Swann’s Garage

I drive all over town trying to get my new license plates changed out. I had a weird type of screw/​bolt on plus some «beauty caps» that made it look intimidating. No one could help me. Someone referred me to Swann’s Garage. In less than 5 minutes David assessed the situation, determined what tools to use (front and back had different types of bolts), and he efficiently changed out both plates. Total time:5 minutes. Very respectful, business-​like, and knowledgable. Nice clean office. Smart guy at the helm.

I have been relying on Swann’s Garage for a long time. They have serviced every car i have owned for more than 15 years. They kept my old Rambler on the road. They keep my Scion banging along. I even entrust the repair and upkeep of my 84-​year-​old Model A Ford to Swann’s, something I would not do with just anyone. They have kept that ancient car in tip-​top shape and even solved a few maladies that have left several Model A «experts» scratching their heads.
Additionally, at my recommendation, just about everyone in my circle of friends uses Swann’s Garage,
I have absolutely nothing but praise for them and the service they provide. Steve, David, Charlie and the other good folks there are skilled, thorough and best of all, they are NICE.
Their prices are fair and the work is done right. I absolutely trust them and recommend them completely.
My other reviews, as you may have noticed, tell it like it is. Give Swann’s a try.

Good guys!
They are honest, fair priced and no bulls*t. We actually bought the old house of the owner, J Swann, who unfortunately passed away. :(
I have been here a few times and always been satisfied with the work and the outcome of my repairs. My boyfriend and daughter come here as well.
I definately recommend them. Let them know I said «HI»!

Still going to Swann’s. I even had then replace the engine in my truck earlier this year. Heading there now to have ten fix my A/​C in my classic wagon.

this is a testimonial, not a review. I had to take the ’92 Blazer to a funeral in McAllen. I paid my A/​C (recharge) fix-​it bill, was ready to leave and then Charlie told me he wouldn’t let me get on the road with the driver’s seat as unsafe as it was. The seat was loose (felt like a rocking chair) and he had to completely remove the seat to do the required welding. I ended up tipping him for his and the store’s time, about an hr and half’s worth of work. PERSONAL, CARING service. Ironically, I got rear-​ended at a red light in McAllen days later and know I would have ended up in the back seat if Charlie hadn’t shown such concern for a customer. Don’t expect FREE service from Swann’s (like I got) — but do expect friendly, honest people who care about other people. Thanks Charlie, David and Steve… and Gail. Wade Williams

Honest, fast, and affordable! I had a wheel bolt snap in half while I was changing a flat tire, and Swann’s replaced the bolt and plugged the tire in about an hour for $ 65. Steve, Charlie, and David were courteous and fun to talk to. They also have an adorable shop cat that occasionally pays a visit to the waiting room. Plus, I like that they’re a small business that has been around for nearly 60 years. I have a new garage!

I was referred to Swann’s by a shop across the street that wouldn’t work on vehicles as old as mine. I thought I was looking at some spendy work but, after a quick test drive and diagnosis, my problem was traced to a $ 13 part which was delivered later that afternoon and installed while I waited. My little beast is back on the road with no rumble or clanking and it didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

I’m always satisfied with these guys. Super helpful, very honest. They have helped me through a lot!

Great work, nice folks.
Not the cheapest or the quickest… but the BEST!

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to write a review for Swann’s. They’ve been taking care my car for the last 3 years after a friend recommended them. I tend to commute by bicycle, but I also drive a ’97 Honda CRV. The guys at Swann’s take care of my car knowing that it doesn’t get driven very much. They give me a list of options, explaining which repairs are absolute musts and which ones I could fix at this time, but could probably wait x amount of time to replace it later. If they wanted to, they could easily take several hundreds of my hard earned dollars, but they know how it is. Auto repair is expensive, but necessary. They don’t want to make it hard on you. Their estimates have almost always been more than what I actually end up paying, usually because they’ve gotten a good deal on the parts.
I haven’t had too much interaction with Steve and David, but I have to say that Charlie is such a nice guy, like a big greasy teddy bear*. Austin isn’t known for its customer service, but Swann’s really stands out. It’s a
pleasure to support a local business like this. Thanks, guys.
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*I really hope the other guys don’t give him too much flack for that statement! It’s really true though, they probably agree!

