Cottman Transmission and Total Auto Care

Highly recommend taking your vehicle here. I’ve taken several of my vehicles here (from oil change to transmission work) and have appreciated all the work they’ve done for me. They quoted a price before the actual work (they do not add extra charges like other places do) and have done an awesome job. Owner, Daniel and his staff are very knowledgeable, honest and reliable. You guys rock, keep up the excellent work.

It was time for me to get my brakes done on my car, and I had found a groupon for this business and thought I’d be able to get a good deal on the work my car needed.
I dedicated my afternoon to getting my car fixed, driving almost an hour just to get to the place. I was told that the entire job would only take an hour and a half or so. Instead, the work ended up taking almost three hours, which made me late for work that evening. Not only was that frustrating, but what was equally frustrating was paying over $ 400, whereas I probably could’ve taken care of things at a dealership for cheaper, and with a greater quality of service.
The groupon ended up helping very little, and it’s important to note that I didn’t even mention that I had the groupon before my car was «done», so it therefore could not have affected the service.
As if the inconvenience of time and apparent waste of money wasn’t bad enough, the brakes on my car made a terrible noise when I applied them that evening and into the next day! For the brakes to not be perfect after almost three hours of work and over $ 400 was ridiculous to me.
I then had to call and schedule yet another time to make an almost two hour long round-​trip back to the place, where they were only able to mostly fix the issue, and offered nothing for my troubles, not even a coupon – which I wouldn’t have wanted to use anyway since it would involve returning.
In this whole ordeal, I hardly received any apologies or anything of the sort, and after I had brought my car back with the bad noise, I was just told that the man who had done them has been doing that sort of work for 30 years. Maybe it’s time for retirement!
I do not recommend this place whatsoever. Save your money and get it done at a more affordable place with better service, which shouldn’t be hard at all to find!

My truck had slight transmission issues. Nothing serious but these guys took care of it. It took a little longer then I would’ve liked and my truck did get broken into and about $ 800 worth of stuff was stolen BUT they were very nice about it and gave me a great deal on my transmission work. I can now go back and get any transmission work done for free for a year and, knowing my vehicle, I will need it. I’d recommend it but just know that it is not in the best area and to take any valuables out.

My car was making a grinding/​squealing sound (odd!) on the driver’s side for about a week, and since I don’t know crap about cars, I got nervous. I asked my boss, who lives in the same general area I do, where he takes his cars. He immediately said Cottman and sang their praises (including their annual Christmas cards to customers). I made an appointment to go after work, and due to traffic, I showed up a little late.
The guys were about to leave for the day, but the manager (Brad, maybe?) said they’d take a look. I ended up needing new brake pads and rotators (I didn’t know this was even a thing…). They offered to go ahead and fix it right then and there, but I didn’t want the guys to have to stay late.
I made an appointment for a few days later, swung by in the morning, dropped my car off and left my key in the drop box by the door. By that afternoon, Cottman called me and said I was all set. Everything was painless, except paying for the repairs (yikes!) I will admit though, for a car repair, the price wasn’t actually awful -$ 300 for anything will always seem sad to me. I printed one of their coupons from the website and basically got the tax knocked off. Not a bad deal at all.

Generally, I look at non-​dealer automotive centers as a place to find a bargain. Without the overhead (and requirement to use OEM parts) these places can often provide a lower hourly rate for work, and a better overall value than a dealer service center. As far as the diagnostic side of things, regardless of where you go it pays to be careful. Dealers tend to have the latest and greatest equipment (and the pricetag that comes with it.)
I went to Cottman recently after purchasing a Groupon — I had specific work I needed done, and it felt like a cost effective way to get an idea as to how good or bad this place is (with the possible intention of going back in the future) — I do much of the work on my car myself, and have a good handle for what needs to be done (and what is just BS).
Cottman had some pluses, and minuses:
— Their prices for some things were the same as the dealer (a big minus) — why would I use a third party auto center when I can get the same deal (with OEM parts, and a 12k warranty on the work) from the dealer — with OEM certified mechanics, and the latest in diagnositic equipment?
— Their labor prices seemed to be about the same as the dealer, in fact, for the (minor) brake work I had done, I could have gotten it done cheaper (even without the $ 75 groupon savings) at the dealership.
— They seemed honest (a big plus), where the dealer told me I needed new Power steering and brake fluid (where the brake fluid was new, and the PS fluid only 20k miles old) the folks at Cottman assured me that both were looking good.
— I did find they charged me to repack the bearings on my wheels, which I wasn’t told about when they gave me the estimate (but I was charged for.) Had they asked me, I likely would have said to do it — but the fact that they presumed to do work I hadn’t authorized was distressing.
In the end, I’d say these guys were honest for the most part… but not cost effective when compared to the dealership (in my case, Leith Nissan). The price for Cottman to do a timing belt replacement was slightly more expensive than the dealer, even though they were using aftermarket parts.

I have to say, these guys came through for me when I needed it. Their work has been excellent, on time, and great follow through. The owner even stayed over past closing time since my ride had not picked me up yet, and wanted to make sure all was fine until my ride came. They were on time with calling me with the estimate the next day, and when the work was done, it was true to the estimate. They even made special arrangements for pickup when the work was done that met my schedule. I have to recommend them from my experience!

Cottman’s was incredibly helpful when I needed guidance on buying a used car. They looked at two different vehicles and gave me excellent advice. All around, I was impressed by their level of service and authenticity.

I like to think I know my car better than I know most other things. My car was feeling a bit sluggish, and I knew my transmission fluid was pretty gross, so I made an appointment here and was pleasantly surprised from the moment I dropped my car off to the time I drove it home. While I don’t like to buy into stereotypes, I can only count on one hand the number of times I’ve had to call my (a former mechanic himself) dad and ask him if a repair was necessary because an auto mechanic has tried to somehow screw me over because, perhaps, I’m a girl.
The owner even had two mechanics look at my car to test everything out before just flushing my transmission, and now my car, which is only a few years old but has suffered quite a bit in the few years I’ve had it, is driving like she’s brand new.
Thanks guys. You definitely made my evening :) I even drove kind of like a jerk on the way home, pulling out of roads faster than I should, and she handled great. No weird screeching and bucking like before.

I have taken our car and pu truck to this business everything from airconditioning to drive train. The owner and workers are honest and hard working. Business run as it should be.