Austin’s Automotive Specialists

After having my tires changed at local tire shop, I was told one of my wheel studs was broken. I came here to have it repaired, and they told me the tire shop likely broke it when changing my tires. Due to pity and kindness, they charged me nothing to fix it! It was a very nice and unexpected. I will return.
Update 2÷2÷16 — I went back to have an inspection performed, and the mechanic knifed a part of my window tint on the windshield when he removed my inspection sticker. It’s an annoying accident that I can live with. However, management’s response to the issue was not great. When I informed them, the response was, «Sucks for us that it’s clear and hard to see.» (The sticker area of the windshield was clearly demarcated from the tinted, darker section.) There was no apology, which would have sufficed for me. Instead, he told me I could take it to the place that had the tint installed, have them cut off the section that the mechanic ruined, and bring a receipt back to the repair shop to get reimbursed. Overall, an annoying headache that I did not want on a Saturday afternoon.
Changing to a 2-​star, «Meh. I’ve experienced better» rating. I will not return.

I came in for an alignment. When they told me that I needed 1,000 dollars of work done on other things, I told them that’s fine, but I’d have to get money from my parents and come back because that’s a lot of money for me.
The guy behind the desk, Doug, was clearly upset that I couldn’t get the work done today. «We accept credit cards.» I told him that I don’t have credit. He was very put-​out. He made me very uncomfortable.
Also, they apparently don’t do quotes. But before I came in, on the phone, Doug says, «Bring it in. We don’t charge to assess your car.» Which implied, to me, that they give quotes.

Love going to this repair shop! Everyone are true professionals and knowledgable of every car. For years I have had my family cars maintenance through them and they have always been honest, reasonable and good people. Keep up the great work, and I will continue to refer my family and friends to you for great car care. Thanks Darin and your staff! Annette Hill

When I moved to Austin 2 years ago, I needed car maintenance right away. I went to 2 different repair shops before stumbling on Automotive Specialists. Since finding them, I’ve only ever gone here for all my maintenance and repair needs.
Everyone is friendly and willing to answer ah questions that I might have. One of the best things about this place is that I’ve never been pressured to purchases additional services. Lots of times I would need something as simple as an oil change and the mechanics will then try to pitch a huge package of repairs and that has NEVER happened here. If they notice anything out of the ordinary, they have mentioned it and then moved on.
Great guys, quick service and competitive prices! Highly recommend them to anyone!

We got 2 cars in and out within a few hours while trying to move. These guys are great!

On a rainy day in a used car I had bought a week prior I pulled into Austin Automotive specialist. I had the new wipers as Target had a 2 for one sale. I thought I could do them myself… um no. I ran inside with the baby and they said don’t worry. This really nice guy came out and replaced them for me. He came in and asked if I had the one for the back window. I didn’t even think about that one, and I remembered the rubber was coming of, dangling down. He asked how I was liking this used suv. I mentioned to him that in the first week the battery died and the auto start stopped working. He said he would measure my battery. He did, still out in the rain. Came back and said the battery was fine, but if there is an issue already that it may indicate it needs to be replaced or something else’s could be an issue. The next day the engine light went one. So, I will be taking it to them for other issues that have happened. Lesson learned when buying a used car ALWAYS go get it checked out before buying. As soon as I can I will be taking it back for all my fix ups. They were so nice and I felt very well taken care of. Nice waiting room as well.

Oil change with recommended engine and a/​c filter. Clean and efficient, polite customer service. Very convenient in and out! I would go back.

All around great customer and automobile service!!!

I am sorry. but here is how things went down.
I walked into the store and talked to one person. Indicating that I needed to get a quote for the following items a total brake repair and valve cover seal replacement due to oil in the spark plug area when I was doing the changing of the plugs.
He indicated that he would have to get the truck inspected and I said ok. so we exchanged keys for a seat in the store. 35 minutes later I am getting update that the brakes needed to be replaced and that the rotors are also low and should be replaced. they did confirm that I had oil in the spark plug slot.
I indicated sounds great and now I need that in the quote and someone else indicated that they do not provide quotes and I mention that my time was a waste since I mention at first that I needed a quote.
Your store lost a job with a value of $ 1,500 all due to a a reply that I was told that I was not able to get a quote. Having found that out. I have informed my company that this is not a place to do business if quote is needed.

