Cottman Transmission and Total Auto Care

The Evil Among Us: A Story of Woe and Whoa
I went here to get my engine replaced. They kept my car for two months giving me all types of stories as to why they couldn’t get the engine properly mounted into the car. They claimed they had to keep putting it in and taking it back out because of missing pieces/​screw/​etc.
Finally, I decided to get my boyfriend to call, because I could feel my frustration rising, and I like to remain even-​keeled when dealing with business affairs – just a rule I have. They told him they had to push it to the back burner because their priority was transmissions (yep, after two months of keeping the car).
The manager tried to throw one of his employees under the bus when I later pushed about the delay. Then he tried to charge me more because he said his technicians were losing money on the repair. I questioned the manager about that, and explained that I should not have to pay more since it seemed the delay was their doing – and in fact, I had also lost money because cab fare and rentals for two months had been really adding up – and if they could not do the replacement, that they should have just said so in the beginning so that I could take it elsewhere with no trouble. This is when this dude lost it like I had stolen his Barbie doll when he was a child, and he had yet to cope with the loss. This is real life. He actually started yelling over the phone, but all I could make out was a repeated, «and I tell you what!!» It was pretty crazy.
Well needless to say, I towed my car out of there. And when I took it to my new shop, they showed me that the driver side door was not working, and the lock was stuck inside the door where someone had taken the door apart, and not put it back together properly. I’m not mechanic, but why dismantle a door, for an engine repair? (unless you were breaking things like an angry child who had lost her Barbie). My new mechanic fixed it for free (fuming at Cottman’s treatment of me). Also, they had my engine in in a day and a half.
Here’s the kicker! My new mechanic shared with me that the new engine had never been opened. It was still totally sealed! In other words, all the stories that Cottman’s told me about putting the engine in and having to take it out so many times was a tangled web of lies. Sticky.
I have decided that the Devil does live among us, and they manifest as the managers of Cottman’s Auto.

Took our Honda Fit into Cottman after being referred by Speedee due to a warning light being on. They wanted $ 700 just for a diagnostic on the engine. Not even to fix the engine. Tried to tell my husband it would cost $ 1400 for a diagnostic at the Honda service center. Told my husband not to even drive it to the dealership as it wasn’t safe to drive and our dealership would charge us twice as much. I called the dealership, and they said with that warning light, it was FINE to drive into the dealership, and got it fixed at the Honda service center in Metairie, out the door, for $ 350. Just a minor problem with the pressure switch on the transmission. These guys are NOT honest, and likely tried to take advantage of my husband. Dear Cottman, just because English is my husbands FIFTH language, doesn’t mean he’s an idiot.

I went here because of the seemingly good reviews. However, I was not treated with any quality of customer service, instead I felt like a nuisance. I had an oil leak and was told it could be anywhere from $ 800-​$ 2000 to fix. The quote seemed way too expensive for what the problem was so I called around and found out the part they said was broken was about half the price they claimed it was. At this point, I felt like I was being taken for a ride so I went to pick up my car and was not greeted with even a shred of common decency you’d expect from another person, much less someone you are about to do business with. After I was told it would be an hour before they could give me my car I decided to sit and wait it out. Fortunately after about 5 minutes the guy showed his first hint of kindness by getting someone to pull my car out.
I ended up taking my car to the VW dealership where a completely different issue was diagnosed at half the price. Maybe its because I was a girl or maybe the guy had a few bad days, but all I know is I am happy I got my car out of there and will not be returning.

Moving to a new city is always the worst when something brake downs on your car & this place was very helpful, straightforward, & fixed my car in a day. Thank you and i’ll be back!

I presented a Super Saver coupon which had expired five months prior. Despite this, the management was happy to honor the free oil change and tire rotation. I highly recommend their services!

i took my Toyota rav 2001 last week (may 2015) it was stalling. This place told me that it was the car computer and they charged me about $ 1200 and my car is still stalling and they don’t want to do recognize they didn’t diagnose the right problem in the first place. Very dishonest,.

