMCO, is advertised as FREE and in some places may only cost about $45, NOT $400 as AAMCO claims.

After raising hell for the horrible job they did messing up my car, and giving it back to me non-operational, they refunded me the $400.00 I paid for their recommendation for the Diagnostic check, which according to their own paperwork is SUPPOSED to be FREE! However, my car is still NOT running as of yet, as I haven't been able to pay for the repairs. I'm disabled, and I desperately need my car, and they have left me stranded, and on the bus, and I've had to also pay for taxis. I've had doctor appointments that I can't even make, because AAMCO has screwed me over, and left me in a lurch!

AAMCO had possession of my car, and authorization to diagnose my car issues, not to do any major work on it, unless authorized to do so, upon notifying me of their finding out what the diagnosis was, but they had done more work on the car anyways. With this fact, they are therefore, fully responsible for any and all work, and/or damages done to the vehicle.

My car now has, in addition to what was already needed, the timing belt has skipped 4 keys, and the timing is off; and the 2 Serpentine Belts need to be replaced. These conditions did NOT exist when I had brought the car in to AAMCO!!! If you want to go to any auto shop to get your car fixed, STAY CLEAR OF THIS BUSINESS, PERIOD! They have a long time reputation for being a bad business!! A HORRIBLE PLACE AND BUSINESS TO EVER HAVE ANYTHING DONE!!!

Conclusions: I was correct to depend upon his experience and the part he installed lasted for over six years. Both of us could have been wrong, but the mechanic deserves to get paid.

I sent a letter to Mr. Larry Adams who is the owner of the AAMCO shop Located in Redlands CA demanding a refund of my money that I paid since his shop never performed a satisfactory result. He denied the refund so I submitted my case to small claims court and strangely enough despite all the evidence I submitted, receipts, pictures even physical evidence, the judge still ruled in their favor. I ask for my case be considered for any action against the AAMCO franchise thank you.

When I went in to pick it up, I told him I would not be recommending this AAMCO to anyone and I would not be back. He then proceeded to tell me everything that I did wrong during this transaction. I agree I did do a lot of things wrong. I took it to AAMCO. I did not make it clear enough that I just wanted the free estimate. I tried to explain what my problem was. Just because I left it for him to finish the estimate did not authorize him to proceed. The transmission did seem to work very well on the 10 mile drive home. I hope it continues to work well. This was a bad case of miscommunication. It could have been avoided if BOTH of us would have followed good business practices. The biggest problem I had was they did seem at all interested in trying to resolve the issue other than tell me what I did wrong. I hope they spend the $400.00 well because that's all they will be getting from me.

Still never hear back so I call and their phone is suppose to be getting no calls in but only calls out. I go back to them Monday afternoon and they tell me that a particular part they ordered came in, in a Nissan part box but it was to a different make of car...."REALLY"... They say that they have contacted the parts people and that a new part is being sent and in route. This is around 1:30 Monday.... they close at 5:00 p.m. so I call at 3:00 and get NO RESPONSE. Once again a drive to Aamco and get told that they should have it fixed by Tuesday morning. Still haven't heard back from them. The manager even gave us his personal phone number and won't answer us back. Sure wish I was a lawyer... I would be owning a brand new car at their "AAMCO'S" expense. Never will I set foot back into any "AAMCO" transmission place again!!!

I stopped the truck and put it in drive to see if I could pull forward, which it did. I then tried reverse again and this time it moved even less. I turned the truck off, went inside my home and told my wife the transmission was messed up again and for her to follow me to AAMCO. When we got there I explained to Joshua what happened and left the truck with him. July 14th, after waiting two weeks and no calls, I called Joshua and asked him where he stood with fixing my truck. He gave me this big spiel about parts that old are hard to find and my truck (of course) has a unique type of transmission that is hard to find. I asked for the parts he needed and wrote them down. I called Grand Strand Pick and Pull in Conway, less than a mile from Aamco. I gave them the parts I needed and the counter person looked them up. He said they had a hundred of them at a price of about $80.00.

I called Joshua and told him where he could pick up the parts that he can't find. He said, "That's great, do you mind dropping by there and picking up those parts for us? It would save a lot of time." I told him, "Not at all. I'll drop by Aamco first and get a check to pay for the parts and go and pick them up." Joshua said that was ok (to my amazement). Before I could hang up the phone, it was ringing. Guess who was on the other end? That's right, Joshua. He told me, "Never mind about picking up the parts. I have a guy that's close and he can do it." I am not that stupid, he never needed parts, he was just holding my truck hostage and trying to teach me a lesson.

On July 15th Joshua called my cell phone and said the truck was ready. My wife and I went and picked the truck up, there was no charge. Joshua questioned me as to what I was doing to cause the truck to fail. Even though I had previously told him, in detail, what happened, I told him again. He made the statement to me that the back of the transmission case was blown out, and the only way that could happen was if I revved the engine up to a high rpm and then slammed it in reverse. I told him that never happened. He asked me if anyone else drove the truck that would do this. He was told, "no, I'm the only one that drives the truck except for my wife." Also, the gear shift lever had been tampered with. The pin that holds it in had been replaced with another type of pin. The spring was missing and the lever was not tight as it was when I took the truck to AAMCO. The shift lever would move in any direction about an inch, making it hard to shift and know what gear you were in. He asked his tech about it and he denied doing anything to the shift lever. But said he would take a look at it.

I took the truck and noticed immediately that something was not right. It would shift through the first two gears in less than 3 seconds and then when it went to third gear it never shifted out into overdrive. At a speed of 55-60 it was running at 2100 rpms. That was very high for this truck. I have had this truck for 27 years and know how it should drive. At a speed of 55 the RPMs should be around 1500. I took the truck back to AAMCO on July 16th and told Joshua it was not right and told him about the issues described above. He again accused me of abusing my truck and said driving it hard is the only way the transmission would fail as it did. I told him again he was wrong and since he wanted to make accusations, maybe his tech did a sorry job, since they were so backed up he must have rushed through just to get me out. He told me it sounded like it was locking in 3rd gear and went to ask his tech about it.

When he came back he stated that the tech built it that way to keep me from blowing this transmission out again. What? Who do they think they are? This is not what I paid for. No one asked me if they could modify my transmission. I told Joshua the first time I took it that I was going to keep the truck and wanted it done right. Joshua tried to tell me that this would be a better way and would protect the transmission and the truck would run better. I told him that was not true. At that high rate of rpm it would increase my gas mileage, be hard on the motor and I was not satisfied. He mentioned again about it must have been caused by me and the way I drive. I told him again that I don't drive rough and I resented him making accusations about me. I was beginning to get upset with him so I told my wife who heard everything to close her door so we could leave. Joshua said he would get to it when he could. I had to go home to unload a mattress we had just bought and then returned at around 2:30 and left the truck with Joshua.

July 21st, went by (did not stop) AAMCO today. My truck was still in the same place where I parked it and had not been moved. My wife (Miriam) told me she went by a couple of days before that and it was still in same place. July 30th, Miriam received a call from Aamco stating that my truck was ready. She went to town with her sister and picked it up. Didn't notice anything wrong on the trip back home. I drove it to work that evening. Second gear shifted really hard but other shifting seemed ok. At a speed of 55 60 RPMs were between 1550 and 1600. The next day when I drove to work, I noticed when the truck shifted into second it was even harder. Also, it took a long time to shift from second into third. At a speed of 60 it still had not shifted into overdrive, so I sped up until it shifted, which was at a speed of 68-72 miles per hour and an RPM of 3100. This is not acceptable. I drove the truck for the weekend and decided to take it back to AAMCO on Monday morning.

When I took it in, Joshua was at the front of the store. I explained what the truck was doing and he made the statement that the shift cable may have come loose. I left the truck with him with instructions to call me when it is fixed. I also told him maybe he should drive the truck, then he will see exactly what I'm talking about. He said he had drove it. AUG. 5th, Joshua from AAMCO called me about 9:30 and stated that he had driven my truck twice and could not find anything wrong with it. He asked if there were a particular time when it shifted hard or wouldn't shift into overdrive and I told him every time I drove it. He said he would drive it again in a little bit and call me. I waited until 1 o'clock and then went to town on other business. I dropped by AAMCO to check on the truck. Joshua had not even driven it again. I asked him to go right now and we would drive it. He said he couldn't, he was waiting on an important phone call. He said he would call me when he drove it. Waited all evening and did not receive a call.

AUG 6th, called Joshua at 11:00 am and he still said nothing was wrong with truck. Asked the same question as yesterday, got the same answers. Said he would drive it now and call me back in 30 minutes. It's been 1 hour and no call. I'm going down there. Went to AMMCO, truck had not been moved. No call from Joshua. Got service tech who built my truck to ride with me for test ride. Truck shifted fine leaving Conway, both 2nd and overdrive. Tech said no one had made any further repairs to transmission. I asked him how can a transmission fix itself? He went into the explanation about hydraulics, saying that it could have been a small piece of debris causing the valves to hang up. I told him that didn't sound good. If it happened once on its own, it could happen again. Right? He stated this time that he had checked the valves to make sure they were not hanging up. So, did you work on the truck or did you not work on the truck?

When we turned around to come back, truck didn't want to shift into overdrive. Could not get fast enough in town to shift. Told Joshua I would take it and drive it the weekend and see how it does. Sept 7th, transmission still not shifting in and out of overdrive as it should. Sometimes it shifts into overdrive at 55 mph and around 2300 rpms. Other times it shifts at 65-70 mph and 3200 rpms. Oct 24th, truck is no better; in fact, the shifting problem is getting worse. I contacted another repair shop and told them about this experience. I am going to let them look at the problem and see what can be done. After reading these complaints I'm sure something can be done with these pirates. Do they go to school to learn how to cheat customers? All the complaints I've read seem so much alike.

What AAMCO did do are the following: They "fixed" the problem by, according to him, taking down the transmission and rebuilding it. A $1600 effort charged to the warranty company. ("Free" money, perhaps?) In doing this "repair", the Mazda no longer had the overdrive slipping issue multiple times while maintain speeds of 45-50 mph. Now, the car would no longer go into 1st or 2nd gears through the means of moving the column shifter. This did not affect it while traveling, just that it was having difficulty going into the 1st or 2nd gear -- not to mention not showing correctly on the shift indicator. (True, you don't usually need it, but neither a spare tire. It's just piece of mind in case you do need it.)

Next, when placing the Mazda in Reverse, it would jerk violently as it was going into Reverse. NOT NORMAL! So, Sam claimed he replaced one of the two motor mounts. I rec'd verification from another technician that only 1 was replaced. Why not replace BOTH especially since the one not replaced is the one damaged? So, after 6 trips (YES, 6 TRIPS and 1.5 MONTHS LATER) the car was still not working right in shifting. Sam claimed it was the computer which later was identified as the neutral safety switch. Really? After several attempts that this same part keeps being defective? Well, after those wasted trips, not to mention, wasted fuel going back and forth telling us the car was ready...only to find out it was not, it still was not fixed. (Yes, that happened, too. Multiple times, "your Mazda is ready. It runs smooth and everything is great.") Then we go there. Or was it? NOPE! Sam would say, "Oh, we still need to do a test drive as we found something else." How can that be? Never an HONEST answer. Just BS all the way!!!

The hard shifting into reverse was somewhat resolved. So, the outcome after 7 trips, wasted tank of fuel combined between the Mazda and our other vehicle...the shifting via the column shifter works. The overdrive issue had returned. Needless to say, right back to the initial issue of as to why we brought it back in the first place. Sam's thought..."bring it back". No! The INCOMPETENCY through your staff shows it is not worth another 1.5 months of GUESSWORK. Ever hear of "DIRFT"? "Do It Right The First Time". Obviously, not at this AAMCO (especially after minimum of 5 return trips). Something else all of you need to be aware of. The fact that they SCRATCHED THE PAINT...and I mean scratched the car with either their tool carts, or other vehicles.

We had MAJOR scratches similar to that of keying of a car. So, Sam (the superhero as some think he is) said, "I will have my buddy man take care of it." Not happening, either. What this "buddy man" did was scratched the paint so much by guessing he used a brillo pad or something similar instead of a cloth, that now it has not only swirling scratch marks, but also has removed the clear coat right off the paint. So much so, you can see a complete discoloration difference between the two doors (meaning shine on one door vs. dullness of the damaged door). Way to go, you bunch of idiotic dumb **. Sorry, but if the shoe fits, wear it!