Long story short, do not go here. I give them two stars because the fluids section on the left side of the building were pretty cool and friendly. The folks on the mechanic side need to get a clue. I have been looking for the receipt to verify the dollar amounts I will be claiming in this review, but I needed a new radiator for my old import vehicle. They quoted me $ 171.50 for labor and $ 260 for a new radiator. I said, «Wow! $ 260 for the radiator for this car?! Is this some high end radiator?» The guy at the counter said, «Yes sir, we use only the highest quality parts here.»
I told him to go ahead and do the repair since I had to drive my car to work the next day. Well, a year later, this «high quality» part broke (I never touched the thing ever in that year!). They told me to bring it in and they will replace it (luckily the part was under warranty), but they will have to charge me labor to replace their shi**y «high-​quality» part. Another $ 171.50. They put in a better radiator the 2^nd time around luckily, at least it seems so (slightly more metal, less plastic).
They charged me $ 260 for a $ 110 radiator that anyone can get at Autozone. The 2^nd radiator install took them 3 – 4 hours when there was only one other vehicle in the next bay (I went and hung out at neighboring businesses as they worked on my vehicle, I was very aware of the time and their customer numbers that morning). I know cars fairly well and would have happily put in a P.O.S. Autozone radiator myself, but I live in an apartment complex and am not allowed to make such repairs.
I paid about $ 603 (spread out over a year) for a job that should not have come close to $ 300. Big frickin’ rip-​off. This happened a few years ago and I still get pissed about it. Thank you Unilocal for playing a part in keeping businesses like this in check. I work for a large government agency and happily share my experience. Keep this in mind for future customers.
*Update* 06÷08÷15: I was about to take a road trip in early January 2015, checked my fluids, sure enough, coolant was low. I ran my car and noticed, yep, this «better» radiator sprang a pinhole leak in a section. Luckily, I used some compound to patch it. No way was I going to take it back and pay them labor to put in another of their sh*tty parts.

I came in here for a front brake job in February 2014. Got my front brake pads replaced, rotors machined, and a full fluid flush/​exchange. Ran me about $ 250. Brakes felt funky afterwards, but I assumed that I just wasn’t used to the new ones.
Fast forward to July. I start hearing a squealing, so I take it back to get an inspection. They say that the front brakes are fine (80% left), but the back brakes need replacing (20% left). I decide to get the job done at Firestone because they were running a deal.
When Firestone does the inspection, they tell me the front brakes are showing serious heat spots due to the fact that my struts are completely shot. So, there goes all of the money I put into the front brake job back in February. They also tell me that the back brakes have a good 40% left on them and DON’T need to be replaced.
While I don’t know who to trust, it’s clear that Brake Specialists ONLY look at your brakes and don’t even bother to glance at any surrounding machinery to ensure that your brake job will last. I’m not sure what to conclude about the varying assessments of how much I have remaining on the pads. Going to get a third opinion Monday.
Bottom line: If you KNOW that all you need is a brake job, this place might be fine. But if you’re not sure, take it to a more generalized mechanics shop so you don’t waste money on brakes that might just wear out due to other issues.

I went in for an oil change and to fix the alignment of my Elantra. The total waiting time was about an hour. The service was friendly and efficient in my opinion. They took $ 10 off my fully synthetic oil change when I brought in their online coupon so I think $ 50 for an oil change is a very competitive price. The alignment was $ 80 so also a fair price. No hidden fees or trying to oversell me things I didn’t need. I like that they print the type of oil used on the sticker for those of us that forget those kinds of things! The only thing that bugged me was that they were doing some pretty loud interior construction doing business hours, not the biggest deal though. Waiting room has free wi-​fi that was pretty speedy! Will be coming back when I need my next oil change!

