Austin’s Alignment & Brakes

Gotta tell y’all, being without a car for over two weeks is not the most fun experience ever.
BUT, I have never dealt with more honest and all around stand up mechanics than the ones over at Austin’s Alignment and Brakes.
They really went the extra mile to make sure my car was taken care of properly, gave me daily updates, and were SO good on pricing. Just can’t say enough good things about them. Mainly dealt with Gary and he was so understanding and kind.
I usually cannot stand to deal with mechanics because I always feel like they are taking advantage of me, but these guys are the cream of the crop.
Go see them!

5 stars for a mechanic? Absolutely. I’ve never had such a positive experience with car repairs. I left feeling confident and not at all taken advantage of. I had taken my car in to NTB to replace a tire and have the brakes checked and I got the classic «well, if it was my wife’s car…» line. I hate that so much. I’m not a car expert but I’m not an idiot either. Anyway, the quote at NTB was insane so I found Austin Alignment and Brakes through Unilocal.Not only was my quote way lower but I was actually told that my back brakes still have several months to go. No scare tactics, no car jargon in an attempt to make my brake situation sound too confusing for my small delicate female brain. They even made an appointment on a Saturday (their day off) because people trust them so much, they are pretty booked most days.
Quality, efficiency and trustworthy.

Slid into a curb in my Dodge Challenger. It drove okay afterwards but steering wheel wasn’t tracking true any more so knew something was wrong. Called dealer who said I needed to contact my insurance because my frame was likely bent which didn’t sound right. Checked Unilocal and found this shop at the top of the list so gave them a try. Called them this morning, luckily got an open slot on their calendar and was out by noon with a 4-​wheel alignment, complete with a spec sheet showing me the before and after settings. WOW!!! It drives better than before
Extra info
— As mentioned in other reviews, there’s no waiting room with coffee and TV. It’s a garage
— Staff is no nonsense, no double-​talk. They put your car on a rack, tell you what they see, fix it good as (better than) new and charge you a surprisingly reasonable rate
— Gary was my contact guy but all the guys talked to me about what they saw, what they did and why they did it
What a relief

I took my car for an alignment here, as I hadn’t had the wheels aligned in a few years. I made an appointment and they were ready for me at the scheduled time. They checked the alignment and told me the wheels were within the manufacturer specs, so no alignment was needed. They even didn’t want to charge for the time to do the check, which is different than any other place where they tell you that if they check the car they’ll have to charge something.
I certainly appreciated the honesty (and asked to be charged a nominal price).

Great service! On an extremely rainy day in Austin, Gary met me at my car with an umbrella when I pulled into the lot. I had earlier made an appointment for 9:00 to get the brakes repaired on my daughter’s 2006 Xterra and the shop was ready for it. The technicians diagnosed the problems and called and gave me a price within 40 minutes. They said the car would be ready around noon and that’s exactly when it was ready, at noon. The technicians replaced the rotors and pads on the front and replaced the pads and machined the rotors on the rear for a very reasonable price. The whole experience was professional and hassle-​free. I would definitely recommend their service and will use them again in the future.

Another satisfied customer.
After finding out that some of these big box places may not be doing full alignments (some only adjust toe, at least on European vehicles), I won’t name any names, I decided I would search for a place that I could guarantee a full alignment. Eventually I dropped by Black Forest Werkshop, where I usually service my car, and they referred me here. I’d already had them in my sights from an extensive search of well reviewed shops so this only validated that I could expect good service for my German made vehicle. They were booked that day, but offered to squeeze me in if I could be flexible (which I was happy to do as I was on a time constraint). They got me in that afternoon, went over all the adjustments and even did a quick inspection of my brakes upon my request. I paid half the price of the dealership and with an equal level of service and quality.
I highly recommend having these guys work on your car; I know it’s a small shop, but I wouldn’t hesitate to bring any vehicle here. These guys know their stuff, they’re honest, and overall a great bunch of guys to deal with. Keep up the good work!
TIP: There really isn’t a waiting area, I didn’t mind just hanging around, but keep in mind that if you expect to sit in an air conditioned waiting area there really isn’t one (that I could tell anyway). You may need someone to help you drop off and pick up the vehicle. Doesn’t phase me one bit, but don’t be caught unawares on a hot summer day.

Just left the shop with a freshly repaired car. After Precision Tune Auto Care off N. Lamar told me I needed all types of repairs and all new brakes and rotors, the fine gentlemen here at Austin’s Alignment & Brakes checked the issues and found that only the front brakes and rotors needed replacement. I waited only 2 hours for the repair to be completed and walked out paying less than $ 350!!!
Professional service and awesome custom service is what has me convinced that when I have any future issues with my brakes, Austins Alignment & Brakes, is surely going to be my go to, hands down!
Thanks, guys. Y’all frakkin rock!

Thank you Austin alignment and brake. I was told by Midas that my strut was broken. Estimate was $ 500‑1300. In fact, I only needed a regular old alignment!!! Shame on Midas.
Keep up the great work! I will be back!

Highly recommend this place. Found it on Unilocal,with all it’s 5-​star reviews, and they didn’t disappoint.
Drove up to their cozy garage, for an 4-​wheel alignment for my 2010 BMW and the technician who worked on my car even diagnosed and fixed a loose control arm.
Honest folks who don’t overcharge — the whole experience was hassle free, almost no wait time, and would surely drive back here.

These guys are awesome. The owner is so cool and unlike most mechanics he is not there to rip you off. He actually helps and cares about his customers. I’m so happy he continues to be around. You come here and you won’t be sorry.