So in short, people, if you want your vehicle damaged ... this is the place to go. If it is where you want it fixed there. Good luck. Be ready to receive your vehicle back 1 1/2 months later and still be wrong...or WORSE than what it was. Summary: I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND THESE PEOPLE AT THIS AAMCO (INCLUDING MY WORST ENEMY) IF IT WERE THE ONLY PLACE TO GO!!!

Also, KEY NOTE. I know of a story at this same AAMCO that a friend of mine once went there for employment. Sam's thought was to rip off a person every time someone comes in for repairs. Example: If someone comes in for a sticking brake caliper tell the person it is both sides as well as more, even though that is not the case. This way, more money is earned for the company. Needless to say, my friend changed his mind about being employed with this company since he is an honest mechanic. One last thought. Notice on AAMCOs main site, there is not a customer service for complaints listed. Also, do a Google search and read some of the others (especially where several Attorney Generals from several states have filed lawsuits against AAMCO).

Three weeks later I was back again because the exact same shuttering was going on. Jose called me the next day and said they put the wrong transmission lube in and that's why it was shuttering again. It was ready a week later, to put in lube. A month and a half later, it's back. The shuttering is even worse and I'm just over the top mad. So I take it in again and Jose calls me the next day to tell me they needed to replace the torque converter because they put in the wrong lube but all of it was going to be covered under warranty (which just makes it all OK). So another week goes by before I can pick up my truck. (If the same shuttering was occurring each time then why did they rebuild my transmission when they could have put in a new torque converter for $379.00 on the bill). Side note: (I would not have a problem if all of this would have been done right the first time. When you spend almost $5,0000, you want it done right the first time).

Now it's been over a week since I got a call from Jose's supervisor, Greg ** (who said he would be following up with me soon). I've tried calling the 800 number but I have only been called back once while I was teaching and I can't seem to get a hold of anyone after leaving over five different voice mails with three different people. To make a long story long, this is the first time I have ever written something online about anything related to service, but I cannot get service so I'm putting it out there. This will definitely be posted on as many sites I can put it on. Bottom line, don't go to AAMCO even if people recommend it to you. There is a reason you are reading this. Thank you for your time.

The same day picking up the truck, still had issues with the shifting. After we called they said it's fine and it would just take a few weeks to settle. Well that never happened. Not long after that, the transmission went out again then had to wait another long wait. We get it back and truck still is not shifting smooth so after all this back and forth, the transmission goes out yet again. So we call the AAMCO and they tell us to bring it in "and at no time did they tell us it would cost $500 for them to look at the work they had done".

So now the warranty is up. It has been 14 months so they want $1600 for them to rebuild yet again!! We told them we didn't have to money so they charged us $500 or we could not get the truck back!! A transmission should last long than 14 months. This company does bad work and is out to take your money without care. I WILL NEVER GO TO ANOTHER AAMCO AND WILL KEEP POSTING REVIEWS. JUST FILED A COMPLAINT WITH BBB. EVERYONE SHOULD DO THE SAME SO WE CAN GET THE MESSAGE OUT TO EVERYONE!!

Then in less than a month's time, the A/C started blowing hot air again. I took the car back to AAMCO and had to leave it another 2 hours (funny how it's always "two hours" to look or fix the problem) this time so it could be diagnosed. There was no charge for this visit. It seemed that the BRAND NEW blend door actuator valve had failed. I would have to schedule a time to bring it by the night before and drop it off. Once that arraignment was done, rather than it taking the given few hours to fix the problem, it turned into a full day issue. Then I get a call later that day, saying it would take _yet_ another day. So I had to pay out of my pocket an additional $200 to have a rental car from Enterprise Car Rental for these two days. Out of pocket: $200.

And as of today (September), our car's A/C is now switching from the top, to the middle vents and then to the floor. Repeatedly. The check engine light has also appeared. Now after all that has taken place, how do I not know that this is not the actuator acting up again and thus going to cost me additional time and money to have it diagnosed to even look at getting this problem fixed? I have spent over $1000 so far and not having any satisfaction.

Once the vehicle was brought home the transmission was worse than before. The car would not stay in gear and had added problems. The odometer was no longer working and interior lights would randomly come on and go off. These issues did not exist prior. My father-in-law pointed this out to an Aamco worker when he picked the car up and was told that it was an electrical problem and it would cost him an additional $200 to fix it. My father-in-law refused to pay any more money and asked that they repair the vehicle and over the next few months took the car in three more times. On the third visit they asked my father-in-law to come in alone (without my mother-in-law) and stay for the several hours it would take them to work on the car, which my father-in-law was unable and unwilling to do. On one of these occasions my 80 year old mother-in-law overhead them as they taunted her and my father-in-law, purposely making derogatory remarks about them within her earshot.

I live in Flagstaff, AZ and was unable to be there for any of these visits, but after I was made aware of these issues, I personally called to complain and became involved in this process at the beginning of August. Ultimately the car went back into the Aamco shop a total of five more times, and every time the transmission was actually worse than it was when it initially went in for repairs on March 11th and none of the issues that occurred AFTER the initial visit to the Aamco were repaired. The odometer is still not working and both myself and my father-in-law were told they could not fix it, even though it was working fine before it went into their repair shop.

AS of this date, while driving at speeds higher than 50 MPH the car violently slips out of gear, hard enough for the glove box to pop open. The lights continued to malfunction and the odometer is still not functioning. My in-laws did not feel safe driving the car. So I went to take possession of it and I made the drive to Phoenix and personally returned the car to Aamco for the last time, Saturday, August 9th at which time I requested the repair of the transmission and the malfunctioning lights and odometer. I was told by the manager, **, that they would make the repairs. I spoke with ** or ** twice the following week and was told they were having their best mechanics work on the car.

** called me Friday, August 15th and said they could not fix the transmission and would only continue working on the car unless we paid for it. I declined as they had not been able to repair the car up to this point and had a friend of mine pick up the car on Saturday, August 16th. When I requested at least a partial refund I was told that was not going to happen. No reparations of any kind were offered by ** or **, I was simply told that the problem was either fuel related or the engine was not relaying messages correctly to the transmission. We had NONE of these issues prior to taking the car to Aamco, it was a simple and slight slippage of gears.

At this point I am left with a vehicle I can not drive and I cannot sell and have paid $2,200 in repairs that were not done. On a personal level I feel that they endangered my in-laws by giving a car back to them that should not have been on the road. Additional I'm upset as my 80 year old mother-in-law overheard the people at the shop taunting her and my father-in-law within earshot. I've considered filing a civil suit against Aamco but have been told that it's unlikely I will be successful in winning a case against them. I am hoping that the Attorney General's office can help us find a solution.

STAY away from this shop, there are many Transmission shops that will do quality work. Do not get stuck like I did. The shop in Pa. told me he has done this for years and years and has NEVER had a $4000.00 rebuild. Said he would have done something for us had he done the original work. Original cost for work was way higher than it should have been. No pride in their work, will not stand behind it.

So 6 months after warranty expires, the transmission fluid starts leaking from my vehicle. So I took it back to AAMCO and when they checked it out, the guy was telling me that I had an oil leak and my transmission is leaking and I had explain to him that I hadn't too long got a oil change and they never mention any oil leak and I never saw any oil leak coming from my vehicle. And he told me I was at fault for bringing it in that way and that I would have to pay for another transmission and wrote down on paper saying I had an oil leak and transmission leak which he was lying because I took it to a repair shop and they told me I didn't have a oil leak, only a transmission leaking. So I wouldn't recommend anyone to take their vehicle to AAMCO. They are a ripoff and I was very unsatisfied because they didn't fix my vehicle right.

My wife was driving the car home going southbound on I-5 when the car came to a screeching halt. A semi-truck had to suddenly swerve around her and she narrowly missed being in a bad accident. The state patrol said it appears like the transmission may be locked up because he had a hard time trying to push the car off the freeway. So we had the car towed back that night to the Lakewood Aamco transmission shop. After 6 days of diagnosis, the manager, Damian, said the differential was locked up and said that was not part of the transmission and not under warranty. He said repairs would be another $3600.

So we called a number of transmission repair shops. They all said that the part in question "is" part of the transmission and had to have been taken off when the work was done and the only way for it to fail is if they did not fill it with gear oil at the time the transmission was rebuilt. The manager, Damien, was quite hostile with my wife and threatened to call the police when she said she wasn't leaving without a diagnosis and explanation of what they are going to do with the damage. We finally had to get an attorney and threaten them with a lawsuit before they decided to fix it. After having my car there another 2 months, I finally got it back. So if you're reading this, ask yourself, "Do I really want to take my car here?"

In addition, we were supposed to get a military discount, and that never showed up on the final bill. After my son got the truck back, it was losing power, and he found that the exhaust manifold wasn't even tightened back up. We now have a vacuum leak in the truck that wasn't there before and the engine light is coming on. The owner actually had the gall to argue with me that it wasn't his fault his vendor sent the wrong part. Now we have a truck that is still not working to potential. I will never recommend anyone to go to this Aamco... again Golf Links/Kolb Road in Tucson, Arizona.

When my car was finally done 4 days later and I picked it up, I asked what caused the transmission to go bad. I just wanted reassurance I was told wrong type of transmission oil was used. I paid my bill and said to the garage owner I can get my car inspected now. I felt relieved to have my car back although it cost me more than I anticipated. He replied to me "you can't get emissions done on your car with all the work that's been done. Take your car home and run it over the weekend, bring it back Monday and we can help you get inspection and emissions". I said ok, returned my car on Monday and I was called once around 3pm to be informed I needed my insurance card. I dropped off my new card and returned just before 5 to pick up my car.

I was excited to have my car for good now. I wasn't aware there was repairs made. I needed back brakes and caliper on driver side. I made the comment " I would have liked to be informed of what needed fixed". My bill for this was just over $400. I had to dig deep in my pockets now; I was expecting $80 at the most. Again I was relieved to have a car again. I was informed my transmission had a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty and I needed to bring it back once I drove 1,000 miles. I did as I was told and returned just before I drove 1,000 miles. I was told there was a leak and my car would need to be dropped off for at least 2 hours in the near future.

I made arrangements for me to go back the following week only to be called at noon to get asked why my car was there!! I informed the shop manager the purpose for my car being there. Can you believe they called me back 45 minutes later and said my car was done!! I was confused how it got done so fast but you can bet I picked it up. I drove my car for 2200 miles and noticed something wasn't right. I needed front brakes and ROTORS!!! The mechanic at Sears showed me what good rotors looked like then we looked at mine. I was very disappointed and questioned myself how did my car pass inspection. I also needed lower control arms on both sides in the front, which I had questioned the mechanics AAMCO about only to be told there was nothing wrong. I did get control arms fixed but not by AAMCO.

The next encounter I had with AAMCO and my transmission was June 2014. Less than 6000 miles, my check engine light comes on. I immediately took it to AAMCO. The mechanic cleared the code and said bring it back soon so it can get looked over. It was there the next day and I wasn't able to pick up my car before the shop closed so I asked it get parked outside locked up. I would get it after work, only to be let down because my car was locked in the garage for the night. I was very upset because it was a big inconvenience to get another ride to the shop.

I showed up the next day and asked why the light was on and why was my car locked up in the garage when I was getting it after hours. I was told "sometimes check engine lights come on" there is nothing wrong with your car. I said, "Well the mechanic said it WAS a transmission code" and stormed out. I asked if there were other AAMCO stations around because they will be seeing me from that point on. The garage manager laughed at me and said "nothing close". Unfortunately I did return my car to the same AAMCO on July 15, 2014 because I had transmission fluid leaking. I said I wanted someone to confirm they see the leak before I left my car with them. The owner and 2 mechanics saw the leak and tried blaming malfunction from when I got control arms fixed, which clearly was not the case. I was told to leave my car and I would be informed of where leak was coming from. I stated very clearly DO NOT do anything until I am notified!!!

My day went on and I called the shop at 4:30 because they close at 5 and I needed to know the status on my car. Well, my car was on the lift and had just gotten steering seal put in is what I was told, all free of charge. I was livid, I told the shop manager to get my car down and park it outside locked up with the spare key under the driver floor mat and I will pick it up after 9pm. I got a ride to pick up my car and to my amazement my car was parked in the lot. Actually my windows were down, the doors were unlocked, and what would top it off? You guessed it; the key was in the IGNITION!!! I figured it would be best if I didn't go near that shop again or speak to managers there. Hopefully not all AAMCO garages are run like this.