Brake Specialist just reconfirmed their 5 stars. I had taken my car in for new brakes and shortly after my steering wheel started to shake. I thought the tires might have been placed on wrong or something so I brought it back in. My manual transmission was also sticking so I asked if they could check that out too. In under an hour my car was returned to me with a recommendation of where to go to get my transmission checked and told that the shaking was due to bad tires and was given a recommendation of where to get those. Total price: $ 0.
In theory I guess they aren’t TOTAL car care since they can’t do everything in house but what they can’t do they give great recommendations for. These guys really look out for you and your car.

In and out of there for a car inspection in less than 20 minutes! Or at least that’s what it felt like! The inspection was pretty quick and I didn’t have to wait. Many times, I’ll go to another place and it takes me longer to get serviced or I have to drive my car for them, turn on my blinkers, tap the brakes, etc. I like that I didn’t have to participate in the inspection especially because why should I have to! It definitely is something to think about when you’re getting your car inspected on a super hot or super cold day! Also free wifi in case you need to do a little work while you wait.

Great place to get some things done to your vehicle like oil change, alignment, and a lot more. I would recommend this place to a friend in the future.

Stopped by to have my car inspected… so I can stop driving around in fear of being ticketed. Super fast! Super friendly! Was in and out in 25 minutes!
waiting area has a tv blasting local tv, soda machine, (only assuming) bad coffee, and car magazines. free wifi too.

I took my vehicle here for routine work, an oil change, wheel rotation, and an inspection. The oil change and rotation went fine but they wouldn’t complete inspection and said I needed a 1200 axle repair. I took my car to my mechanic and there were no issues. The car passed inspection elsewhere.
Overall a very dishonest experience.

Nice guys, good place, fast service … but they did it wrong.
Spent $ 100 to diagnose and repair an oil leak caused by the fact that these guys didn’t put the oil pan back on correctly. A missing washer cost me a lot of money.
Contacted the company and they said that I should have taken it back to them, but when you’re driving around a car that has a reputation for oil pump failures, you’re going to take a leak to the dealership.

As I’ve explained in many of my other auto-​focused reviews: I am a young, single lady who knows absolutely nothing about cars. I have been taken advantage of, spent hundreds of dollars on unnecessary tests, parts and repairs many, many times at the mechanic’s… my experience at Brake Specialist Plus, however, takes the cake.
With a 30-​hour road trip coming up next week I figured I should probably get my brakes checked. Who better to check my brakes then «Break Speacialist PLUS» I thought; with their advertised Free Consultation no harm in stopping by.
They were able to get my car checked out within the hour that they told me… but my good feedback ends there.
They told me I needed all new brakes, boots, pads… etc. and quoted me $ 620 or so. Knowing I had an appointment with a mechanic the next day I decided I’d wait to get a second opinion.
Thank the lord I did: turns out I didn’t need new brakes, my brakes were just fine the way they were.
In the words of the mechanic who saw my car the very next day and said the brakes were fine: These people are con artists … and I couldn’t agree more. I will never go back to this business and will tell anyone and their mother that this place is a sham.

My car started overheating a few days ago, and I took it here. First, as a best guess, they flushed the coolant. Didn’t work, so I took it back and they replaced the thermostat and hoses. The car would run fine for 20 minutes then, so we thought it was fine… not so much.
50 miles from home on the way to Dallas, the car starts overheating again anytime we go over 60. We come back, call my brother in law the Chrysler-​certified mechanic, who believes that by changing the type of coolant without toooootally flushing everything, they caused plugged ducts in the radiator. My husband takes it back to Brake Specialists Plus, where they said that couldn’t be it, but did a flush for free anyway. They said we damaged the head gasket while it was overheating. Well, maybe, but after the coolant thing and generally feeling talked down to, we’re going elsewhere.