Excellent service and work. Honest and trustworthy. They don’t try to add work that’s not needed. On-​time repairs and within the original estimate. I refer everyone that needs brakes to them.

After my second (and last) visit, I felt strongly that I’d been over charged. Here is what happened: I had my brakes checked and was told that I needed a minor part replaced. I scheduled an appointment and when I arrived I was given an estimate that included the parts and two hours of labor. I gave my okay and decided to stay at the shop while the work was done. The mechanic finished the job in 30 minutes, not two hours, but I had to pay the full estimate. When I challenged the manager I was told that the overage was to reward the mechanic for his abilities and experience, in other words a required tip. This violates my sense of ethics. If you want to have work done there, you’ll have to sign documents prior to and after the work is completed, so read them very carefully. Note that the place has no customer waiting room, but some bus stops can be found nearby.

I will be straight up here ! Matt is awesome ! Really cool guy. I needed to get some break pads and few other things done on the car. I had been quoted some serious amounts from other places then I gave Matt a call. Matts quote out the door was at least 40% cheaper then other places. Gained a new customer for life ! Very honest people .
Thanks Matt !

Allow me to add to the excellent reviews. I needed a parking brake fixed on my 63′ Ford Falcon in a very short amount of time in order to get it inspected. They were able to diagnose the issue one day and fix it the next (I provided the part). I was given a worst-​case-​scenario price and they managed to come in at less than half that amount. The worst-​case-​scenario price, by the way, was still $ 150 cheaper than an outfit I went to in the same zip code. I will definitely return in the future (just hopefully not the near future).

UPDATE:
Matt called and made good on the refund. Some vehicles can be very hard to determine the issue that is causing problems and this shop doesn’t want its customers paying for work that doesn’t make their customers happy. I will be sending my other truck here for work in the future.
Had truck aligned twice paid $ 95 and was told my 2014 truck was built wrong and they couldn’t align it. They Still kept my money. Took it to dealership and it was fixed in 45 minutes. I don’t recommend this shop.

This is one of the best Automotive repair places I have ever experienced. I am very happy with their work. I went in after getting upset at a dealer experience based on referrals from my co-​workers. They quickly determined the problem and were very good at explaining the repair.

Blink and you might overlook this small garage on Burnet Rd., but there’s no denying the mighty gearhead powers within. My Honda Fit was fussy as hell, with a cracked hub and f’d up wheel bearings. TWO other mechanics made mistakes and I spent a fortune on parts. Then Austin’s Alignment fixed everything quickly, and at a fair price. Shane even noticed and fixed my rattling license plate cover, which I had lamely decided to live with. How often do you drive away from a car repair feeling impressed, informed, happy and relieved?

So my brakes were paper thin, and I was dreading the big bill I knew was coming. I have a 2008 Lexus, so I called the dealership to see what they would quote me, and they said it would be $ 1000 for front & rear pads, replacing the front rotors and machining the rear rotors.
So of course I got on Unilocal and found Austin’s Alignment & Brakes. Matt gave me an estimate over the phone of $ 653.81, had them finished in 1 day, and actually came in UNDER his estimate — I got the whole job done for $ 588.93! (See photo of my receipt in the photos section).
They’re super polite, professional and cheerful, they pick up on the first ring and call you back promptly when your car is ready. Like other reviewers have said, don’t be put off by the small, older building they’re in – these are great technicians who do great work, and for excellent prices.
It’s always tough finding auto repair shops you trust who do quality, reliable work, and I’m super happy with these guys. Can’t recommend them highly enough!

These wonderful people are very friendly and HONEST, that’s right they will tell you and NOT charge you for anything until speaking with you first. It’s amazing service with a smile. My car was finally fixed and for a price that didn’t break the bank.
I will come back and recommend then as much as I possibly can.
Thank you for help and work!
(Don’t forget to find something to do or get picked up since there is no waiting space)

Something weird just happened.
About a week ago, my normal shop replaced the oil pan on my 99 Saturn SL1 with 175k miles on it. In doing this, they had to remove some parts that, in the end, skewed my alignment a little.
I chose this place based on the reviews.
First off, they made an appointment. That was surprising. Then, stranger still, they actually HONORED said appointment. What automotive shop does that? They were friendly, joked around with me, and (this is the big one) ACTUALLY ALIGNED THE CAR.
If you’ve ever owned an older, high mileage car, you understand how unusual it is for a shop to do an alignment without handing you a $ 1000+ bill for all the other things that they feel need to be done to get the car aligned correctly. I was braced for it. I was ready for the fight. But it didn’t come.
Now, I understand that, many times, there are things that need to be addressed before a car can be aligned correctly. If solid parts are bent and bushings no longer exist, obviously the car isn’t going to go straight, no matter how much you adjust things. But I kid you not in saying that this is the very first time that I have EVER, in hundreds of thousands of miles on various cars, old and new, gotten an effective alignment without a fight about other work needing to be done.
As an added bonus, going above and beyond «As good as it gets» and entering in to «unexpectedly great» territory, instead of demanding to do a 4-​wheel alignment like most shops, they checked all four wheels, determined that only the front needed to be aligned, and then did that work for less than the quoted price.
I’m pretty surprised by the whole experience. For underbody stuff, I think I have found a new shop!
Just bear in mind, this is a tiny place. There isn’t even a waiting room. You don’t want to have to wait for a car here. But if you can come back for it, or if you’re just getting something minor like an alignment, then I can’t think of a reason to go anywhere else.