Auto-Spec

I recently purchased an ’02 Miata that had a few more issues than I could handle myself, and after asking around on enthusiast forums, I chose Auto-​Spec based on their reputation specifically for fixing Miatas. I was not disappointed. The service I received was totally worth the drive up to Round Rock from Central Austin. They even have a key drop, so I was able to drop it off in the evening!
What really sold me was the amount of communication Ray provided. He was completely up front about what their diagnosis uncovered, and what other potential issues might come up (and how much they would cost) once they started working. I seem to have lucked out with a best-​case scenario, but the level of communication and honesty would warrant a 5-​star review either way.

Update on my review. I took Mike up on his offer and I used them again recently to replace the coolant recovery tank in my car. Did a great job at a great price. I am going to assume the problem with my brake repair was a one off mistake.

My check engine light was on and my car was running rough. I went to a chain parts store to get the code read, and after replacing several parts and not fixing the problem, I got tired of repeatedly buying parts.
These guys found the problem while doing a $ 65 diagnosis, and the fix was simple enough that they didn’t charge me anything more.
I’d recommend them. The only thing stopping a perfect score was that I didn’t get a call when my car was ready — I had to call them. But to be fair, it may have just been finished and maybe I beat them to the phone.

I dropped by the Georgetown location of JC autospec this week to have a few small issues looked at for my wife’s 2001 Miata. John and company found a couple of additional concerns in the first five minutes up on the lift — including a very loose nut and a missing bolt in the rear subframe brace. I have had this car into a local firestone shop twice in the past six months for oil changes and they didn’t notice either issue. I wish I lived closer to a JC auto-​spec location for the high level of car care they provide.
So i had the engine mounts replaced and it makes the 15yr old car as smooth as new. I highly recommend this for anyone who has an NA or NB Miata with engine vibration.

These guys are wonderful. Trustworthy and dependable. I won’t ever take my car anywhere else. I’ve been going to them about 4 years now since I moved back home here and recommend them as often as I can. Except, I don’t want them to get too busy: P
Call ahead and schedule, that really helps them better as they’re very busy because of such a good reputation. Fantastic shop.

Good guys
You can send mama here with out fear.
good service … honest work…

I found this shop a few years back and have not been to another garage since. I don’t ever worry about the cost because they have always been more than fair with the prices. I have a deep connection with my BMW X3 and wouldn’t let just anybody work on it. However, with these guys I walk in and Mike always speaks in a friendly tone. He never fails to ask about my day and we exchange pleasantries before we even discuss my car. I drop off the car and they give me a ride home, then pick me up when it’s finished. If you need good reliable mechanic work done at a great rate stop in and let Mike take care of your car or truck. Once you do you will not use another garage either.

These guys are awesome. We had a run in with roadkill in my 2006 Honda Civic and subsequently had some parts hanging down from under the car. We took it in and he was honest about the potential for high costs depending on the damage. We left the car with him and he called in about an hour to tell us there was no major damage to vital parts. He was able to remove the damaged piece that was dragging and that it was a non-​essential piece, especially considering the car is almost 10 years old. Best part– he didn’t charge us a dime!!! We will definitely be going back.

Got recommended by a couple of friends and now all I regret is not having found these guys sooner. With all the money I could have saved I could have bought a nicer car! So apparently every other place has been ripping me off because these guys charged me a quarter of what I was paying at elsewhere. They serviced both of my cars fairly, had a shuttle service, and they guarantee their work. Can’t ask for more.

So once again, J&C auto specialist do the right thing. Brought in my Lexus GX 470 after the air suspension went out. Had to keep the car in the shop over the weekend due to last minute. Anyway they fiddled with it, and were able to fix the problem, a relay going bad or short. The point is, is that they could have told me i needed a new compressor„ or liner bag, and i would’ve gone along with it, but they didn’t. Another great save!!!

These quality of service here is wonderful! Mike clearly explained what work needed to be done to repair my vehicle and how much it would cost (which was a perfectly reasonable and fair price). When my part didn’t arrive on time, he called me right away, notified me of this, and informed me as soon as it did it arrive. When I dropped my vehicle off at their shop, I accidentally forgot to remove my office desk key from the keychain. When I notified them, they were nice enough to bring the key to my office. I’d definitely recommend Auto-​Spec!

Great staff!!! Excellent service!!! I would recommend going here for all your automotive needs to everyone!!! Win win!!!

Auto-​Spec Automotive at 350 Old West Dr in Round Rock, TX is the REAL Automotive Specialist! Customer service is king and they are wearing the crown. The environment is clean and family-​oriented, the service reps are knowledgeable and treat you like they really care about providing great service. Also, if you need transportation to and from home or work while your car is in for repairs, Sean will get you to where you need to be, safe and sound and on time. Hopefully you will not have car problems, but if you do, the service is like no other at Auto-​Spec Automotive (the original Automotive Specialist). Thank you Ray Hrouda for great customer service!