I’ve taken several cars there over the years, and they remember each one and what work has been done to it. They’re very good at offering a range of suggestions and prices, and can fix problems, not just replace parts until the problem goes away. And unlike many repair places, they don’t try to upsell random items while they have your car.

I have been going to Swann’s since I was a college student, over eek — 10 years ago, and they have always taken really good care of me. David and Steve, the two brothers who own it, are really good at solving problems and figuring out what’s wrong. And they are good about giving options, like do you want a new part or a refurbished part, for example. One time, when my car broke down at 5pm and no tow trucks were available, they even came and got me and managed to get my car to drive well enough to get it back to the shop. I can’t say enough good things about them and the quality of their work.

auto care is a leap of faith and unfortunately sometimes even highly recommended places may not live up to their recommendations — I don’t know but I took my ford explorer 2001 down to the dealer to get a simple window thing fixed and they came out with a dang shopping list of things they wanted to do. dealer had a very salesman attitude. I asked them to simply fix my door but they insisted that I must get everything else done otherwise the car would fall apart very soon (including the AC). Well, I drove around and found Swann’s because it was close by to my office.
they were really cool, busy, but cool. the guy there, Dave, explained to me exactly what was going on and called me to make sure I was OK with the price. This was the best auto repair experience I’d had in a very very long time. I am taking my Nissan over there to get some work done too.
the other reviewer had a problem with starters, and I know from experience that starter problems are hard to diagnose, I had burned through 3 starters (some rebuilt) before we figured out it was another problem — this was many years ago though.
but if I did have a starter problem, I would still take it to Dave and swann’s. they’re an old Austin fixture out here.

My experience here, although a few years ago (2003) was one of the worst of my life. I owned a 1987 Toyota Corolla at the time, the starter went out on it and at the recommendation of a friend I took it to Swann’s it was also real close to my home and job.
The very next day (after the starter was replaced @ Swann’s) the car didn’t start at the park next to my house, I still had the invoice in the car and called them. One of the owners came and met me and got the car started. The car would do the same thing about every other week for about 3 months. I called them back and told them what was happening with the car.
They told me to bring it in and they would check it out, I take it in and they say, it’s your ignition switch and NOT your starter making sure to tell me it’s NOT the starter. A few days later the car doesn’t start again, so I have someone else change the ignition switch for me and guess what a couple of days later it doesn’t start again.
I call them again, I tell the person on the phone the story, I can hear him telling one of the owners in the background that my car won’t start, I can hear the owner say, «It’s the ignition switch», then I tell the guy on the phone I had it replaced, he tells the owner and all the owner says is, «It’s not the starter.» I had to rent a car that day and for the whole weekend as this was a Friday and I need my car for the work I do.
I tell someone at work about this and he tells me to take it to his mechanic, the new mechanic looks at it and tells me my started has a dead spot in it. Meaning that sometimes if the starter stops at a certain point it will not start again unless you tap it with something. The mechanic gives me an invoice with his opinion on it.
I go back to Swann’s talk to the owner and tell him a second mechanic told me the starter has a dead spot. He looks me right in the eye and says, «It’s NOT the starter.» I say OK well will you call this other mechanic, his name and # is on this invoice and you two can talk about it. Then he looks me right in the eye and says, «OK, I’ll replace your starter free of charge.» WTF, why waste my time this whole time by just saying, «It’s NOT the starter.»
NEVER again, a couple of months ago I had to get my car inspected at Alan’s Inspections, right down the street from Swann’s. They tell me my car needs a new muffler, they say take it to Swann’s. I tell them I am NEVER taking my car there again, the guy tells me, «You’re not the first person I’ve heard say that.»