Russ's Transmission Inc

unknown

I have a 1968 Mustang in need of a complete transmission overhaul: leaking from all possible locations...no 3rd gear. This car also had a badly grinding rear end (axle). I needed to find a trustworthy shop to do excellent work. I know a few excellent places on the west side but needed to find transmission services in the valley.  
First of all, I should mention what kind of consumer I am and this will inform you how I came to choose Russ's Transmission.  I know that a vintage mustang shares many mechanical parts with a lot of other Ford vehicles so I wasn't looking for a vintage/specialty service station and the prices that come with those places.  I am not rich and would rather find a trustworthy shop that does good work.  I will spend a little more for better work and good service. 
I found Russ's Transmission on Angie's List and called them and got in contact with Mike.  Mike is very friendly and knowledgeable but he's also a good listener and very professional.  He also explained that he does work for the Mustang Club of America.  This is a huge bonus as the reason to join a club like this is to find the best places to service your Mustang.
Mike called within a day and said he got the transmission going: there was a simple thing that was causing the 3rd gear to not work but he found it and said that I could pick it up at no charge but everything else (leaking and slipping) would still need to be addressed and that it would need a proper overhaul at about $1500.00.  Since my intention from the beginning was to go through the entire transmission,  I had him start work. 
When work was completed, Mike securely stored the car for me while I was traveling for work. He also washed the car and put in a fresh battery.  I was happy with the work so I had him rebuild the rear end too (Russ's transmission also does rear ends) I wanted to lower the gearing from 2.79:1 to 3.55:1 for better acceleration.  He did a great job and the car runs like it's never run before. 
Since rear ends are a specialty, I will update my review on the quality of this service after some miles but so far everything performs very well.
The rear end work cost 1200.00 and included new gears, yoke/U-joints, pilot and axle bearings.  
All in all, I am happy with the experience.  It's tough to have a good experience with service shops.  Dealing with Mike was a pleasure...I highly recommend this shop for transmission service.

unknown

My husband brought the car in on a Saturday, met with Mike Velasco, and although I had given him the names and addresses of 2 other shops to get quotes from, he felt extremely confident with Russ. They kept the car for 6 days (it was scheduled to be ready the day before, but Mike, who is meticulous with detail, drove it and sensed something he wanted to tweak before letting me have it back. I picked it up the next day, day 6, and I couldn't believe how smoothly and perfectly it was shifting! For the first time in many, many months, I felt confident that it would get me from point A to point B without even thinking about it. And, Russ goes above and beyond their commitment to a job well done, by having the client bring the car back 3-4 weeks later, so that they can check their work. Who does that!?! They do, which was really the icing on the cake. Plus, they gave me a 2 year/24,000 mile warranty. They really care about a job well done, and they know the importance of providing the best customer service. When I mentioned to friends that Russ has you come back so they can double check their work, they all said, "wow". Everyone that I have dealt with there, has been courteous, friendly and knowledgeable. Russ is the only place I will trust my transmission to.

called the transmission shop and Cruiz got on the phone and offered to tow in our truck, but we drove it in.  He told me that he would call me the next morning and let me know what was up.  He called as soon as they opened and told me that he had to tear-down the transmission to see exactly how bad it was.  He explained all the other work that it needed. He told me that the cost of the tear-down would be credited with the rebuild if it needed a rebuild.  I approved the tear-down.  He called me that afternoon and told me it was in bad shape.  He told me everything that he could do and that he would give me a call the next day.  To make a long story short, the parts were in on Monday and the truck was finished by Tuesday.  A complete Transmission rebuild in 1.5 days. Plus all of the other things that he needed to do.  Thank you to the entire family at the transmission shop. I recommend them highly.....A+++++++

unknown

My experience went very well. The staff was very professional, articulate and knowledgeable in their field. They took the time to explain everything to me and I would recommend this companyto others.