«Perhaps someday Unisef will be there for you to repair your vehicle for free but until then we are a business. „- Auto-​Spec
How can any person/​business justify such a racist response?!
Don’t let the high ratings fool you! Owner kicked me out while waiting for tow truck because I wrote a part of this Unilocal review while waiting
Read the owners family friendly response to get a better idea of their customer service. (appears they deleted it, but I have screenshot here
, so they can’t hide or edit it away). They don’t know understand that once its on the internet, its stays forever. Their original response to me will stay online for you all to see, and determine if this type of customer experience you want to support.
I have been with Triple A for over 10 years (proof:
), and never have had an triple a approved auto shop mismanage a customer like this.
Now, they claim I was never a customer (
)
Such a classy updated response (
)
The fact that they are trying to suddenly deny it or hide it simply proves my point. Also, they respond to my visit, and also claimed to have video of it, while saying I am not a customer… I would expect this from a big corporation, but coming from a „family owned“ business makes this just comical.
They gave me an estimate of damages, without even taking the car into the garage, keep in mind, my car had damage underneath it. that’s how bad these people are. I had Tripple AAA to come back and take my care to another shop.
Summary of my experience (All facts, can’t be argued or disputed):
1. Car towed to shop for damage underneath, ran over rock/​pavement (Oil leak etc.)
2. After waiting for 1 – 2 hours, the secretary/​receptionist guy in front inspects my car, not by taking it into garage, but walking around it, keep in mind, damage is underneath it, and they know.
3. Starts quoting parts price/​service fees, (which i knew were marked up because i looked into the basic parts i needed).
when I showed cheaper price parts at Oriellys, $ 100 less, the receptionist said, „oh okay, we will look into that“ and then after talking Oriellys on phone, the receptionist told me the parts at oreillys will take weeks to come. Fine, i find the SAME PART, oil pan, at autozone that they have now, and I try to hand the phone receptionist, he was LIKE, WE DON’T PUT autozone PARTS in car, they have bad parts, again, same PART/​brand… only difference, its ready now, so they won’t get to put their marked up parts on my car, and had to go with autozone.
4. He puts the keys in front of me and tells me to take it, classic service, so I am like okay, I called triple A, they said sorry, started sending me a new tow truck
5. While waiting, i checked out their Unilocal,highly rated, some felt fake reviews, so I left my own review.
6. within 15 min, OWNER calls store, asked to kick me out over a Unilocal REVIEW. again Unilocal REVIEW.
Just a train wreck.
Now, lets review Response from Owner (who wasn’t even present, nor did they reach out to solve concerns):
„I’m very sorry you can’t understand how we do business. We only install quality parts. We never order from autozone because they have poor quality parts and we can not warranty that job.“
Please, mention that on your website that you don’t use parts from autozone, the 2^nd largest retailer for automotive parts, because they are bad quality.
“ You are more than welcome to find a shop that will. We are the only AAA recommended shop in Round Rock for a reason. We only do quality work that we warranty for 24months/​24k miles.»
I have found a better shop!, and hopefully you won’t be recommend by triple A much longer after this incident.
«We are always upfront and honest about everything we do and we stand behind our work.»
Yes, very honest, since you inspected my car for damages without even taking it into the garage to be inspected by someone qualified. Very honest and upfront. Please, tell me how you can honestly diagnose a car with damage below it without taking it into garage and lifting it.
” We do have the right to deny service to unreasonable customers. We are not the only shop in town. Your welcome to take your business elsewhere.“
A customer that doesn’t like your service, and writes a review is an unreasonable customer?! It is unreasonable to want to control the parts that go into their own car?! I am unreasonable because I choose what parts from where I want in the car I own?!
«I will not be taking business advice from a „21 yr old kid“ who thinks he knows better than people that have years and years of experience.»
Age doesn’t reflect maturity, or experience, and the responses from the business proves my point.
«Here’s an idea Mr. 21 yr old kid. Open your own auto repair shop and you can stock parts from Autozone & repair all the cars your little heart desire

Great service (clutch, clutch delay valve removal and a few other troubleshooting items) from Auto-​Spec. Ray was really responsive and the work was all done to a high /​thorough standard. Very impressed — couldn’t recommend enough.
— John B

You will not find a more knowledgable and honest repair shop than this place. These guys know what they are doing when it comes to Mazdas. If you are sick of going to the dealer and paying ridiculous prices then this is the place to go.

I moved to Round Rock across country from Pennsylvania last year and one thing I was really concerned about was finding a good auto mechanic. My brother is a certified mechanic and always worked on the family vehicles. I never thought I’d be able to find a place I could trust as much as someone in my own family, but Auto-​Spec is it.
These guys are awesome and definitely well worth all of the great reviews they have on here. I’ve been here several times with two different vehicles and the customer service here is always top notch (and I have over 20 years of customer experience myself). I’ve always dealt with Mike who is a great guy and thoroughly explains everything and goes over all the options. He’s very knowledgable and isn’t condescending or doesn’t talk over your head.
You can tell that the owners definitely know how to run business as the place has a great atmosphere and the employees are always joking around and having a good time. They do offer a shuttle service if you need a ride back to your place that I’ve used once and the driver was accommodating and very friendly.
I couldn’t recommend this place enough and I can’t imagine taking my vehicles anywhere else. Definitely give them a shot.

Stopped in for an oil/​filter change. Service was friendly and timely. Unilocal had a $ 15 coupon which bought my cost down to $ 28 no complaints here.

I’ve taken cars here in on two seperate occasions and both times, I left satisfied. The first for a 60k check-​up and the second because of grinding brakes. Prices were fair and they called each time to discuss pricing and options to address the issues. Additionally, repairs were done in 1 day and I had the estimate before 8am after dropping the car off the night before. I would recommend them and will be going back should the need arise.

I have not run into a more humble yet knowledge group thus far in Austin.
I’m new to the area. I own a pretty rare vehicle that another shop declined to work on. They recommended JC Automotive. These guys were very quick to note my issue, down to the part causing it. Its something I can fix on my own but am happy to know there a place in the area where I can take my car for future issues.
Thanks guys, I’ll be back.