My 1998 Volvo is having transmission problem, still running fine but all warning went off. Being new in Florida, I brought the car to the nearest shop of my house. Leave the car (Monday) with the promise that I will hear from them by the afternoon. I received a call and ask me that they need to go further and check the transmission box - it will cost me $69.21. I said ok as Joe knew that I did not want to spend too much money on an old car. I was supposed to get an advice by the next day. Nothing happen for two days. Went to the shop and they told me that they were busy and only one guy is working on transmission.

On Thursday morning, I received a call telling what has to be done as I don't know anything on transmission. I asked of what will be the total cost.... and Joe told me $723.00. I made him repeat the amount and gave my ok... The car would have been ready by Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. Having no new on Monday, I called and Joe said the car will be ready by the afternoon - needed a test drive to ensure everything is ok. When I went to get the car, the AMOUNT was $3,200 plus taxes!!!!!!

I end up talking to Aamco corporate customer service. The manager understood the problem. He did not believe that the shop did not make any estimate in writing, called the owner who called me by threatening me of the following: 1) I pay $3,000 and get the car, 2) give him the title (the car still worth more than $3,000 - he will put a lien on the car by Wednesday afternoon. I end up paying the $3,000 on Tuesday afternoon to get my car back and another surprise came to me when signing the invoice - I have to sign a box as I did request any writing quotation... Joe called the owner and according to them it is mandatory to sign it according to Florida law!!!! I ended up signing by checking the box requesting a writing quotation. End of the story. Now I hope the work is well done but I don't recommend to get near this shop while the place is owned by Jonathan and manage by Lou.

This is unprofessional and they exhibit fraudulent advertisements (stating they take debit/credit payments). I was contacted by Mike ** who is the Director of Consumer Support for AAMCO. He stated that the owner had every right to charge me all cash and we would not be charged for storage fees if we picked up the car today, 6/23/2014. Mike ** also stated that the owner did not trust our electronic payments. This company treated me like a criminal and didn't even do any services on my car. I wouldn't contact them for ANY services because they seem to be the criminals.

After 4 hours, Andy calls me and says it's a drivability problem and the scan will now cost between $100-200. I reminded him that is what he was supposed to be doing for the last 4 hours and is was supposed to be free! He stated that they don't do anything for free and they had not even taken it for a drive. I chose to go get my car. So, I take the car to Advanced Auto Systems and they tell me the problem is definitely in the transmission. They explained in detail what exactly was wrong. The next day, I call AAMCO in Tigard (where I originally had bought new transmission) and they said to bring it in and they would check it out. After several hours, Jim, calls and tells me the car needs a tune-up, listing just about everything I had just done. He started telling me what a tune up would cost starting with, $280 for a serpentine belt which costs $47 and takes 10 minutes to install.

I told him I had just done everything he listed and it did not need a tune-up. I asked him to just fix the transmission and he said he would not even look at it until the car was running correctly. You cant even tell the car is running, it runs so good! Now, I don't know what to do to get the transmission fixed... This place was clearly trying to rip me off by telling me I needed hundreds of dollars in un-needed repairs before they will even consider fixing the transmission. At both stores, the men running the store were rude and blatant liars. They are completely unwilling to accept that my transmission is what's wrong with my car. Why can't people just be honest??? I don't know what to do now. I know I don't feel comfortable taking it back to AAMCO. I feel like they will do something to my car besides fix it. Reading other complaints from customers, I'm really sorry I ever went there in the first place.

Fast forward 2 mos. back in the shop, making noise. I am told the part that was supposed to be replaced on the very FIRST visit when the trans work was done, (side axle) now has to be replaced again. Fast forward 5 mos., car back in shop for same noise. This time it's an input shaft I'm told by John of our AAMCO here in Prescott Valley. Be done Wednesday. He will call, he NEVER calls. I call. Martin (the manager) is getting ready to take the car off the lift, will call me within the hour by noon. Never hear from Martin. So I call at end of day. Martin had no clue he was supposed to call me. Says car will need trans removed for a third time. Input shaft did not fix problem. Admits it's an in-house issue. John has his phone turned off on this now Friday.. EIGHT DAYS AFTER, I TOOK THE CAR IN.. He's out for the memorial weekend!! I will NEVER use this AAMCO EVER again. I strongly suggest people do better homework than I did and find a reputable shop. This AAMCO in Prescott Valley, Az isn't it.

After that took place, they set my car off to the side for a few days and during that time, I called Aamco and was told the inspector from my warranty company would be there on Thursday, 4-29-2014, at 1 pm. So I asked the associate to please give me a call afterwards to let me know the verdict. Never received a call. I called the next day and complained about not receiving a call and was told the manager was on the phone with my warranty company and that he'd call me back afterwards. Never received a call. Called the next day and was told the inspector would be there on Monday, 5-5-2014. Received a call from Aamco that the inspector would be there Tuesday or Wednesday.

So I contacted my warranty company and interpreted the information given to me that today, 5-5-2014, was the 1st time they were contacted and set up to send an inspector for the job. So the manager and associates at Aamco had been lying to me this entire time about the inspector coming to check the car. This is my first time in this type of situation and I don't know what to do. Any ideas?

Anyway, Jim calls me and tell me that I can pay in 60 days at a 14% interest. I had made it quite clear that I couldn't pay a huge sum straight out of the gate the day I took the vehicle in. That's why I agreed to the 6-month plan. I was shocked myself to find that I have bad credit since I don't even have a credit card. My Jeep is paid for and I pay my bills on time. Turns out I have 4 items on my credit report that I'm in the process of disputing. Now had they checked before the repairs, I would have had a chance to dispute my credit then. The bottom line is they did this maliciously and if it wasn't malice; it was carelessness. Which makes me wonder now whether what they said was wrong with the vehicle is the truth or not.

4-1-14: Still trying to get a hold of someone to send the correct part. He contacted regional manager and still not getting the part sent for my car. 4-2-14: Still waiting for correct part. Lots of apologies and said he had 3 parts sent over trying to get the correct one so the trans can be put back in my car. 4-3-14: Lots of apologies and states that they will pay $30 a day for a rental and deduct that from the price I have to pay. Explained I cannot rent a car. I have been paying people for rides. I have spent over $500 in the last 2 weeks to get to work and having people take me around. 4-4-14: Said car was fixed. Took it on test drive, no issues. Had no ride to pick it up.

4-5-14: Went to get car, drove less than a mile and check engine light came back and car still in limp mode and will not go past second gear. Called Andrew and took car back to the shop. He said he will call the owner over the weekend and get me rental on Monday. Called Enterprise and all cars booked up. I explained to him I cannot rent from Enterprise. Called the owner's office, 6029442246, to reach Scott and he was not avail. Left message for him and was never contacted. I hear nothing over the weekend.

4-7-14: Call Scott (602-944-2246), the owner. Says he cannot rent a car for me but he can pay for it. So I have to put deposit down. Called Enterprise. They state they need reservation ID from AAMCO but I cannot rent from them. Called 602-340-1142 to see if they had another company they go through. Robin stated they go through Hertz and gave me number, 602-997-0578. Chris states they cannot rent to me without $200 plus cost of rental. Then AAMCO will pay for it. Explained to Robin I have given you my last money. She states she will call me back. Robin calls back and states their hands are tied. They cannot put their name on rental - it is illegal - and they found out what was wrong with the car. The computer needs to be replaced. They noticed it before. I asked then why wasn't it replaced to begin with. They will not get it for two to 3 days. So now I have to still pay people to give rides. I asked, "So your company is not going to do anything for me for this? I have to come out of more money and deposits and you still get paid." Nothing but an apology.

I have to pay $400 worth of payments every 5th of the month. One financing plan is $285, the other is $140. Andrew did not explain that to me until I went to pick the car up. I asked if the payments were going to be high. He stated since the loan was so low they should not be. Yesterday 4/8/14 around 12 pm, we went to Aamco on North Cave Creek to speak with the owner Scott about the issues with my car.

As soon as I started explaining my side of things, I was called a liar by Scott. I was trying to explain I have been paying for rides and up to $500 to get back and forth to work and taken places. He Told me if I needed to get to work that bad I should get on the bus. I tried to explain how far my job was and hours but he kept saying I was lying. The job I was currently working was on Alma School and University. I live on 19th Ave in between Baseline and Southern. My hours was 4am to 1pm. No buses run that early. Only cabs. 17 miles one way. 34 miles round trip. He offered a rental.

There is no way after giving them my last money on a car that was not fixed right the 1st time. Paying everyone to drive me around I couldn't afford someone holding $250 or more of my money. If you are paying for it, why do I have to come out of more money? If you didn't do anything wrong, why did you offer to pay for a rental. Did not get loud with him at all until he kept calling me a liar and discriminated against me. He said if I had good credit and a better paying job, I would not be in this situation with having to get his high interest financing. They never explained how much the payments would be until after the fact.

What does that have to do with you not fixing my car correctly to begin with. While we were discussing my issues, another customer came right back in after picking up their car and it wasn't shifting. Then we expressed that we wanted the $500 I spent back and my car fixed today. He said he is not giving me anything but the car will be fixed today. They are going to put in the new computer and program it. He acted like he was doing me a favor by fixing the broken computer that they never fixed the first time. Said he give me $500 but I had to pay $450 for the computer he was putting in. Why would I have to pay for something covered under your warranty. An issue unsolved by you. I was never contacted and still do not have my car. He said he doesn't work on transmissions and Andrew is his trainee. So how could he know the issues are being resolved on my vehicle.

4-9-14: 11:22am, Andrew called me, informed me he was out sick. The computer that they received for my car was the incorrect one. They have to have one overnighted from the Midwest. Should be here tomorrow and will contact me once the car is ready. 4-11-14: 8:31 am, called spoke with Andrew. Says they are still waiting on the computer for my car. Should have it by this afternoon. Has an appointment with the programmer this afternoon. Once that is complete I should have my car today. Asked if it would be completed by 3pm. Says it should be mid-Afternoon.

4-11-14: Andrew called me at 4:24 pm telling me he still had not received the part. He has been calling over and over, cannot reach anyone at the part supplier. He has been calling supervisors with no luck. Apologized and states this is ridiculous. Will send one of his guys to Gilbert to pick up the part. Since the supplier should be closed over the weekend.

AAMCO used three different power steering pumps and claimed all three were faulty, blaming AUTO ZONE. On 2/14/14, I was told that the car was ready, when I started it the squeal noise was still there. The service manager ** said to take the car and drive it over the weekend and the noise should go away, if not bring it back on Monday, 2/17/14. This is what I did because it was no better, actually the more I drove it, it became worse. I could barely turn the steering wheel without it making that squeal noise.

On 2/18/14, I called to check on the status of the car and mentioned the payment method and was told that AAMCO didn't accept AMERICAN EXPRESS although the AE logo was displayed in their window. On 2/19/14, i went to get the car thinking it was surely fixed . I paid for it using a borrowed credit card. Started the car and the car was still making the same noise. I left the car once again very upset.

On 1/26/14 i returned to AAMCO. The noise was still there. I took the car not knowing what else to do. I took it to a small mechanic shop, told the guy about the problem. In less than two hours, my car was fixed. The other mechanic charged me $67.00, he replaced A MISSING BOLT. The car is running quite well now. No thanks to AAMCO. I think AAMCO took advantage of my situation because they have apparently got away with this sort thing many times before. Wish I had known before I went there.

All I know is they have had my car back 6 times in the last 2 months. Every time I pick the car up the gas tank is empty so I gas it up and the transmission fails so I drop it off and a week to 10 days later they return the car with no gas. Why am I paying $150.00 to $200.00 for gas for them to drive my car around because they never fixed it right. I am disabled living on social security disability and have spent over $5,000.00 to fix my car when I don't even have the car, they do. This has ruined me financially and it keeps getting worse every week. I thought Aamco was a reputable company but now I am doubting it. How much must I spend? They are driving around on my grocery money. When will it all end? It is Thursday morning 3/6, I hope to hear from you by tomorrow and I think Aamco owes me money for gas and 2 months worth of ancillary expenses I have encored while Aamco still has my car. 2 months is too long to fix a transmission.

Took it to another shop to have the diagnostics done on it. The car has seven gears and was not going past third! We called AAMCO in McDonough, Ga to see if they had this $36,000.00 diagnostic machine to evaluate the car with and the answer was NO! Cannot even talk to the manager because he doesn't want to hear what I have to say! I have asked to talk to the owner - have waited 3 days, and still waiting! Must mean the manager doesn't want me to tell my side of the story! I'm begging you never take your car to AAMCO! My car is still parked and they don't care!

