East Coast Transmission

So I have been having problems with my car and although I want to sell it, I want to fix it first before just selling it to someone else in a bad condition (I’m a good person lol).
Anyway, I took my car here to get a diagnostic and they told me it will cost almost $ 3000 yep a whooping 3k to get some transmission issues resolved, so I asked them to email me a quote so I see exactly where the problems are. Shelby said no problem but didn’t bother to, not sure why? So I thought that was suspicious, so I picked up my car and had it looked at and fixed for a 3^rd of this price. Mmmmm interesting, this place is a rip off in my opinion! Glad I didn’t get caught this time! On that note I have a car for sale lol… anyone!

I refrained from initially posting a review of this place, but recent events led me to reconsider this. My 2004 Galant started wheezing and rattling, then suddenly had no power and wouldn’t shift. Naively, I trusted the AAA endorsement and thinking it was a transmission issue, I brought it to East Coast. They assured me it was a transmission issue as well, which confirmed my thought, but was disappointing because of the high cost for that type of repair. They also mentioned that my catalytic converter was blocked. This ‘repair’ was a total of $ 3K. However, I started having new weird issues with this repair: cabin smelled like exhaust, shifting didn’t feel right, car ran much louder. I was starting to grow suspicious, so I called a local Mitsubishi dealership, briefly explaining the symptoms, but not their diagnosis, the tech immediately said it was a cat issue. I told them they had ‘fixed’ my transmission and he laughed at me. After taking it back to the shop two more times, I took it to another repair shop: they installed a near compatible catalytic converter, but neither had they done any of the necessary welding to install it nor had they properly installed the gaskets. Visa forced them to pay for that repair, thankfully. Fast forward 18 months and under 10K miles. The car begins to rattle all the time, so I take it to a mechanic I trust and apparently the catalytic converter they installed has already begun to disintegrate, 6 months after warranty coverage expired! Another K in the whole to these absolutely inept repairman and apparently somewhat successful scam artists. If I was to give them a bit of benefit to go along with the ounce of doubt I have remaining, Transmission repairmen are apparently a dying breed that don’t use the sophisticated diagnostic tools of the 21^st century instead relying on the good old fashioned standard of feeling out and eyeballing issues. Either way, make sure to read the Unilocal reviews and compare your other options before having your car in pieces on their lift.

These folks are not only incompetent but thieves taking advantage of customers lack of knowledge, we drove our Miata to them and had it towed away out of the shop two days later after they killed the battery and leaked all the hydraulic fluid out of our clutch slave cylinder saying we needed not only a whole new clutch but a transmission. I knew better and called them out on their bluff, all I needed was a slave cylinder installed, cost for all parts less then $ 35 retail, I saved myself thousands of dollars.
Those of you who are happy, you might have been fooled into believing you got a good deal! This company is dishonest, to learn of all the details go and review the complaint and their version on the BBB website.

Magic! Sure, East Coast is thorough and is a heavily crowded shop but it puts out art. Compared to shops in northern Virginia, these guys have comprehensive knowledge of all possible quirks you may need for your auto. Moreover, a year has passed and my cars are running strong. I drag, I tow, I commute. All different vehicles that Rob personally spruced up for me.
Exceptional service that didn’t break the bank. Thanks again for the amazing service!

While Rob dedicated himself to finding the cause of a mysterious grinding noise on my car, it took 7 business days for him to essentially quit without finding the true cause. I left with my car and only the recommendation that the transmission would need to be rebuilt/​replaced, although he did not seem to want to take that on. Fortunately, Rob only asked that I pay for one part despite all his labor, and then I took it elsewhere. At AAMCO transmissions they found and fixed the problem in a single day, and it was MUCH simpler and less expensive than a transmission repair. It was a worn engine mount.
I respect the effort that Rob made but the experience was overall quite poor. Exacerbating the situation, Rob’s office manager Shelby provided truly miserable customer service. She rarely returned my phone calls, provided misinformation at several points and never made it clear what was being done to my car. She pretended to understand the mechanical issues but seemed to confuse things at every turn. If you have a transmission problem, I’m sure Rob will try to assist, but be very clear of the issues with your car and the expected outcomes, or you may face a situation like mine.