Space Center Automotive

This place might be great if you’ve got money to burn, but if you live modestly in a single-​income household, I’d urge you to go elsewhere. Yeah, they drove me back and forth to work for a couple of days, but it certainly wasn’t worth the exorbitant prices that they charge. I’d rather ride my bike to work and get a fair price than be picked up from work and get screwed.
I took my 4-​year old car there for the annual inspection and they claimed that they couldn’t pass me without having $ 1,100 worth of work done. After declining the service, I did some research and found out that the part that they claimed that I needed only cost $ 400 at the most. On top of that, they said that my transmission fluid needed to be changed which I know isn’t true, because I just had my fluid flushed and replaced less than 3 months before that.
If you work at NASA or the surrounding area and you’re tickled pink about being driven around while your car is in the shop… and if you make REALLY good money so a fair price isn’t a big deal for you, then this place might be right up your alley. Otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend this place, because they’re going to make sure they fleece you for at least $ 200 for checks & diagnostics whether you accept the service or not.
SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM AND CLICK THE LINK THAT SAYS «REVIEWS THAT ARE NOT RECOMMENDED». I’m not sure why some reviews are considered invalid, but with all due respect, Unilocal can’t prove that these people were not real customers.

These people are great. We were visiting from out of town and had a problem with the car. They saw my situation and worked me in at a great price. Twenty minutes, we were back on the road

I moved to the Apartments next door to this place about a year ago and I have been going there ever since to get my oil changed or whatever car maintenance. I have a 2009 Kia Rio so I have not really needed anything big to be fixed, until yesterday.
I was on my way to a part time job interview and I was only a couple blocks away from my apartment when my car started to rumble and the engine made crazy noises. I looked at my dash and my check engine light started blinking and then went solid. I pulled over at a gas station and whipped out my manual. It said that when the light flashes and then goes solid there is something wrong with the emission control system and the Catalytic Converter may have become damaged if driven around without a repair. It recommended I should take it to a local dealership ASAP.
I don’t like dealerships. I don’t trust dealerships. I hate going to dealerships. I hate dealership prices. Instead of driving to some local dealer I decided to stop by Space Center Automotive because then I could just walk home. It was 7:30pm and they close at 6:00pm so I knew I would need to do a night drop off.
I drove up and parked my car out front. Their doors were open and Brian (an employee) was there. I asked why they were still open because I needed to drop off my car. He said the A/​C in the building broke and he needed to be there while the contractors were taking a look at it.
He helped me fill out the night drop off information and paperwork.
Early in the morning the next day he gives me a call and lets me know that what I was experiencing was the engine misfiring and there are several things that can cause that. To diagnose the exact cause he said he would charge me $ 98 (including tax). I said sure. I can’t imagine it would be cheaper anywhere else.
When they do the test they determined that it was a #4 engine coil that went bad and the spark plugs needed to be replaced. He also recommended that I get the car a full tune up. I figured why not. The total came out to $ 322 and some change. It is not a horrible price for that work and he got it done that day. I got in my car and I was happy to have it cleaned and vacuumed. It started just fine and I left as a happy customer.
They do a great job there and I didn’t think the price was unreasonable. I just have to get more hours at work to pay for my other bills now.
I recommend this place to anyone who needs work done to their car.

This is now the second time I have been to this place and I will continue to go and tell others to go as well. I live in Houston but work in Clear Lake and AAA gave me their name as a referral since I had no idea where to take my car in the area. They were so very nice from the very first phone call and picked me up from work and took me to Enterprise past the time they were closed. Car was washed when I picked it up after having my starter replaced. Yesterday, I called after AAA said my battery was bad and upon taking it to O’Reilly it was a 14 month old battery still under warranty. They replaced the battery but told me it was the alternator and it would only last 1 – 2 days at most. I called Space Center again and spoke with Brian who stated I just go ahead and bring it to them and they would take a look at it and give me a loaner to drive home (Yay to not paying rental fees). Brian called this morning and told me my alternator was fine and it was indeed just a bad battery! I am a single female that knows nothing about cars and this place has my business for life. If they are a little higher prices, it is worth it for the way I have been treated!!!

Awesome place! They found my tires when discount and NTB couldn’t get them until days later! Will be using them again.

Don’t do it! I went there because I needed an alternator replaced on my 2003 Mazda Tribute in July of 2013. They charged me $ 790 because they only used manufacturer parts and it has a 1 year warranty through them. I was shocked because and alternator usually costs roughly $ 300. SO. I bit the bullet anyway and got them to replace it for an ungodly amount. Well…3 days later my O2 sensor lights came on. I called space center automotive and they said oh just tighten your gas cap, it will be fine. Nope didn’t work. I then took it to Hunts Automotive on Hwy 3 (should have gone there in the first place) to take a look at the situation. Turns out while Space Center Automotive was replacing the alternator they cut two wires which in turn knock out my sensors. Great had to now get that fixed since Space Center Automotive would not take the blame and I could not be without my car again for multiple days. (Did I mention that no matter what your car is there for they take it for atleast 2 days!!!) Anyway, so now it is July 2014 and oh guess what… I need a new alternator! Space Center Automotive replaced by alternator on July 2,2013 and it is now July 28, 2014 just over a year old and I have to get a new one… One year warranty is 2 weeks over… Great! Took it into Hunts Automotive this morning. Thanks Space Center Automotive for nothing!