After numerous calls to ** where he promised me a call back with no follow through, I finally got a call back 2 weeks later quoting me $5800 and when I said the quote was so far from the original I didn't know what to do with it, he told me repeatedly what a dealer would charge. I told him I know what a dealer would charge and the only thing that matters is the quote they gave me because that's why I brought it there. They refuse to see that and continue to quote other high end places I wouldn't have gone to. I called their corporate office and received a call back from Jim, their local GM, who said he found things that didn't need to be replaced after all (Well that's interesting) and offered to lower it to an arbitrary low 4's but only if I left positive reviews on websites... He took the posture of doing me a favor and refused to see the bad position that I was put in by their deceptive practices and this apparent bait and switch.

When I told him this was crazy and I needed to go talk to **, I was told by Jim I couldn't talk to ** about this that he didn't want me going down there and that I needed to settle this with him over the phone. I told him I no longer trusted this company and wanted to take my car elsewhere and he said nobody else would work with my warranty so I had to deal with it. I called my warranty company and they said that was a lie as long as the business has a Tax ID, I could take it there. I'm now two weeks into a rental car and my car is in pieces at a place I never would have taken it to had I got an honest quote. I have several places that would have done it for less but now it's like they are holding my car hostage to extort money from me and going so far as to lie to me and say nobody else will work on it. I want my car back and I want others to be aware and protected from them and these practices.

I decided to wait for the final decision on Monday to be able to have it done. Over the weekend, I tried to use fuel injector cleaner to see if that would help avoid paying that much for the pump. After using the cleaner, the car did stall at the stop light twice but started right back up. It seemed like the cleaner was working but not enough to stop the problems. On 11/25/2013, I decided to take the car to AAMCO to have the service completed. I thought it could be the filter, not the pump.

Another manager, Charles, said that he will call and order the filter and have it changed. While talking on his phone, he tells me the filter can't be changed alone. I would have to get the pump changed also because of the model and make of the car. Then, he explains that it would be an extra $90.00 to run a diagnostic test. However, Sam had already did that. Charles stated, "You do what you want to do because it's your money." Sam comes in and states that he'll take care of it. The car was left there and it took about 2-3 hour to service by the mechanic named Junior.

Around 4:30, Sam stated that it was fixed and ready to go. Paid the Charles $364.01. Around 5 P.M., the car shut off again but turned back on in about 10 minutes. Called Sam and he advised to bring it back in tomorrow since they close soon. Sam stated that it was a bad part and they will change it to a new one. On 11/26, delivered the car around 12pm to Sam and he had Junior work on it again. It took about 2-3 hours again. The car was taken for a test run once it was finished and it shut off again around 3:30 pm. Called Sam again, and he advised to bring it in the next day again to put in a new part.

On 11/27/2013, the mechanic, Junior, worked on the car again. So, around 2 pm it was done. Sam and an assistant went for a drive for 30-40 minutes and said the car did not stop at all. So, I thought it was okay. I took the car for a drive and it broke down again right down the street. I went back and Sam said that they will call in for a new part, because that is the only thing that could be wrong. They put in a full tank of gas and then had the mechanic work on it for about 20 minutes while they waited on the part. We went to ask for a refund but Sam said to give it a drive one more time. We took the car for 30-40 minutes and it didn't stop or break down. We thought it was okay and left.

The car drove well for the rest of the day and Thursday 11/28. Then, on Friday 11/29, it started to show the same symptoms. Around 2:30 P.M., on the Veterans Highway the car drove okay. Once I arrived at my location, it was jerking slightly on acceleration while driving. I never experienced the jerking motion while actually driving until this day. I just thought it was because I was on the highway and it could be a gear shift change. When I left the location around 3:20 P.M., the car it stalled twice on me while idle. It stalled but started back up right away in a minute or so.

I called Sam immediately and explained the car broke down again and I wanted the refund. Sam said that he wouldn't be in until Monday to issue a refund and to bring the part back. So, I proceed to enter the highway to get home. I drove a few miles while accelerating my speed. About a few minutes later, the car would stop and jerk constantly again while accelerating. It felt like it wasn't receiving any gas to the engine. Then, a second later, the car started decelerating from 60 mph to 0. I was pressing on the gas as much as I could, and it felt like no gas was being pumped to the engine.

The car stalled and I couldn't start it up again right away. I was on the middle of the highway with cars flying pass me to avoid hitting my vehicle. Not sooner after that, I was rear ended by another driver causing significant damages to my car. Amazingly, I was not hurt but the car damaged so much I could not drive it. I want help with this because I think it a faulty part put on my car, and if the mechanic could not fix the issue then they shouldn't have took on the responsibility of doing it. I want compensation for the days I had to deal with this misfortune.

I took to the closest Aamco to me which is in Fort Pierce, FL. They diagnosed it is a fried transmission again and would need to be rebuilt. They call the Pompano Beach Aamco because they would be the ones who would have to honor the warranty and pay for the work. Meanwhile, the Fort Pierce Aamco started work on my transmission and said it should be done by Oct. 29. A few hours later, Pompano Beach Aamco calls Fort Pierce Aamco and tells them to stop working on my van, that they wanted to do the work themselves and would get it towed to them.

Two days later, my van gets towed to Lake Park Aamco, not Pompano Beach Aamco. It then sits in the lot for close to two weeks with no work being done. I know this because I drove down to their shop on Monday Nov.4, to see what was going on, and saw the battery, and water pump sitting in the back of my van that Fort Pierce had taken out and my van parked in front of their store. They had all kinds of stories to tell to try and distract me, but nothing to offer concerning my van. Two days later they call to say the transmission is clean, but the check engine light and transmission light came on with a test drive, the diagnostics were going haywire, that I needed a solenoid, possibly a toggle switch, and indicator switch. By the way, Jay the manager says, "These are all external costs that you will have to pay for." I ask how much, and he doesn't give me a direct answer because they are not certain yet as to all the problems. Next day same thing, we are having other issues that are not under warranty, but would not tell me the cost.

I then call corporate Aamco to tell them what is going on. Attempted to call them over the weekend, but they are closed so had to wait until Monday Nov.11. Tuesday, Nov. 12, I get a call from Pompano Beach Aamco and they say they are going to tow my van to them because they are getting so many different stories about what is going on. Thursday I get another call saying the transmission fluid is clean, clutches are clean but the torque converter needs to be replaced. Late Friday afternoon I get a call that is is done and I can pick it up. I was at work and didn't get the message till they were closed. I call Saturday Nov. 16 and state that I had taken my van to Fort Pierce and expected to pick it up in Fort Pierce.

Fort Pierce is 20 miles from my home, Pompano Beach is 110 miles from my home. Carmen can't do anything about that until he talks with the owners. Monday, Nov. 18, I call corporate Aamco again. I also tell corporate Aamco that I have a $700 rental car bill because of this ridiculous situation. They say they will talk with the owner of Pompano Beach. Later Monday, Carmen of Pompano Beach calls to say my van is on its way to Lake Park Aamco and that is the best they can do. This is 77 miles from my home. I call Enterprise to see if I can return my rental car there and they agree with no extra charge. I drive to Lake Park, get my van. The receipt I have to initial and sign doesn't list any work that was done. Just says fixed under warranty.

Aamco had my van from Oct. 24 until Nov. 18. I have no idea what work they actually did. I could smell burnt transmission fluid right away when I started to drive it. I am still trying to get them to pay some of the rental car fee of $700. I will be taking my van to my mechanic for his opinion. The Aamco nightmare continues. Each Aamco is individually owned and they really don't honor the warranty unless you take it back to the original shop that worked on it. Even then you get a run around as I did. The managers talk a good talk to make you think all is well. Close to one month to do who knows what is outrageous. Plus they did not fix the transmission right the first time around. Never go to Aamco.

Now it is a little over a year later and car once again will not go into gear so I called AAMCO and notified them I'd be bringing the car back for a third time. When they called me to pick up my car, they told me that I needed to replace my front CV axles as there is a leak, and that they could not do the warrantied service on my transmission until I paid them $977 to replace them!!! I got my car diagnosed at another body shop and they concluded that there was no axle issue; it is completely an internal transmission issue. I would DEFINITELY not recommend AAMCO to anyone after this!

I took it for a second opinion (Aamco). They confirmed since AAMCO rebuilt the tranny, the differential has to be the problem. To ease my obvious concern particularly since hesitation on take-off was never experienced before transmission rebuild, AAMCO extended the warranty to 36,000/36 month, with the assumption that if it fails, it will fail during this period. I wrote a letter to AAMCO and was about to contact AMEX and dispute the charge (see letter details) citing the big concern about the shimming and hesitation on take-off. I lodged a complaint with the Bureau of Automotive Repairs, who spoke with AAMCO and advised me to keep everything documented should a failure occur.

Since it is not a daily driving vehicle I decided that it does not really terribly bothersome since it was intermittent. I resigned to the fact it is the rear differential and that I will fix it in the future. Tired of listening to rattling noise from underneath, I took to Amoco in Winchester, who confirmed that the noise is not coming from the transmission. I gave up and resigned to leave it as it is again, since it is not a daily driving vehicle. In the last two weeks, the hesitation started to get worse and stronger. Last week, the transmission failed to shift while in drive on takes-off, it is very heavy. Only when I manually shift it from first to second that the transmission works.

I suspected it is time to fix the rear differential as Amoco advised me five years ago and then again four years ago by another Aamco shop. This time I took it to Rear End Specialties and Gear Master shops, both of which been in business in excess of 20 years. Both advised me that my hesitation and skipping was not due to rear-end issues, rather due to transmission failure. Gear Master went to explain that the valves in the transmission vacuum are not engaging automatically. The mechanic cited concerns with the 4L30 transmission model built by GM. NOW, this changes equation in its entirety. I waited this long trusting it is a rear-end. Now the fact that the transmission rebuild was defective forces the issue to escalate this matter. I was gravely misled.

In short, Aamco have convinced me unfairly all this time that the transmission AAMCO built was fine and the problem lied elsewhere while the second opinion from another AAMCO location collaged WHEN in actuality all along the rebuild job was defective. It took 34,000 miles later (3 years and 10 months since I received the second AAMCO opinion) for the problem to reappear!

After the cooler was installed, the transmission temp issue went away. I told them why didn't they check it before they threw a rebuilt transmission in. They said slipping. My transmission was not slipping when I brought it in. I went back the following week to pay on the transmission job and tried to hand him 200 towards the balance and they refused to give me a receipt saying, "Trust me". Well, I am holding the final payment till the end of the 3 weeks and hope I get a receipt. Now I know I did some wrong, no estimate, nothing in writing, no copy of anything. They put in a transmission I did not need and gave me the truck back with the same problem I brought it in for. What I needed was just the 350 transmission cooler, not the 2400 transmission rebuild. Do not take your car to them.

Original Review: Aug. 23, 2013

My 2000 Audi A6 4.2 Quattro was serviced at Aamco in 2012 located at 3029 South Street Long Beach, CA. In May of 2013 I return my car to Aamco for the third time, with the same issue. Transmission kicked down and had shifting problems. Aamco informed me after the fact that they had to send my car to another auto body shop for electric repairs. Aamco never got my permission to send the car to another auto shop for additional repairs. While my car sat on the street at the other auto body shop it was HIT causing front end damages. I am now without a car and Aamco will not take fault for the damages. Aamco is responsible for my car. I had my car tow in to Aamco. Aamco did not have my permission to send my car to another shop. Not only that I paid over 3,000 dollars for repairs with Aamco, and was still having the same issue with the car... Aamco never fixed it properly.

Well my car broke down and left me stranded on I68. I called the Wheeling station to ask what I could do and he suggested taking it to a near station. Well this was a Friday and they close at 5. The gentleman also informed me that my warranty wouldn't work at the station in Maryland. I did not have the nationwide warranty which means, I would have had to have it towed to the Maryland shop, which I priced at $250, would have had to wait till Monday just for them to possibly look at it and wait another week for repairs to have to pay in full again.