The transmission in our 2007 Toyota Sienna minivan was making a howling noise for about 3000 miles before it finally gave out, 85k miles young. When it died, there was a clear metallic clanking from the engine bay, like loose metal pieces were getting batted around inside. We had it towed to Hamer Toyota and they quoted me $5200 to have the transmission replaced with a rebuilt unit, same day turnaround.
I got on "the list" and found Mike at Russ's Transmission. He said that they don't replace transmissions, they repair them. He towed the van to his shop for free, charged a $885 teardown fee, and then gave me the bad news. The torque converter and one of the planetary gears sets had died. None of this stuff is simple or cheap, so the grand total was $3600 and 8 days of the van in the shop. He also did a complete overhaul, incuding clutch plates, valve parts, etc. The end result is a transmission that works better than it did when we bought the van used with 30k miles on it. The gear changes are smooth and things are quiet.
I don't think Russ's Transmission has any room for improvement. The fact is that automatic transmissions are the most complex part of the car. They contain hundreds of complex parts, so when your tranny dies, you're screwed. It's going to be expensive no matter what. We are fortunate enough to have an extra car, so being without the van for a week was acceptable. I hope I never have to, but I'd go back to Mike in an instant.

See previous - just very professional, friendly and fair all around.

I found Russ's Transmission through Angie's list and was extremely happy that I did. Mike gave me a rough idea of the cost of a couple of service scenarios based on our description of the problem. Once the job was started Mike found some other issues with the rear main seal and the radiator transmission cooling connections. Mike added these services at minimal cost and my out the door cost saved me over a $1000 compared to dealer cost. The car was serviced a day after the authorization, was washed and Mike detailed all the services done provided a 36000 mile warranty. A great service experience.

Great explanation of services and costs. Mike told me other problems i knew of that he could fir including the transmission. Follow thru was spot on.

Little or no communication between mechanic and front desk took place. No warranty listed or identified on replacement battery.

Mike at Russ's Transmission is as nice as he is skilled. He towed the car from beyond the radius where
he normally offers the complimentary tow and he put our car at the head of the line to insure that it would
be finished in time for us to take a flight we had booked for a wedding out of state. When we first called
his quote was half what the local mechanic had proposed to repair the transmission. Mike was very
patient in explaining the details of how the transmission had totally self destructed and helped us weigh
whether a rebuilt transmission made sense for our older vehicle. He was also willing to work on the brakes
which needed new pads, so that we did not have to make an additional trip to a second mechanic. He
warrantied his work and scheduled a follow up inspection to make sure that the transmission was performing
as expected. I would recommend him and definitely use his services again.

Russ's was honest and up front. They have really good work ethic and they are honest people, they are not out to get you. The price was reasonable, the time they spent working on it made the price worth it.

My experience with Russ' Transmission was probably the most ideal experience one could hope to have when dealing with an Auto mechanic. Granted, I did my research, and made sure I knew all the questions to ask and precautions I should take in regards to dealing with any mechanic and covering my end (should something g go wrong for whatever reason) but, I think I would of gotten the same great service whether I had that knowledge or not. The Guy I dealt with was Mike, and he was able to fulfil all my requests and answer all my questing prior to me getting any work done

They have a pick up service which allowed me to have it towed to his shop so he would be able to inspect the engine. I gave him permission to take the transmission apart so he could figure our what EXACTLY was wrong and what needed to be replace/fixed/repaired...

...what really impressed me was how much detail he was able to give me and how closely it related to my experience with the vehicle prior to it going out on me.

Not only did he give me detailed written quote; he was able to give me a price to the penny. No hidden surprises for me at the end. His price seemed about right compared to the quotes that I had already gotten and because I could tell he knew what he was talking about, I approved the repairs.

He was so honest about the repairs, and didn't try to say I needed services/repairs that I didn't really need; Or, Try to bill me for his Labor for the things he had to do anyway, (an example being my transmission clamps which needed to be replaced. Because they had to come out anyway, he only charged me for the replacement clamp)

He even applied all the other services he did towards the the overall price, so I did not get charged with the tow or the inspection which is probably a good reason in came in the cheapest in comparison.



Not one time did I have any problems when dealing with this company, and not one time was I given a reason to question the integrity of this company or regret my decision.



Prob the only place I will be taking my car, should something else ever come up. Will def recommend anyone who is looking for an honest, reliable mechanic