This place sucks, I’ve never seen a place take 2 days to patch a tire. I’ve dropped a vehicle off here on a Monday to get a TIRE PATCHED and it literally wasn’t ready til Wednesday evening. I wouldn’t be so bad if it was the only time that that happened buy I work for a company that contracts this company for tire repairs and on average it takes them a day to patch the tire and if its not that its 2 days. That’s beyond ridiculous especially when I’ve seen it done in literally 10 minutes. If u value your time and can’t afford to rent a vehicle just to get a tire patched avoid this place at all cost.

You are about to get an honest and real review of Space Center Automotive. I did not have a great experience there. I dropped my car off for a full service oil change (about $ 40) and then I get a call about my car saying that it «stopped working» and required a $ 1000 repair. I am actually pretty good with cars so I tried to get a full explanation of the required repairs. I did not quite believe all the bills racking up. When it was all said and done I ended up paying about $ 500 after talking to them for two days straight and getting fed up with not having my car. Proof that the original charge was a gross over statement. and I still question weather or not my car actually required all those repairs.
Long Story Short: Although my experience may have been an isolated incident, I still believe there are a few things about this establishment that hold true for most customers that they have. 1) they tend to over charge for their services 2) The customer service is pretty nice — UNLESS you question the repairs, then they get mad at you haha 3) they *seemed* to have a tendency to «size up» their customers with respect to how they look and weather or not they know enough to actually question the repairs — unfortunately for them I was not going to back down.
Shop Notes: The actual shop is really clean and organized. It’s always nice to go to a mechanic shop that has a waiting area that is not doused in engine oil. They do offer a pickup/​drop off service which was very helpful.
Sentence Summary: I would not necessarily assume that my review is what happens to everyone that goes there, BUT I can say with relative certainty that the observations I made (above) about this automotive shop seem to be accurate.

I don’t know a ton about cars but Space Center Automotive has always been really friendly, helpful, and effective. In the end, I can’t ask for much more! We have some tougher cars to work on, and they still always do a great job with a great attitude about it. The office is also very clean, professional and nice to wait in. In over 7 years of service, I’ve not had a bad experience.

If you like paying out your ass for overpriced auto part replacement then this is the place for you! I found (through my own research) that I needed to have my O2 sensor replaced. After paying 95 dollars for a diagnostic, they told me that exact same thing. The price they quoted for this part? 372 dollars and that was before tax and labor. After doing my own research I found that I could buy this specific part at my local auto parts store for 117 (tax included) and the Honda dealership only charges slightly more ($ 150). If that isn’t price gouging then I don’t know what is. I also found that their diagnostic fee was noticeably higher than other repair shops. I bought the part at an auto parts store and had it installed at another auto shop. Grand total (part and installation): $ 160. I will say that if you are looking to get an oil change/​tire rotation/​mediocre car wash and sit in a swanky waiting room then this place may be for you but if you’re looking for a good deal then stay away.

I had been told 3 different things about my a/​c on my car, but no one seemed to be able to fix it… busy summer time! So, I went here and hoped for the best. Well, they discovered that I only needed coolant and not the other expensive things that the other places had told me. What was going to cost me an arm and a leg only cost me a nice dinner! AND, they washed and detailed my car for me at no additional cost. Then, as I was walking out to my car I noticed that my inspection sticker was expired and we are leaving on a road trip the next day, so I run back in, mind you it is closing time, and ask them to do it and I was out of there in 15 minutes! Awesome service, done quick and happily!
So, to sum it all up:
Pros: customer service, speed, free detailed car every time, NASA employee and contractor discount, driver service.
Cons: haven’t noticed one yet! Maybe a tad expensive, but hard to determine that since I haven’t had the same car service issue anywhere else!
Go there and ask for Kurt!

This is the best place to take you car consistently and know you’re going to get good service. You can find cheaper places, but my car is worth investing an extra few dollars to know it will be done right and on time. They offer a discount for NASA employees (and contractors). They will also offer rides to and from work while your car is in their care.

Not the cheapest but worth it. Excellent work, experienced workers, you get your car back washed and cleaned. They will shuttle you around and even have access to drive you into NASA, not just drop you at the gate. Also, a discount for NASA employees, just show your badge. I have never had a bad experience here!

This is a tough review. Their customer service is really good. They do pick up or drive people to where they need to go. Their staff are all very friendly and professional. However, they are a touch on the expensive side of repairs, and I’ve noticed that their repair quality has decreased quite a bit recently and so too has their competancy. I had one of their staff tell me that there was nothing wrong with my suspension. Considering how the car had a definite tilt to one side and the fact that another repair business fixed the tilt, sometimes I feel that there is just certain work they lazily do not want to do.

The prices may not be the best, but it is a good value for what is offered. They have top notch equipments to repair cars. They can shuttle you around while they’re fixing your car. They are good with reminders. The service is great and your car is expected to be pampered. They would even wash your car after fixing it up.
This place is also recommended by AAA.