I ended up having to get it towed back to Wheeling which cost $680. My car was looked at that Monday and luckily the problem would be taken care of cuz of the warranty I did have. I was told that It would be done that Wednesday or Thursday. So I called them Wednesday just to see the progress and the guy informed me that it wasn't ready and that they have been backed up and had only taken the transmission out. At this time they still didn't know what was wrong with it. The guy called me Thursday and told me that it was pump inside the transmission and that it wouldn't be done until the following week!! I asked why I was told Wednesday or Thursday and he just went on that they were backed up and blah, blah. The guy asked what was the big urgency that I needed my car...

Umm I have a job! He did nothing but apologize and said he would do the best He could. I asked if the company could do anything about compensating me on the towing fee, my ruined trip, and the days' pay I had to miss of work. He said that AAMCO is a franchise and privately owned and there's nothing they could do. The guy that I talked was the owner and basically said I can't do anything to compensate you. I ended up getting my car back a week and a half later. This has been the worst experience ever and will NEVER do business with them again and would NEVER recommend them to anyone.

But he will eat some of the cost and I pay $1400.00 more dollars! Why if you are taking such a loss, do business correct, make me whole, give me back my 1200.00 plus dollars so I can get this done elsewhere! How is it I see all these reviews and they still are getting away with this!? This needs to be on TV all over the USA!!!!!!!!!!!! I will not stop, will picket, will print all these reviews and hand them out. I also am contacting TV...in hope a new company will care...beware!!! Never use AAMCO! AAMCO themselves care less! They are accused of ripping off the people they talk into buying into this so called franchise...read up on it!

AAMCO themselves are doing fraud!!!!!!! To the people they took big money from! This entire franchise, company whatever you want to call it is a disgrace! All needs to be closed down! AAMCO name removed from all these shops! Legalized stealing?????? That is what it sure looks like! AAMCO steals from the suckers that buy into the franchise, then these owners get the consumer!!!! After paying AAMCO huge fees and percentages it is no wonder they have no interest in their customers...I say victims we are not customers!

I will not let this go...any others in Texas tired of the rip off...come on here. We can all do something to change this! I want a vehicle that runs or my money back period...as is stated in courts of law...to be made whole!!!!!!!! P.S. Why DID dealer only want cash?????? I would take my auto to a school before AAMCO!!!!!!! AAMCO how do you stay in business? Franchise cover up!!!!!! This is a joke with no humor!

The next week when I called him, he said they got the computer in and flashed it but it didn't work so it must have been a bad computer. He told me the shipping cost alone was going to be $200 to send the computer to them. Now he calls back and says they can't locate another computer because no one makes one. Well, where did he suppose get the first one they put in my truck? He quoted me a cost of $895 to rebuild the power train module. I called Ford and they said after market places rebuild them so I called two companies and they both quoted me $249 to rebuild my module. I called AAMCO to stop work on my truck and they said they can't because the company already sent the part out. How could they send a part out that they haven't received to be rebuilt? I negotiated a price from $1,350 to $900 to continue the work. They said it would take approximately 2 weeks to get the part.

Today, 11 days later, I went in to find out where we were at and he said he hasn't received the part and it would be available in 2 weeks. I asked who he sent the part to and it was “A-1 cardone.” I called them and they said they needed a tracking number so they called AAMCO and Michael the manager would not give him the name of the parts distributor he got the part from and hung up on him. I have filed a complaint with the Department of Justice as we speak so I will never take my truck to AAMCO anywhere. I'm sure they are going to tell me that this wasn't the problem but something else is and it will be an additional cost. This man should be fired and the company sued and taken to the cleaners so they can see how it feels.

What kind of business does this? This is not the first time either. AAMCO will never get my business again. I will be sure to inform everyone I know to stay from that company. A TOTAL RIPOFF.

I received the car back a week later (November 2012). 3 days after going out of town with the car, the transmission went out again. I was forced to rent a car which cost me over $300 since I was out of town. The car was towed back to Morgantown since the work was guaranteed. They kept it another two weeks and my wife went to pick it up. As she drove home, the transmission was slipping. She had AAMCO tow it back for more repairs. They kept it for two more weeks. I returned home after being out of town and picked up the car a third time. It, again, was slipping. I drove it back to AAMCO. A tech drove with me and reported to his Manager that it was indeed slipping.

The engine fan was spraying fluid all over the place. My garage at home had a stain of fluid on the ground about 5x5. The mechanic jacked the car up, ran out to get me and said, "See, this is not our fault. Somebody installed the radiator wrong!" I looked at him and replied, "You put the new radiator in." The pins were not in the right place on radiator and it was leaking. The shroud was not put on right for the fan. He looked confused and shook his head. They kept it another 3 weeks. They returned it to me. They never apologized or even took responsibility for working on it 3 times and keeping it 6 weeks. Nobody did quality checks on the vehicle to see if the work was done correctly.

Incidentally, the owner of the business is a snake. He promised a reimbursement of my rental car expenses in November. I have called more than 10 times asking them for the check and the owner keeps forgetting. If others are interested in putting a website up warning innocent future victims of AAMCO, along with billboards, I would be willing to begin this process. I will update this post with a contact email.

I did not do my due diligence research or I would never have taken my auto to an Aamco franchise operator for transmission service. Aamco has had close to 500 complaints and a multitude of lawsuits filed against them for deception and fraud. You can just imagine how many customers were ripped that have never been reported on this site.

The location I took my car to was an Aamco franchise (they are all franchises) located at 13985 SW Tualatin Sherwood Rd, Sherwood, OR on the outskirts of Portland, OR. The manager there is a slick quiet taking manager, going by the name of ** (will not give his last name) that is nothing less than a professional con-artist. The owner of this franchise and others is a Mr. **. His corporate office is located at one of his other Aamco franchise locations, 120 NE 82nd Ave, Portland, OR 97220. He is unreachable and his general manager will not return calls.

He was always very evasive of quoting a price selling me on the idea it may not be the transmission but the cable or some other part connected to the transmission. I asked for a ball-park and he said that his average cost of repairing a transmission, or its related attachments, averaged out at $200. I personally felt it was the transmission as it was difficult to put into reverse gear. I had quotes from non-Aamco private firms to rebuild the transmission was $2,000 to $2100 so I was prepared to pay that amount.

The next thing that happened, the manager called and said the transmission needed to be rebuilt. He said they would order the soft parts which would be $1799. I said, "What do you mean by soft parts?" He explained this cost did not include the hard parts. I became suspicious because he had not been totally truthful with me up to this point. I checked this hard part thing out with another Aamco transmission franchise and was informed that so-called hard parts very seldom need replacing.

Next, I caught him in a horrendous lie. He told me that that my auto needs a new alternator. That's fine, I accepted that. He informed me that since my auto had a heated windshield, they could only locate the right one from a firm in Cleveland, OH. The cost would be $268. I thought that strange with so many parts outlets in the greater Portland area that no one had this part.

I decided to do some research. Right way, I found three parts firms in greater Portland that had this part stock for $119. I reserved the part in the name of Aamco. The drive belt was $40 less Aamco's, discount of 40% for a total of $143. The manager had quoted me on the belt alone at $93.45 and $468 for both parts. This amounted to a mark up for Aamco of 700%.

When I called him the following morning with this news, he was like a guy in shock. He was stammering around, "I can't discuss this now; I'm just opening up the place. I have so many other things to do." He was almost incoherent. He was acting like a puppet on a string to me.

I have been in custom manufacturing, import/export and distributing business my entire business career before retiring. So I am aware of fair profit margins but 700% on top of his lies? Give me a break.

In conclusion, this is now the 8th day Sherwood Aamco has had my auto. The total amount of their final bill will be $3600 according to this Aamco franchise. They quote a 3- to 5-day turnaround on rebuilding transmissions. Today, I learned they did not have the skill to rebuild my transmission at this Sherwood, OR Aamco franchise so now, according to one of their technicians, it will be sent to a central location to be rebuilt.

Previously, a couple of days before my auto was to be finished, ** asked me for a $1,000 deposit. I questioned this as they had my chassis (it is a one of a kind, a limited run). I was threatened by Mike that if I did not put up the $1,000 deposit, they would put my old transmission back in and charge me $895 and I could have it towed away. I paid the $1,000 deposit

Needless to say, I am truly fed up with this entire affair and if my auto has not been returned in perfect running condition by the 10th day they have had my auto, I will discuss this entire episode with my attorney.

There has been no exaggeration in this entire complaint report. If you have taken the time to read this complaint in its entirety, pass it on to anyone you may know with a transmission problem. Should you or anyone of your friends or neighbors, or anyone, with a transmission problem go to an Aamco franchise, they will get what they deserve. These Aamco franchises are cash machines for the franchise holders. This is the theme corporate Aamco sells their franchises on. (By the way, Corporate Aamco takes no complaints).

Since the initial repair, his car was serviced four times under warranty by two additional Aamco franchises in Missouri and Arizona, due to repeated transmission failures. We incurred costs of lodging while the car was being repaired in MO, rental cars in MO and AZ while the car was being repaired, and towing the car from Missouri to Arizona upon the second transmission failure after Aamco service. The car was effectively out of service for 30 days between the initial Aamco service and the last service in Flagstaff, AZ which was completed on October 30, 2001. Peace of mind service? Hardly!

When I arrived to pick up my car after I was notified that it was ready, the techs were still finishing up. I was told by ** and ** that they were just noticing (after the multi-point inspection) that my battery terminals were corroded (I waited while they "cleaned them up"), and then they added that "3 of the 4 engine mounts in my car needed replacement"! They would work up an estimate and call me to schedule a time to replace them at a cost of only $900+! They then said all I needed to do was have my tires rotated, balanced and aligned!

Two days after pick-up, my car began dying again randomly and without warning. I had taken it through a car wash; all power went and the car would not restart! I called the shop. ** answered the phone informing me that the shop was closed and told me to "open the hood, wiggle the battery cables" and the car started back up. It lost power again 4 times before I could get the car back in. I called and spoke with **, my original contact point on this repair. I expressed my extreme frustration at paying over a $1,000 for a tune-up and sensor and having the exact same problems I took it in for. He told me to bring the car back which I did the following morning.

I received a call from ** later that day informing me that they drove the car several times, had no issues and when I picked the car up, they would review what was done. They open at 7:30 in the morning. I got there at 7:30. The neon "open" sign is lit; their gigantic shop sign says they are open at 7:30. The internet shows they open at 7:30, but the shop is closed up tight and no one shows until 8:30! The shop manager proceeds to tell me that now there are 2 bolts missing from the battery side to the left of the engine, and my entire battery/fuse box casing is messed up and "they don't do that"!

There was another man who had brought his car in to be looked at who had been waiting with me the entire hour and 15 minutes! He gave me his business card before I left if I needed a witness to the conversation I had had with **. I researched the cost of the mass air flow sensor they said was the problem. The part is $21.50. They charged me $162.50. I paid $102 for 8 spark plugs, $140 for 1 set of plug wires and $48.48 for a filter! They then threw in 2 wiper blades at a cost of $65.90. Only one needed to be replaced and that was not part of any of this! I was then charged $425 labor and to cap it off, they hit me with a $39.95 charge for labor to clean the top of the battery and terminals (a service remember that "they do not perform"!).

I have no trust or confidence in this dealer whatsoever! I was appalled at the 497 complaints I found through consumer complaints about AAMCO across the country! How can this be allowed to go on without any sort of regulatory agency here in the Commonwealth? I have filed a complaint with the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Office in Richmond and will pursue every avenue to recover some/all of my money. With just a cursory bit of research, there are massive numbers of complaints and lawsuits pending against AAMCO shops across the country! Do not be their next victim!

Check your paperwork and keep your paperwork. They will tell you they remember your car coming in but they have no paperwork on it because they don't keep old paperwork in the store and the employees there half of them are only there for six months to a year. They are not very experienced. This happened to me in Hemet, California, 22 North State Street. I made a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission, Better Business Bureau. Please, and I ask this, please get the word out. Luckily, I have another car but buyer be wary of AAMCO transmission. Share this with all your friends and family and get the word out. Boycott AAMCO transmission by all means! If you have a car in there, get it out of there. This also goes for any car that AAMCO will sell on a lien sale after a customer has not paid or could not pay because they were trapped. They changed prices and didn't notify the customer. When AAMCO sells you a car, don't believe them. When they tell you that you have warranty and that it's in the computer, just drive into any AAMCO. Don't believe it. It's a trick.

It's not in the computer because I just learned they are all franchisee and there is nothing in the computer that they put. It's just a piece of paper that they give you and if they don't give it to you, they will not honor anything. They will continue to screw consumers if you let this continue. By getting the word out, people will avoid getting ripped off and hopefully put this illegal kind of business out of business. These people have been doing this for years and still continue to get away with it if I would have known about this company and did my homework. I would never take my car to any of them. They would not get one red cent from me.