As good as it gets! An HONEST repairman does exist in New Orleans! I broke down on the side of the road and had my SUV hybrid towed to the dealership. Their quote was $ 7000. It is an old car and they suggested I go talk to their sales people about replacing it. I went for the second opinion … and had my car towed again to Corey at Cottman Transmission. I AM SO GLAD I DID! The next day Corey called and said «There is nothing wrong with your car. Come and pick it up and drive it». I was so shocked that I asked him to please look it over again; just to be sure. Corey took the time to do a full diagnostic TWICE. I picked my car up last Saturday and have been driving it with no problems. Bottomline, the dealer hooked it up to their computer which rebooted the computer and now all is good. Corey and Cottman Transmission saved me $ 7000 dollars! Thank you! I will forever be giving him praises and will always recommend this auto care facilty. Don’t get screwed! Get a second opinion!

The sticker shock of transmission repair is pretty awful. Last year, my car needed a full transmission replacement and I was referred to Cottman for the job. I had just graduated from Tulane and been working in the service industry, so money was scant and a repair nearing $ 3000 would cause me some financial hardship for a few months.
But that’s the beast of transmission work, no matter where you go it will be on the expensive side.
I attempted to shop around for a bit and see what I could do to get the cheapest price possible. Some places offered rebuilding the transmission for cheaper, other places more expensive than Cottman for the same job.
I was on and off the phone with Corey at Cottman for a few days, hammering out what I needed to pay and what I could do without. He assured me that replacing the transmission would be the most prudent course of action because the damage was too far-​gone AND he assured me that if there was any issue with my transmission in the future, I could take it to ANY Cottman transmission in the country and have it taken care of under warranty.
Eventually I bit the bullet and Cottman fixed my transmission. They were extremely professional and courteous throughout the entire process.
10 months later I found myself moving to California, the repair was long past and my car was running fine until I was on my way into San Francisco when a code p1870 (Transmission Slipping) showed up as I was driving through Gilroy. I managed to get into San Francisco without any problem and popped online to see where the nearest Cottman shop was. My options were Portland, or Colorado.
I called Corey the following morning and he answered with the happy «HEY Chuck!» as always and told him about my issues. Suddenly, like I hit a switch, he got serious and promised me that it would get sorted out. Within a day, Corey found a transmission shop that would be willing to take over the work for the warranty at no cost to myself. There were a few hiccups working with shops here in California and coordinating with New Orleans, but today I am happy and back to work in the Bay Area.
Corey put in time on, and off the clock working with me to make sure that my car was running properly. He went above and beyond to make sure that their work continued to be the best possible even though I am now thousands of miles away.
You can’t fight the cost of transmission repairs, it’s a hard pill to swallow. You can, however, be mindful in who you trust to enable you to get back on the road. If I still lived in New Orleans, I wouldn’t pick any other shop to work on my car.

My 2007 Audi developed sudden transmission failure and required a pretty complex repair. I was unable to get satisfactory service from the dealership (my usual go-​to for car repairs). It was with some trepidation that I had the car towed to Cottman after being warned that they wouldn’t be able to handle an Audi. I can say, without reservation, that they did a fantastic job. Corey, my main contact at the shop, was so pleasant and knowledgeable — – He went the extra mile to diagnose and repair my car and spent a lot of time explaining the problem and necessary intervention to both me and my husband (layman’s terms for me/​mechanic talk for him). He was the equivalent of a very good doctor!!!
The repair was expensive but less expensive than it could have been because Corey researched and pinpointed the problem — it did not require a total transmission overhaul. I suspect that a more unscrupulous repair shop might not have taken the time and just told me that I needed an entire transmission replacement. I have to agree with another reviewer– it’s the only time I’ve paid a few thousand dollars for a repair and left the shop smiling. I am very grateful for their honesty and competence.

Ya know, i’ve always heard horror stories about transmission shops and when mine started to slip i began to get worried. I know transmission repairs can run up a lengthy tab (which it did) but i gotta say Rob over at Cottman was simply a pleasure to do business with. I never though i’d be leaving out of a repair shop after paying a couple thousand dollars with a smile on my face, and promising to bring the guys over there a king cake.
Rob was just the man when it came to explaining what needed to be done (and being that i already know a bit about cars i knew he wasn’t jerking me around), and he got the job done amazingly fast! I’m talking i brought my car in on Thursday morning to have the transmission repaired, not only did he get a speedy delivery on the parts, but my car was ready the very next day, and i was expecting it to be in the shop at least a week!
Rob, if you’re reading this, the guy with the Scion tC can now possibly still make that trip to Europe this summer because of your help, thanks a million!

I came here after a horrible experience at Aamco so I may be a little overly enthusiastic about these guys, but they were quick, trustworthy, nice and my car runs!
Oh and they work on SAABs.