Batco Automatic Transmissions

I spoke to Jim over the phone and explained to him the issues I was having with my 2007 Saturn Outlook Transmission. Jim recommended bringing the vehicle by so he could inspect it. He mentioned that after the inspection he would give me a call to go over the issue and a recommended solution. Turns out the the transmission had failed and Jim and I discussed doing nothing, rebuilding the existing and possible purchasing a new one. A decision was made to rebuild and Jim completed the work in 4 days.
So far the transmission has been performing well. Jim asked that I return after 3k miles so he could do a quick inspection. I’ll update again once I reach that milestone. However I would highly recommend Jim and his shop for transmission service.

DISCLAIMER: I had no transmission work performed on the car other than an initial assessment and quoted price. This review is about the initial assessment and time the car remained there afterward.
NOTE: It was my understanding until a few minutes ago that Batco was part of a chain of transmission shops, i.e. like your typical Giffy Tube, Mineicky, or PepLads.
The truth of the matter is that Batco isn’t anything like these cookie-​cutter factories of mediocrity.
I had a remarkably positive experience with Jimmy at Batco, even though I had no repair work done.
During one of the torrents of snowstorms we had in the early months of 2015, my 2000 Oldsmobile Bravada’s transmission called it quits — at least that was my conclusion — trying to rock out of a snowbank. Unfortunately due to the amount of snow, and several other storms, I wasn’t able to get the car flatbreaded to Norwood until the 17^th of April.
Batco came as a reference from a friend with past experience. Rather than taking it to a local mechanic, I took my friend’s word and had it hauled down to Norwood — a fair distance considering there are a myriad of repair shops between Melrose and Norwood. I went in there with hopes that perhaps a solenoid had given out, or it could be a relatively easy fix. My expectations were that a transmission repair would cost me close to $ 2,000, something I couldn’t do considering I bought the car for $ 2,750.
After getting there on Friday, I didn’t hear back until the middle of next week. The conclusion is that I did ruin my car’s transmission — a lesson I soon won’t forget. Jimmy was very candid and explained my options clearly and laid out the costs involved. Most mechanics might recommend a transmission rebuild, I mean, this is a transmission shop — right? That was one possibility, but Jimmy suggested something that would be a little more cost effective considering the purchase price of the car and the shape it was in otherwise: putting in a used transmission.
Certainly, this was a bit cheaper than a transmission rebuild, but considering my current circumstances — and that luckily I was able to obtain a temporary loaner car — I knew that wasn’t feasible.
I felt obligated to get the car out of there as soon as possible; storage fees would accumulate and it might detract him from other business. The load of my coursework made it difficult for me to figure out how to proceed: do I try to sell it? do I junk it? Both options would require me to haul the car back, and find a space for it (one only has so many AAA towing requests each year without it becoming an expensive endeavor). Facing this analysis paralysis, it took me a week to decide the course of action.
My decision was to donate my close friend to a local radio station, hoping it can live on in some way to fulfill a new purpose. Making the call nearly two weeks after the car first got there, the towing company wasn’t supposed to pick up the car until the following Monday. I knew this was too long to be on Batco’s lot, so I called and told Jimmy that I was willing to compensate him for storing the car. I also wanted to compensate him for his time spent assessing the car and looking into solutions.
Finding out late on Friday the towing company would come on Monday to haul away the Bravada, I decided to wait until tomorrow and call then. Getting the answering machine on Saturday, I explained I wanted to compensate him, and for him to get back to me with an amount.
In the world of social media, reviews can have a lot of value. I, myself, usually check Unilocal,Google, Angie’s List, or other reviewing websites before deciding to use nearly any service. I like to know what I’m getting into, and have an idea of the lay of the market. Jimmy didn’t charge me anything, and he only wished I would consider writing an online-​review of his service. He didn’t say a «positive review», so I have equally little incentive to go in either direction. I have no personal connection other than the fact that I felt I was done right by him, and people deserve to know so.
I hope it’s clear by now that the customer service I received from Batco is grade A+, and something I value tremendously having, myself, worked in the service industry. If you think you might have a transmission issue, you live within a reasonable distance and can get your car there without much effort — hell, even if you’re further than me and it takes a lot of effort — I highly recommend getting your car here ASAP as possible.
The level of respect, understanding of my situation, and sincerity delivered makes me conclude this transmission shop is a formidable and worthwhile choice. It stands to reason this level of service also extends to the quality repairs or replacements Batco performs, as is, I’m sure, how you’re treated as a customer throughout and after your experience.
Cactus Approved.

I would highly Recommend seeing Jim at BatCo!
I brought my car in that was have transmission problems in the 5^th gear. Jim was super accommodating with my schedule of dropping the car off late. He was very reasonable with when quoting me for the work that need to be done. An now i’m back on the road!

In short I highly recommend Batco if you’re having problems with your transmission. Jimmy was very accommodating, he was nice enough to provide transportation to/​from the train station (which really is a life saver). In the end he was able to fix my transmission quickly without any trouble and best of all, he wouldn’t accept payment because he felt the problem was too easy to fix! Truly amazing. I will certainly return if my vehicle has any problems in the future and I urge you to do the same.

In short: low to average price on transmission rebuild + by far the best customer service out of 15 shops I spoke with = 5 stars
When the transmission went on my car I called 15 of the best reviewed repair shops in and around Boston. Jim at Batco was by far the most helpful mechanic I spoke to and provided free, fair, and unbiased advise on my sell vs repair conundrum. He even offered to buy the car if I decided against repairing it.
Jim spent over 20 minutes talking me through every option I had, what the problems could be, and explained why prices on transmission work varied so much. He was unexpectedly friendly, open, and honest about the options and the reputation of specific competitors I was considering.
I got estimates for a rebuild from $ 1600 at Riverside Transmission of Watertown, to $ 3300 at AAMCO in Allston. Batco came in at $ 2300 – 2600 with a 2 year warranty. I don’t plan to keep the car for more than another 6 – 12 months so I ended up doing the repairs at a cheaper shop, but if I was going to keep this car long term there is no question I would go with Jim at Batco.
When I called back to tell him I was going with someone else, he was gracious and offered advice on questions to ask them before agreeing. Can’t say enough good things about the interaction I had with this shop, especially compared to the vast majority of others I tried.

When you suspect your transmission is gone, it’s painful. You have to think — «Is the car really worth what I’m about to spend.» When my daughter’s car went, our trusted mechanic recommended Batco in Norwood and I limped the car over (they offer free towing). What ensued wasn’t cheap but the experience wasn’t negative either. The owner, Jim, was very upfront about the options, going through a process of looking for used ones that could potentially save us a few dollars. After several conversations, I decided to have him rebuild the transmission as he would guarantee the results for a year and belongs to a network of transmission shops across the USA that would stand by his work if anything happened far from home. The actual shop-​boss is a big grey male cat named Elvis who will give you $ 100 off the bill if you bring him something nice. Word to the wise — Batco’s a good repair shop — but stop at Petco first!