We are basically in a mess because we do not have the money for another transmission, and my husband has recently been laid off of work. My daughter may have to quit school and her job because she was the primary driver of the vehicle. When I called to speak to Richard, he was not empathetic at all. He mocked my new mechanic, Action Auto, and became irate and a bit nasty and in denial as I stated to him that not one but two mechanics had stated there was something wrong with transmission, and that there was something wrong with the pricing that the warranty company was billed, especially for a reconditioned transmission with a short warranty.

Firestone had asked us almost a year ago who did the transmission work because something didn't sound or feel right. We had brought the car back or called about it several times, within AAMCO's 12-month warranty, but Richard just laughed, saying the car was just fine. We even had to bring it back when two different mechanics attempted to check or service the tranny fluid but could not because they were afraid of stripping the bolt that had been placed on too tightly by AAMCO. We tried taking it back three times with the bolt issue, 15 miles driving each time. We were always tossed to the back burner with some excuse until they finally fixed it after the car sat for a few days. Then Richard blamed the others (as usual) for stripping the bolt.

Today, when I called AAMCO to inform them that we have a huge problem, Richard became angry that my mechanics said that in no way should a reconditioned tranny should have cost that much, had a short warranty, or should have to be replaced after only 20k miles. They also gave me some good info to bring up to him about good vs. bad rebuilt transmissions, questions to ask Richard, and that the word reconditioned did not coincide with the warranty company being billed such an outrageous price. Richard just called me back having the audacity to tell me he could do another transmission for me for $2,800. No apologies for the trouble we are going through whatsoever. Just another price quote. I am now checking to see if it was even legal to have my daughter who was a minor at the time to sign for the bill, okaying the huge bill. The bill I signed was blank, ironically.

I have spoken with the manager of AAMCO (I believe he is also the owner). Before the dealer touched it and he said he is not going to authorize any repairs, and after explaining the repairs to him, he now says he will not honor the warranty. This no longer falls in a warranty situation; this falls into gross negligence! I am asking for rental car rooms and food. The shop in Wyoming is sending me a DVD with video and pics of repairs.

He told me the following day that he would call me and tell me about what he found in the transmission and what the problem was. However, I did not hear from him. I knew then that no work had begun on my car. I stopped by the shop again to see if the car had been worked on yet. I stopped by that evening and Steve was in the parking lot. I asked him to see if he has worked on the transmission yet. First he said yes and I clearly saw my car was still in the parking lot. Then he said, "No. I will work on it first thing in the morning." Steve lied to me straight faced. I do not trust this business and ended up getting my car keys that evening. Thank goodness I didn't let them touch my car. Avoid AAMCO on East Colonial Drive unless you want to be lied to by crooks.

Let us start at the beginning. Back in August of 2012, I was starting to have transmission issues. I had decided to take my 2002 Dodge Neon to an Aamco shop locate at 5960 NW Loop 410. A service guy there named ** tried to help me with setting up an engine light inspection and then a diagnostic test. I had to leave the car overnight and then the next day I was able to get in contact with him concerning the results of the test. From what he was telling me, I had severe transmission problems. He quoted me with a price for the repairs. What he had told me nearly threw me off of my rocker, a little over $2700. At first, I told him that I was going to get the car back because I was not sure how I would pay for that.

He literally convinced me to allow the shop to repair the transmission stating that they had financing options available. Like a fool, I allowed them to keep the car for repairs. As the days had gone by, I was calling and checking up on the repairs of my car, wondering when the mechanics would be finished. In the midst of all of this, I had applied for a title loan with TitleMax. I was at the TitleMax place when I was told they could only preapprove me for only $2000-$2200 for the loan. Now mind you, the repairs had cost around $2700. I called ** on the phone there hoping he would provide another solution to this. What I got was someone who was all of a sudden rude.

I tried to tell him that the loan only covered up to $2200 and not the full cost on repairs of the car transmission. But he kept cutting me off, telling me to just tell the TitleMax people that it's $2700. He wouldn't even let me finish my sentences regarding the issue of how I am supposed be paying the remaining amount. I asked the TitleMax people if there was anything they could do as far as talking to him, regarding the charges. They said they really couldn't do anything. It wasn't in their authority to do so. I was dropped off at the Aamco station that same day after being told that I would need to talk to ** regarding other payment options. TitleMax was not going to release the loan unless I got my situation squared away. I tried to have a civil conversation with ** regarding what to do about the remaining balance if I had decided to use the TitleMax loan.

He had proceeded calling other finance places, but we could not come up with anything that would cover the cost of the repairs. He then proceeded to mention other options to me that I would need to think about outside the status quo. I did tell him, however, that in-house layaway was out of the question, because I needed my car. After one of the techs dropped me off at home, I started looking into some tough decisions that I may have to make financially speaking. All of a sudden, I got a phone call from Titlemax. One of the reps spoke with their District Manager and the Manager went ahead and approved the loan for a full $2700! I was so happy. I was picked up and taken to the Titlemax where I had to sign some papers and then dropped off. They went ahead and let ** know about the decision as well.

Afterwards, things still weren't running as smoothly. I was really anxious about getting my car back with it being nearly a week by now. As I had called ** once again asking about the status of my car, he once again was giving me attitude over the phone. I really felt like he was not being too upfront with me on when repairs on my car would be done or he just maybe didn't care to check up on it himself. I don't know. All I know was that he knew I had no car and was totally inconvenienced through all of this.

Finally, I had gone with a friend of mine on Saturday, after over a week to pick up my car. The repairs were finally done. However, when we got to the shop in her Porsche, I've noticed how well they treated her (she had a better looking car and was dressed really nice) compared to how I had been treated. As I thought about this long and hard, I felt like not only was I being treated indifferently as a woman (and I mean as far as being ripped off and such), but I felt like I was a victim of economic discrimination. I think you should be treated as a customer no matter how you look or what kind of car you drive. Anyways, I was able to pay the remaining balance (a small amount) and drove my car out of there. The car was really dirty, which led my friend to help me pay for it getting cleaned at a car wash. This was not the last of my transmission problems, though ...

In November of last year, before going out of town for Thanksgiving, I stopped at a local Sears shop to get an oil change. I was told by one of the techs that the transmission was leaking and he even showed me where it was leaking underneath the car. I proceeded to contact another Aamco shop besides the one where I felt like I had really bad customer service. This one was off of Vance Jackson Rd. I told them the situation and asked if I could take it by that shop perhaps after the holiday and that I had refused to come to the previous shop. The transmission fluid was leaking in droplets at that time. The man over the phone gave in and said that I could bring it by.

After the Thanksgiving holiday, I took it by that Aamco shop and left it there during the weekend for them to repair the leak. I had decided to drive around in a rental car for a few days. This happened around December of last year. I falsely felt secure thinking this Aamco would give me better service than the last one. Besides, the guy seemed somewhat more customer-friendly than ** did. By Tuesday that next week, I was able to drop off the rental and pick up the car from the Aamco shop. I was assured that the problem of the leak was taken care of.

Well, no less than two weeks later, I was at another auto mechanic place that was trying to fix something else wrong with my car. The mechanic told me that the transmission was leaking and showed me where it was leaking at. I just could not believe this! I was flabbergasted. I called the same Aamco that supposedly took care of the leak and he sounded somewhat surprised too about the incident, but told me to try and bring the car by so they (the techs) can take a look at it. I wasn't really able to take it back in to them until after the Christmas holidays (due to myself going out of town to visit family) in early January.

They were able to take a look at it and after a while, the service guy came to me, telling me that they weren't so sure why it was leaking the way it was, that it seemed like it was leaking in different places than previously. I was a little surprised he told me that, because these guys were supposed to be mechanics. Other mechanics told me that the fluid was leaking from the pans and more than likely, the transmission was rebuilt, but not brand new. More than likely, it came from used parts. I left the car at that Aamco during the weekend and had to take off from work that Monday, just to pick it up.

In the midst of this all, I had to rely on a rental car to get me to and from work. Less than two weeks later, the transmission was once again leaking. Mechanics from two different shops had noticed this and I had to take the car back once again to the same shop that supposedly fixed the leak the first time. Due to the Christmas holidays, I wasn't able to bring my car back to that Aamco shop until early January. I had to drop the car back off at the Vance Jackson Aamco on Friday and was able to pick it back up again on Monday.

As soon as I drove out of that shop about 10-20 miles down the road, the engine light comes on and I was thinking it could've been something related to the emissions part of vehicle. Yet, it was bothering me so I had decided to take the car to an Autozone, where they did an Engine Light Check. There were five different codes all related to the Transmission. I even took it to another shop where the Engine Light Check there came up with the same codes all related to the transmission.

I proceeded to take the car back to the first Aamco shop where I first got the transmission rebuilt, because I had warranty with them and was expecting repairs to be covered under that warranty. Carl Cox (owner of the Aamco store where I was at and the one off Vance Jackson) started telling me the results of the Engine Light Test, noting that there were a bunch of codes all related to the transmission. Mr.Cox told me that the techs would need to do an electronic diagnostic test to see if the transmission issues were electrical or mechanical by nature. If electrical, there would be repair-related charges, but not if they found anything mechanically-related.

I started getting into a heated disagreement with him after I had told him about all the transmission-related problems I have been having and disagreeing with him about paying for any other repairs because of it. I tried to tell him that just earlier that week, I drove out of the other Aamco shop and immediately started having problems with shifting to the point where the shifting was about to fail. This was why I had my car towed to the Aamco where I was at when having this conversation with Mr. Cox instead of driving it myself.

Cox's response was one of apathy. Basically he couldn't care less. He was just telling me that once the diagnostic test was completed and there were any electrical issues, there would be charges for repairs since electrical components of the car wasn't covered under the warranty (the warranty was for mechanical issues up to a year and electrical issues for 90 days and accordingly, the 90 days had already passed). He told me that I would need to sign paperwork he had in his hand to give the shop permission to do the diagnostic (even though he did not tell me there would be a charge for that as well). I still disagreed with any kind of repair-related charges and felt that repairs should be free of charge after the hell I've been through with his company. Mr. Cox started getting frustrated with me even telling me that I should "tow my car to another shop" if I don't trust what he's saying regarding my car (which I did tell him I did not).

Earlier, he tried to say that if there was an electrical problem with the transmission, more than likely, the transmission was going bad on its own (an excuse, I believe to cover-up a possible mess-up at the other shop when they were trying to fix the transmission leak). I finally gave in and signed the paper. I wasn't happy about it, but I really wanted to know what was going on with the car. Mr. Cox had his assistant manager give me a ride home after all of this. I did find it funny when I was there, that his other assistant was out on family emergency, but I was told by another worker at Aamco that he was supposedly fired. Interesting.

Anyways, later on that day, I found out the ugly truth about the diagnostic. I had spoken with a technician who knew a few people from Aamco (including Mr. Cox) and seemed trustworthy. I had told him all that had happened and he proceeded to tell me that the diagnostic test would be charged ($180) as well as possible repairs on top of that (if electrically-related). I proceeded to contact Aamco Corporate. I was trying to get someone higher than Mr. Cox involved immediately and try to settle this fiasco. I maintained my position that I shouldn't pay anything (including the diagnostic test) because I was wronged by this company, Aamco.

After several tries, I finally got a hold of a Steve **(by phone). He was the Regional District Manager of the Aamco shops in Texas. Located in California, I was referred to him by someone else within the Aamco Corporation. I proceeded to tell him about my situation with Mr. Cox and possible charges on the car that I was disputing. I asked him if he could intervene and try to talk Mr. Cox out of ripping me off more of my money. Steve told me that he'll see what he could do. What came afterwards, was over a week of waiting, waiting for what could be a resolution to this issue. In the midst of all of this, I had to take the city bus to work. I was walking to and from the bus stop (probably over a mile of walking). I also came in 30 min. later for work (although I did have an understanding supervisor). Steve was really busy and traveling a lot, which, I assumed, was why there was a slow response.

Mr. Cox also tried to call me several times, but I ignored his calls, wanting instead to hear back from Steve first. I was able to get a hold of Steve (I believe within the fourth week of January 2013) and his only solution for me was a small discounted rate. He had told me the diagnostic test results came out with the problem being related to a speed sensor (which was an electrical component). I told him that I still refused to pay and that I was going to tow my car to another auto shop. I also asked if there was still a rate for the diagnostic test. He told me that he would call Carl right back and see what else he could do and then call me, but he did advise earlier that I call Carl.

