AAMCO Transmissions & Total Car Care

went from first to worst… don’t take your car here

They diagnosed the car incorrectly. I bought the car to them because my engine/​wrench light was on. They stated I needed a new transmission to fix the codes that showed up in my computer system. They installed the new trans. and my engine light continued to come on from the dates of 4÷22÷15−5÷14÷15. Each time we picked the truck up we would have to bring it back the next day. They informed me that the same «codes» were appearing on the computer. They assured me that they was doing everything to fix it they even replaced the trans. saying the first one must have been defective. When that didn’t work after me bringing the car back to them at least 6 times they finally concluded that it must be an electrical problem so I should take it some where else to get fixed because they don’t do electrical work. They do not provide rental car reimbursement so I was out of a car for a month which was an inconvenience for my family. They have taken no responsibility for their actions, they are supposed to be transmission experts but it took them a month to figure out they couldn’t fix the problem, but took them 5 mins to tell me I needed a $ 3,000 transmission. After the car was diagnosed at the electrical shop he informed me that the work that AAMCO did was incorrect. AAMCO also stated that they were going to throw in some motor mounts for me getting the new transmission but in the other diagnostic the motor mounts were not changed as promised and the transmission harness was done incorrectly and the «new» transmission was over filled and leaking.

I used to come here every 3,000−5,000 miles for an oil change, and always had great service. I even called them a couple times with questions about my vehicle, and they were able to look up the service history in their system and help me over the phone.
Fast forward to last month. I heard they had ownership changes, and boy does it show. I will never go here again. For starters, despite making an appointment, I was told when I arrived that it would take 3 hours. 3 hours for an oil change. I agreed, tried to take it in stride, and went on my way.
3 hours later, I returned to collect my car. I ended up paying $ 70 for what I *hope* was an oil change plus basic inspection, although I can’t be sure. Even after I asked, it remained unclear whether they performed a routine multi-​point inspection, something I always received under the previous owners. Another thing that irritated me was that they couldn’t even be bothered to update the oil change sticker in my windshield with the new mileage OR change the maintenance light inside the dashboard. Come on, really? You can’t be bothered to take 20 seconds to update the stupid sticker?
Word to the wise: if you need routine maintenance, find somewhere else to take your vehicle. I will never come here again.

Do Not Bring Your Car Here!!! This is the worst service I’ve ever seen given to a customer. The customer set an appointment for last Friday morning and when the customer arrived from Alexandria, VA, she was told they could not repair her car that day. There was no phone call given to her to advise her as to the change or reschedule. So, that’s one day off of work lost. Then, when the appointment was rescheduled for the next Saturday the repairs weren’t completed and the vehicle was left Friday night. The customer showed up an hour before closing to pick up the vehicle and return the rental, just to be told they have not started the repairs.
Danny said he attempted to call to have authorization to start the repairs, but had the wrong number. Keep in mind the customer left the vehicle overnight so they would have time to do the repairs. Aamco had also called the customer on previous occasions to advise of the needed repairs. When asked about covering the rental if the repairs aren’t completed today, he refused and said he can’t do that for customers. To my surprise, being that it was his fault for the delay. Danny went on to say that with him being locally owned that he doesn’t have that kind of money. (The rental car was at a rate of $ 29.00 a day.) He stated that the corporate office who makes billions doesn’t give them money for this. Which may be true, but they get business based off of being able to use the Aamco name and receive referrals based off of that as well. Danny advised me that he doesn’t need referrals being in downtown Silver Spring, he’s doing just fine. However, he can’t provide $ 29.00 in customer service.

I used to go to this AAMCO all the time for service and loved it. The prices used to be reasonable and the people really nice. However, sometime within the last six months they have changed ownership and management and I do not like either. Previously you could get an oil change done on a Saturday for $ 33 and get your car back in an hour. I went with my sister and it took almost 3 hours to get her car back (despite the # of people in the waiting room not being significantly more) and was now $ 53. Plus when they have her the keys back they tried to tell her she needed to get a major service done… even though she had already had it done on her car.
Overall with the new ownership in place I will NOT be going back. It felt like they were just trying to scam you.