At first, I didn't want to, but I finally did. His associate manager was on the phone and then she transferred me to him. I asked Carl about any charges and he told me that I would still need to pay for the diagnostic and repairs. I told him that I would rather have the car towed somewhere else and then proceeded to ask him about the diagnostic charges. Mr. Cox only gave me a small discount ($160, would you believe that!). He also told me that I would have to pay him the diagnostic first before towing the car elsewhere. I was very disappointed in the outcome and somewhat disappointed that Mr. ** wasn't that much help, even though he was over Carl. After getting off the phone with Carl, I called Steve and let him know that even though I was not happy with the results, I thanked him anyways for trying to step in and defuse the situation.

Afterwards, I had to go to the bank that weekend (taxicab) to take out the $160 for the diagnostic test. Beforehand, I tried taking out a loan, but it didn't work out. I called Aamco while at the bank and told them I needed a ride to the shop to pay the diagnostic so I can get the car towed to another shop. The assistant manager over the phone told me they couldn't do it today (it was Saturday), which I had expected since they would be closing in a bit. I asked her about Monday. She said she could not guarantee that I could get a ride to and from the shop. I guess it depended on the amount of work they were doing there and if they would have enough mechanics so they could send one to help me out. I was adamant that they do offer to pick me up and drop me off, especially since this whole fiasco was a big inconvenience to me transportation-wise.

So, she told me to call back on Monday. I took the bus back home. On Monday, I called back the shop and once again it was the Assistant Manager (I believe her name was **). I asked her about a ride to and from the shop and she told me that she was the only one there at the time and Carl was at the other shop. I asked her when he would be back. She told me she did not know. I asked her about sending a tech out to pick me up (I was at work at the time). She told me she did not have enough techs at the shop to do that. I was so frustrated and told her that this was horrible customer service.

I called back the next day. It was the same exact thing. I was so frustrated and emotional, that I had proceeded to call Steve ** again, hoping he would talk to Carl once again about my situation. I even called the guy who referred me to Steve the first time and asked him to get Steve to call me. I found it funny that throughout this whole ordeal, none of them called me back. I really felt like they were ignoring my phone calls (I had left a few messages on Steve's answering machine). In the midst of all of this, taking the bus to and from work, walking a little close or over half a mile after getting off the closest stop, I really felt like once again, I was being taken advantage of. I really felt like Carl Cox was the culprit in all of this, possibly telling people at his shop not to help me out, that I have to somehow find my own way to get there and pay the $160. I was very frustrated with him and I admitted being a little aggressive in my words towards him (but you must understand, I was a frustrated customer).

Finally, by Thursday of that week (Jan 31, 2013), I got a friend to take me to the Aamco shop and pay the $160 for the diagnostic test. At the same time, AAA was able to come by and pick up my car to take to another car shop that I felt like I could trust. I just came in and out paying the $160.00 to ** at the time. I did not say anything to Carl, who was also at the shop. My friend was able to take me home afterwards and the speed sensor on the car was finally replaced on Friday or Saturday of that week. The other shop charged me a fair price, since they knew that I had been through so much with Aamco. I finally picked up my car at the shop in working condition. Beforehand, it was only shifting first gear.

The troubles with Aamco started ever since they rebuilt my transmission in Sept 2012. I had two transmission leaks afterwards in November and December. Then when I drove off from one of the Aamco shops in early January 2013 after they had fixed the second leak, my inner shaft speed sensor started going out, which leads me to believe that somebody could've messed up on something while fixing the leak, even though they claimed that they checked everything and didn't see any wiring out of place.

I would have to say that I had the worst customer-service experience I had ever received out of all the car shops I had dealt with. Aamco is horrible! All they care about is ripping off your money. I am a living testimony to that.

So he called me and said, “The parts cost you $1,894.” And in addition to that, I have to pay another $1,044 for them to install the parts to the transmission. So then I asked him, “Okay, give me the total price.” He said $4,400. I was like “Oh no. That is not what you told me.” So I was like “There’s no way I’m going to pay you $4,400 just for you to fix the transmission.” So now I have to take them to court to get my car back from their shop, because I am not going to pay $4,400! So yeah, I’ll see them in court soon. So please if you’re reading this now, do not take your car to AAMCO. And please tell all your friends about this. Thanks!

Now, I'm told they have to order the parts. I get a call from AAMCO on 01/23/13 saying that the parts are in. I then made an appointment on 01/28/13. I dropped my car off at 8:00am and was told it was a 5 hour job. I called later for an update, and I was told that the mechanics had a hard time turning the bolts because it was cold outside. I called the next morning and was told they were still working on it. I called around 3pm, and I was told I was slowing them down from completing the job because I called a second time. At around 4pm, I received a call from AAMCO stating they needed to order a part, and it would be in the next morning. I called the next day at 4:30pm and was told they just picked up the part, and my car would be ready by noon the next day. The next day, I get a call and was told that my car would be ready by 5:30pm.

When I picked up my car on 01/31/13, the check engine light was on and was told they had the wrong part; it was just a sensor, and my car was okay to drive. They would order the right part, and it would take about 30 minutes to an hour to put it on. Now this was a 5 hour job that turned into 4 days. My warranty company allows for me to rent a car, but since I was told everyday my car would be ready, I was not able to get one. I was also charged a new deductible because the warranty company considered this as a new claim, which should have been fixed the first time. I called on 02/07/13 and was told that the part would arrive on 02/12/13. On 02/13/13, I took my car and was told they located the part. They would pick it up, and my car would be ready that afternoon. When I called on 02/07, I was told the part was just being delivered, and that’s why it was taking so long to arrive.

When I arrived on 02/13, I was told the part was being picked up. During the time that I was waiting for the part to arrive, my tiptronics stopped working. When I called to get an update, I was told they had the wrong part. I received the same story the next day. Now it's day 3, and I still don't have my car. A 30 minute to 1 hour job turned into 3 days and beyond. For a company that specializes in transmission, I don't understand why they always order the wrong part.

I am going to lose my job and housing because of this. I cannot afford rental of my own, and I have no more family or friends to get rides from last min. I will not have enough money to pay for repairs if this goes on just one more day. And as far as the "quality" of work performed, if anything happens because of their incompetence to the vehicle, I will be jobless and homeless in one week. Please help! Thank you.

I asked him if he could have my van towed back to me. I paid him $64.00 for the towing. That was the amount of money he charged me. ** also suggested I contact AAMCO in Roslindale, MA regarding them honoring the warranty. The person I spoke with there the name is **. He told me until I get those things on the list taken care of, he could not do the transmission and honor the warranty. After speaking with him, I had my vehicle towed to my mechanic. He said those things on that list had nothing to do with the transmission but he fixed them anyway. I called ** at AAMCO here and ** at AAMCO in Roslindale, MA that the things on the list that was given to me had been taken care of. ** said he would honor the warranty after ** looked at the transmission for analysis. My problem is now neither one of them is making arrangements to have my vehicle towed back to AAMCO. I was told I have to pay for the towing. My van is not drivable. Why am I supposed to pay for towing when it is in AAMCO's policy to offer towing service to their customers at no cost to them for major repairs such as repairing or replacing the transmission?

We went back that morning. We live 65 miles from Tucson, got there and they said they drove it and heard nothing. My husband asked to have the mechanic ride with him, and they told him that he couldn't ride with him until 3:30pm that afternoon, when this was at 9:00am in the morning. Needless to say, we spent the whole day in Tucson waiting for the mechanic to drive the pickup again. Then, it was the manager who rode with my husband, and said he heard nothing. We took the pickup home once again.

On the 15th of October, my husband called AAMCO again and told them we had heard the noise at least six times, which we documented in a book and the time we heard it. Bring it back again, this time the manager said, "You need to take this pickup to another mechanic," which we did - Dave's Auto Shop. The manager rode with my husband and right away he heard the noise, said it was the mounting bolts on the turbo waste gate that were loose. He tightened up four bolts and charged us $70.00. Now, we want our money back from AAMCO for doing repair work on our pickup which had nothing to do with the problem.

On Friday, August 17th, we picked up the car from Aamco. Check engine light came on while driving home, transmission was again shifting hard and slipping between 2nd and 3rd gear. On Monday, August 20th, we dropped the car back off at Aamco after hours; we used the drop box. On Tuesday, August 21st, we contacted Gregory with customer service for Aamco. He stated that he would contact them and then follow-up with me. Gregory called back stating that they were still troubleshooting and following advisement from technical services.

On Monday, August 27th, I contacted Gregory. He stated that they were obtaining a new core and would install the rebuild this week. On Wednesday, August 29th, Mark of Aamco called to say the car was finished. On Monday, September 3rd, I picked up the car from Aamco (they were closed Labor Day). I drove one mile and brought the car back due to the steering wheel being grossly out of alignment. On Tuesday, September 4th, I notified Aamco as to why car was returned to them. They said they would complete the front end alignment. On Tuesday, September 4th, I picked car up from Aamco after hours.

On Thursday, September 6th, the car was noted to be leaking transmission fluid. On Sunday, September 9th, I dropped the car off at Aamco after-hours; I used the drop box. It continues to leak transmission fluid. On Monday, September 10th, I contacted Mark with Aamco explaining the leaking transmission fluid. On Monday, September 10th, I contacted Gregory with customer service to voice dissatisfaction with Aamco. A message was left asking to return my call (call was never returned). On Monday, September 10th, I was contacted by Mark at Aamco letting me know the car was finished. He stated it was a cracked sensor. I asked Mark for a copy of the paperwork for the transmission replacement (core change-out). He stated he would contact the corporate office and have it mailed to me. We picked up the car after-hours.

That was nineteen days in the shop at Aamco over the course of five separate visits and thirty-nine days without the car. I dropped car off four different times (not counting the original tow to Aamco), picked the car up five different times.

Update: On Sunday, October 14th, daughter reported transmission is slipping. On Monday, October 15th, transmission failed. Aamco was contacted (original service paperwork was never received from corporate office as promised).

I have a 1969 Ford F250 I had serviced approximately 3 months ago. They serviced my transmission and transfer case. By doing this - they had to remove and reinstall both components as well as the "jack shaft" driveline. I have driven less than 1000 miles since service and my u-joint had a catastrophic failure while driving. I had to have my truck towed home and boat which cost me $810, of which I am not pleased with at all. I believe they improperly installed my u-joint, and/or failed to notify me that it was in need of replacement. The following is what my mechanic friend indicated he believed happened.

"Was the U-Joint a greasable one? edit note - yes (did it have a zerk fitting - yes). And if so, standard mechanical procedure is to look for evidence of rust coming out of the cap. If none, then grease the u-joint before removing the driveline (this helps keep the cap in place when the driveline is removed). Once the driveline is out, it should have been checked for roughness and/or being stiff or loose and then when the driveline is reinstalled, it should be greased again.

This failure appears to be clearly lack of lubrication or a misaligned cap (u-joint not properly in place when installed), not excessive torque. This should never happen in that short of a time frame or mileage. One final note this is a jack shaft drive line it is not down in the mud or water and the drive line angle changes very little (only when the mounts and frame flexes). This means the lubrication does not get pushed around the rollers; however, when they do fail, the failure is fairly slow.

Consumer's Desired Resolution: I want them to make this repair at no cost to me as I truly believe it is from improper installation. I would like to seek reimbursement for my towing charges as well - but understand that might be a long shot. I just find it very hard to believe that the u-joint was properly installed when it failed is such a short distance. Note that my truck is currently in their shop and I am hoping to have this resolved asap. Thank you in advance.

BBB Processing:

09/19/2012 - Web BBB received consumer rebuttal : (The consumer indicated he/she did not accept the response from the business.)

Problem 1 - The U-joints and shaft were absolutely taken off as the transmission nor the transfer case could be removed for service without taking out this shaft. I ended up doing this repair myself (as I certainly wasn't going to pay them the additional quoted repair of $585). I did have it towed home as mentioned above. My shaft had to be rebuilt because of the destroyed yoke, and elongated hole that the u-joint is pressed into as a result of the above mentioned failure, a completely rebuilt shaft with new u-joints and yoke fitting that was destroyed was an additional $173 (and personally installed in about 25 minutes).

After talking to many mechanics, they all agreed that the shaft had to be incorrectly installed in order to fail in that very short distance (likely by one of the needles in the needle bearing cap had slipped out into the cap and would consequently not seat into the Yoke properly). This put it out of center allowing the shaft to move back and forth excessively and as more of the needle bearings were destroyed due to this imbalance - catastrophic failure resulted. Note - this shaft has gone over 100,000 miles with no problems and it was fine when they received it and it should not have gone out in less than a 1000 miles after repairs at AAMCO were complete.

Problem 2 - It was my understanding during my service visit to AAMCO that the main reasons for this service was to #1 - repair leaks in both Transmission and Transfer case; and #2 - thoroughly go through the transmission to ensure future reliability of this vehicle (due to its age and planned future use) - including bearing replacement, gear inspection, and synchro replacement. Carlos (the supervisor at the time - he has since left AAMCO) indicated they would need to pull both the transfer case and transmission and send them to their 82nd street shop for this work (apparently this is where they do all the transmission repairs on the bench). My original quote was for around $1200 and it increased to $1427 for these repairs. I agreed - and "thought" this was all performed.

I took delivery and after about 100 miles found that I needed to replace the transfer case mounts as the vibration under load was so bad it was shaking the truck. I purchased new mounts, lowered the transfer case and installed new isolator mounts - problem went away (note - this did not require the removal of the shaft and yoke that failed - just to be clear). My issue here is - the shop shouldn't have used mounts that were 43 years old without at least indicating that they were completely shot and giving me the option to replace (they are the "experts" after all?). I also noticed that my transmission seemed to be excessively noisy since my service.

I took it into Carlos - and he said it was likely due to the rubber boot being destroyed and a direct line of sight from the shifter down to the transmission from the cab. I assumed he was correct (with some trepidation), and drove it occasionally for the rest of the summer. After I just replaced the shaft - I took it in again to the new manager - and indicated that I still think the sound was way too loud (new rubber boot since installed). He had one of his mechanics come with me for a test drive and determined that, indeed there was something wrong inside the transmission. So now I'm thinking - well - I guess it's a warranty issue since I just had it inspected with wear components replaced.

Well - to my surprise - seeing my receipt (this is where I feel I am being fully taken advantage of) that all the work that was done, as far as the receipt says, was replace seals in the transmission and transfer case. So - either the receipt was wrong or I was fully misled as to the service I thought I had paid for. Their receipts are not very descriptive - there is a charge of just under $1000 for the removal and install of both those components. I had figured that the overall rebuild was included in that cost. Now the regional manager is denying any type of responsibility and that because my receipt says just reseal - they are not responsible.

So here is where I am today. I have spent $1427 for original repairs. I needed to purchase new mounts for $80 and install them myself. I had a major failure of a shaft and u-joint that they indeed removed (I saw it on the bench) that cost me a $810 towing bill and $173 rebuild (on my own - with install on my own). Now I face a transmission that needs to be serviced yet again (with under 1000 miles on it) so either I need to have it rebuilt (again?) or will likely end up replacing myself. This will cost me $895 plus shipping I would suspect around $300-$400 for truck freight to get the rebuilt one - and send mine back (core charge). So, in addition to severe financial burden, this has caused me significant grief and time (of which I do not have a lot to spare) - I am now looking at a total bill of close to $4000!

I thought all of this was done with my initial bill of $1427, so needless to say, no, I am not happy with this owner's response or frankly treatment of customers. The regional manager has been nothing but rude and condescending. When I had done all of my research to try and determine what happened and told him what I thought had occurred, his response was "well - if you're such an expert - why didn't you do the work in the first place?"

Given the costs I have subsequently incurred and major inconvenience of this poor repair - I am requesting a full refund of my $1427. My bills remaining in order to bring it up to what I thought was done will still exceed my original expense to AAMCO - and I'm still out the towing bill.

Let's get back to the basic complaints:

1. The Jack Shaft (intermediate shaft between the transmission and transfer case) was taken out by your mechanics. It was not done by standard protocol (grease, take out, inspect, re-install, and grease). There was no new grease added - and one of the needle bearings slipped upon installation. This mistake of standard removal and reinstall is the direct cause of the failed u-joint. Cost - $810 towing + $173 shaft rebuild. Total request reimbursement - $983

2. I was told by Carlos (the manager at the time of my service) that I was paying for a complete overhaul of my transmission and transfer case. I paid 10 hrs of labor for this work. I am now told by the regional manager that they only did a re-seal of the transmission and transfer case. So, here is where I stand with this: I was able to get a copy of a 1975 Motors Parts and Time Guide (the bible for repair Labor accepted hours). In this guide I found the following labor rates: Transmission R&R and Overhaul 4 speed 1969-1974 F100-250 w/ 4 wheel drive - 5.3 hrs

Jack shaft removal and reinstall is covered 2x in the above hours - so 0.3 hrs should be taken off the total leaving exactly 10 hrs of labor for a full overhaul (which is exactly what I was led to believe I paid for). For just a renew (of transmission and transfer case) which is what the regional manager tells me was done - combined time of 5 hours. So, either they actually did the overhaul and something was incorrectly done causing what now requires a (or another) full overhaul, or (2) they grossly overcharged me for work. I now have to get the transmission rebuilt - I have priced it out for a full rebuild and with me doing the removal and install, it will cost $875. So, I either want reimbursed this $875 (for what I was led to believe I already paid for), or a credit of 5 hrs labor of which I was overcharged - $500.

I am seeking closure on this so I can put it behind me. If this is not resolved within the BBB format, I will be forced (and will certainly proceed) with filing a small claims with Multnomah County, at which time I will seek out full reimbursement of $1,858 plus all associated filing fees.

10/12/2012 BNA Email Forward Final Response to Consumer

On 10/04/2012, Mike called and informed us that the vehicle was ready to be picked up. Mike gave me the balance due. I explained to Mike he had not yet given us a written estimate, and asked why they proceeded to repair the vehicle. I then went on to explain that the balance he was giving me now, was much higher than his original "oral" quote. Mike flatly explained that when I gave him the birth date and last four digits of my social security number, that I was giving him authorization to repair the vehicle. I reminded him that we had not yet been given a written estimate, only an oral estimate. I explained that he himself had stated, "The information I gave was only for the initial breakdown." Mike again insisted that a written estimate, signed by myself was not needed. I disagreed and then ended the call and headed over to the Aamco.

When I arrived at the Aamco, Mike was there to discuss the situation. He informed me that Aamco actions were legal, and that I was to remit the payment as shown on the invoice. Mike and the owner, Mark (who was on the Aamco's phone), both explained that they were in their legal rights to do the repairs and charge the price listed. I argued for some time, to no avail. I was told if I wanted our vehicle, I would pay the price, stop holding up Mark's employee, Mike, and take my vehicle and go. We ended up going from an oral quote of $1119 and taxes to an out the door non-quoted price of $1461 plus taxes. We feel that Aamco, Mark and Mike planned and executed a fraudulent transaction.

I understand Cottman and AAMCO are sister franchises. I do not understand why they do not trust each other nor do I understand why they simply could not have worked together to cancel the check and give the credit card info on Saturday. Today (Tuesday), I called Ryan at 2PM to see if the check came. He said no. I asked him when the mail is usually delivered and he told me 12 noon! I asked him to call me when he checked the mail, confirmed he had my number and asked him to call me back. It is now 3:30PM and I have not heard a thing nor has he ever called me. I had to call him every day after 5PM to get updates even though he had promised to call.

My wife had abdominal surgery on the 20th. She was in the hospital 10 days and is now home. We need to get back to Seattle for many reasons and my car remains hostage, work done, warranty payment approved for 5 days! Wednesday will be the 6th day. Aside from the health issues and daughter missing school, as with everyone else, time is money including mine!

I asked him if I could come in on Monday a day after it expired and he said no. When I went to leave, obviously angry, he told me not to take it out on him and I mentioned that if he were good at customer service, he'd at least honor it. He went off and yelled at me that I didn't know what I was talking about and told me to leave the store. Later on, come to find out I'm not the first person he's yelled at/cussed out. This guy should not be running a business. Shame on you AAMCO for not doing psychological testing before giving anyone with money a store; I will never use this establishment again and won't stop until everyone hears my complaint.

Their main office in PA said that Rolla trans told them that they could do no more. AAMCO customer care in their main office is terrible. I refuse to pay them for something they didn't fix and for them putting parts in my truck that did not need replacing. I have the letter from Ford that says that they examined the parts AAMCO changed and that they are good. When I get my truck back, I have to take it to Ford to have it fixed. Don't go to Rolla AAMCO and customer care. They don't know what they are doing.

My car had to be completely rewired and that it was going to cost me $400.00 just to have them look for the problem. That did not include the actual repair or any parts that were needed. They said that they charge $100.00 per hour for the repair and that was estimated to be between 10 to 15 hours. That still did not include any parts to be replaced. Then they said that I would not pass DEQ and that would need to be taken care of as well. At another 3 hours, with all that said, it would cost me almost $2,000.00. I didn't have the money to pay for that and I took it elsewhere to get an estimate.

I went to a friend of mine, who had a friend who worked on cars and had his mechanic certification. He was a mobile mechanic. He checked the car and replaced the fuse that was for my lights and tested for emissions. He said, "You will have no trouble passing the DEQ" and I didn't! I passed! Without any repair for that. The fuse cost me about $2.00 and because it was an easy fix, he did not charge me a dime. AAMCO was going to charge me $2,000.00 and I got the repair done for $2.00. Am I angry? Damn right! They will be contacted by the BBB and any other place I can complain to. These jerks are in Tigard, Oregon. Think about this before you take your car in there and ask yourself, do I lose my $2,000.00 vacation or do I lose some pocket change?

I called Brian in Blacksburg and told him the situation. He got in contact with Matthews and called me back and told me I will know what is wrong on Monday. Monday came, got a phone call from Josh in Matthews who told me it was the transmission and I will know exactly what is wrong on Wednesday. Wednesday came. I called, and nothing. Thursday came, and I still haven't touched it. On Friday, I called Josh in Matthews, and he said he hasn't talked to the builder and he will call me right back. That was at 5; it is currently 6:10 on Friday. And I haven't heard anything. I know when I do hear something, it will be another $2800 that I do not have.

I was reassured that this would take care of it. I went to pick it up and pay the bill ($1,400), which was much more than I was told. I was charged for plug wires? They insisted that they called me. At that point, I have no choice but to pay. I’m happy to get my truck back after 3 weeks. I started it and, wow, it’s the same noise as when I took it in. I’m feeling kind of used, abused and alone. I looked for other complaints and found ConsumerAffairs.com. I then searched AAMCO and it looks like this is a standard practice for a franchisee. They are making repairs that are not needed to correct original problems.

Like everyone else, I brought my car in to fix the transmission thinking they're probably better than bringing the car to the dealer, since they're cheaper. Their online profile makes them look really big and reliable, but the truth is far from that! They're really out to suck as much money as they can. My experience at the Libertyville Center was horrible. **, the manager, is deceptive, dishonest and a total scammer. The first impression they give is friendly, courteous. But all these are facades and lies, to get you to agree to opening your car. Once they touch your car, it's almost impossible to stop the repair work. You just have to continue on after they touch your car once - that's how they con people's money. There's no return since you already spent that much on just opening your car (Btw, no one charges ** $700 just to open the car for checks).

But the manager did not get my permission to take apart my car but did so, claiming that my social security number is authorization to take apart my car. And demanded payment for disassembling my car before I can get my car back. On Friday evening, I wanted to get my car back but upon threatening to call the police, he fled immediately, locking the place up. So, I had to drive all the way back on Saturday, wanting to settle the issue peacefully but just getting my car back without payment. He refused again.

Troubled, I called AAMCO headquarters and spoke to 2 of the corporate directors: ** and someone else. They sound exactly the same: fake, sales-y, sleazy. I thought the directors would be more reasonable and help me in this case. But they weren't. In fact, they probably are the ones behind all the scamming. There's no way they'll ever help you to get money back ever! So, I had no choice but to call the police. Thank God the police were so helpful and understanding. The 2 officers helped to finally get my car back after speaking to the boss over the phone.

Bottom line: Do not send your car to AAMCO, Libertyville Center. Do not give them your social security number. If you already sent your car to AAMCO, and regret doing that, don't be afraid to call up the police or threaten to sue them in court. You will probably win the case. I am pretty sure that other centers have many similar bad experiences to share. Just search on Google, you'll find tons of negative reviews. It's just my luck that I sent my car there without prior research or investigation. I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else.