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT COMING HERE!!! I took my car in for a Saturday morning oil change. They said it would take a few hours, which I was fine with, because they are located near downtown Silver Spring, which is just a 10 minute walk away. They called me 9 minutes before closing to tell me it was ready — problem is, they didn’t tell me if I didn’t get there in 9 minutes, I was screwed for the ENTIRE weekend because they don’t open back until Monday morning — during rush hour. PISSED and INFURIATED are too nice of words.

I brought my dodge truck into Aamco with gear shifting problems. The car would hold onto lower gears much too long before shifting. Everybody I talked to and the Dodge Service Manual referred to the need for a throttle valve adjustment which I tried to no avail. After several months I brought the truck to Aamco fearing transmission problems. Aamco immediately deduced that it was indeed a throttle issue. Not at the throttle valve where I was concentrating but at the other end. The accelerator assembly was rusted and sticking causing the throttle to stick. They fixed it for around $ 500.00. The truck is now running just fine. They also explained the problem I was having with intermittent ABS alarms. I was very impressed. My only complaint is that it’s a pretty small shop so it takes them a while to get to your vehicle. I had to leave mine for a week. Otherwise the service was top notch. I hear a lot of complaints about garages, some of them legitimate and some of them nonsense. To avoid getting raked I recommend researching the problem before bringing it in so that you have some clue. The internet is full of usergroups for almost every vehicle. YouTube has excellent how to videos on car repairs. I purchased the factory service manual for my truck and a code reader. They’re really easy to use and many times pay for themselves in diagnostic savings (not always though). A decent one will run you between $ 150 and $ 200. You should never go to a repair shop completely clueless about what is wrong with your car. Diagnostic tests are a given with any repair shop and your going to have to pay for it unless you know exactly what’s wrong with your vehicle. There’s no point in getting upset.

A Haiku for Old Time’s Sake:
Poor Little Honda
Who Will Come to the Rescue?
Aamco Transmissions!
Moving to a new city you lose a lot more than your zip code. You lose your doctor, your dentist, your vet, your favorite coffee shop, and among other things, you lose your go-​to car repair shop. I’ve been in DC for two years now and I’m still trying to acquire some of these basic services, however, after a recent experience with Aamco Transmissions, I can cross go-​to repair shop off my list!
I’ve been to this Aamco for repairs twice – once to take care of some basic upkeep on my 2003 Honda Civic and once when the car died on me while on a road trip into «deep» Maryland. On both occasions the folks at Aamco got me in and out of the shop quickly, were friendly (although some of the staff is a bit rough around the edges at first – just warm em’ up with a smile), and they didn’t play games. They were upfront with me about what I needed done, what I could take care of later, and what would hold up for a good long while (cosmetics, etc.). I will definitely be taking my car back to Aamco in the event that I need any work done and have already recommended the shop to several friends.

I had a check engine light come on in my Hyundai Santa Fe and I took the car to where I had bought it for service. The technician cleared the code and stated that he couldn’t find any issues to cause it. The light reappeared the next morning and I decided to get a second opinion. I took the car to AAMCO they diagnosed the problem with the mass air sensor, repaired it and had it ready that day. I have been «light free» ever since. I was so happy with how the service was handled that when my son, who lives in Washington, D.C., had trouble with his car, I referred him to AAMCO. He also raved about the service to his long neglected car.

I can see why the ratings on this place were negative, but there was a little bit of good: they read my engine light error for free (although you can get this done at autozone, also). The bad thing? The guy wouldn’t give me any sort of estimate without $ 142 diagnostic; also, he essentially lectured me on not knowing what was going on with my car, although I assured him that I understood what he was saying about 5 times.
I ended up going to Superior Transmissions around the corner; the guy gave me a quote, gave me his card, said he would look up my issue online, and that he could fit me in for repairs next week. I quickly fell in love with Superior Transmissions, and was convinced that AAMCO is not the way to go.
By the way, their rate is $ 95/​hr, if anyone is wondering.

Honest people, terrific customer service, and an overall job well done!

They got back to me quickly about what was wrong with my car, and were very friendly, but…
They wanted almost 1k more than a place a block away (which was recommended by 2 different car places) wanted for the same service. No good reason for that.